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Scientists Have Created Microrobots That Can Automatically Brush and Floss Your Teeth

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania demonstrated in a proof-of-concept study that a hands-free device could successfully automate the treatment and removal of dental plaque and bacteria that cause tooth decay.

In the future, a shape-shifting robotic microswarm may serve as a toothbrush, rinse, and dental floss all in one. The technology, created by a multidisciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania, has the potential to provide a brand-new, automated method for carrying out the repetitive but important daily duties of brushing and flossing. For people who lack the manual dexterity to efficiently clean their teeth alone, this system could be extremely helpful.

These microrobots are composed of iron oxide nanoparticles with catalytic and magnetic properties. Researchers were able to control their movement and configuration using a magnetic field to either produce bristle-like structures that remove dental plaque from the wide surfaces of teeth or elongated threads that can slide between teeth like a piece of floss. In both situations, the nanoparticles are driven by a catalytic reaction to release antimicrobials that eliminate harmful oral bacteria on site.

Dr Asha M George, DrPH — Building Defenses Against Bio-Terrorism And (Re)Emerging Infectious Disease

Dr. Asha M. George, DrPH (https://biodefensecommission.org/teams/asha-m-george-drph/) is Executive Director, Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, which was established in 2014 to assess gaps in and provide recommendations to improve U.S. biodefense. The Panel determines where the United States is falling short of addressing biological attacks and emerging and reemerging infectious diseases.

Dr. George is a public health security professional whose research and programmatic emphasis has been practical, academic, and political. She served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a senior professional staffer and subcommittee staff director at the House Committee on Homeland Security in the 110th and 111th Congress. She has worked for a variety of organizations, including government contractors, foundations, and non-profits. As a contractor, she supported and worked with all Federal Departments, especially the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. George also served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a military intelligence officer and as a paratrooper and she is a decorated Desert Storm Veteran.

Dr. George holds a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (in Parasitology and Laboratory Practice), and a Doctorate in Public Health (with a focus on Public Health Policy and Security Preparedness) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is also a graduate of the Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.

Protein ‘Traffic Jam’ in Neurons Linked to Neurodegeneration

Summary: Dampening retromer activity slows down the trafficking of tau in neurodegenerative disorders, a new study reports.

Source: EPFL

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are associated with atypical proteins that form tangles in the brain, killing neurons. Neurobiologists at EPFL have now identified some key mechanisms underlying the formation of these tangles.

Newly Identified Enzyme Enables Lifelong Sperm Production

According to research conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, the enzyme DOT1L, a stem cell self-renewal factor, is necessary for mice to continue producing sperm throughout adulthood.

Men may continue to generate sperm throughout their adult life, in contrast to women who are born with all the eggs they will ever have. To do so, they must constantly renew the spermatogonial stem cells that give birth to sperm.

According to research by Jeremy Wang of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues, this stem cell renewal is dependent on a recently identified stem cell self-renewal factor known as DOT1L. The scientists demonstrated that animals lacking DOT1L are unable to retain spermatogonial stem cells, which affects their ability to constantly make sperm.

An Alzheimer’s-Proof Brain: Ground-Breaking Case Provides Clues to Treatment and Prevention of Dementia

Due to a rare genetic mutation, Aliria Rosa Piedrahita de Villegas should have had Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that attacks the brain, causing a decline in mental ability that worsens over time. It is the most common form of dementia and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. There is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are medications that can help ease the symptoms.

FDA APPROVED Drug Reverses Vascular Aging in Mice!

https://youtu.be/8F6BYlhyOSA

Hey it’s Han from WrySci-HX talking about how the anti diabetic drug Empagliflozin, brand name Jardiance, has reversed signs of vascular aging in mice! Is this why we’re seeing its benefits in humans? More below ↓↓↓

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Oldest case of a rare genetic condition discovered

A group of international researchers has uncovered evidence of a super rare genetic condition that gives men an extra X chromosome, reporting the oldest clinical case of Klinefelter syndrome to date.

The evidence comes from a 1,000-year-old skeleton from Portugal.

Klinefelter syndrome is a where individuals are born with an extra copy of the X chromosome, occurring in approximately one in 1,000 genetic-male births.

Frankenstein: Scientists create embryo with brain and beating heart entirely from stem cells

In a report this week from the science journal SciTechDaily, we learn of a scientific breakthrough that it clearly intended to be exciting and startling, but potentially worrisome as well. Scientists at the University of Cambridge have created a series of “model embryos” that include a functioning brain, a beating heart, and the foundation for all of the other bodily organs you would expect.

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