• Popular
    • Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Cardiology
    • Surgery
    • Nanomedicine
    • Military Medicine
    • Rehab
  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • Submit PR
  • Log in
Medgadget
Medgadget
  • Popular
    • Medicine
      Cancer Organoids Offer Insights into Treatment Outcomes

      Cancer Organoids Offer Insights into Treatment Outcomes

      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Laser-Based Breath Analysis Detects COVID-19 Infection

      Laser-Based Breath Analysis Detects COVID-19 Infection

      Technique Reveals 3D Genome Interactions

      Technique Reveals 3D Genome Interactions

    • Radiology
      Implanted Ultrasound Lets Chemo Access Brain

      Implanted Ultrasound Lets Chemo Access Brain

      Wearable Ultrasound Measures Tissue Stiffness Under Skin

      Wearable Ultrasound Measures Tissue Stiffness Under Skin

      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

      RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

    • Cardiology
      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Chest Wearable Provides Key Heart Measurements

      Chest Wearable Provides Key Heart Measurements

      Vein on a Chip Includes Flexible Valves

      Vein on a Chip Includes Flexible Valves

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

    • Surgery
      Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

      Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

      Soft Robotic Electrode Enables Minimally Invasive Placement

      Soft Robotic Electrode Enables Minimally Invasive Placement

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Stimulating Wounds with Electricity for Rapid Healing

      Stimulating Wounds with Electricity for Rapid Healing

    • Nanomedicine
      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Bottlebrush Particle for Synergistic Drug Combinations

      Bottlebrush Particle for Synergistic Drug Combinations

    • Military Medicine
      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

    • Rehab
      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

      Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

      Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

      Smart Walking Stick for Visually Impaired People

      Smart Walking Stick for Visually Impaired People

  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Log in
  • Submit PR
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Tiny Worms Paving Way for Better Anesthetics

October 26th, 2005 Medgadget Editors Anesthesiology, Genetics, News

Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia, together with researchers at Caltech, are trying to decipher the mechanisms of action of inhalational anesthetics by studying genetics and physiology of a tiny soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. In fact, it seems they have the best genetic model, to study the physiology of general anesthetics, to date:

Critical pieces have come together to make the studies possible including the relatively recent finding that volatile anesthetics interact with proteins. Now that they know they need to look at proteins, sophisticated RNA interference technology enables researchers to do so by stopping the usual process in which information encoded by a singular gene is transformed into a cellular protein.
Tiny C. elegans, free-living soil nematodes that share 50 percent to 60 percent of their genes with humans and are the first study animals to have their genome decoded and sequenced, have given the scientists a manageable model for knocking out select genes, giving anesthetics and measuring the results.
The researchers started their work with the 637 genes known to be expressed in the nervous system of the C. elegans. They designed a tiny gas chamber to deliver Isofluran to the worms. Not unlike earlier days in anesthesiology – before sophisticated monitoring such as the bispectral index system that measures brainwave activity to determine a patient’s level of consciousness during surgery – the researchers assessed the anesthetic effect from just watching their subjects. They compared the movement of anesthetized worms to controls.
“This is the best genetic model system,” says Dr. Nazir. “The worms we study are about the same age and carry the same genes. If there is a difference between the control and the knock-down mutant, we know that particular gene has something to do with the anesthetic, he says. Using this method, they initially identified 37 candidate genes.
Next, they applied a sophisticated quantification system, developed in conjunction with the California Institute of Technology, that allows 144 precise, objective measures of how far anesthetized worms and the controls travel, including speed, top speed, roaming range, track patterns and other complex behaviors.
That systematic analysis narrowed the field to 10 genes – nine that are hypersensitive and one that is resistant – that are biological modifiers of the anesthetic effects of drugs, Dr. Nazir says.
“These are modifier genes that influence the effect, the degree, the extent of the anesthetic effect,” says Dr. Meiler. “We cannot yet say these are direct targets of volatile anesthetics. That is to be tested in another series of studies.”
Rather, these first steps have shown the researchers their approach works, so they are moving toward a genome screen in these tiny worms that includes genes whose function is unknown.

The press release by Medical College of Georgia…

Medgadget Editors

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

Sponsored

Packaging Compliance Labs (PCL) Celebrates Site Expansion in Grand Rapids, MI

Novel Approach to Assessing Lung Function Enables Improved Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment Decisions in Subject Exposed to Military Burn Pits

U.S. Patent Office Grants Additional Patent Protection For  Exoskeleton Focal-Force Angioplasty Platform

U.S. Patent Office Grants Additional Patent Protection For Exoskeleton Focal-Force Angioplasty Platform

Reliefband® State of Nausea Study Reveals More Than Three-Quarters of Americans Are Prevented from Enjoying Life As a Result of Regular Nausea

Reliefband® State of Nausea Study Reveals More Than Three-Quarters of Americans Are Prevented from Enjoying Life As a Result of Regular Nausea

New AI-Powered Voice Controls Streamline Ultrasound Imaging with All Clarius Handheld Systems

New AI-Powered Voice Controls Streamline Ultrasound Imaging with All Clarius Handheld Systems

interviews & reviews
Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

AI’s role in Healthcare: Exclusive Interview with Catherine Estrampes, President & CEO at GE Healthcare

AI’s role in Healthcare: Exclusive Interview with Catherine Estrampes, President & CEO at GE Healthcare

Digital Self-Neuromodulation Therapy for PTSD: Interview with Oded Kraft, CEO of GrayMatters Health

Digital Self-Neuromodulation Therapy for PTSD: Interview with Oded Kraft, CEO of GrayMatters Health

Levels Is Making Metabolism and Blood Glucose Tracking Accessible To Everyone

Levels Is Making Metabolism and Blood Glucose Tracking Accessible To Everyone

Imagene Profiles Cancer Biomarkers in Real Time

Imagene Profiles Cancer Biomarkers in Real Time

Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

  • Subscribe
  • Contact us
  • Submit
  • About
  • Back to top
Medgadget

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

  • About
  • Editorial policies
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Submit press release
  • Advertise
© Medgadget, Inc. All rights reserved. | The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email