It’s safe to slap on the sunscreen this summer — in repeated doses — despite what you have read about the potential toxicity of sunscreens. A new study led by the University of Queensland (UQ) and University of South Australia (UniSA) provides the first direct evidence that zinc oxide nanoparticles used in sunscreen neither penetrate the skin nor cause cellular toxicity after repeated applications. The research, published this week in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, refutes widespread claims among some public advocacy groups — and a growing belief among consumers —…
Read MoreCategory: Health
The sneaky way estrogen drives brain metastasis in non-estrogen-dependent breast cancers
Triple-negative breast cancers are more likely than other breast cancer types to metastasize and are especially likely to go the brain in younger women. Researchers have tested various hypotheses to explain this danger. One idea that has gotten little attention is the thought that estrogen might be to blame. After all, triple negative breast cancers lack estrogen receptors (along with progesterone receptors and HER2, thus the name triple negative), and so these cancers can’t possibly be influenced by estrogen. Right? Now a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in…
Read MoreImproving IVF success rates
Faster, cheaper and less damaging to DNA, a microchip device that pits sperm racing against one another is being developed by Afrouz Ataei from Florida Atlantic University and may help to improve IVF success rates in the future. Ataei is presenting the fitness stats on the sperm sorted by her device this week at the American Physical Society March Meeting in Boston, and she will also participate in a press conference describing the work. Information for logging on to watch and ask questions remotely is included at the end of…
Read MoreVaccine using microneedle patch with RSV virus, immune-stimulating compound is effective against RSV
Skin vaccination using a microneedle patch that contains the inactivated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and a compound that stimulates immune responses to the virus has been found to enhance protection against this serious disease and reduce inflammation in the body after exposure to the virus, according to a study led by Georgia State University. The findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, describe a promising, effective RSV vaccine and delivery method, which was tested in mice. There are no approved vaccines to protect against this disease. RSV is a common respiratory…
Read MoreBrain processes concrete and abstract words differently
A new review explores the different areas of the brain that process the meaning of concrete and abstract concepts. The article is published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurophysiology (JNP). The words that make up our language can be divided into two categories of concepts: concrete and abstract. Concrete words refer to things that exist in reality (e.g., animals, books, food) and that are experienced through the five senses. Abstract words (e.g., love, fear) tend to be more emotionally charged, not experienced through the senses and defined through other…
Read More