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Cleveland Clinic researchers analyzed genes and brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer’s and found that differences in brain immunometabolism – the interactions between the immune system and the ways cells create energy – may contribute to women’s increased risk for the disease and its severity.

The findings, published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, offer important insight into developing sex-specific treatment and prevention options for Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

“Our immune systems depend on communication between different cell types in our bodies, which are fueled by energy created from unique metabolic processes,” said Justin Lathia, Ph.D., vice chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences and co-author on the paper. “As sex influences both the immune system and metabolic process, our study aimed to identify how all of these individual factors influence one another to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.”

The next big advance in cancer treatment could be a vaccine that can shrink tumors and stop cancer from coming back. Among the targets for the experimental shots: melanoma, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. Scientists are predicting new cancer vaccine approvals within five years (June 26) (AP Video by Manuel Valdes & Carla Johnson)

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Researchers in Texas have developed a method to keep a brain alive and functioning for several hours without being connected to the body — a truly weird scientific experiment that recalls the head in jars bit in the iconic cartoon “Futurama.”

A team led by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas took two pigs and severed connections between their heads and bodies, instead hooking the brains up to a device they call the extracorporeal pulsatile circulatory control (EPCC), which they detailed in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports. The machine keeps blood pumping through the brain, mimicking the natural flow when it’s connected to the rest of the body.

Continue reading “New Device Can Keep Brain Alive for Hours Without Body” »

A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed an analysis service platform called CRISPRimmunity, which was an interactive web server for identifying important molecular events related to CRISPR and regulators of genome editing systems. The study is published in Nucleic Acids Research.

The new CRISPRimmunity platform was designed for integrated analysis and prediction of CRISPR-Cas and anti-CRISPR systems. It includes customized databases with annotations for known anti-CRISPR proteins, anti-CRISPR-associated proteins, class II CRISPR-Cas systems, CRISPR array types, HTH structural domains and mobile genetic elements. These resources allow the study of molecular events in the co-evolution of CRISPR-Cas and anti-CRISPR systems.

To improve prediction accuracy, the researchers used strategies such as homology analysis, association analysis and self-targeting in prophage regions to predict anti-CRISPR proteins. When tested on data from 99 experimentally validated Acrs and 676 non-Acrs, CRISPRimmunity achieved an accuracy of 0.997 for anti-CRISPR protein prediction.

Phase III trial results on a precision radiotherapy technique support a “new gold standard” for treating head and neck cancer patients. The research suggests the new approach can reduce the risk of swallowing problems after radiotherapy, without impacting the success of treatment.

The Dysphagia-Aspiration Related Structures (DARS) trial compared dysphagia-optimized intensity-modulated radiotherapy (DO-IMRT) with standard IMRT.

DO-IMRT optimizes IMRT to reduce the risk of swallowing difficulties, known as dysphagia. This common side effect of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer can, in some cases, leave patients needing a permanent feeding tube. DO-IMRT lowers the risk of dysphagia by reducing radiation to the pharyngeal muscles, which support swallowing.

A recent study has raised questions about the impact of chronic caffeine consumption on our brain’s ability to adapt and learn. In a new study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, scientists found that long-term caffeine users may exhibit decreased brain plasticity, a critical factor in the processes of learning and memory, when subjected to a brain stimulation protocol.

Caffeine is a common stimulant found in coffee, tea, soda, and other beverages. It’s known to help with alertness and concentration, but its effects on the brain’s ability to change and adapt over time, a process called plasticity, have been less clear.

Previous studies have shown mixed results when it comes to caffeine’s influence on brain plasticity. Some studies hinted that caffeine might hinder the brain’s ability to learn and adapt, while others suggested potential benefits. The researchers conducted this study to investigate the effects of caffeine on human brain plasticity, specifically focusing on its impact on long-term potentiation (LTP) and its potential interaction with a neuromodulation technique called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).

Veterinarians are encouraging dog owners to be cautious about a new mystery respiratory illness affecting dogs in the U.S.

Some of the first reports of the “atypical canine infectious respiratory illness,” which has symptoms similar to kennel cough and respiratory infections, appeared in Oregon in August.

“In August 2023, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) received reports of an atypical canine infectious respiratory illness being seen in dogs in the Portland Metro and Willamette Valley areas over the summer. To date, ODA has received over 200 reports of atypical canine infectious respiratory disease from Oregon veterinarians,” the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association shared in a release about the illness.

Natural products collection reveals novel enzymes with surprising properties. Scientists have discovered two enzymes that enable bacteria to target and break up DNA. This chemical defense likely evolved to help the organism fight off germs. The chemical riches were found within the institute’s one-of-a-kind Natural Products Discovery Center collection.

Slumbering among thousands of bacterial strains in a collection of natural specimens at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, several fragile vials held something unexpected, and possibly very useful.

Writing in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, a team led by chemist Ben Shen, Ph.D., described discovery of two new enzymes, ones with uniquely useful properties that could help in the fight against human diseases including cancer. The discovery, published last week, offers potentially easier ways to study and manufacture complex natural chemicals, including those that could become medicines.

To identify potential therapeutic targets and preclinical drug candidates for the treatment of ovarian cancer, researchers led by Tan Li from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed novel small molecule inhibitors of CPSF3, a key module of the cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) complex that catalyzes pre-mRNA splicing and regulates transcription termination.

This work was published in Science Advances on Nov. 22.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer and is often diagnosed at a late stage. In treating ovarian cancer, surgery and systemic chemotherapy can modestly improve the survival rate, while targeted therapies with PARP inhibitors are effective in a limited number of ovarian cancer patients.