The first human trial of this age-reversal technology is officially underway.
After showing promise in mice and monkeys, researchers are now testing whether the same approach can rejuvenate human cells with the long-term goal of applying it across the entire body.
Chronic stress, the prolonged exposure to psychological and/or physical strain, is known to be a risk factor for depression, anxiety and some other psychiatric disorders. Past studies suggest that chronic stress disrupts the integrity of myelin, a fatty insulating layer that surrounds nerve fibers and helps electrical signals travel efficiently between brain cells.
Identifying lifestyle changes that can reverse or diminish the adverse effects of chronic stress on the brain could be advantageous, as they could potentially help prevent or delay the onset of various psychiatric conditions. Recently, some researchers have been exploring the potential brain benefits of intermittent fasting (IF), a dietary pattern that entails alternating between set periods of eating and fasting.
Past findings suggest that IF can improve people’s metabolism and help reduce inflammation, the body’s natural response to disease or injury. Yet its effects on people’s mental health and well-being have not yet been clearly determined.
In the brain, specific electrical waves are associated with different states of consciousness. For instance, delta waves—also known as slow waves—are especially prevalent during deep sleep, as well as during states of unconsciousness induced by coma and general anesthesia. They are considered a “signature” of these altered states of consciousness.
Over a decade ago, research showed that it is possible to amplify these delta waves through highly precise auditory stimulation, a technique initially studied in the context of sleep.
Now researchers at Université de Montréal are bringing this technique into the operating room to help optimize general anesthesia, which also induces a state characterized by abundant delta waves.
New research, published in The Journal of Immunology, identifies biomarkers of a distinct immune profile that could be used to identify patients at risk for chronic critical illness (CCI) on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) after traumatic injury. Identifying which patients are at increased risk for CCI could allow doctors to intervene earlier, leading to shorter ICU stays and improved patient outcomes.
“Our findings are highly novel, challenging what scientists have long thought about the immune changes that cause organ dysfunction and mortality in severely injured trauma patients. Rather than the immune system being exhausted, our data show overactivity and dysfunction,” said Dr. Scott Brakenridge, professor of surgery at the University of Washington and senior author of the study.
Severe traumatic injury, such as from a car crash or fall, causes changes to the immune system that can lead to immune and organ dysfunction, as well as recurrent infections. Researchers have long thought this was due to a deficiency in an immune signal, or cytokine, called interferon-gamma (IFN which regulates immune responses.
Address correspondence to: Puneet Opal, Denning Ataxia Center, Department of Neurology, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Ward 10–332303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 69,611, USA. Phone: 312.503.4699; Email: [email protected].
A team of researchers at the University of Warwick and Monash University has solved a puzzle that has stumped drug developers for decades: how bacteria naturally create multiple versions of powerful cancer therapies. The breakthrough could accelerate the development of new treatments for hard-to-treat cancers.
Harnessing bacterial enzymes to create drug variants, a strategy known as combinatorial biosynthesis, has long been a goal for scientists. But without understanding how these enzymes interact, progress has stalled.
Published in Nature Communications, the researchers have finally revealed how bacterial enzymes communicate and work together to assemble a family of related anticancer compounds. This family includes romidepsin (Istodax), a clinically approved blood cancer treatment. By understanding this “mix-and-match” process and replicating the principle in the lab, the researchers have established an approach to designing new therapies.
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a chronic, multisystem illness characterized by post-exertional malaise (PEM) and cognitive dysfunction, yet the molecular mechanisms driving these hallmark symptoms remain unclear. This study investigated haptoglobin (Hp) as a potential biomarker of PEM severity and cognitive impairment in ME, with a focus on Hp phenotypes and structural proteoforms.
A longitudinal case–control study was conducted in 140 ME patients and 44 matched sedentary healthy controls. In the discovery phase, global plasma proteomic profiling was performed in 61 ME patients and 20 controls before and after a standardized, non-invasive stress protocol in order to induce PEM. Associations between Hp levels, phenotype, and cognitive performance were assessed. In the validation phase, plasma Hp concentrations and proteoform composition were analyzed in an independent cohort of 89 ME patients and 24 controls using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
ME patients demonstrated a significant reduction in Hp levels following post-exertional stress. Lower baseline Hp concentrations were associated with impaired cognitive performance. Hp phenotypes were differentially associated with symptom burden, with the Hp2-1 phenotype enriched in ME and linked to greater PEM severity and cognitive deficits compared to Hp1-1 and Hp2-2. HPLC analysis revealed altered Hp proteoform profiles in the Hp2-1 subgroup, including increased high-mass tetrameric and pentameric forms and shorter retention times indicative of structural changes. In contrast, the Hp1-1 phenotype was associated with milder symptoms and greater cognitive resilience.
Melatonin—a go-to sleep aid for kids and adults alike in many households in America— continues to create media buzz, with conflicting messages that leave people uncertain about its safety.
Some headlines point to melatonin’s supposed immunity-boosting power, while others point to unestablished links between melatonin and heart failure.
I’m a pediatrician and sleep medicine doctor specializing in children, adolescents and adults.