Health & Fitness

During development, the cells of an embryo divide until a fully functional organism emerges. One component of the cell is especially important during this process: the cell cortex. This fine network of hair-like filament structures (called actin) just below the cell membrane is the main determinant of cell shape and is involved in almost everything a cell does, such as moving, dividing, or sensing its environment. Yet, the cortex must first be built from single molecules, and if it is not built just right, the cells of an organism would never get to the right place to perform their functions.

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In Germany, about ten per cent of all children are born before the 37th week of pregnancy and are thus considered premature. Many of these premature babies require help with breathing due to their underdeveloped lungs. However, clinical practice shows that mechanical ventilation can cause irreversible damage to the lungs, although the exact causes are not yet known. In an interdisciplinary study, physicists and physicians have now shown that increased pressure on the lung tissue, as caused by mechanical ventilation, poses the risk of overstretching the tissue, even with small amounts of air, and disrupting cell function during gas exchange.

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Thanks to two novel tools, the traditionally difficult surgery to create a replacement ear from a patient's rib cartilage may soon be done faster, more simply and accurately.

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Chronic diseases often lead to fibrosis, a condition in which organ tissue suffers from excessive scarring. Researchers have now developed an immunotherapy that specifically targets the cause -- activated fibroblasts -- while leaving normal connective tissue cells unharmed. If this approach is also found to work in humans, it could lead to an effective treatment for fibrosis.

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Nearly nine in ten cases of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in young people are preceded by symptoms, ECG abnormalities or a positive family history, according to a new study. Those findings suggest that expanding cardiac screening beyond competitive athletes could aid in the prevention of SCD in the young population with HCM.

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A new national survey finds many Americans are losing sleep over stress and worry about the current state of the world. After a global pandemic, polarizing political division and more than two years of turbulent events, nearly one in five survey respondents report struggling to fall asleep at night.

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Cercarial dermatitis is caused by the larvae of blood flukes that are parasites of birds or mammals. A new study suggests that a cercarial dermatitis outbreak in South Thailand was caused by the blood fluke Schistosoma indicum. The study offers important insights on these parasites, which, apart from being a public health issue, can also infect livestock animals, threatening the sustenance of people in the region.

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