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Category: biotech/medical – Page 124

Hypoxic Preconditioning Enhances the Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Treat Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

About 20% to 35% of the population suffers from chronic sleep disorders—and up to half of all people in older age. Moreover, almost every teenager or adult has experienced short-term sleep deprivation at some point. There are many reasons for not getting enough sleep, whether it be partying, a long day at work, caring for relatives, or simply whiling away time on smartphones.

In a recent meta-study, Jülich researchers have now been able to show that the involved in the short-term and long-term conditions differ significantly. The results of the study were published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

“Poor sleep is one of the most important—but changeable—risk factors for in adolescents and ,” says Jülich researcher and Privatdozent Dr. Masoud Tahmasian, who coordinated the study. In contrast, long-term pathological sleep disorders, such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and short-term sleep deprivation, are located in different parts of the brain.

AI Framework Predicts Better Patient Health Care and Reduces Cost

Researchers at Indiana University have shown that an artificial intelligence framework that employs sequential decision-making could reduce healthcare costs by over 50 percent while also improving patient outcomes by over 40 percent. New research from Indiana University has found that machine lea

Brain-computer interface allows paralyzed users to customize their sense of touch

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists are one step closer to developing a brain-computer interface, or BCI, that allows people with tetraplegia to restore their lost sense of touch.

While exploring a digitally represented object through their artificially created sense of touch, users described the warm fur of a purring cat, the smooth rigid surface of a door key and the cool roundness of an apple. This research, a collaboration between Pitt and the University of Chicago, is published in Nature Communications.

In contrast to earlier experiments where artificial touch often felt like indistinct buzzing or tingling and didn’t vary from object to object, scientists gave BCI users control over the details of the electrical stimulation that creates tactile sensations, rather than making those decisions themselves. This key innovation allowed participants to recreate a sense of touch that felt intuitive to them.

Live human brain tissue reveals how Alzheimer’s-linked protein damages connections

Scientists using living human brain tissue have shown for the first time how a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s can stick to and damage the connections between brain cells.

Small pieces of healthy —collected during routine neurosurgery operations—were exposed to the protein, known as amyloid beta.

Unlike when subjected to a normal form of the protein, the brain tissue did not attempt to repair damage caused by the toxic form of amyloid beta, experts say.

Disproportionately Enlarged Subarachnoid-Space Hydrocephalus on MRI in Pathologically Confirmed Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Background and ObjectiveSeveral studies have shown that idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) can mimic other neurodegenerative disorders, particularly progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). In this study, we investigated iNPH clinical and…

Discovery of histidine-ADP-ribose molecule reveals new bacterial immune strategy

A research team has uncovered a previously unknown type of immune signaling molecule—a novel compound combining histidine and ADP-ribose—produced by bacteria’s Thoeris II defense system in response to viral infection. This finding expands our understanding of bacterial immunity and may pave the way for innovative tools in biotechnology, gene editing, and antimicrobial therapy.

The paper, titled “TIR domains produce histidine-ADPR as an immune signal in bacteria,” is published in the journal Nature, and the team includes scientists at Vilnius University’s Life Sciences Centre (VU LSC), together with colleagues from the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) and Harvard Medical School.

The discovery sheds light on how bacteria, much like humans, communicate viral threats at the molecular level—in this case, triggering a self-sacrificing response to halt virus spread and protect bacterial populations. Beyond its fundamental significance, the finding opens exciting avenues for rethinking immune mechanisms and virus-host interactions.

Portable bio-battery uses living hydrogels for targeted nerve signal modulation

Bio-batteries constructed by electroactive microorganisms have unique advantages in physiological monitoring, tissue integration, and powering implantable devices due to their superior adaptability and biocompatibility. However, the development of miniaturized and portable bio-batteries that are plug and play and compatible with existing devices remains a challenge.

In a study published in Advanced Materials, a team led by Zhong Chao, Liu Zhiyuan, and Wang Xinyu from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Wang Renheng from the Shenzhen University, developed a miniaturized, portable bio-battery that enables precise control over bioelectrical stimulation and physiological blood pressure signals.

The researchers encapsulated Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 biofilms within alginate hydrogels to develop living hydrogels, which can be 3D printed into defined geometries for customized fabrication. Inspired by lithium-ion battery fabrication, they developed a miniaturized bio-battery (20 mm in diameter, 3.2 mm in height) using living hydrogel as the bio-anode ink, K3[Fe(CN)6]-containing alginate hydrogel as the cathode ink, and a Nafion membrane as the ion exchange membrane.

Depression and other mental health conditions linked to immune response, study finds

Depression, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions affect 1 in 4 people in their lifetime, but the mechanisms underlying these conditions are poorly understood. New research led by researchers at the University of Bristol has linked the body’s immune response with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and bipolar disorder. The study demonstrates mental health conditions might be affected by the whole body as well as changes in the brain. The findings could pave the way for better treatments of some mental health conditions.

The work appears in Molecular Psychiatry.

Most people with depression or are treated with drugs that work on brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. However, one in three people with these conditions do not benefit from these treatments, suggesting that other mechanisms are involved.

Blood droplets on inclined surfaces reveal new cracking patterns

Drying droplets have fascinated scientists for decades. From water to coffee to paint, these everyday fluids leave behind intricate patterns as they evaporate. But blood is far more complex—a colloidal suspension packed with red blood cells, plasma proteins, salts, and countless biomolecules.

As blood dries, it leaves behind a complex microstructural pattern—cracks, rings, and folds—each shaped by the interplay of its cellular components, proteins, and evaporation dynamics. These features form a kind of physical fingerprint, quietly recording the complex interplay of physics that unfolded during the desiccation of the droplet.

In our recent experiments, we explored how blood droplets dry by varying both their size—from tiny 1-microliter drops to larger 10-microliter ones—and the angle of the surface, from completely horizontal to a steep 70° incline. Using an , a , and a surface profiler, we tracked how the droplets dried, shrank and cracked.

Potential Global Threat: This Mysterious Virus Is Spreading Quietly Across Latin America

“Our data shows that Oropouche virus is massively under-diagnosed in Latin America,” says Drexler, who also conducts research at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). “In some areas, at least one person in ten has experienced a prior infection with the pathogen.”

More widespread than thought – but still insufficiently investigated

Oropouche virus causes nonspecific symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, pain in the limbs, and, in some cases, nausea and skin rashes. For a long time, the disease was considered to be predominantly mild, and reports of more severe bouts, including meningitis, were rare.