Veículo

• Home
• Veículos
• NBBGist

Making a specific type of brain pattern last longer improves short-term memory in rats, a new study finds. Published online by the journal Science on June 14, the study addressed “working memory,” the temporary activation of brain cells that happens as we tour a new neighborhood, for instance, and remember our way around later that day. Led by researchers at NYU School of Medicine, the new study finds that signals created by brain cells (neurons) — called sharp wave ripples [...]

Brazilian and US researchers have developed a molecule called FRW that, in tests with mice, proved capable of binding to blood vessels in the brain but not in other organs when injected into the bloodstream. They used the technique to produce the first ever complete map of the vasculature of the brain, paving the way for the creation of novel diagnostic imaging strategies and therapies for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The research was supported by São Paulo [...]

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered that growth hormone (GH), which stimulates skeletal maturation and linear bone growth, as well as helping maintain tissue and organs throughout life, also acts directly on the brain to conserve energy when the body loses weight. A paper on the discovery has just been published in the journal Nature Communications. “Growth hormone has been known for decades, but our discovery shows it does a lot more than was [...]

Although neglected diseases account for 11% of the global disease burden, they are targeted by only a small proportion of the new drugs developed every year. Between January 2012 and September 2018, a total of 256 new drugs entered the market, but only eight (3.1%) were designed to treat neglected diseases. This value exceeds the proportion for 1975-99, which was 1.1%, but falls short of the 4.3% mark recorded for 2000-11. The term “neglected diseases” refers to malaria, diarrheic [...]

Animal venoms are the subject of study at research center based at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo. But in this case, the idea is not to find antidotes, but rather to use the properties of the venoms themselves to identify molecular targets of diseases and, armed with that knowledge, develop new compounds that can be used as medicines. The focus of the work are immuno-inflammatory diseases like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, explained Ana [...]

A group of Brazilian scientists have long conducted experiments with roundworms to investigate the role of schizophrenia-linked genes in patients’ response to antipsychotic drugs. The results obtained thus far point to new ways of understanding resistance to certain classes of medication. The studies are conducted by researchers in the Pharmacology Department of the Federal University of São Paulo’s Medical School (EPM-UNIFESP), collaborating with colleagues at the University of Campinas [...]

Cells in humans and other vertebrates, as well as invertebrates, have signaling pathways that play essential roles in embryo development, cell proliferation and tissue structuring. Dysregulation in one of these signaling pathways, known as the beta-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling pathway, can cause embryo malformation and diseases such as breast cancer and cervical cancer. Researchers at the Center for Medicinal Chemistry (CQMED) have discovered a way to regulate this pathway. Created with [...]