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Category: biotech/medical – Page 164

Automated insulin delivery improves glycemic control of type 2 diabetes in randomized trial

Jaeb Center for Health Research conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of automated insulin delivery (AID) in adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. AID significantly lowered glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and improved glucose control compared to standard insulin therapy with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

AID therapy resulted in a mean HbA1c reduction of 0.9 percentage points over 13 weeks, while the control group experienced a 0.3 percentage point reduction.

Automated systems have demonstrated benefits for patients with type 1 diabetes, yet their efficacy and safety for individuals with type 2 diabetes remain less established. Prior studies have either lacked randomized controlled designs or involved limited sample sizes, creating a gap in clinical understanding.

What Happens When You Swap Atoms? A Nanotech Revolution Begins

Cadmium-based nanostructures are opening new possibilities in near-infrared (NIR) technology, from medical imaging to fiber optics and solar energy.

A major challenge in their development is controlling their atomic structure with precision, which researchers at HZDR and TU Dresden tackled using cation exchange. This technique allows for precise manipulation of nanostructure composition, unlocking new optical and electronic properties. The research highlights the crucial role of active corners and defects, which influence charge transport and light absorption. By linking these nanostructures into organized systems, scientists are paving the way for self-assembling materials with advanced functions, from improved sensors to next-generation electronics.

Harnessing Near-Infrared Light with Cadmium-Based Nanostructures.

Revolutionary Shape-Shifting Nanorobots: The Future of Technology

Scientists have developed shape-shifting nanorobots that can flow like liquid and solidify like steel, paving the way for breakthroughs in medicine, engineering, and robotics. These nanobots, inspired by gallium-based materials, respond to magnetic fields, allowing them to navigate through tight spaces, repair electronics, and even perform medical procedures. While still in the early stages, this futuristic technology could lead to self-healing materials, autonomous repairs, and shape-adaptive robotics, bringing us closer to a world of smart, responsive materials.

Origin of life: How a special group of single-celled organisms laid the foundation for complex cells

Ten years ago, nobody knew that Asgard archaea even existed. In 2015, however, researchers examining deep-sea sediments discovered gene fragments that indicated a new and previously undiscovered form of microbes.

With computer assistance, the researchers assembled these fragments like puzzle pieces to compile the entire genome. It was only then that they realized they were dealing with a previously unknown group of archaea.

Like bacteria, archaea are . Genetically, however, there are significant differences between the two domains, especially regarding their cell envelopes and metabolic processes.

Scientists Uncover a Hidden Brain Plumbing System That Restores Memory

Aging brains may struggle to clear out waste, contributing to memory loss and diseases like Alzheimer’s. But researchers have now found that improving the brain’s waste-draining vessels in old mice actually boosted their memory. Rather than targeting the brain directly, which is tricky due to the

Lowering bioenergetic age may help fend off Alzheimer’s

The researchers turned to a group of molecules called acylcarnitines, which are associated with declining cognition and breaking down or metabolizing fats and proteins for energy. To test if high acylcarnitine levels in the blood could predict who’s at risk of developing Alzheimer’s, the researchers used data from a large-scale study called the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.

“It was fascinating,” the author said. “Dividing research participants into groups based on their specific acylcarnitine levels highlighted people with more severe Alzheimer’s disease and others with fewer symptoms.” This led the researchers to define a bioenergetic clock based on acylcarnitines—how old a person’s metabolism acts, compared to actual age. Higher bioenergetic age is linked to higher acylcarnitine levels, worsened Alzheimer’s pathology, cognitive decline and brain atrophy.

The researchers also quantified cognitive decline using a common test called the mini-mental state examination, on which a score below 24 out of 30 points indicates impairment. They found that people with low acylcarnitine levels to begin with declined more slowly, losing about 0.5 points less per year than people with high acylcarnitine levels. The benefit is on par with the Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab.

To some degree, a person’s bioenergetic clock ticks forward at a rate determined by their genetics, but having a healthy lifestyle—for example, eating a plant-based diet and exercising —can help keep acylcarnitine levels low, which means a younger bioenergetic age, the author explained.

They went on to identify a subgroup of participants, about 30% of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, with older bioenergetic age but favorable genetic background. These individuals may benefit more from early lifestyle interventions designed to decrease their bioenergetic age and potentially delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s.

Moving forward, the senior author hopes to home in on the lifestyle interventions most effective for lowering bioenergetic age. For example, eating a low-carb diet may help maintain metabolic health, but just how low would carbohydrate consumption have to be for a person to see benefits?

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How bacteria ‘vaccinate’ themselves with genetic material from dormant viruses

Like people, bacteria get invaded by viruses. In bacteria, the viral invaders are called bacteriophages, derived from the Greek word for bacteria-eaters, or in shortened form, “phages.” Scientists have sought to learn how the single-cell organisms survive phage infection in a bid to further understand human immunity and develop ways to combat diseases.

Now, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have shed new light on how bacteria protect themselves from certain phage invaders—by seizing genetic material from weakened, dormant phages and using it to “vaccinate” themselves to elicit an immune response.

In their experiments, the scientists say Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria (which cause ) take advantage of a class of phages known as temperate phages, which can either kill cells or become dormant. The bacteria steal from temperate phages during this dormant period and form a biological “memory” of the invader that their offspring inherit as the bacteria multiply. Equipped with these memories, the new population can recognize these viruses and fight them off.