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Category: biotech/medical – Page 33

Boosting One Mitochondrial Protein Increases Lifespan And Slows Aging in Mice

Tiny biological batteries known as mitochondria keep the body’s cells running smoothly, and their gradual decline is linked to a wide range of age-related diseases. Now scientists think they have found a way to keep mitochondria powered for longer.

A protein called COX7RP is key to this discovery from researchers at the Saitama Medical University and Chiba University in Japan. The protein is thought to help mitochondria form supercomplexes, structures that improve energy efficiency.

In the new study, male mice engineered to produce extra COX7RP showed a host of differences compared with controls, including a 6.6 percent increase in average lifespan and indicators of an extended healthspan – being able to live healthier for longer.

Molecular Switch for Repairing Central Nervous System disorders

A molecular switch has the ability to turn on a substance in animals that repairs neurological damage in disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Mayo Clinic researchers discovered. The early research in animal models could advance an already approved Food and Drug Administration therapy and also could lead to new strategies for treating diseases of the central nervous system.

Research by Isobel Scarisbrick, Ph.D., published in the Journal of Neuroscience finds that by genetically switching off a receptor activated by blood proteins, named Protease Activated Receptor 1 (PAR1), the body switches on regeneration of myelin, a fatty substance that coats and protects nerves.

“Myelin regeneration holds tremendous potential to improve function. We showed when we block the PAR1 receptor, neurological healing is much better and happens more quickly. In many cases, the nervous system does have a good capacity for innate repair,” says Dr. Scarisbrick, principal investigator and senior author. “This sets the stage for development of new clinically relevant myelin regeneration strategies.”

Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide. In 2024, approximately 58 450 individuals were diagnosed with oral cavity and pharynx cancer and 12 650 were diagnosed larynx cancer in the US.

Although many malignancies originate in the head and neck region, the term head and neck cancer typically applies to tumors arising in the lining or mucosa of the upper aerodigestive tract. Approximately 90% of head and neck cancers are caused by squamous cell carcinoma.

This Review summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) of the upper aerodigestive tract.

This review examines the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Targeting RhoA nuclear mechanoactivity rejuvenates aged hematopoietic stem cells

Mejía-Ramírez, Iáñez Picazo, Walter et al. explore how nuclear biomechanical changes limit the regenerative capacity of aged hematopoietic stem cells and show that targeting RhoA rejuvenates aged hematopoietic stem cells by reducing nuclear envelope tension and remodeling nuclear architecture.

Clinical Usefulness of Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain as a Predictor of Prognosis in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke (GLS‐STROKE Study)

LV‐GLS 18% predicts mortality, recurrent stroke, and poor mRS-based functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke. @Minkwan_Kim84

LV‐GLS Globally, stroke is the second‐leading cause of death and the third most common cause of combined death and disability.1 Over the past decade, stroke‐related death has been steadily declining; however, health care expenditures associated with stroke have continued to increase.1, 2 Recurrence of ischemic stroke adversely affects patient prognosis and increases the mortality rate.3 Previous studies have identified several clinical factors contributing to the occurrence and recurrence of ischemic stroke, including stroke subtype, age, hypertension, atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), and diabetes.2, 4

HF is also a risk factor for stroke and is associated with stroke recurrence and death.5, 6 Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (LV‐GLS), a measure of myocardial deformation along the long axis of the left ventricle, is assessed using the speckle‐tracking method. It is a sensitive measure of myocardial fiber shortening and has become a reliable parameter for evaluating subtle systolic dysfunction.7 In patients with acute HF, LV‐GLS is frequently reduced regardless of the LV ejection fraction (LVEF), the traditional measure of LV systolic function. LV‐GLS has also been shown to be a superior prognostic marker for death than LVEF.8 Furthermore, in severe mitral regurgitation and severe aortic stenosis, LV‐GLS has proven useful as a predictor of postoperative outcomes and a tool for identifying patients who may benefit from early surgical intervention.9, 10 Recent research has demonstrated that LV‐GLS can effectively predict incident strokes in patients who are stroke naïve.11 However, to date, no study has evaluated the prognostic implications of LV‐GLS in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) about subsequent cardiovascular outcomes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic utility of LV‐GLS, a novel marker of subclinical LV dysfunction, in patients with AIS.

Sub-millimeter-sized robots can sense, ‘think’ and act on their own

Robots small enough to travel autonomously through the human body to repair damaged sites may seem the stuff of science fiction dreams. But this vision of surgery on a microscale is a step closer to reality, with news that researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan have built a robot smaller than a millimeter that has an onboard computer and sensors.

Scientists have been trying for decades to develop microscopic robots, not only for medical applications but also for environmental monitoring and manufacturing. However, they have faced formidable challenges. Existing microbots typically require large, external control systems, such as powerful magnets and lasers, and cannot make autonomous decisions in unfamiliar environments.

The hidden physics of knot formation in fluids

Knots are everywhere—from tangled headphones to DNA strands packed inside viruses—but how an isolated filament can knot itself without collisions or external agitation has remained a longstanding puzzle in soft-matter physics.

Now, a team of researchers at Rice University, Georgetown University and the University of Trento in Italy has uncovered a surprising physical mechanism that explains how a single filament, even one too short or too stiff to easily wrap around itself, can form a knot while sinking through a fluid under strong gravitational forces.

The discovery, published in Physical Review Letters, provides new insight into the physics of polymer dynamics, with implications ranging from understanding how DNA behaves under confinement to designing next-generation soft materials and nanostructures.

Near-infrared light enables wireless power and data transfer for medical implants

A new study from a research team at the Center for Wireless Communications Network and Systems (CWC-NS) at the University of Oulu has introduced an approach using near-infrared (NIR) light beyond light therapy to facilitate simultaneous wireless power transfer and communication to electronic implantable medical devices (IMDs). Previously, the research team demonstrated that NIR light for wireless communication is feasible, and now the team made progress by involving wireless charging capabilities using the same light.

Featured in Optics Continuum, the research outlines an approach that promises to enhance the performance and durability of IMDs while providing more secure, safer, more private, and radio interference-free communication. The published paper, authored by Syifaul Fuada, Mariella Särestöniemi, and Marcos Katz at the CWC-NS, has demonstrated research merit as it was designated an Editor’s Pick, highlighting articles of excellent scientific quality and representing the work occurring in a specific field.

The paper is a small part of Syifaul Fuada’s doctoral research. “This is the initial step that could open other ideas to advance the proposed approach,” Fuada says.

Advanced optical model clarifies how complex materials interact with polarized light

Scientists at the University of Oxford demonstrate an approach to interpreting how materials interact with polarized light, which could help advance biomedical imaging and material design.

Their work, reported in Advanced Photonics Nexus, focuses on improving how researchers analyze a key optical property known as the retarder.

In optics, a retarder is a material or device that changes the way light waves are oriented as they pass through. Light waves have an orientation called polarization, and a retarder shifts the phase between different components of that light—essentially delaying one part of the wave compared to another.

Psychiatric Disorders Share Far More DNA Than Scientists Realized

A global research team co-led by VCU expert Kenneth Kendler has produced the most comprehensive genetic map so far, identifying five families of disorders that show a high degree of overlap. An international team of scientists is offering new insight into why people are so often affected by more

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