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In mice, a vaccine that triggers rejection by the immune system, methamphetamine, a drug that causes a strong dependence.
Cannabis smoking through cocaine, drugs create a physical and psychological dependence. There are few effective ways to fight against this addiction, and research in this area explore various avenues. The team of Kim Janda at the Scripps Institute in California, focuses on methamphetamine: thanks to a vaccine, they obtained mice that produce neutralizing antibody drugs.
Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug that is spreading in Europe in recent years: the euphoric properties, sometimes used as a dopant, it triggers a rapid dependence. U.S. chemists have sought to activate the immune system against this molecule, before it enters the brain. They injected mice with a molecule that mimics methamphetamine: it has almost the same shape, but does not trigger the same deleterious effects. Only, this molecule is not marked by the immune system. Therefore, biologists have ascribed a protein auxiliary large. This assembly is then detected by the immune system, which triggers the production of specific antibodies against this particular construction against the party which is the counterpart of methamphetamine. At a subsequent consumption of methamphetamine, these antibodies recognize the molecule, bind to and neutralize.
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It has been shown that snuff consumption is associated with angina mortality in diabetic patients. In the general population, advice to quit smoking at least get a 5% leave the snuff in a year, while the intensive intervention with follow-up, get that 20% leave the snuff. Snuff consumption is a risk factor for the development and progression of diabetes. The snuff kills 53,155 people annually.
The study “community randomized clinical trial of an intervention with intensive counseling for the cessation of snuff in diabetic patients Primary Health Care (Study ited), the Institute for Research in Primary Care (IDIAP Jordi Gol), was done in 98 centers Primary Care of the province of Barcelona and enrolled a total of 420 nursing and medical professionals.
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Researchers Apoptosis and Cancer Group of the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IDIBELL) have found that a small molecule, Nutlin-3a stimulates the signaling pathway of another protein, p53. By this way, it induces cell death and loss of proliferative capacity in brain cancer, slowing its growth.
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common brain tumor in adults and more aggressive. Despite efforts on new treatments and technological innovation in neurosurgery, radiation therapy and clinical trials of new therapeutic agents, most patients die two years after diagnosis. Avelina Tortosa, IDIBELL researcher and University of Barcelona (UB), and coordinated the study, explained that one objective of his group is “to find substances that sensitize tumor cells to radiotherapy for the treatment more efficient “.
New therapeutic targets
There is evidence that several genetic alterations promote the growth, invasion and resistance to stimuli that induce programmed cell death (apoptosis). In this sense, the pilot project The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has sequenced the genome of up to 25 glioblastomas noting that 14% of patients have an increased expression of MDM2 and 35% had alterations in protein expression p53, inducing apoptosis. That’s why research is now focused on the development of new therapeutic strategies that target the apoptosis in gliomas.
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It is difficult to determine the degree of suffering of a child who does not speak after surgery. Researchers at the Hospital Universitario La Paz (Madrid) have validated the scale ‘Crying’, the first and only tool that measures the inconvenience Castilian of children quickly and easily.
“The lack of appropriate tools to prevent medical personnel whether the preverbal age child, who can not speak to tell us how much it hurts the surgical wound is treated in an appropriate manner,” he told SINC Francisco Reinoso, author of the study and Section Chief of Pediatric Anesthesia, University Hospital La Paz (Madrid).
In order to remedy this shortcoming, researchers have validated the first and only Spanish language scale for measuring pain in children under three years. With this tool, called ‘Cry’ (short for tears, attitude, normorrespiración, postural tone and facial observation), the fittings can identify children who have acute pain after surgery, how intense is the pain and see if the treatment used is effective.
So far, the pain had been measured in children who spoke and responded to the same scales used in adults. “There are some studies with younger children, but Anglo instruments are not always validated in Castilian as CHEOPS scale,” said Rein.
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While the key area of memory in the brain tends to shrink after a certain age, it would be possible to “grow” and maintain its memory capacity. Neurologists from the University of Pittsburgh together 120 volunteers aged 55 to 80 years and have separated into two groups: one had to walk a ten minute walk three times a week and increase the duration of five minutes each week for up to 40 minutes.
By comparison, the rest must pay three times per week in sessions of stretching. It appeared that people walking 40 minutes three times a week (unlike the other group) had a larger hippocampus, a year later. The hippocampus is a key area of memory. Normally, its volume decreases by 1.4 percent per year, gold is up 2 percent was obtained. The key is to practice walking, swimming or cycling. Neuroscientists have shown that this type of exercise improves blood flow to the area crucial for memory, and promotes the release of a neuronal factor, BDNF.
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The results of this research, involving professors from the University of Alcala, can open the doors in the future to a new generation of drugs for hypertension.
