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Category: biotech/medical – Page 266

Study of 6 Million People Could Rewrite How We Understand Mental Health

From the article:

The study also identified specific brain cell types associated with the genetic patterns.

For the schizophrenia bipolar group, the strongest genetic signals appeared in genes active in excitatory neurons. These neurons transmit signals that activate other brain cells and help different parts of the brain communicate.

In contrast, genetic risk tied to internalizing disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD showed stronger links to oligodendrocytes. These cells help nerve signals travel more efficiently through the brain.

“The findings suggest these ‘support cells’ might play an important role in those conditions,” said Verhulst, research assistant professor and an expert in quantitative and statistical genetics.”

A massive genetic analysis of more than 6 million people is revealing new clues about why mental health disorders frequently overlap.

Continue reading “Study of 6 Million People Could Rewrite How We Understand Mental Health” | >

Pitfalls and Potential of Dementia Prevention Trials

💬 Editorial by Holly Elser, MD, PhD, and Jonathan Graff-Radford, MD:

Recent randomized clinical trials on dementia prevention highlight several challenges in interpreting lifestyle intervention studies, including practice and Hawthorne effects, modest changes in cognitive outcomes, and heterogeneity in both trial design and participant baseline risk.

The trial by Zhang et al—evaluating aerobic exercise and intensive vascular risk reduction—showed no significant cognitive benefit over 2 years in older adults at elevated risk, underscoring the potential influence of midlife vs late-life intervention timing and the need for longer trials or biomarker-enriched cohorts to better assess dementia prevention strategies.

Dementia prevention is a global public health priority,1,2 with up to 45% of cases potentially attributable to modifiable risk factors over the life course.3 While recent landmark trials, including FINGER, SPRINT MIND, and POINTER, suggest either single-or multidomain lifestyle interventions can improve cognitive outcomes,4-6 others have shown no clear benefit,7,8 thus highlighting ongoing uncertainty in the field.

In this issue of JAMA Neurol ogy, Zhang and colleagues9 report the results of a single-blind, multicenter randomized clinical trial of the effects of exercise and intensive vascular risk reduction on cognitive function. Eligible study participants were between the ages of 60 and 85 years at baseline with a history of hypertension, family history of dementia, or self-reported cognitive decline. The study used a 2 × 2 factorial design wherein participants were randomized to aerobic exercise training alone, intensive pharmacological reduction of cardiovascular risk factors (IRVR) alone, both aerobic exercise and IRVR, or usual care for a 24-month period. The IRVR protocol lowered systolic blood pressure to less than 130 mm Hg, and participants with baseline serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of 70 mg/dL or higher were also treated with a high-intensity statin.

Studying 2 distinct human cohorts with recent exposure to TB

https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.202134 Paul Ogongo & team find different individual Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens induce distinct T cell responses, with important implications for TB vaccine development.

5Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya.

6Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA.

7Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology, Center for Vaccine Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Long-term inflammatory memory driver identified!

The researchers first gave a bout of psoriasis to mice when they were young. They discovered that about 10–15% of the memories that persisted a month later stuck around even to the end of the mouse’s life (~2 years). To see why these long-term memories lingered while their short-term counterparts faded within six months, they analyzed the DNA sequence characteristics within each of the memories by using a deep learning model customized by the third co-first author.

“When we compared the DNA sequences of short and long-term memory domains, they looked very similar in terms of the numbers and kinds of transcription factor binding sites,” says the author. “We realized we needed to develop a new metric that specifically captures memory persistence across time, not just total accessibility at any one point.”

Soto-Ugaldi’s adaptation, called PersistNet, quickly identified a telling trait: The longest lasting memory domains had an unusually high frequency of CpG dinucleotides—short DNA sequences of cytosine followed by guanine, which are known to play a key role in gene regulation. In fact, the model predicted that CpG density hardwires a timer into every memory domain: The more CpG’s, the longer the memory.

When they tested the prediction, that’s exactly what they found. “Looking across all 1,000 memory domains, we discovered that these nucleotide densities alone, and no other DNA sequence pattern, could distinguish how long each memory would linger,” says the author.

Back in the lab, the team discovered that these genetically wired densities enabled a host of epigenetic changes in memory domains, including DNA demethylation (the removal of a methyl group specifically found on CpG dinucleotides); the binding of transcription factors that prefer demethylated states; and the recruitment of a histone variant called H2A.Z, which preferentially seeks out demethylated sites and boosts chromatin accessibility while staving off future re-methylation. Together, these changes stabilized the open chromatin formation and its gene-priming activity. As the authors discovered, this structure could crucially be passed down across cellular generations, essentially keeping the doors open for life. Science Mission sciencenewshighlights.

One of the most puzzling aspects of common chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis is how they become chronic. What allows an ongoing condition to stay dormant for months or even years, then seemingly spring back out of nowhere?

Continue reading “Long-term inflammatory memory driver identified!” | >

Induced Hypertension Shows Promise for Managing Early Neurological Deterioration in Stroke Care

In this BloggingStroke post, Romil Singh discusses Stroke article by Kim et al.

