March 28, 2024
Women affected by premenstrual disorders have a higher risk of perinatal depression compared with those who do not, according to new research. The relationship works both ways: those with perinatal depression are also more likely to develop premenstrual disorders after pregnancy and childbirth. This study suggests that a common mechanism might contribute to the two conditions.
Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression
March 28, 2024
Young to middle-aged women who reported drinking eight or more alcoholic beverages per week--more than one per day, on average--were significantly more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared with those who drank less, finds a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session. The risk was highest among both men and women who reported heavy episodic drinking, or 'binge' drinking, and the link between alcohol and heart disease appears to be especially strong among women, according to the findings.
March 28, 2024
People carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Researchers have found that changes occur in the immune cells of breast tissue in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations long before breast cancer develops. This raises the possibility of early intervention to prevent the disease, as an alternative to risk-reduction surgery. Drugs already approved for late-stage breast cancer treatment could reactivate the faulty immune cells and keep the breast cells healthy. If successful in mouse models, this preventative therapeutic approach could pave the way for clinical trials in human carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
'Exhausted' immune cells in healthy women could be target for breast cancer prevention
March 27, 2024
Purdue University researchers are developing and validating patent-pending poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid), or PLGA, nanoparticles modified with adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, to enhance immunotherapy effects against malignant tumors.
Purdue News: Researchers create biocompatible nanoparticles to enhance systemic delivery of cancer immunotherapy
March 26, 2024
This spring marks four years since the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented shifts in the everyday work lives of millions of Americans. With those seismic changes, new attitudes and practices have emerged, challenging long-held beliefs of how people should think about their time on, and off, the clock.
Purdue News: Working on work: How making sense of life’s messiness can lead to happiness at work and home
March 13, 2024
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new method to detect enveloped bacteria and viruses. High-accuracy virus/bacteria-detection methods such as PCR require DNA amplification and are time-consuming. On the other hand, the Purdue technology rapidly detects small amounts of the RNA released when the viral/bacterial envelope is compromised under high-temperature conditions. This technology uses single-stranded DNA primers specific to a virus/bacterial strain, coated between layers of graphene and a flexible polymeric substrate. This device can be used as a platform of point-of-care testing for enveloped bacteria and viruses.
Purdue News: Device for Rapid Detection of Bacterial and Viral RNA in Biological Fluids
March 13, 2024
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new method to deter opioid tampering. Drug abusers may tamper with opioids to experience the analgesic effects as quickly as possible. Tampering methods include pulverizing the drugs or extracting them with common household solvents such as ethanol or vinegar. Abuse deterrent formulations (ADFs) are used to limit the physical and chemical tampering of drugs without compromising their therapeutic effects. However, there are publicized methods to circumvent ADFs. The Purdue researchers' method to prevent opioid tampering uses nanoparticles along with ADFs. The researchers encapsulated opioid compounds in nanoparticles resistant to household solvents to prevent solvent extraction. The nanoparticle-based ADF is also resistant to pulverization because they are too small to crush. What's more, if injected, nanoparticles preferentially accumulate in the liver, where they are converted to inactive forms. The nanoparticle ADFs used by the researchers also prevent physical manipulation by gelling when subjected to liquids.
Purdue News: Nanoparticle-based Opioid Abuse Deterrent Formulations
March 12, 2024
Obesity, which could reach 50% of the population in certain developed countries by 2030, is a major public health concern. It not only affects the health of those who suffer from it, but could also have serious consequences for their offspring. Scientists have studied the impact of maternal obesity on the risk of developing liver disease and liver cancer. Using an animal model, the team discovered that this risk was indeed much higher in the offspring of mothers suffering from obesity.
March 8, 2024
New research describes the science behind a promising technique to treat infertility by turning a skin cell into an egg that is capable of producing viable embryos. The technique could be used by women of advanced maternal age or for those who are unable to produce viable eggs due to previous treatment for cancer or other causes. It also raises the possibility of men in same-sex relationships having children who are genetically related to both parents.
March 6, 2024
Living in neighborhoods with more white residents and greater lifetime experiences of racial discrimination are linked to increased systemic inflammation during pregnancy among Black women, according to new research
Psychosocial stressors linked to higher inflammation in Black pregnant women
