FM OCTOBER 2018 ISSUE - digital edition

technology, claimed to be a game
changer, which would enable rapid,
point-of-care diagnosis, screening and
ongoing monitoring of cancer and
other diseases like tuberculosis, heart
diseases, diabetes and Alzheimer’s,
without requiring access to laboratory
facilities and highly trained personnel.
The technology convenes a whole
laboratory into a single cartridge
which can perform the tests. Each
cartridge has a specific application,
either to diagnose a cancer or an
infectious disease. A sample of the
patient’s urine, sputum or blood
is inserted into the cartridge and
analysed via its portable reader.
Results are transmitted to a cloud
software platform and a report is
then transmitted back to the doctor,
nurse or healthcare worker. The kit is
in insulin resistant adipocyte models
developed from human mesenchymal
stem cells (hMSC). The study found
that overexpression of miR-876-3p
in insulin resistant cells decreased
the adiponectin hormone levels,
which elevated insulin resistance by
altering specific performed adipokine
expression. Lentivirus-mediated
overexpression and suppression
studies were performed in insulinresistant
adipocytes differentiated from
hMSC and high fat-diet fed C57BL/6
obese mice models to validate the
findings in vivo, which were shown
to ameliorate insulin resistance with
inhibition of miR-876-3p. The study
provides a new perspective and the
findings show greater implications
in the development of therapeutic
targets for type-2 diabetes.
Source: Bioscientifica.com
Journal of Endocrinology (2018) 239, 1–17 https://
doi.org/10.1530/JOE-17-0387
currently designed to be sent to
third world countries, and communities
in regional Australia, and promises
to be a revolutionary, life-saving
technology.
Source: https://xingtech.com.au/xing-media/
media-releases
https://www.9news.com.au/videos/
cjm8y9sg9000j0goyupfjy9xe/medicalbreakthrough-could-change-diagnosis-process
miRNA alteration to
control type-2 diabetes
Regulation of miRNA becomes a
potential target for therapeutic
interventions towards the treatment
of type-2 diabetes and obesityassociated
metabolic syndrome.
miRNA has been increasingly known to
play an important role in the regulation
of various cellular and metabolic
processes. Based on this aspect, a
team of scientists from CSIR-CDRI,
Lucknow, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur and
CSIR-IGIB, New Delhi,investigated the
effect of altered expression of miRNA
Targeting senescent cells may promote
memory restoration
recent research shows causal
A link between senescent cells and
neurodegenerative disease, suggesting
that targeting the former may provide
a therapeutic avenue for the treatment
of these pathologies. Mayo Clinic
researchers, involving J. Bussian et
al, found that senescent cells, on
elimination from naturally aged mice,
were found to extend their healthy
life span. These cells accumulate
with advancing natural age at sites
related to diseases of aging, including
osteoarthritis and atherosclerosis;
and neurodegenerative diseases,
such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The researchers used a mouse
model afflicted with tau-dependent
neurodegenerative disease, which
accumulates p16 positive senescent
cells showing tangles of tau protein
in neurons. Ablation of these cells
using genetically modified, INK-ATTAC
transgenic mice model capable of
eliminating the senescent cells was
shown to prevent the neurofibrillary
tangle deposition and degeneration
of cortical and hippocampal neurons,
thus preserving the cognitive functions,
retaining their memory. Thus the study
puts forward a best case scenario
where prevention of brain damage
was shown to avoid the diseased state.
Since a different approach is required
for clinical establishment, scientists
have started working on models
to examine the specific molecular
attenuation that occur in the affected
cells.
Source:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-
018-0543-y
www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2018/09/180919133024.htm
—Compiled by Divya Choyikutty
OCTOBER 2018 / FUTURE MEDICINE / 61