Kim H, Kim JT, Lee JS, Kim BJ, Kang J, Kim DY, Lee KJ, Kim CK, Park JM, Kang K, et al. Management Strategies for Early Neurological Deterioration in Noncardioembolic Ischemic Stroke. Stroke. 2025.

Early neurological deterioration (END) remains one of the most challenging and feared complications during the acute phase of ischemic stroke. Affecting up to 40% of patients, END often signals the expansion of infarction, worsening hypoperfusion, or thrombus propagation. Despite its prevalence and its strong association with long-term disability, we lack clear evidence-based guidance on treatment strategies for inducing hypertension to improve perfusion and escalating antithrombotic therapy in hopes of stabilizing the patient.

A new nationwide study from South Korea, published in Stroke, now offers some much-needed clarity. Kim et al. analyzed data for more than 3,000 patients with no cardioembolic ischemic stroke who developed END due to stroke progression. They compared the real-world effectiveness of three treatment approaches: conservative treatment, change in antithrombotic therapy, and iHTN, and looked at associations with early neurological improvement (NI) during hospitalization and functional outcomes at 3 months. Because END was confirmed with imaging and standardized assessments, the cohort offers a clear view of how clinicians manage stroke progression in the absence of hemorrhage or metabolic causes.

Spatial profiling of patient-matched HER2 positive gastric cancer reveals resistance mechanisms to targeted therapy

Sheng et al. present “” via https://bit.ly/4spB5XM (Original research, GI cancer section).

Why do targeted therapies stop working? Using spatial transcriptomics, this study reveals how tumour heterogeneity, immune escape and metabolic shifts drive resistance in HER2-positive gastric cancer. A must-read for anyone interested in precision oncology and treatment optimisation.

Background Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; ERBB2) is overexpressed or amplified in 15–20% of gastric cancers (HER2+ GC). Within individual HER2+ GCs, HER2/ ERBB2 expression is often variable. Although HER2 therapeutic targeting improves outcomes for HER2+ GC patients, acquired resistance is frequent.

Objective To spatially interrogate HER2+ GC interpatient and intrapatient heterogeneity and resistance mechanisms associated with HER2-targeting agents (trastuzumab, trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd)).

Design Spatial transcriptomic analysis (GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler) was applied to 1,500 regions of interest in 30 GCs—these contained 15 HER2+ GCs treated with trastuzumab and T-DXd subsequently. Analysis of patient-matched samples with acquired trastuzumab or T-DXd resistance revealed escape mechanisms.

Liquids can fracture like solids—researchers discover the breaking point

In a development that could shift our basic understanding of fluid mechanics, researchers from Drexel University have reported that, given the right circumstances, it is possible to induce a simple liquid to fracture like a solid object. Recently published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the research shows how viscous liquids can suddenly break if stretched with enough force.

The fracturing behavior suggests that viscosity—a liquid’s resistance to flowing—may play a more prominent role in its mechanical properties than previously understood. It also raises new possibilities for how liquids might be manipulated in everything from hydraulics to 3D printers to blood vessels.

“Our findings show that if pulled apart with enough force per area, a simple liquid—a liquid that flows—will reach what we call a point of ‘critical stress,” when it will actually fracture like a solid. And this is likely true for all simple liquids, including common examples, such as water and oil,” said Thamires Lima, Ph.D., an assistant research professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, who helped to lead the research. “This fundamentally changes our understanding of fluid dynamics.”

Light switch for life: Controlling molecular droplets with UV

Biomolecular condensates are tiny, droplet-like structures made up of molecules that help organize key processes in living organisms. Because they are so small and constantly changing, it has been difficult for scientists to measure their physical properties or control how they behave. Leiden researchers at the Mashaghi Lab have now discovered a surprising new way to shape and control tiny droplets of molecules found in living organisms. The breakthrough could lead to smarter biomaterials, improve drug delivery and even new insights into the emergence of life on Earth. The work is published in Nature Communications.

“Our lab works at the interface of biophysics, molecular engineering and medicine,” says Alireza Mashaghi. “We explore how molecular interactions drive the emergent properties of biological materials.”

Inside the condensates, Mashaghi and his team triggered a reaction normally associated with DNA damage from UV light (like that seen in skin cancer). Known as thymine dimer formation, this process causes two neighboring thymine bases to bond together. By harnessing this reaction as a molecular “switch” within the condensates, the researchers were able to alter the internal connectivity of the molecules, allowing them to control how the condensates behave.

Quantum researchers engineer extremely precise phonon lasers

When lasers were invented in the 1960s, they opened new avenues for scientific discovery and everyday applications, from scanners at the grocery store to corrective eye surgery. Conventional lasers control photons—individual particles of light—but over the past 20 years, scientists have invented lasers that control other fundamental particles, including phonons—individual particles of vibration or sound. Controlling phonons could open even more possibilities with lasers, such as taking advantage of unique quantum properties like entanglement.

A new squeezed phonon laser developed by researchers at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology provides precise control over phonons at the nanoscale level. This could give new insights into the nature of gravity, particle acceleration, and quantum physics.

In a paper in Nature Communications, the researchers describe how they coax these individual particles of mechanical motion to behave like a laser.

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