Severe chronic pancreatitis is treated by removing the pancreas. Without a pancreas, patients also lose insulin-producing cells called islets. To preserve insulin responses, surgeons transplant islets to the liver, which has poor outcomes. New strategy uses a synthetic gel to transplant islets to the omentum, showing promise in small and large animal studies. With the new approach, more islets survived transplantation and grew blood vessels into the omentum.
Read more …Antioxidant gel preserves islet function after pancreas removal
When we learn something new, our brain cells (neurons) communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. If the same group of neurons communicate together often, the connections between them get stronger. This process helps our brains learn and remember things and is known as long-term potentiation or LTP. Another type of LTP occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen temporarily -- anoxia-induced long-term potentiationor aLTP. aLTP blocks the former process, thereby impairing learning and memory. Therefore, some scientists think that aLTP might be involved in memory problems seen in conditions like stroke.
Read more …How does oxygen depletion disrupt memory formation in the brain?