The Zika virus builds tiny tunnels, called tunneling nanotubes, to stealthily transport material needed to infect nearby cells, including in placental cells, according to a team of researchers from Penn State and Baylor College of Medicine. It's one way the virus crosses the placental barrier, transmitting from mother to fetus during pregnancy without raising alarm in the immune system. The team also demonstrated, for the first time, that one specific Zika protein -- non-structural protein 1 (NS1) -- is responsible for the formation of the nanotubes.
Read more …Tunnel-building virus: How Zika transmits from mother to fetus
A new analysis led by surgeons finds that psychological prehabilitation can significantly enhance recovery after surgery. The study found that psychological prehabilitation significantly reduces the length of hospital stay, pain, anxiety, and depression after surgery.
Read more …Psychological prehabilitation improves surgical recovery
Up to 25% of new mothers suffer from postpartum depression, which can significantly impact their parenting behavior and the wellbeing of their children. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at long-term effects of early maternal depression on children, underscoring the need to provide adequate support for mothers who might be struggling.
Read more …Maternal depression can lead to children's emotional overeating, study shows
It has long been thought that only nerve and heart cells use electric impulses to communicate, while epithelial cells -- which compose the linings of our skin, organs and body cavities -- are mute, serving mostly as protective barriers that can absorb and secrete various substances. But researchers have now upended the status quo by showing that epithelial cells do indeed 'talk' to each other, albeit with slow electrical signals.
Read more …Slow, silent 'scream' of epithelial cells detected for first time