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Category: biotech/medical – Page 423

3D DNA looping discovery in rice paves the way for higher yields with less fertilizer

A team of Chinese scientists has uncovered a hidden 3D structure in rice DNA that allows the crop to grow more grain while using less nitrogen fertilizer. The finding, published in Nature Genetics by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), could guide the next “green revolution” toward higher yields and more sustainable farming.

The study reveals that a looping section of DNA—a “chromatin loop”—controls the activity of a gene called RCN2, which governs how rice plants form their grain-bearing branches. Adjusting this loop boosted both yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), two traits that normally conflict with each other.

According to Prof. Fu Xiangdong from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of CAS, who led the team, boosting depends on strengthening both the “source” and the “sink” within a plant. The source refers to tissues such as leaves that produce and release sugars through photosynthesis, while the sink includes the growing parts—grains, panicles, young leaves, stems, roots, and fruits—that store or consume those sugars. Improving both sides of this system simultaneously is essential for increasing yield and NUE.

Researcher improves century-old equation to predict movement of dangerous air pollutants

A new method developed at the University of Warwick offers the first simple and predictive way to calculate how irregularly shaped nanoparticles—a dangerous class of airborne pollutant—move through the air.

Every day, we breathe in millions of , including soot, dust, pollen, microplastics, viruses, and synthetic nanoparticles. Some are small enough to slip deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, contributing to conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Most of these are irregularly shaped. Yet the mathematical models used to predict how these particles behave typically assume they are perfect spheres, simply because the equations are easier to solve. This makes it difficult to monitor or predict the movement of real-world, non-spherical—and often more hazardous—particles.

Skin-inspired organic biosensors can reliably track health-related signals in real-time

The rapid advancement of sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) systems has paved the way for the introduction of increasingly sophisticated wearable devices, such as fitness trackers and technologies that closely monitor signals associated with specific diseases or medical conditions. Many of these wearable electronics rely on so-called biosensors, devices that can convert biological responses into measurable electrical signals in real-time.

While and other are now widely used, the signals that many existing devices pick up are sometimes inaccurate or distorted. This is because the bending of sensors, moisture and temperature fluctuations sometimes produce inaccurate readings and drifts (i.e., gradual changes that are unrelated to a measured signal).

Researchers at Stanford University have developed new skin-inspired biosensors based on organic field effect transistors (OFETs), devices based on organic semiconductors that control the flow of current in electronics.

RNA modifications control how stem cells develop into retinal cells, research demonstrates

Cells contain a blueprint in the form of DNA that dictates what they can make. This blueprint is converted into a message (mRNA), which is then converted into a protein. Although DNA remains the same in all cells, how it is read depends on specific signals that can change the DNA itself, mRNA or proteins. These signals are often in the form of chemical modifications.

Drugs approved for treating pain may also reduce bone cancer growth

Peripheral afferent neurons—nerves that send signals from all areas of the body to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)—are known to infiltrate and grow within malignant bone tumors called osteosarcomas, often accompanied by severe pain.

In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a multicenter research team led by Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that two analgesic drugs, bupivacaine and rimegepant, which are used to inhibit the formation and functioning of these neurons, not only relieve -associated pain in , but also slow the unchecked growth of the cancer.

“Our findings suggest that these two medications—already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] for relieving [bupivacaine] and migraines [rimegepant]—might one day be repurposed as anti-tumor therapies,” says study lead author Sowmya Ramesh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Sci-fi style 4D ultrasound breakthrough reveals full organ blood flow

A new ultrasound-based imaging tech has been developed to map the organ blood flow in four dimensions (3D + time) — a level of detail previously unattainable.

This new medical imaging tech could provide deeper insights into the circulatory system as well as enhance the diagnosis and treatment of blood circulation-related diseases.

The development comes from a team of Inserm researchers at the Physics for Medicine Institute (Inserm/ESPCI Paris-PSL/CNRS) in France.

Drug combo extends life of frail male mice by ‘remarkable’ 73%, scientists find

“Compared to other established lifespan-extending interventions, Oxytocin+A5i demonstrates unique outcomes, such as significantly (over 70 per cent) increased life expectancy from the start of this therapy in old and frail male mice, and a robust decrease in mortality risk,” they wrote.

The latest study also found that the Oxytocin+A5i treatment reduced chaotic levels of some circulating blood proteins, which are key markers of ageing, bringing their levels back to a more youthful state.

However, after four months of continuous treatment, only male mice showed sustained improvement in these protein levels.

Serotonin produced by gut bacteria provides hope for a novel IBS treatment

Research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, clarifies the complex interaction between gut bacteria and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Experiments demonstrate that gut bacteria can produce the important substance serotonin. The finding may lead to future treatments.

IBS is a common gastrointestinal disorder, more common in women, with symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea. The cause of the disease is not clear, but the intestinal environment, including the gut microbiota and serotonin, appear to be important factors.

Serotonin is best known as a neurotransmitter in the brain, but over 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, where it controls bowel movements via the enteric nervous system, sometimes called the “gut–brain.”

A quest to find probiotics with immune benefits

Kirin has now worked LC-Plasma into a range of non-beer products including yoghurt beverages, green tea and other drinks. In 2020, these became the first ‘functional’ food or beverages in Japan to be allowed to be marketed as containing potentially immune-boosting ingredients.

“A food or beverage that might help improve immune function had been highly sought after in Japan for almost 30 years. But none succeeded in spite of much effort and expense,” Fujiwara says. “We conducted lots of studies and finally succeeded in meeting government requirements in 2020.”

Researchers at Kirin and NIID/JIHS have also been exploring in laboratory and animal studies the effects of LC-Plasma against various infectious diseases, including influenza, dengue fever, SARS-CoV-2 and common colds.

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