Browse Articles

Alcohol use disorder is a chronic, relapsing disease that affects millions of Americans every day. There are limited treatment options for alcohol dependence and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, including depression and anxiety. Previous studies have shown that probiotics can decrease depression in rodents during maternal separation and anxiety in humans. Therefore, we hypothesized that the ethanol-withdrawn planaria who consumed probiotics would have decreased withdrawal symptoms as measured by increased motility compared to the ethanol-withdrawn planaria that were not fed probiotics. The ethanol-withdrawn planaria had a statistically significant decrease in motility compared to the control group, while the planaria that consumed probiotics had no statistically significant change in motility compared to the control group.

Clean water is a necessity for every household, yet water pollution is a serious problem in many parts of the world and plays a major role in compromising water security in the 21st century. In this paper, the authors address the utility of several plants as natural water purifiers. They estimate the effectiveness of duckweed, hyacinth, and azolla in improving the quality of water from the Mithi river in India by measuring several metrics. They conclude that all three plants are effective in improving water quality, suggesting that these plants as eco-friendly options for water treatment.

In this article, Mai et al. have developed a do-it-yourself kit for the detection of Strep A bacterial infections. While Strep A infections require antibiotic administration, viral infections, which can present with similar symptoms, often resolve on their own. The problem with delayed antibiotic treatment is an increasing risk of complications. Currently an accurate diagnosis requires that patients make the trip to the hospital where sensitive tests can be performed. The method described here, bundled into a commercially available kit, could help speed up the identification of such bacterial infections. When presented with symptoms of a sore throat and fever, you could just buy the kit at your local pharmacy, perform the simple yet highly accurate and sensitive test, and know whether an urgent trip to the doctor's for an antibiotic prescription is necessary. How convenient!

Dhar and colleagues established a Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) model in fruit flies, using this model to induce insulin resistance and characterize the effects Resveratrol and Pterostilbene on a number of growth and activity metrics. Resveratrol and Pterostilbene treatment notably overturned the weight gain and glucose levels. The results of this study suggest that Drosophila can be utilized as a model organism to study T2DM and novel pharmacological treatments.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most prevalent chronic liver diseases worldwide, but there are few studied warning signs for early detection of the disease. Here, researchers study alterations that occur in a mouse model of NAFLD, which indicate the onset of NAFLD sooner. Earlier detection of diseases can lead to better prevention and treatment.

This article investigates differences in gene expression in the brains of patients with and without Parkinson's disease. The authors identify a crucial transcriptional regulator may be a relevant target for future therapeutic treatment for Parkinson's disease.

To address the limitations in predicting the severity of Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), here the authors utilized a fluid-filled chamber model to quantify the relationship between defect size and right atrial fluid output. The findings confirmed that larger ASD diameters result in a linear increase in fluid output, validating a cost-effective model that can improve clinical prognosis and treatment planning for heart failure risks.

Here, recognizing that brain aneurysms pose a severe threat, often misdiagnosed and leading to high mortality, particularly in younger individuals, the authors explored a novel computer-aided engineering approach. They used magnetic resonance angiography images and computational fluid dynamics, to improve aneurysm detection and risk assessment, aiming for more personalized treatment.

In 2021, over 20 million people died from cardiovascular diseases, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of factors influencing heart failure outcomes. This study examined multiple variables affecting mortality after heart failure, using random forest models to identify time, serum creatinine, and ejection fraction as key predictors. These findings could contribute to personalized medicine, improving survival rates by tailoring treatment strategies for heart failure patients.

Coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, results from cholesterol build-up in coronary arteries, limiting blood and oxygen flow to the heart. This study investigated the use of gold and silver nanoparticles coated with aspirin and activated by near-infrared light to improve blood flow in a clogged artery model. The nanoparticles increased simulated blood flow rates, demonstrating potential as a less invasive and more targeted treatment for cardiovascular disease.