Scientists identify trigger for glowing plankton
Have you ever waded or paddled through ocean water in dim light, and found that your actions caused the water to light up? Single-celled plankton called dinoflagellates are responsible for this phenomenon. Almost 40 years ago, scientists studying bioluminescence (light emitted by living things) proposed a mechanism by which physical deformation of the cell could […]
COX-2 and epilepsy: it’s complicated
How much is the development of epilepsy like arthritis? More than you might expect. Inflammation, or the overactivation of the immune system, appears to be involved in both. In addition, for both diseases, inhibiting the enzyme COX-2 initially looked like a promising approach. COX-2 (cyclooxygenase 2) is a target of traditional non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like […]
Drug discovery: shifting from brain growth factors to insulin
Earlier this year, the FDA put limitations on some anti-diabetic drugs because of their cardiovascular risks. The prevalence of diabetes in the United States continues to increase and is now above 8 percent of the population, so the need for effective therapies remains strong. Pathologist Keqiang Ye and colleagues have a paper in the Journal […]
Esophageal lesions meet their match
Once esophageal tumors establish themselves, a patient’s prognosis is grim and morbidity vast. But when lesions are caught early and removed, especially in the premalignant stage, the odds of survival markedly improve. When a case calls for it, Emory gastroenterologist Field F. Willingham, MD, MPH, uses a hybrid approach to ousting superficial esophageal lesions. Superficial […]