ScienceDaily: Featured - September 17, 2023
Featured research news
In major breakthrough, researchers close in on potential preeclampsia cure
Researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough in identifying the primary cause and potential treatment for preeclampsia, a severe pregnancy complication. Experts pinpointed a toxic protein named cis P-tau in the blood and placenta of individuals with preeclampsia. The study describes cis P-tau as a pivotal circulating instigator of preeclampsia. An antibody developed in 2012 to target only the toxic protein while leaving its healthy counterpart unscathed is currently undergoing clinical trials in human patients suffering from traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's Disease. The antibody has shown promising results in animal models and human cell cultures in treating the brain conditions. Upon testing this antibody in mice, the researchers found the all symptoms associated with preeclampsia were corrected.
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New evidence indicates patients recall death experiences after cardiac arrest
Up to an hour after their hearts had stopped, some patients revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) had clear memories afterward of experiencing death and had brain patterns while unconscious linked to thought and memory, report investigators.
Genetically modified bacteria break down plastics in saltwater
Researchers have genetically engineered a marine microorganism to break down plastic in salt water. Specifically, the modified organism can break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic used in everything from water bottles to clothing that is a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in oceans.
Electrons from Earth may be forming water on the Moon
Planetary scientists have discovered that high energy electrons in Earth's plasma sheet are contributing to weathering processes on the Moon's surface and, importantly, the electrons may have aided the formation of water on the lunar surface.
