Scientists from Vilnius University’s (VU) Life Sciences Center (LSC) have discovered a unique way for cells to silence specific genes without cutting DNA. This research, led by Prof. Patrick Pausch and published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals a new way to silence genes that is akin to pressing a “pause” button on certain genetic instructions within cells.
Macrophages are associated with many human diseases but are challenging to study in vivo. Here, Ginhoux and colleagues discuss how iMacs — macrophages generated from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells — can enable disease modelling, including through the use of patient-derived iPS cells and 3D organoid co-culture systems. Ultimately, these iMac-based approaches can improve our understanding of macrophage biology in both health and disease.
A team of EU scientists is developing a new advanced camera that uses photonics to reveal what the eye cannot see. This innovative system is being developed to transform various industries, including vertical farming. It will allow farmers growing crops like salads, herbs, and microgreens to detect plant diseases early, monitor crop health with precision, and optimise harvest times — boosting yields by up to 20%.
A new European consortium funded under the Photonics Partnership is developing a new imaging platform that ensures everything from crops to factory products is of the highest quality by detecting things humans simply cannot.
Called ‘HyperImage’, the project aims to revolutionise quality assurance and operational efficiency across different sectors. This high-tech imaging system uses AI machine learning algorithms to identify objects for more precise decision-making.
Abstract. Type H vessels have been proven to couple angiogenesis and osteogenesis. The decline of type H vessels contributes to bone loss in the aging process. Aging is accompanied by the accumulation of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs). However, whether AOPP accumulation is involved in age-related decline of type H vessels is unclear. Here, we show that the increase of AOPP levels in plasma and bone were correlated with the decline of type H vessels and loss of bone mass in old mice. Exposure of microvascular endothelial cells to AOPPs significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation, increased NADPH oxidase activity and excessive reactive oxygen species generation, upregulated the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1, and eventually impaired angiogenesis, which was alleviated by redox modulator N-acetylcysteine and NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin. Furthermore, reduced AOPP accumulation by NAC treatment was able to alleviate significantly the decline of type H vessels, bone mass loss and deterioration of bone microstructure in old mice. Collectively, these findings suggest that AOPPs accumulation contributes to the decline of type H vessels in the aging process, and illuminate a novel potential mechanism underlying age-related bone loss.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation offers rapid depression relief for patients unresponsive to conventional treatments.
Accelerated over just five days, this therapy targets key brain areas to adjust imbalances linked to depression, demonstrating significant effectiveness.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression.
A 2023 epidemiological study revealed that 56% of a large Caspian tern breeding colony at Rat Island, Washington, succumbed to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Following this event, no birds have successfully bred on the island, heightening concerns about the outbreak’s potential impact on an already declining Pacific coast population.
As part of the study, a team including Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) as well as Washington State University researchers also documented that the avian flu virus H5N1was transmitted to harbor seals for the first time in the northeastern Pacific.
While there has not been another large coastal wildlife outbreak of H5N1 since, researchers estimated that about 10–14% of the Caspian tern population in the Pacific flyway have been lost to H5N1 infections.
A new technique enables data storage in synthetic polymers, allowing direct bit access without full sequence decoding, significantly increasing storage density and stability, demonstrated by encoding a university address in ASCII within a polymer.
The need for data storage is growing, with many types of data requiring long-term preservation. Synthetic polymers present an efficient alternative to traditional storage media, as they can store information using less space and energy. However, conventional retrieval methods, like mass spectrometry, limit the length—and therefore the storage capacity—of individual polymer chains. Now, as reported in Angewandte Chemie, researchers have developed a new approach that overcomes this limitation, enabling direct access to specific data bits without having to read the entire chain.
Advantages of polymer storage over DNA.
A trio of research papers from Stanford Medicine researchers and their international collaborators transforms scientists’ understanding of how small DNA circles — until recently dismissed as inconsequential — are major drivers of many types of human cancers.
The papers, published simultaneously in Nature on Nov. 6, detail the prevalence and prognostic impact of the circles, called ecDNA for extrachromosomal DNA, in nearly 15,000 human cancers; highlight a novel mode of inheritance that overthrows a fundamental law of genetics; and describe an anti-cancer therapy targeting the circles that is already in clinical trials.
The team, jointly known as eDyNAmiC, are a group of international experts led by professor of pathology Paul Mischel, MD. In 2022, Mischel and the eDyNAmiC team were awarded a $25 million grant from the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative to learn more about the circles. Cancer Grand Challenges, a research initiative co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the United States, supports a global community of interdisciplinary, world-class research teams to take on cancer’s toughest challenges.
New research indicates that people who contracted COVID-19 early in the pandemic faced a significantly elevated risk of heart attack, stroke, and death for up to three years post-infection.
Those with severe cases saw nearly quadruple the risk, especially in individuals with A, B, or AB blood types, while blood type O was associated with lower risk. This finding highlights long-term cardiovascular threats for COVID-19 patients and suggests that severe cases may need to be considered as a new cardiovascular risk factor. However, further studies on more diverse populations and vaccinated individuals are needed to validate these results.
Long-term cardiovascular risks linked to COVID-19 infection.
Adolescents see a greater remission of type 2 diabetes compared to adults.
What
Young people with severe obesity who underwent weight-loss surgery at age 19 or younger continued to see sustained weight loss and resolution of common obesity-related comorbidities 10 years later, according to results from a large clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).