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Category: biotech/medical – Page 143

Gut microbiome is associated with recurrence-free survival in patients with resected high-risk melanoma receiving adjuvant immune checkpoint blockade

Respiratory virus infections, such as those caused by influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and coronaviruses, pose a significant global health burden. While the immune system’s adaptive components, including memory T cells, are critical for recognizing and combating these pathogens, recurrent infections and variable disease outcomes persist. Memory T cells are a key element of long-term immunity, capable of responding swiftly upon re-exposure to pathogens. They play diverse roles, including cross-reactivity to conserved viral epitopes and modulation of inflammatory responses. However, the protective efficacy of these cells is influenced by several factors, including viral evolution, host age, and immune system dynamics. This review explores the dichotomy of memory T cells in respiratory virus infections: their potential to confer robust protection and the limitations that allow for breakthrough infections. Understanding the underlying mechanisms governing the formation, maintenance, and functional deployment of memory T cells in respiratory mucosa is critical for improving immunological interventions. We highlight recent advances in vaccine strategies aimed at bolstering T cell-mediated immunity and discuss the challenges posed by viral immune evasion. Addressing these gaps in knowledge is pivotal for designing effective therapeutics and vaccines to mitigate the global burden of respiratory viruses.

Targeting biomolecular condensates: beyond dissolution

Biomolecular condensates control key cellular processes, from gene expression to signal transduction, by organizing molecules through selective compartmentalization. Increasing evidence links their dysregulation to cancer, neurodegeneration, and other diseases, positioning condensates as promising therapeutic targets. This review explores emerging strategies that go beyond dissolving pathological condensates, including approaches that induce, redirect, or reprogram their dynamics, composition, and physical state. Rather than inhibiting individual proteins, these interventions reshape the cellular organization itself. By targeting the material and functional properties of condensates, such strategies offer a new conceptual framework for therapeutic design in complex, dysregulated biological systems.

Local cues, local killers: human natural killer cells across tissues

Human natural killer cells across tissues.

Natural killer cells residing in tissues are distinct compared to those in the bloodstream, and their diversity is likely shaped by the microenvironment of individual tissues.

In tissues, natural killer cells are exposed to an environment with low oxygen levels, a distinct cytokine milieu, and different neighboring cells compared to their circulating counterparts, leading to a unique metabolic and functional profile.

Tissue-resident natural killer cells in most human tissues appear to be only transiently tissue-resident and recirculate via the lymphatic system back to the bloodstream. Lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes contain various natural killer cell populations of distinct origins. Tumor responses of tissue-resident natural killer cells depend on the tissue niche and tumor microenvironment context, with tissue-resident natural killer cells having a more immunoregulatory rather than a direct cytotoxic role during tumorigenesis. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/natural-killer-cells

Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system and reside in multiple tissues. During steady-state conditions, they contribute to tissue homeostasis, while in disease settings, tissue-resident (tr) NK cells are positioned at the frontline of immune surveillance. Due to their exposure to local microenvironments, NK cells residing outside the bloodstream exhibit phenotypic, transcriptional, functional, and metabolic features that distinguish them from their circulating counterparts. In this review, we outline the defining characteristics of tr NK cells, discuss their recirculation potential, and summarize their functional and metabolic specialization across human tissues. Finally, using cancer as an example, we highlight how tr NK cells are altered in disease and how local tissue environments shape their functional states.

B cell deficiency limits exercise capacity by remodeling liver glutamate metabolism

Now online! B cells regulate exercise capacity through immune-independent liver-muscle metabolic signaling, and B cell deficiency limits muscle performance. Mechanistically, B cell-secreted TGF-β1 increases hepatic glutamine-to-glutamate conversion, raising glutamate in blood and muscle. This promotes muscle calcium signaling and mitochondrial function, positively regulating exercise capacity.

#Polymath

This is one of my favourite comparisons: polymathy is cognitive biodiversity.

Monoculture farming depletes soil, invites disease, collapses under pressure. One blight, one drought and the whole field dies.

Why do we accept the same fragility in how we think?

The specialist mind is similar to a monoculture. Trained to the depth in one domain and optimized for known conditions. When the paradigm breaks, it can only do what it has always done.

Physicists Propose a New Kind of Laser That Would Fire Neutrinos

Physicists have proposed a new way to make neutrinos at accelerated rates. This method would use a state of matter close to absolute zero called a Bose-Einstein condensate. It would harness quantum effects that can produce neutrinos faster than ordinary radioactive decays. This tool would produce a large and controllable beam of neutrinos. They could have similar properties to photons (particles of light) in an optical laser.

Neutrinos are fundamental particles that interact extremely weakly with matter. It is very difficult to produce and detect neutrinos. It requires large detectors and powerful sources such as nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. A controllable, coherent source of neutrinos on a bench-top scale would have a significant impact on neutrino research. This type of technology would provide new opportunities to understand their interactions and quantum mechanical properties. In addition, the specific radioactive decays that would enable such a controllable, coherent neutrino source on a small scale could lead to new applications. These applications could include production of rare isotopes for medical physics and neutrino-based communication.

Lasers have been revolutionary in enabling the development of many aspects of modern science and technology. They are based on the amplification of light via stimulated emission. This is a quantum mechanical process whereby an excited atom is forced to emit a second photon upon absorption of another with the same wavelength. Due to their tiny masses, neutrinos behave similarly to photons in many situations. However, they cannot be used for lasing because their fermionic nature inhibits stimulated emission. For this reason, it is not possible to develop a neutrino laser using this traditional mechanism.

Blinding Integrity in Psychedelic Randomized Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review

Functional unblinding was common in most psychedelic randomized clinical trials for psychiatric disorders, with 70% correctly identifying treatment allocation, raising concerns for trial validity.

Question What is the prevalence of blinding integrity assessment and the extent of functional unblinding in psychedelic randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for psychiatric disorders?

Findings Of 112 RCTs identified, 29.5% (n = 33) evaluated blinding integrity. Functional unblinding was substantial: psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and ayahuasca studies frequently reported blinding failure values of more than 90% among participants and raters; inert placebo-controlled 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) trials exceeded 85%; ketamine trials rarely assessed blinding (17.9%) but showed improved preservation with midazolam vs saline controls.

Meaning Functional unblinding is pervasive in psychedelic RCTs, underscoring the need for standardized assessment methods and improved trial designs to ensure valid efficacy evaluations.

Long-Term Outcomes and Recovery Trajectories in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A 2-Year Follow-Up of the Randomized Clinical TTM2 Trial

Following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, targeted hypothermia did not affect societal participation or cognitive function at 24 months compared with normothermia; most recovery occurred within 6 months.

Question Does hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest affect societal participation or cognitive functioning at 24 months post arrest, and how do these outcomes evolve over time?

Findings This follow-up of the randomized clinical Targeted Hypothermia vs Targeted Normothermia After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest trial found no significant differences in societal participation or cognitive functioning between targeted hypothermia and normothermia at 24 months. Overall recovery was limited beyond 6 months.

Meaning Targeted hypothermia compared with normothermia did not affect outcomes 24 months post arrest, suggesting no longer-term effect of hypothermia for the explored outcomes; 6 months may suffice as an end point when assessing functional or cognitive outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

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