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WEHI researchers have found a specific immunotherapy could hold promise for treating gliomas, an aggressive form of brain cancer with limited treatment options.

The new study shows that CAR T cell therapy not…


Researchers at WEHI have identified a promising new two-in-one treatment that not only targets and destroys an aggressive form of brain cancer, but also helps the immune system develop a lasting defence against it.

This dual-action approach uses a specific immunotherapy known as CAR T cell therapy to treat gliomas, an incurable brain cancer with few treatment options.

Will artificial intelligence save us or kill us all? In Japan, AI-driven technology promises better lives for an aging population. But researchers in Silicon Valley are warning of untamable forces being unleashed– and even human extinction.

Will artificial intelligence make life better for humans or lead to our downfall? As developers race toward implementing AI in every aspect of our lives, it is already showing promise in areas like medicine. But what if it is used for nefarious purposes?

In Japan, the inventor and scientist behind the firm Cyberdyne is working to make life better for the sick and elderly. Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai’s robot suits are AI-driven exoskeletons used in rehabilitative medicine to help stroke victims and others learn to walk again. But he doesn’t see the benefits of AI ending there; he predicts a future world where AIs will live in harmony with humans as a new, benevolent species.

Yet in Silicon Valley, the cradle of AI development, there is an unsettling contradiction: a deep uncertainty among many developers about the untamable forces they are unleashing. Gabriel Mukobi is a computer science graduate student at Stanford who is sounding the alarm that AI could push us toward disaster– and even human extinction. He’s at the forefront of a tiny field of researchers swimming against the current to make sure AI is safe and beneficial for everyone.

Scraps of DNA discarded by our neurons’ power units are being absorbed into our nuclear genome far more frequently than assumed, potentially putting our brains at greater risk of developing life-threatening conditions.

An investigation by a team of researchers led by Columbia University in the US has found individuals with higher numbers of nuclear mitochondrial insertions – or NUMTs (pronounced new-mites) – in their brain cells are more likely to die earlier than those with fewer DNA transfers.

Mitochondria serve as our cells’ batteries, churning out energy in a form of chemical currency that suits most of our body’s metabolic needs. Once a discrete microbial organism in its own right, these tiny powerhouses were co-opted by our unicellular ancestors billions of years in the past, genes and all.

Summary: Researchers identified how gene variations lead to brain changes associated with essential tremor, a common movement disorder affecting over 60 million people worldwide. The study used brain MRI scans and genetic data from over 33,000 adults to uncover genetic links to structural changes in the brain’s cortex and cerebellum.

These findings could lead to new drug targets by revealing how faulty protein disposal systems disrupt neural pathways, resulting in uncontrollable hand tremors. The research marks a significant step toward understanding and treating essential tremor more effectively.

A 50-year-old man presented with headache. Examination showed left sided ataxic hemiparesis and elevated blood pressure. Brain imaging revealed an acute intracerebral hemorrhage in the right lentiform nucleus, deep and periventricular white matter hyperintensities, and predominantly deep cerebral microbleeds. Fundus examination showed important arteriolar tortuosity involving several blood vessels. In this young patient, we explain the diagnostic approach to intracerebral hemorrhage, the causes of cerebral small vessel disease, and the interpretation of biomolecular tests.

The brain’s white matter comprises areas of the central nervous system made up of myelinated axons. Its name is derived from the pale appearance of the lipids that comprise myelin. Myelin is a segmented sheath that insulates axons, ensuring the conduction of neural signals. The loss of myelin is documented in a number of neurodegenerative pathologies, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and perhaps most notably, multiple sclerosis. As people age, demyelination becomes more likely.

Researchers have long suspected a relationship between and the integrity of the brain’s as people age. However, a lack of specific evidence has led researchers at the National Institutes of Health to conduct a study examining the strength of this correlation, now published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To establish a correlation between cardiovascular fitness and cerebral myelination, the researchers recruited a cohort of 125 participants from age 22 to 94 years old. The cardiovascular fitness of the participants was quantified as the maximum rate of oxygen consumption, popularly and succinctly known as VO2max. Myelin content was defined as the water fraction, which the researchers estimated through an advanced multicomponent relaxometry MRI method.