Latest Epithelium Stories

Scientists at The University of Manchester have identified how cells know which way up they need to be. The discovery could help in the fight against cancer because in the early stages of the disease the cells become disorganized. Professor Charles Streuli and Dr Nasreen Akhtar of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research have conducted new research that leads to a better understanding of cell polarity. Properly organized tissues are vital to maintaining functional organs and a...

Discovery could lead to new treatments for respiratory injuries Scarring of the airways can lead to long-term breathing problems for some people exposed to high levels of chlorine gas from events such as an industrial accident, chemical spill following a train derailment or terroristic chemical warfare. Household mishaps from mixing bleach with acidic cleaning products also can cause release of chlorine gas; if this occurs in a poorly ventilated space, chlorine levels could be high enough...

Imalux Niris® Imaging System Used to Measure Thickness of Epithelial Tissue CLEVELAND, Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Imalux® Corporation, manufacturer of the Niris® Imaging System announces that the Niris 1300e has been successfully used to help physicians evaluate women for their suitability and response to mesh-augmented pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair. The Imalux Niris 1300e Imaging System was used by researchers at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System....

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley recently discovered that fragments of keratin protein in the eye have the power to prevent pathogens and could possibly be used to develop new antimicrobial drugs. In the study, the group of vision scientists tested synthetic versions of the keratin fragments against pathogens. They discovered that the synthetic fragments were able to eliminate the bacteria that could have...

Exposed tissue surfaces, including skin and mucous membranes, are under constant threat of attack by microorganisms in the environment. The layer of cells that line these areas, known as epithelial cells, are the first line of defense against these pathogens, but the underlying molecular mechanisms that allow them to repel microbes are unknown. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, report that epithelial cells in the...

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill recently published a study on their work to understand how human lungs clean out mucus from colds and allergy, making the airways free of foreign matter that may be toxic or infectious to the body. The findings, published in a recent issue of the journal Science, will help scientists identify issues related to human lung diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive...

Migratory birds and fish use the Earth’s magnetic field to find their way. LMU researchers have now identified cells with internal compass needles for the perception of the field – and can explain why high-tension cables perturb the magnetic orientation. Although many animal species can sense the geomagnetic field and exploit it for spatial orientation, efforts to pinpoint the cells that detect the field and convert the information into nerve impulses have so far failed. “The field...

The development of convenient, yet physiologically relevant in vitro culture systems is critical to research and development on chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma or COPD, and could accelerate the development of inhaled drug formulations. Vancouver, British Columbia (PRWEB) June 07, 2012 A new culture medium for more physiologically relevant differentiation of human bronchial epithelial cells has been released by STEMCELL Technologies. Cells cultured with PneumaCult™-ALI at the...

In a study that holds major implications for breast cancer research as well as basic cell biology, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a rotational motion that plays a critical role in the ability of breast cells to form the spherical structures in the mammary gland known as acini. This rotation, which the researchers call “CAMo,” for coherent angular motion, is necessary for the cells to form...

The Biology Website EurekaMag.com publishes insights into all areas of biological and health science. The latest insights cover the Digestive System which consists of a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus, and the Nervous System which is is an organ system containing a network of neurons that coordinate the actions of an organism and transmit signals between different parts of its body. The insight into Photosynthesis covers the chemical...