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halofuginone (HF) triggers a stress-response pathway that blocks the development of a harmful class of immune cells

prevents the autoimmune response without dampening immunity altogether

This compound could inspire novel therapeutic approaches to a variety of autoimmune disorders."

exciting example of how solving the molecular mechanism of traditional herbal medicine can lead both to new insights into physiological regulation and to novel approaches to the treatment of disease

Prior research had shown that HF reduced scarring in tissue, scleroderma (a tightening of the skin), multiple sclerosis, scar formation and even cancer progression.

Recognized only since 2006, Th17 cells are "bad actors," implicated in many autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis

minute doses of HF reduced multiple sclerosis in a mouse model

Further analysis showed that HF was somehow turning on genes involved in a newly discovered pathway called the amino acid response pathway, or AAR

evidence that it extends lifespan and delays age-related inflammatory diseases in animal studies on caloric restriction

during a power outage we conserve what little juice we have left on our devices, foregoing chats in favor of emergency calls," said Whitman. "Cells use similar logic

Researchers do not yet fully understand the role that amino acid limitation plays in

researchers were able to home in on a single amino acid, called proline, and discovered that HF targeted and inhibited a particular enzyme (tRNA synthetase EPRS) responsible for incorporating proline into proteins that normally contain it.

proline also reversed other therapeutic effects of HF, inhibiting its effectiveness against the malaria parasite as well as certain cellular processes linked to tissue scarring

flakes are soluble in liquids and easily produced in bulk

The discovery

could be a boon in the cleanup of contaminated sites like the Fukushima nuclear plants

could also cut the cost of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") for oil and gas recovery and help reboot American mining of rare earth metals

Graphene oxide's large surface area defines its capacity to adsorb toxins

high retention properties are not surprising

What is astonishing is the very fast kinetics of sorption, which is key

the collaboration took root when

a graduate student

graduate student in Kalmykov's group, met at a conference several years ago.

researchers focused on removing radioactive isotopes of the actinides and lanthanides – the 30 rare earth elements in the periodic table – from liquids, rather than solids or gases

Naturally occurring radionuclides are also unwelcome in fracking fluids that bring them to the surface in drilling operations

When groundwater comes out of a well and it's radioactive above a certain level, they can't put it back into the ground

Companies have to ship contaminated water to repository sites around the country at very large expense

The ability to quickly filter out contaminants on-site would save a great deal of money

even greater potential benefits for the mining industry

Environmental requirements have "essentially shut down U.S. mining of rare earth metals, which are needed for cell phones

China owns the market because they're not subject to the same environmental standards

this technology offers the chance to revive mining here, it could be huge

capturing radionuclides does not make them less radioactive, just easier to handle

Where you have huge pools of radioactive material, like at Fukushima, you add graphene oxide and get back a solid material from what were just ions in a solution

Then you can skim it off and burn it

Graphene oxide burns very rapidly and leaves a cake of radioactive material you can then reuse

The low cost and biodegradable qualities of graphene oxide should make it appropriate for use in permeable reactive barriers, a fairly new technology for in situ groundwater remediation,

described as a topical, UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS (a modified pseudocatalase).

the study also shows that the same treatment works for the skin condition, vitiligo

To achieve this breakthrough, Schallreuter and colleagues analyzed an international group of 2,411 patients with

vitiligo

They found that for the first time, patients who have

a certain nerval distribution involving skin and eyelashes show the same oxidative stress as observed in the much more frequent general

associated with decreased antioxidant capacities including catalase, thioredoxin reductase, and the repair mechanisms methionine sulfoxide reductases

Let's ignore, for example, the homeopathic notion that illness is caused by a disturbance in an individual's "vital force" rather than something external, like a bacterium or virus

Another thing homeopathy has in common with Western medicine is its strict attention to how treatments are dosed

All homeopathic remedies are available in a huge range of concentrations

those concentrations are really small

homeopaths think of a large dose as a high dilution, instead of a high concentration.

idea that a lower dose of a drug has a bigger effect than a high dose runs contrary to what western medicine has found