Science Roundup: Sitting vs Standing and Fungal Alzheimer’s Hypothesis

Guest: Dr. Steven Goldman from the University of Rochester talks about glial cells and his work using neural stem cells to model and fix diseases, like multiple sclerosis. Resources and Links Can a Cancer Drug Reverse Parkinson's Disease and Dementia? – A drug that's already approved for treating leukemia appears to dramatically reduce symptoms in people who have Parkinson's disease with dementia, or a related condition called Lewy body dementia. Study Shows Antioxidant Use May Promote Spread of Cancer – Scientists at the Children’s Research Institute at The University of Texas Southwestern have made a discovery that suggests cancer cells benefit more from antioxidants than normal cells, raising concerns about the use of dietary antioxidants by patients with cancer. Sitting for Long Periods Is No Worse for Your Health than Standing, Study Claims – This article reveals that prolonged sitting doesn’t appear to be killing you any faster than standing. Does Fungus Cause Alzheimer's? – In this article, researchers discover traces of fungus in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers. Schizophrenia Symptoms Linked to Features of Brain's Anatomy? – This article describes how Washington University psychiatrist C. Robert Cloninger, MD, PhD, and fellow researchers have matched certain behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia to features of the brain's anatomy using advanced brain imaging. Can Diamonds Detect Cancer? – A new study out of Australia found that synthetic versions of diamonds to be effective at detecting early-stage cancerous tumors through magnetic resonance imaging. Armed Malaria Protein Found to Kill Cancer Cells – A new type of cancer therapy based on seemingly unrelated elements of malaria and cancer is showing promise for development. Ebola Found in the Semen of Some Men Nine Months Later – This article reveals that some men still have fragments of Ebola virus in their semen nine months after first showing symptoms of the virus. Larger Brains Do Not Lead to High IQs – This article shows that brain volume plays only a minor role in explaining IQ test performance in humans, but rather brain structure and integrity appear to be more important as a biological foundation of IQ. AIDS Pioneer Finally Brings AIDS Vaccine to Clinic – Robert Gallo’s team has been developing a vaccine with an unusual method of protection for 15 years and is now launching the first clinical trial of it in collaboration with Profectus BioSciences, a biotech that spun off from Institute of Human Virology. Newly Unraveled Dynamic Structure of DNA Could Pave Way for Better Medicines – This article reports that an improved understanding of the appearance of the DNA – shown in research to have a dynamic, constantly wiggling and morphing nature – is believed to help scientists in producing new antibiotics, more effective chemotherapies and better drugs. First 'In Womb' Stem Cell Trial to Begin – This article announced the first clinical trial injecting fetal stem cells into babies that are still in the womb. Scientists Produce Beef from Cow’s Stem Cells: Lab-Grown Burgers Could Be on the Menu by 2020 – Professor Mark Post who created the lab-grown burger made from stem cells in his lab facility in Maastricht, The Netherlands is developing the technology for mass production expressed confidence in having the novel product on the market in five years. Scottish Researchers Are 3D Printing Extremely Delicate Stem Cells – The team at Heriot-Watt led by Dr. Will Shu, at the University’s School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, have the distinction of being the first group to 3D print with stem cells, using a valve-based technique. Single Cell RNA-Sequencing of Pluripotent States Unlocks Modular Transcriptional Variation – Researchers find that the cellular transcriptomes of cells grown in three different conditions: serum, 2i, and the alternative ground state a2i, are distinct, with 2i being the most similar to blastocyst cells and including a subpopulation rese...