Fellas Get Out of The Way! (Please)

All Americans know that we pay more for a lot less healthcare than any other Western nation and the quality of our healthcare is rated the worst compared to other “developed” nations.*

However, as Mark Twain observed, “We have the best government that money can buy.”

Now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest, it’s still true that our universities, researchers and scientists are somehow managing to make astounding discoveries… even in the face of the outright sabotage perpetrated by a slew of maniacal, Luddite Trump appointees.

Hopefully, our universities, researchers and scientists will somehow find a way to continue their exception work when the Republican regressionists further attempt to erase all human knowledge by defunding science-related federal programs under the Trump budget.

In the meantime, despite the Republican Party's contempt for knowledge (the non-alternative "fact" kind) the rest of the world is leaping forward and not looking backward.

So, for us in the USA, I respectfully make this request of the Republican leadership... President Trump included... "Fellas Get Out of the Way!" (Please.)

Just to bring the point home... below are three recent breakthroughs from the brilliant minds of researchers located elsewhere in our world. And, a great little song, too.

Thank you, researchers of the world!

Scientists stumble across new method of making antibiotics 
From the University of Salford, Manchester, UK

Scientists stumble across new method of making antibiotics, Dr. Michael P. Lisanti and Dr. Federica Sotgia, Medical Xpress, 13 July 2017.

Cancer researchers in the UK may have stumbled across a solution to reverse antibiotic drug resistance and stop infections like MRSA.

Experts warn we are decades behind in the race against superbugs having already exploited naturally occurring antibiotics, with the creation of new ones requiring time, money and ingenuity.

But a team of scientists at the University of Salford say they may have found a very simple way forward – even though they weren't even looking for antibiotics.

And they have created and validated several new antibiotics already – many of which are as potent, or more so, than standard antibiotics, such as amoxicillin.

"A little like Alexander Fleming, we weren't even looking for antibiotics rather researching into new compounds that might be effective against cancer stem cells," explains Michael P. Lisanti, Chair of Translational Medicine at the University's Biomedical Research Centre.

"I think we've accidentally invented a systemic way of creating new antibiotics which is simple, cheap and could be very significant in the fight against superbugs," added Dr Federica Sotgia, a co-author on the study.

The Salford group specialise in stem cells and specifically methods of inhibiting energy production in mitochondria, the "powerhouse" of cells which fuels the growth of fatal tumours.

For the whole story, please go here.

Epigenetics between the generations: Researchers prove that we inherit more than just genes
From The Max Planck Society, Munich, Bavaria, Germany;
Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany

Epigenetics between the generations: Researchers prove that we inherit more than just genes, Dr. Nicola Iovino, Medical Xpress, July 14, 2017.

We are more than the sum of our genes. Epigenetic mechanisms modulated by environmental cues such as diet, disease or lifestyle take a major role in regulating the DNA by switching genes on and off. It has been long debated if epigenetic modifications accumulated throughout the entire life can cross the border of generations and be inherited to children or even grand children. Now researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg show robust evidence that not only the inherited DNA itself but also the inherited epigenetic instructions contribute in regulating gene expression in the offspring. Moreover, the new insights by the Lab of Nicola Iovino describe for the first time biological consequences of this inherited information. The study proves that mother's epigenetic memory is essential for the development and survival of the new generation.

For the whole story, please go here.

New Discovery Brings Us One Step Closer to Growing Replacement Organs
From Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

New Discovery Brings Us One Step Closer to Growing Replacement Organs, Tom Ward and Abby Norman, Futurism, July 13, 2017.

Scientists at Monash University in Australia have found another piece of the lab-grown organ puzzle: the team has discovered that a protein called Meox1 is pivotal in promoting the growth of muscles. They came across the protein while studying zebrafish, which are ideal candidates for the research due to their rapid rate of growth and biological similarities with humans. We share 70 percent of our DNA with the species, and they have many of the same internal organs that we do.

This research is pivotal because it doesn’t just show is what the stem cells do — it shows us how. Researchers have known for quite some time that stem cells produce living tissue in the body, but up until this point we haven’t understood the mechanism behind how they do it.

As well as providing organs that will save lives, stem cells are also increasingly being recognized as an integral tool for treating — and even curing — a number debilitating diseases. Everything from blindness to paralysis to neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease have already seen breakthroughs with the help of stem cells.

For the whole story, please go here.

* How bad is U.S. health care? Among high-income nations, it's the worst, study says, Ryan Bort, Newsweek, 14 July 2017.

A sincere note to the Republican Leadership:
Fellas Get Out the Way - Scott Cook