news 2022

Studies on diseases that affect the human brain are usually based on animal models which cannot reproduce the complexity of human neuropathies. Therefore, these methodologies often fail when applied in a clinical environment with patients. In this context, the findings of the cellular reprogramming techniques to generate cultures of human neurons using skin cells have revolutionised the study and development of innovative therapies in neurosciences.

Senescent cells, which emerge after tissue injury, create an aged-like inflamed microenvironment that is negative for stem cell function and tissue repair. The finding provides a basis for mitigating the loss of muscle regenerative capacity in elderly people and for improving muscle repair in young healthy people.

Metformin, the most prescribed drug for treating diabetes mellitus, known as type 2 diabetes, requires the presence of the growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) —a protein whose expression increases in response to cellular stress— to present its antidiabetic effects.

A research conducted by the Parasites and Health group of the University of Valencia has found for the first time in continental Europe the nematode worm) Angiostrongylus cantonensis , a zoonotic (capable of being transmitted to humans) parasite present in the pulmonary arteries of rats and that it is the most common causative agent in humans of eosinophilic meningitis (EM).

A group of researchers from the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC, UV-CSIC) has collaborated in the publication of the first international manual of supportive therapies for cancer patients.

Researchers of the Faculty of Psychology, the Institute of Neurosciences ( UBNeuro ) and the Institute of Complex Systems ( UBICS ) of the University of Barcelona have identified, using functional magnetic resonance techniques, differences in the spontaneous activity of the brain in a resting state in people with Down syndrome (DS) compared to the general population.

A study carried out by the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, UV-CSIC) reveals that enveloped viruses with a lipid envelope can better infect different species of animals, including humans. The flu, HIV or coronaviruses are enveloped viruses. This work makes it possible to refine surveillance tools to control zoonoses, the passage of these viruses from animals to people.

Glucocorticoids —such as cortisone— are among the most widely used anti-inflammatory drugs, and are used to treat asthma, psoriasis, organ transplantation and even COVID-19. Regarding their pharmacological action, the activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is crucial. The GR is a transcription factor that regulates vital processes in human physiology.

Researchers Lorena Cano Orón (University of Valencia) and Emilia H. Lopera Pareja (Energy, Environmental and Technological Research Centre) highlight that the media have changed from a mainly favourable attitude towards alternative medicine, a series of practices deviant from integrated medicine in the western health system, to another more sceptical.

A new study led by UB researchers shows that wasteosomes —structures that act as containers for brain waste products— indicate a malfunction of the glymphatic system, a recently discovered system that is an important brain-cleaning mechanism. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was carried out by a research team from the UB Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, the UB Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro) and the Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED).

The University of Barcelona is the institution with the most publications and number of bibliometric citations worldwide in research on liver cirrhosis, followed by the Virginia Commonwealth University (United States), the University College London (United Kingdom), the Mayo Clinic (United States) and the University of Padova (Italy).

Parkinson's disease affects 3% of population over 65 years old, and the average age of onset is 60. Regarding juvenile Parkinson, which represents the of all Parkison's cases, the disease begins before 40 years old. Now, a group of researchers of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , the Institute of Neurosciences of the UB ( UBNeuro ) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute ( IDIBELL ), has deciphered, for the first time, the molecular mechanism by which a mutation of the adenosine type 1 receptor gene is associated with juvenile Parkinson's.

The intersectional study, conducted by researchers from UPF, the UVic-UCC and the UAB, published in the journal Sociology of Health & Illness , considers the multiple axes of inequality and existing power relations.

A study by Marina Cuquerella and Ana M. García, researchers from the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Valencia, investigates the profile of people treat

Improving knowledge of the Schaaf-Yang syndrome (SYS) -an ultrarare disease caused by mutations in the MAGEL2 geneis the aim of the first clinical guideline aimed at healthcare professionals and families of children affected by this pathology. The article, published in the Journal of Medical Genetics , has revealed the effects of the truncated MAGEL2 protein on cell physiology.

The consumption of polyphenols in adolescents is associated with a better cardiovascular health, according to a collaborative research study which includes the participation of the University of Barcelona, the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBEROBN), the Spanish Cardiovascular Research Network (CIBERCV) and the SHE Foundation.

A team led by Professor Manuel Vázquez-Carrera, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Biomedicine ( IBUB ) of the UB, has conducted a review study on the Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15) —a protein expressed under physiological stress conditions— and its potential impact on the treatment for type 2 diabetes.

During brain development, neurons have to migrate long distances through complex environments until they reach their final destination. In order to find guidance, they must establish several interactions —which are still hard to study— between their receptors and the surrounding molecules.

Some studies reveal worrying numbers of young people with symptoms of depression. For this reason, a clinical trial coordinated by Guillem Feixas, professor at the Faculty of Psychology and the Institute of Neurosciences ( UBNeuro ) of the UB, and Adrián Montesano, lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the Open University of Catalonia , is trying to find new tools to improve psychological treatment for this population.

Despite its importance for speaking, breathing, and eating, we know relatively little about the genetic underpinnings of the human vocal tract, a system made up of cavities and organs such as the tongue, the larynx, and the lips.