Blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus) is a plant in the family Asteraceae. For centuries, it has been used as a medicinal herb as an extract or tea, e.g. to aid the digestive system. Researchers have now found a completely novel use for Cnicin. Animal models as well as human cells have shown that Cnicin significantly accelerates axon (nerve fibers) growth.
Read more …New compound from blessed thistle promotes functional nerve regeneration
Researchers explore a cancer immunotherapy treatment that involves activating the immune cells in the body and reprogramming them to attack and destroy cancer cells. This therapeutic method frequently uses cytokines, small protein molecules that act as intercellular biochemical messengers and are released by the body's immune cells to coordinate their response.
Read more …Researchers develop a new way to safely boost immune cells to fight cancer
When epileptic patients suffer seizures, their brain is undergoing repetitive and excessive neuronal firing. But what triggers this has stumped scientists for years. Now, researchers have used fluorescence calcium sensors to track astrocytes' role in epileptic seizures, finding that that astrocyte activity starts approximately 20 seconds before the onset of epileptic neuronal hyperactivity.
Read more …Glial hyper-drive for triggering epileptic seizures
Researchers have found that modern weather models can accurately predict the energy that Earth emits and reflects into space, which directly affects the movements of low Earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites. By leveraging these models, the researchers gained insights into how LEO satellites respond to weather events below, such as tropical cyclones with tall and reflective clouds.
Read more …Weather prediction models can also forecast satellite displacements