The groundbreaking study from Hebrew University has turned our understanding of how Tylenol works on its head. For decades, scientists believed that acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol or Panadol) relieved pain by working only in the brain and spinal cord. However, this new research reveals a previously unknown peripheral mechanism by which the world’s most common painkiller actually works.

Led by Professors Alexander Binshtok from Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine and Avi Priel from its School of Pharmacy, the study published in the prestigious journal PNAS has uncovered a surprising new way that acetaminophen works. They found that the drug’s active metabolite, AM404, is produced right in the pain-sensing nerve endings and works by shutting off specific sodium channels that help transmit pain signals.

By blocking these channels, AM404 stops the pain message before it even starts. This breakthrough discovery not only reshapes our understanding of how Tylenol fights pain but also opens the door to developing safer, more targeted pain treatments.

Imagine a new generation of painkillers that avoid the numbness, muscle weakness, and side effects that come with traditional local anesthetics. The potential for these innovative treatments is vast, and researchers are excited about the possibilities.

According to Prof. Binshtok, “This is the first time we’ve shown that AM404 works directly on the nerves outside the brain. It changes our entire understanding of how acetaminophen fights pain.” And Prof. Priel added, “If we can develop new drugs based on AM404, we might finally have pain treatments that are highly effective but also safer and more precise.”

This remarkable discovery has far-reaching implications for pain management, offering hope to millions of people worldwide who suffer from chronic pain. As research continues to unlock the secrets of how Tylenol works, we may be on the cusp of a new era in pain relief.

The COSMOS-Web field, a vast map of the universe, has been released to the public, and it’s a game-changer. The largest-ever map of the cosmos, built with data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), consists of imaging and a catalog of nearly 800,000 galaxies spanning nearly all of cosmic time.

The goal of the COSMOS-Web collaboration was to create this deep field of space on a physical scale that far exceeded anything that had been done before. “If you had a printout of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field on a standard piece of paper,” said UC Santa Barbara physics professor Caitlin Casey, “our image would be slightly larger than a 13-foot by 13-foot-wide mural, at the same depth.” That’s what we’re looking at here – a cosmic neighborhood that’s truly breathtaking.

The COSMOS-Web composite image reaches back about 13.5 billion years, covering about 98% of all cosmic time. The researchers wanted to see not just some of the most interesting galaxies at the beginning of time but also to get a wider view of cosmic environments that existed during the early universe, when the first stars, galaxies, and black holes formed.

And what a big surprise it turned out to be! Before JWST turned on, Casey said they made their best predictions about how many more galaxies the space telescope would see. But the best measurements from Hubble suggested that galaxies within the first 500 million years would be incredibly rare. “It makes sense,” she explained – “the Big Bang happens and things take time to gravitationally collapse and form, and for stars to turn on.”

But with JWST, they see roughly 10 times more galaxies than expected at these incredible distances. And it’s not just seeing more; they’re also seeing different types of galaxies and black holes that were previously invisible.

While the COSMOS-Web images and catalog answer many questions astronomers have had about the early universe, they also spark more questions. “Since the telescope turned on we’ve been wondering ‘Are these JWST datasets breaking the cosmological model?'” Casey said. “Because the universe was producing too much light too early; it had only about 400 million years to form something like a billion solar masses of stars.”

In releasing the data to the public, the hope is that other astronomers from all over the world will use it to further refine our understanding of how the early universe was populated and how everything evolved to the present day. The dataset may also provide clues to other outstanding mysteries of the cosmos, such as dark matter and physics of the early universe that may be different from what we know today.

“A big part of this project is the democratization of science and making tools and data from the best telescopes accessible to the broader community,” Casey said. The data was made public almost immediately after it was gathered, but only in its raw form, useful only to those with specialized technical knowledge and supercomputer access to process and interpret it.

The COSMOS collaboration has worked tirelessly for the past two years to convert raw data into broadly usable images and catalogs. In creating these products and releasing them, the researchers hope that even undergraduate astronomers could dig into the material and learn something new.

“Because the best science is really done when everyone thinks about the same data set differently,” Casey said. “It’s not just for one group of people to figure out the mysteries.”

For the COSMOS collaboration, the exploration continues. They’ve headed back to the deep field to further map and study it. “We have more data collection coming up,” she said. “We think we have identified the earliest galaxies in the image, but we need to verify that.”

The article you provided highlights a significant study that explores the connection between being in nature and managing chronic back pain. The research, conducted by experts in pain management and environmental psychology, sheds light on the potential benefits of incorporating natural spaces into the lives of individuals with chronic lower back pain.

The study’s findings are striking, as people who were able to get out into nature reported a range of benefits that helped them cope with their physical discomfort. These included:

* Connection with others: Being outdoors enabled participants to connect with others on a social level, which was particularly important for those who might otherwise spend most of their time indoors and isolated.
* Distraction from pain: Nature provided a degree of distraction from the pain itself, allowing participants to focus on something other than their physical discomfort.
* Escapism: Being outdoors gave participants a sense of escapism from their daily lives, which was particularly important for those who were struggling with chronic back pain.
* Exercise opportunities: Participants enjoyed exercising in pleasant surroundings, preferring it to gyms or similar settings.

The study also highlighted some concerns regarding the accessibility of natural spaces. Factors such as unsteady or uneven terrain and a lack of seating had the potential to reduce participants’ enjoyment of – and making them less inclined to visit – certain places.

Based on their findings, the researchers have recommended that people with chronic lower back pain – and the clinicians treating them – give greater consideration to the role nature can play in their health and wellbeing. They also suggested natural spaces could be adapted to incorporate more accessible design features.

The study’s lead author, Alexander Smith, emphasized the importance of exploring how nature can be accessed by everyone, particularly those with chronic pain. He noted that simple changes, such as better paths and seating, and technological innovations including virtual reality may help make those benefits accessible to everyone.

Dr. Sam Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Pain Neuroscience at the University of Exeter, added that the study addresses important questions about health equity and the significant physical barriers faced by people living with chronic pain in accessing natural spaces. He suggested that future research could use immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, to help overcome these barriers which would enable individuals to experience the benefits of nature without needing to physically navigate inaccessible environments.

Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the potential benefits of being in nature for managing chronic back pain and highlights the need for greater consideration of how natural spaces can be made more accessible to everyone.