Acting in the right place at the right time is the key to effective medical treatment with minimal side effects. However, this feat remains difficult to achieve. Biologists and chemists have now succeeded in developing a tool that controls the location at which a molecule is activated by a simple pulse of light lasting only a few seconds. Tested on a protein essential for cell division, this system could be applied to other molecules. The potential applications are vast, both in basic research and in improving existing medical treatments, such as those for skin cancer.
Read more …Using light to activate treatments in the right place
Insulin resistance precedes and predicts the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), a chronic disease that causes high morbidity and mortality worldwide. In affected people, insulin is unable to facilitate the uptake of glucose through tissues and organs, leading to an increase in blood glucose (chronic hyperglycaemia). Since skeletal muscle is the tissue that uses the most glucose in response to insulin action, it is the most affected tissue by insulin resistance.
Read more …New molecular mechanisms linked to insulin resistance
One in five older adults gets an infection up to six months after heart surgery, and women are far more likely to develop one, according to recent studies. Black patients also had higher rates of overall infection compared to white patients. Researchers say estimates of postoperative infections are likely vastly underestimated.
Read more …1 in 5 older adults get infections after heart surgery, and women have a 60% higher risk