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Category: biotech/medical

Strong evidence supports skin-to-skin contact after birth as standard care

Immediate skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers offers a better start in life, improving a number of key health metrics, according to a newly-updated Cochrane review.

The , published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, found that babies who have skin-to-skin contact with their mother within the first hour of birth are more likely to see a variety of benefits, including exclusive breastfeeding, optimal body temperatures and blood sugar levels.

While possible benefits for the mother were also studied, such as effects on and timing of placental delivery, the evidence was less certain.

Examining Chronic Inflammation, Immune Metabolism, and T Cell Dysfunction in HIV Infection

Chronic Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection remains a significant challenge to global public health. Despite advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART), which has transformed HIV infection from a fatal disease into a manageable chronic condition, a definitive cure remains elusive. One of the key features of HIV infection is chronic immune activation and inflammation, which are strongly associated with, and predictive of, HIV disease progression, even in patients successfully treated with suppressive ART. Chronic inflammation is characterized by persistent inflammation, immune cell metabolic dysregulation, and cellular exhaustion and dysfunction.

Women better protected against early neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease, study reveals

A large international study involving nearly 700 participants reveals that women with a precursor condition to Parkinson’s disease show significantly less brain atrophy—decreased cortical thickness in the brain—than men, despite similar clinical severity. This discovery, published in the journal Nature Communications, could lead scientists to explore the role that hormones might play in treating the disease.

Isolated REM sleep behavior disorder is characterized by violent movements during sleep, where people literally “act out” their dreams. Far from being harmless, this disorder is the most reliable early warning sign of neurodegenerative diseases caused by the accumulation of a toxic protein in the brain: more than 70% of affected individuals will eventually develop Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, or, more rarely, multiple system atrophy (a disease affecting multiple body systems).

“This sleep disorder offers a unique window of opportunity to study the mechanisms of neurodegeneration before major motor or cognitive symptoms appear,” explains Shady Rahayel, professor at UdeM’s Faculty of Medicine and leader of this study.

Shanghai Tower serves as inspiration for first synthetic dynamic helical polymer

Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have developed a polymer that adopts a coiled spring configuration at low temperatures and unfolds again upon heating. Furthermore, the molecule can break down into smaller molecules under certain conditions. The Shanghai Tower, with its spiral shape, served as the inspiration for the project following a visit five years ago. A description of the resulting helical polymer was recently published in Nature Chemistry.

Spiraling structures are common in . A well-known example is the double helix of DNA; another is the alpha-helix domains in proteins. Various artificial helices have been created, some of which can change their shape. Other can be recycled into their monomers, but so far, no polymers have been developed that can both change shape and be recycled into their .

Study unveils mechanisms driving axonal accumulation of TDP-43 and associated nerve damage in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscle wasting and limb paralysis. This neurodegenerative condition results from the gradual destruction of motor neurons, the nerve cells that control muscles.

Past neuroscience studies have identified a TAR DNA-binding protein that plays a key role in ALS, known as TDP-43. This protein, which generally regulates RNA processing (i.e., how genetic information is managed inside cells), was found to abnormally accumulate in the axons (i.e., nerve fibers) of patients diagnosed with ALS.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University, Sheba Medical Center and other institutes carried out a study aimed at further exploring the mechanisms that underpin this local aggregation of TDP-43 in axons.

Study reveals Parkinson’s protein clumps rob brain cells of vital energy

A new study led by Rice University’s Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede has revealed that protein clumps, or plaques that clog the brain, associated with Parkinson’s disease are not merely waste; they can actively drain energy from brain cells. These clumps, composed of a protein called alpha-synuclein, were found to break down adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecule responsible for powering nearly all cellular activities.

Published in Advanced Science, the research demonstrates that when ATP binds to these , the reshapes itself to trap the molecule in a small pocket. This process causes ATP to break apart and release energy, functioning similarly to an enzyme.

This unexpected finding could change scientists’ understanding of the damage caused by these clumps, which are hallmarks of diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

New brain imaging technique can detect early frontotemporal dementia

A new international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet demonstrates that it is possible to detect subtle changes in the brain and identify early signs of hereditary frontotemporal dementia using advanced brain imaging techniques. The study is published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is a neurodegenerative disease that often affects people in middle age and is a common cause of dementia before the age of 65. The disease is particularly difficult to diagnose in its early stages, as the earliest symptoms are behavioral changes and may resemble primary psychiatric disease and symptoms later on can resemble conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In about a third of cases, is hereditary, making families with known mutations an important resource for research.

Toxic Salton Sea dust triggers changes in lung microbiome after just one week

Dust from California’s drying Salton Sea doesn’t just smell bad. Scientists from UC Riverside found that breathing the dust can quickly re-shape the microscopic world inside the lungs.

Genetic or have previously been shown to have an effect on lung microbes. However, this discovery marks the first time scientists have observed such changes from environmental exposure rather than a disease.

Published in the journal mSphere, the study shows that inhalation of airborne dust collected close to the shallow, landlocked lake alters both the microbial landscape and immune responses in mice that were otherwise healthy.

Ectopic expression of a mechanosensitive channel confers spatiotemporal resolution to ultrasound stimulations of neurons for visual restoration

Cadoni et al. show that expression of the bacterial sonogenetic ion channel MscL(G22S) allows focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation of the mouse visual cortex. They even provide evidence for possible induction of a visual percept in mice via this approach, though much more work is needed to make this into a useful visual restoration method. It should be noted that some of the FUS frequencies used in Cadoni et al.’s experiments were quite high (15 MHz), so a surgically implanted cranial window was needed. I personally think that it would be better to focus on frequencies that can be employed in a transcranial fashion to minimize invasiveness. That said, there is still merit to moderately invasive methods as seen here. #sonogenetics [ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-023-01359-6](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-023-01359-6)

Sonogenetics provides neuron-specific activation at high spatiotemporal resolution ex vivo in retina and in vivo deep in the visual cortex using the AAV gene delivery of a mechanosensitive ion channel and low-intensity ultrasound stimulations.

Optical device distinguishes blood flow signals from the brain and scalp

Measuring blood flow in the brain is critical for responding to a range of neurological problems, including stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and vascular dementia. But existing techniques, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, are expensive and therefore not widely available.

Researchers from the USC Neurorestoration Center and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have built a simple, noninvasive alternative. The device takes a technique currently used in animal studies known as speckle contrast (SCOS) and adapts it for potential clinical use in humans. It works by capturing images of scattered with an affordable, high-resolution camera.

“It’s really that simple. Tiny blood cells pass through a laser beam, and the way the light scatters allows us to measure and volume in the brain,” said Charles Liu, MD, Ph.D., professor of clinical neurological surgery, urology and surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, director of the USC Neurorestoration Center and co-senior author of the new research.

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