Saturday 22 June 2019

2018 to 2019 influenza season in U.S. was longest in 10 years

In the United States, the 2018 to 2019 influenza season was of moderate severity and lasted 21 weeks, according to research published in the June 21 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

* This article was originally published here

Discovery of the cell fate switch from neurons to astrocytes in the developing brain

During mammalian brain development, neural precursor cells first generate neurons and later astrocytes. This cell fate change is a key process generating proper numbers of neurons and astrocytes. Here we discovered that FGF regulates the cell fate switch from neurons to astrocytes in the developing cerebral cortex using mice. FGF is a critical extracellular regulator of the cell fate switch, necessary and sufficient, in the mammalian cerebral cortex.

* This article was originally published here

Pressure difference and vortex flow of blood in heart chambers may signal heart dysfunction

Japanese scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Teikyo University of Science, and Juntendo University have found—in animal studies—a close relationship between vortex flow and pressure differences in the ventricles, or lower chambers, of the heart. The new information could inform the development of new markers for cardiovascular dysfunction that can lead to heart failure.

* This article was originally published here