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Category: biotech/medical – Page 14

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy caused by more than just head trauma, study finds

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—most often found in athletes playing contact sports—is known to share similarities with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), namely the buildup of a protein called tau in the brain.

New research published in Science finds even more commonalities between the two at the genetic level, showing CTE (like AD) is linked to damage to the genome and not just caused by repeated head impact (RHI).

The research team, a collaboration between Boston Children’s Hospital, Mass General Brigham, and Boston University, used single-cell genomic sequencing to identify somatic genetic mutations (changes in DNA that occur after conception and are not hereditary).

Creepy Science That’s Changing the World in Surprising Ways

From mini-brains and spider-inspired gloves to edible wolf apple coatings and microplastic-filled retinas, scientists are transforming creepy concepts into life-improving innovations. Lab-grown brain organoids could replace animal testing, web-slinging gloves can spin instant wound dressings, and wolf apple starch may keep veggies fresh longer. Meanwhile, the discovery of microplastics in human eyes reveals a haunting truth about our environment’s reach inside us.

Lab-Grown “Mini-Brains” Offer New Insight into the Human Mind

Scientists writing in ACS Sensors have successfully grown a small brain organoid in a petri dish, creating a powerful new tool for studying how nerve cells interact without the use of animal testing. Over two years, human nerve cells multiplied and organized themselves into a three-dimensional “mini-brain” that displayed electrical activity similar to real brain tissue. Researchers say this breakthrough could help scientists better understand how the human brain communicates and functions—or, as they joke, provide “a lab-grown lunch option for zombies.”

Corollary Discharge Dysfunction to Inner Speech and its Relationship to Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Auditory-verbal hallucinations (AVH)—the experience of hearing voices in the absence of auditory stimulation—are a cardinal psychotic feature of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. It has long been suggested that some AVH may reflect the misperception of inner speech as external voices due to a failure of corollary-discharge-related mechanisms. We aimed to test this hypothesis with an electrophysiological marker of inner speech.

Study Design.

Participants produced an inner syllable at a precisely specified time, when an audible syllable was concurrently presented. The inner syllable either matched or mismatched the content of the audible syllable. In the passive condition, participants did not produce an inner syllable. We compared the amplitude of the N1, P2, and P3-components of the auditory-evoked potential between: schizophrenia-spectrum patients with current AVH (SZAVH+, n = 55), schizophrenia-spectrum patients without current AVH (SZAVH−, n = 44), healthy controls (HC, n = 43).

Marijuana Use Surpasses Cigarette Smoking

Rising cannabis use and falling smoking rates suggest legalization drives substitution of cannabis for cigarettes.

How does cannabis use influence cigarette smoking? This is what a recent study published in Addictive Behaviors hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how recreational cannabis legalization has caused shifts in social dynamics, specifically regarding cigarette use. This study has the potential to help researcher better understand the social impacts of recreational cannabis legalization and the steps that can be taken to mitigate the negative impacts.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data obtained from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 30-day trends regarding cannabis-only use, cigarette-only use, and co-use for individuals 18 years and older and from time periods of 2015–2019, 2020, and 2021–2023. The goal of the study was to draw a connection between cannabis legalization and cigarette use, or co-use. In the end, the researchers found increases in cannabis-only use in 2015–2019, 2020, and 2021–2023 at 3.9% to 6.5%, 7.1%, and 7.9% to 10.6%, respectively. In contrast, cigarette-only use decreased during these same time periods at 15% to 12%, 10.3%, and 10.8% to 8.8%, respectively. Finally, the researchers observed consistent co-use during all three periods.

“The rising cannabis-only use across groups parallels the expanding state-level recreational cannabis legalization, increasing accessibility and normalization,” the study notes. “Conversely, continued declines in cigarette-only use align with decades of tobacco control efforts and evolving norms surrounding smoking. The relatively stable co-use trends may reflect substitution dynamics whereby some individuals replace cigarettes with cannabis, preventing co-use from rising in tandem with cannabis-only use.”

Electricity reprograms immune cells to speed up recovery

By electrically stimulating macrophages, scientists at Trinity College Dublin have found a way to calm inflammation and promote faster healing. The process turns these immune cells into tissue-repairing helpers, enhancing regeneration and blood vessel growth. Safe, effective, and based on human cells, this discovery could revolutionize treatments for inflammation and injury recovery.

BRCA2 research reveals a novel mechanism behind chemoresistance

One of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment is chemoresistance: Tumors that initially respond well to chemotherapy become resistant over time. When that happens, treatment options are often limited.

A research team led by Arnab Ray Chaudhuri at the Department of Molecular Genetics, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute has now uncovered a mechanism by which BRCA2-deficient tumors develop this resistance. The proteins BRCA2 and FIGNL1 appear to have a different function than previously assumed.

“These findings change the paradigm of thought,” says Ray Chaudhuri. The team also identified ways to reverse or prevent resistance.

THE FOREST KING | Red Iron Road | Full Episode

Set in a suffocating, over-commercialized future, a young boy’s desire for success and status leads him into a terrifying and deadly new reality through the lens of a mysterious VR game.
His desperate father must now race against both time and technology to save his dying son.
But the boy is the only one who can save himself — before becoming another faceless pawn of the Forest King.

Adapted from the poem “The Forest Tsar” (1818) by Vasiliy Zhukovsky.

🎬 THE FOREST KING
The second installment of the animated horror anthology RED IRON ROAD.
Each episode is a standalone short film (10–20 minutes) inspired by European literature, produced with unique creative partners in distinctive visual styles.

🏆 Festival Highlights.
• World Premiere – Nightmares Film Festival (Ohio, USA, 2022)
• Nominations – FilmQuest, Blood in the Snow Film Festival, Animaze.

🌐 Official Sites:
https://www.lakesideanimation.com/for… 🎥 Credits Directed & Written By: Lubomir Arsov Produced By: Lakeside Animation Animation By: Art Light & Riki Group (Petersburg Animation Studio) Musical Score By: Lars Korb Starring: Carlo Rota, Tom Rooney, Jaiden Cannatelli 📖 Full Cast & Crew: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23845934… 📺 Where to Watch Season 1 of Red Iron Road: Amazon Prime Video (subscription required): https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0PB… TubiTV (free streaming): https://tubitv.com/movies/100014990/r… Plex (free streaming): https://tubitv.com/movies/100014990/r… Hoopla Digital (free with library card): https://www.hoopladigital.com/televis… Kanopy (free via library or university): https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/140… Apple TV (subscription to Prime Video required): https://tv.apple.com 🔔 Subscribe for new animated horror shorts and exclusive content! Follow Red Iron Road & Lakeside Animation: Facebook: / redironroadseries Instagram: / redironroadseries TikTok: / lakesideanimation LinkedIn: / lakeside-animation 🔖 Hashtags: #RedIronRoad #AdultAnimation #Games #Anthology #Animation #AnimatedAnthology #HorrorAnimation #SlavicMythology #AnimatedShortFilm #LakesideAnimation #EuropeanHorror #AnimationStudio #FolkHorror #AnimatedHorror #CreepyTales #ClassicLiterature #AnimationForAdults © 2022 Ghost Train Productions Inc.

Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice with groundbreaking nanotech

Researchers used supramolecular nanoparticles to repair the brain’s vascular system and reverse Alzheimer’s in mice. Instead of carrying drugs, the nanoparticles themselves triggered natural clearance of amyloid-β proteins. This restored blood-brain barrier function and reversed memory loss. The results point to a revolutionary new path for treating neurodegenerative diseases.

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