Medicine & Healthcare

A research team led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has found that a proteolytic enzyme called membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) plays an important role in the regulatory mechanism of fullness, or satiety, and it could serve as a promising potential drug target for the management of obesity.

Read 'Health in the climate emergency – a global perspective', the new global report of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)

Among anesthetics, ketamine has a unique effect: it also acts as an antidepressant. A research team led by Osaka Metropolitan University Professor Makoto Kondo linked ketamine to brain regulation of IGF-1, which works independently of other ketamine-associated factors. The discovery may help untangle ketamine’s positive and negative effects, allowing future drug development to target IGF-1 directly.

The antibiotic rifampicin is shown as a potential medicine for preventing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

A study by Japanese researchers showed that getting a mild case of COVID-19 doesn’t translate to lower chances of becoming a long-hauler. And that sex and the presence of long-term symptoms are risk factors for post-COVID psychological distress.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) secreted from sensory neuron-interneuron crosstalk is key to the spreading of inflammation across joints, acting as a neurotransmitter and inflammation enhancer.

Giants in History: Thai physician and conservationist Boonsong Lekagul (15 December 1907 – 9 February 1992) made major contributions to the preservation of his country’s wildlife by founding organizations including the Association for the Conservation of Wildlife (ACW), writing about Thailand’s natural heritage, and supporting conservation initiatives.

Strokes have a debilitating effect on quality of life; the combination of cognitive and physical effects can be especially devastating. A new study from Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science showed that moderate to severe hand and arm paralysis was dramatically improved with the use of robotic therapy, for chronic stroke patients with upper extremity hemiplegia in Japan, as reported in the journal Stroke.

Giants in History: Ground-breaking cancer researcher Kamal Jayasing Ranadive (8 November 1917 – 11 April 2001) advanced the understanding of the causes of leukaemia, breast cancer and oesophageal cancer through the use of animal models.

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, there is mandatory 7 to 21-day quarantine for travellers who arrive in Hong Kong and Mainland China from overseas. Since self-isolation may affect people’s emotional health adversely, Lingnan University (LU)’s Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre (WJLCCPRC) has designed a self-assessment questionnaire and intervention exercise to help people in quarantine cope better psychologically.

A new report by the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) highlights practical recommendations for improving the uptake of vaccines.

Hokkaido University researchers have shown how chronic pain leads to maladaptive anxiety in mice, with implications for treatment of chronic pain-related psychiatric disorders in humans.

Scientists discovered that intramuscular fat levels are indicative of heart health. Measurements of intramuscular fat in 93 heart failure patients’ thighs showed patients with high intramuscular fat levels were at greater risk of rehospitalisation, despite no significant differences in conventional heart health criteria. These findings enable new approaches for treating heart failure, a growing concern in Japan’s ageing society.

Genome profiling of Staphylococcus argenteus strains unveiled cross-contamination among Japanese retail foods and slaughterhouses.

In line with globally recommended practices to reduce the dietary risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the Sri Lankan government implemented a traffic-light labelling (TLL) system for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in August 2016. The purpose of the regulations was to educate the public on the sugar content in SSBs to promote healthy diets in Sri Lanka and reduce NCDs associated with a high sugar intake. It is timely to assess the effectiveness of TLL in encouraging healthier food choices. Based on an ongoing IPS study, this blog discusses consumers’ knowledge of TLL and how it impacts their SSB choices.

Bacteria hitchhike on red blood cells, New model simulates effects of exercise on muscles, Argon found in air of ancient atmosphere and Revealing emergent elastic fields of chiral crystals. Read all in the April Editor's Choice and this month's Asia Research News 2022 magazine pick - Asia's race to outsmart antimicrobial resistance.

Exercising during pregnancy bestows a wealth of benefits upon a child. New research suggests that exercise may also help reduce the offspring’s chances of getting type 2 diabetes. Researchers uncovered how SOD3, a key protein released by the placenta after exercise, improves the metabolic health of offspring and negates the impacts of maternal obesity and poor diets.

Malaysian and UK medical device and composite materials experts have partnered up to research into using natural fibres for prosthetic limb technology to lower the cost of the prosthesis

Osaka City University* study suggests memories are formed through an integration across brain regions via burst activity in amygdala-prefrontal neuronal ensembles during memory acquisition, and then hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony during post-experience sleep. (Osaka City University has now changed its name as Osaka Metropolitan University)

Researchers have captured images of cells in mice using astronomy technology

Distinguished Professor Hiroki Shirato of Hokkaido University is one of the nine recipients of the Japan Academy Prize in 2022, for his groundbreaking work on “Biomedical and Engineering Research about Real-time Tumor Tracking Radiotherapy/Particle Beam Therapy against Cancer.”

Gene editing technology has been used to pinpoint new molecular targets for treating an aggressive form of leukemia in adults.

199 Gold, 188 Silver and 56 Bronze were awarded

Mycobacteria are a group of pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis in humans. Now, a new study by scientists at Hiroshima University finds that mycobacteria are associated with red blood cells at lung infection sites, an interaction that has escaped scientific notice for 140 years since the discovery of the organism causing tuberculosis.

Chemotherapy is known for its painful side-effects. It also has limitations when the cancer has metastasized to the lymph nodes. The lymphatic drug delivery system, where anticancer drugs are injected directly into the sentinel lymph nodes under ultrasound guidance, offers an alternative to conventional chemotherapy. Researchers from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medical Engineering found the optimal osmotic pressure and viscosity ranges, significantly improving the antitumor effect.

Prof. Takashi Takebayashi and his colleague performed a retrospective analysis where they analysed the significance of varied assistance level when using robotic therapy among stroke survivors. They proved that the assistance level needs to be maximised for patients who had severe to moderate stroke whereas the assistance should be minimised for the moderate to mild stroke patients. They stressed on the need for future studies with more objective outcome tools and a larger sample using appropriate research methods.

In a retrospective study drawing data from 973 participants between 2018 and 2020, researchers find that cases of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) increased from 22 pre-pandemic to 44 mid. Additionally, univariate and multivariate analysis of lifestyle habits reveal late-night meals pre-pandemic and increased alcohol intake mid-pandemic as independent lifestyle predictors of developing the disease.

Giants in History: Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions.

Researchers have discovered in mice an additional use of globins as an intravenous drug that can delay liver fibrosis progression. Last year, the application of recombinant human cytoglobin (CYGB) as a protein therapeutic agent against liver damage and cirrhosis was published in Hepatology (Hepatology 2021,73:2527-2545) by Professor Norifumi Kawada’s research group. Here, they studied the antifibrotic properties of the globin family members hemoglobin (HB), myoglobin (MB), and neuroglobin (NGB) in comparison with CYGB. All globins demonstrated greater antioxidant capacity than glutathione in cell-free systems. Interestingly, all globins, except HB, could enter the cells and inhibit the collagen synthesis leading to a suppression of fibrosis development both in vitro and in vivo. The study was published in the journal Redox Biology.

Microgravity worms help solve astronaut muscle problems, CO2 recycling and drug development, Remote control of robot hand, Enabling the study of diverse Hepatitis B. Read all in the March's Editor's Choice and even more in the Asia Research News 2022 magazine.