Professors at the University of Alcala (UAH) participate in a research project which demonstrated that H-ras protein can function as a modulator of blood pressure. Hypertension is a growing disorder in the world. In fact, it is estimated that between 30% and 40% of the population suffers from this disease and the rates could increase in coming years due to increased life expectancy.
A growing problem that researchers at UAH, the Professor of Physiology Manuel Rodriguez Puyol and Chief of Nephrology, University Hospital Principe de Asturias, Diego Rodríguez Puyol, in collaboration with Professors Eugene Santos, Cancer Center of Salamanca, and Joseph Miguel Lopez Novoa, University of Salamanca, have turned a corner that could have consequences in the medium term, to demonstrate that H-ras protein, described so far only as an oncogene, plays a fundamental role in regulating vascular tone. The research results were recently published in the journal Hypertension .
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Scientists at the Laboratory of Neurobiology of the Prince Felipe Research Center have determined the sequence of the mechanisms and brain disorders by the acute liver failure leading to death. Research has determined the order in which the brain changes are happening gradually, in order to distinguish different phases in the future could contribute to more targeted and effective treatments.
Acute liver failure occurs in severe poisoning, such as ingestion of poisonous mushrooms or paracetamol, which gradually cause massive death of liver cells (hepatocytes). For this reason, the liver can no longer perform its function of removing toxins, and this causes toxic substances such as ammonia, reaching the brain, causing severe damage.
Explains Vicente Felipo, principal investigator Neurobiology Laboratory the Prince Felipe Research Center (IPPC), “After analysis of disturbances that exist in the brain have shown that these alterations are different in different areas and they progress, which means that depending on what stage the patient is found, treatment will be a or another. ”
Also, another important contribution is that researchers have found that early alterations do not occur in the cerebral cortex as believed so far, but in other areas. As noted Felipo, “this means that to assess what is happening to a patient, be examined by other brain areas.”
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Hospital Universitario de La Ribera (Valencia) has conducted the first bilateral implantation of the prosthesis invisible Spain Carina. Being a device located in both ears, the patient can locate and identify sound sources more accurate and natural sound.
The young woman who has received the first implant bilateral hearing aid is 23 and suffers from hearing loss (hearing loss) severe sensorineural in both ears. “He has recovered auditory function more about the physiological process of normal hearing,” said Javier Gisbert, Chief of Otolaryngology at the Hospital de La Ribera.
According to the patient with this implant can hear almost as clearly as anyone. “When I go out any noise my attention. At first hearing the noise of the machines works bothered me, I started to hear different. Then I notice the phone ringing, the drop of water in the shower or the crickets in a friend’s house, “said the girl.
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Researchers from the CSIC, the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Barcelona have developed a new organic molecules that stimulate T cell action Suitable for use as adjuvants in vaccines, or to treat autoimmune diseases, infections or cancer, have a great advantage over previous molecules, modulate the immune response by the leucocytes selectively produce one kind or another cytokine, proteins that are part of the ‘defensive arsenal’ of the immune system.
Why are vaccines that are ineffective? Although there are many factors involved, part of the answer may lie in the limitations of existing adjuvants. It is also believed that some vaccines are in development and have a low rate of effectiveness, such as malaria and HIV, could improve substantially if used other adjuvants.
At the Institute of Advanced Chemistry Catalunya in Barcelona CSIC has developed a series of new molecules that stimulate the proliferation of T lymphocytes (T cells “natural killers”) that could be used as adjuvants in vaccine development. The researchers, led by Amadeu Llebaria CSIC researcher has had the participation of scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Barcelona.
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An international study, with Spanish participation shows that inhibit caspases, enzymes involved in programmed cell death, reduces microglial cell activation, responsible for neuronal inflammation in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“The design of new strategies to decrease the activity of caspases, key enzymes in the process of neuroinflammation, may help reduce the effects on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s,” said Miguel A. SINC Burguillos, lead study author and researcher at the Wallenberg Neuroscience Center (Sweden).
The research, published today in Nature Shows that inhibition of caspase enzymes decreases the activation of microglial cells, which are responsible for the innate immune response and the process of neuroinflammation.
The authors validated these observations in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Air were analyzed cortical and ventral midbrain, two of the areas most affected by these diseases. The findings open new avenues for the pharmacological control brain swelling and its damaging effects.
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Cannabis smoking through cocaine, drugs create a physical and psychological dependence. There are few effective ways to fight against this addiction, and research in this area explore various avenues. The team of Kim Janda at the Scripps Institute in California, focuses on methamphetamine: thanks to a vaccine, they obtained mice that produce neutralizing antibody drugs.
While the key area of memory in the brain tends to shrink after a certain age, it would be possible to “grow” and maintain its memory capacity. Neurologists from the University of Pittsburgh together 120 volunteers aged 55 to 80 years and have separated into two groups: one had to walk a ten minute walk three times a week and increase the duration of five minutes each week for up to 40 minutes.