Paolo Rossi Castelli
Serotonin and depression: are they linked?
A large review study published on Molecular Psychiatry, downplays the link between serotonin and depression. Will treatments also have to be revised?
An innovative pain therapy is on the way
A new technique to erase pain: nerve cooling. A thin strip inserted around the nerves, radically lowers the temperature and curbs painful stimuli.
From pig to man, is xenotransplantation on the way?
In the coming months the US FDA will decide whether to allow the large-scale experimental transplantation of pig hearts that are genetically modified.
Carbon monoxide foam as a cure for the intestine
A new alternative therapy appears to treat the intestine. It is a drug based on molecular cuisine techniques that reduces intestinal inflammation.
Life on Mars: new studies on microorganisms in the Canadian Arctic
Identified life forms capable of surviving conditions probably similar to those of life on Mars. They breathe methane and feed only on inorganic material.
A uterus transplant: the technique works
Ten years after the first operation, also followed by IVF, Swedish doctors have seen positive results. However, some ethical issues remain.
Viruses as ‘antibiotics’- tests are positive
Some patients suffering from severe bacterial infections were treated with viruses, called phages, that identified the bacteria and annihilated them.
Liver transplants are ok even with ‘rejected’ organs
A liver rejected by specialised centres has been ‘reconditioned’ using a special technique and transplanted. The patient who received it is doing well.
The heart: a pacemaker that can be reabsorbed
A highly innovative prototype controlled and powered wirelessly by a network of sensors in special patches has been created at Northwestern University.
Brain tumours: a major genetic map
An extremely precise profile of meningiomas, which account for 30% of all brain tumours, has been created. The first experimental tests with a new drug.
Are ‘viral ghosts’ the cause of Long Covid?
Fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 virus remain in the intestines of some people affected by the long version of the disease, causing a range of side effects.
Robotics and medicine: 'Millirobot' has been created to bring medicine to the intestine.
A new technique has been developed in the field of robotics and medicine. A microscopic robot walks into the digestive tract, to release medication.
The gene that triggers lupus has been identified
A DNA mutation causes the TLR7 protein to malfunction, triggering errors in the immune system and the lupus disease.
A biomarker to discover liver tumours
Fragments of RNA lost in the blood by cancer cells appear to reveal the presence of liver cancer at an early stage when it can still be treated effectively
LED lights from rice waste
Researchers at Hiroshima University in Japan have developed a technique to sustainably use the large amounts of silicon contained in manufacturing waste.
Are the symptoms of autism already evident during pregnancy?
Two U.S. studies reveal that the insula and amygdala in the brain are enlarged in the early months of gestation in autistic children.
A Super-microscope instead of biopsies
Innovative equipment developed by Columbia University. Oncology surgeons will be able to obtain a real-time map of tumour tissues without taking samples.
When humans infect animals
‘Spillback’ is when human pathogens mutate and affect other species, and almost a hundred cases have been recorded in the last twenty years.