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Category: biotech/medical – Page 35

Antifungal Drug Resistance: An Emergent Health Threat

Fungal infections, named mycosis, can cause severe invasive and systemic diseases that can even lead to death. In recent years, epidemiological data have recorded an increase in cases of severe fungal infections, caused mainly by a growing number of immunocompromised patients and the emergence of fungal pathogenic forms that are increasingly resistant to antimycotic drug treatments. Consequently, an increase in the incidence of mortality due to fungal infections has also been observed. Among the most drug-resistant fungal forms are those belonging to the Candida and Aspergillus spp. Some pathogens are widespread globally, while others are endemic in some areas only. In addition, some others may represent a health threat for some specific subpopulations and not for the general public. In contrast to the extensive therapeutic armamentarium available for the antimicrobial chemotherapeutic treatment of bacteria, for fungal infections there are only a few classes of antimycotic drugs on the market, such as polyenes, azoles, echinocandins, and a few molecules are under trial. In this review, we focused on the systemic mycosis, highlighted the antifungal drug compounds available in the pipeline, and analyzed the main molecular mechanisms for the development of antifungal resistance to give a comprehensive overview and increase awareness on this growing health threat.

How B-cell receptor types shape lymphoma cell survival and growth

A Northwestern Medicine study has uncovered new insights that may aid in understanding and potentially treating one of the most common and aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to findings published in Science Advances.

The study described critical differences in B-cell receptor (BCR) types that may influence the progression and treatment of diffuse large B-cell and other forms of B-cell leukemia and lymphomas, which affect more than 80,000 Americans each year.

“B-cells, which are responsible for producing antibodies, rely on BCRs for survival and growth. While most research has focused on the IgM variant of BCRs, this study sheds light on the lesser-understood IgG1 variant,” said Vipul Shukla, Ph.D., assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, who was co-senior author of the study.

Diagnosing diabetes may soon be as easy as breathing into a bag

In the U.S., one in five of the 37 million adults who has diabetes doesn’t know it. Current methods of diagnosing diabetes and prediabetes usually require a visit to a doctor’s office or lab work, both of which can be expensive and time-consuming. Now, diagnosing diabetes and prediabetes may be as simple as breathing.

A research team led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, has developed a sensor that can help diagnose diabetes and prediabetes on-site in a few minutes using just a breath sample. Their results are published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.

Previous diagnostic methods often used glucose found in blood or sweat, but this sensor detects acetone levels in the breath. While everyone’s breath contains acetone as a byproduct of burning fat, acetone levels above a threshold of about 1.8 parts per million indicate diabetes.

How pediatric brain tumors grow: Blocking a chemical messenger could offer new route to treatment

The most common type of brain tumor in children, pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), accounts for about 15% of all pediatric brain tumors. Although this type of tumor is usually not life-threatening, the unchecked growth of tumor cells can disrupt normal brain development and function.

Current treatments focus mainly on removing the tumor cells, but recent studies have shown that non-cancerous cells, such as , also play a role in brain tumor formation and growth, suggesting novel approaches to treating these cancers.

Scientists have long known that a nerve cell signaling chemical called can increase the growth of cancers throughout the body, but despite years of investigation, they haven’t figured out exactly how this happens, or how to stop it.

Elon Musk’s Secret ‘Starfall’ Programme for SpaceX Starship

SpaceX’s rumored “Starfall” program, related to its Starship initiative, aims to revolutionize in-space manufacturing, enabling advancements in various fields and reducing cargo transportation costs to unlock economic potential in space ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.

In-Orbit Manufacturing Potential.

🚀 Q: What unique advantages does in-orbit manufacturing offer? A: In-orbit manufacturing provides no gravity, perfect fluid flow, stable heat flow, and no air moving heat around, enabling growth of structures without scaffolding and benefiting industries like pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and military logistics.

🏭 Q: Which industries could be disrupted by in-orbit manufacturing in the 2040s? A: In-orbit manufacturing could disrupt terrestrial industries in the 2040s, particularly pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and military logistics, allowing production of high-value goods like protein crystals, retinal organoids, ZBLAN fiber, and semiconductor ingots in space.

Starfall Program.

🛰️ Q: What is SpaceX’s Starfall program? A: Starfall is a secret SpaceX program using small return pods from Starship to bring high-value goods back from orbit, potentially slashing the $40,000/kg cost of returning materials to Earth.

Continue reading “Elon Musk’s Secret ‘Starfall’ Programme for SpaceX Starship” | >

A Review on the Roles of Photoacoustic Imaging for Conventional and Novel Clinical Diagnostic Applications

Photoacoustic imaging is a promising medical imaging modality that enables the visualization of molecular functional and morphological information of biological tissues. Its clinical potential has been widely investigated for assessing and diagnosing various diseases. Currently, several research groups are developing photoacoustic imaging systems for translation from the laboratory to the clinic. In particular, the integration of photoacoustic imaging into existing diagnostic ultrasound applications, such as cancer diagnosis, has shown promising results. Additionally, recent research has explored the application of photoacoustic imaging for novel clinical uses. In this review paper, recent trials of photoacoustic imaging in both conventional and novel clinical applications are summarized and evaluated.

Induced somatic mutation accumulation during skeletal muscle regeneration reduces muscle strength

With aging, somatic mutations accumulate in cellular DNA; however, whether they drive age-related functional decline is incompletely understood. Here the authors show that these mutations can weaken muscle repair and reduce strength after injury, suggesting they play a role in age-related physical decline in mouse muscle.

Triple cardiovascular disease detection with an artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscope (TRICORDER): design and rationale for a decentralised, real-world cluster-randomised controlled trial and implementation study

Introduction Early detection of cardiovascular disease in primary care is a public health priority, for which the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscope that detects left ventricular systolic dysfunction, atrial fibrillation and cardiac murmurs is unproven but potentially transformative.

Methods and analysis TRICORDER is a pragmatic, two-arm, multi-centre (decentralised), cluster-randomised controlled trial and implementation study. Up to 200 primary care practices in urban North West London and rural North Wales, UK, will be randomised to usual care or to have artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscopes available for use. Primary care clinicians will use the artificial intelligence-enabled stethoscopes at their own discretion, without patient-level inclusion or exclusion criteria.

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