Drug uptake discovery could allow IV medications to be taken orally

A team of scientists has uncovered the mechanism of cellular uptake for large and polar drugs and devised a novel strategy to optimize the capacity of drug-delivery into these cells. The team was led by Hong-yu Li, Ph.D., professor of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology with the Department of Pharmacology and the Barshop Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), together with teams from Duke University (Duke) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)

Uncontrolled glutamate release triggered by energy disruption in the brain may damage nerve cells

Our brain requires a constant supply of energy. A disrupted energy supply, as, for instance, caused by a stroke, can have serious complications. A team from the research group Cellular Neurobiology at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, together with researchers from the Universities of Düsseldorf and Twente, investigated how an energy deficiency in the brain affects the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate.

Virtual reality research shows how temporary anxiety can affect learning

A brief episode of anxiety may have a bigger influence on a person’s ability to learn what is safe and what is not. Research recently published in npj Science of Learning has used a virtual reality game that involved picking flowers with bees in some of the blossoms that would sting the participant—simulated by a mild electrical stimulation on the hand.