Toggle light / dark theme

Astrocytes Remember: A New Layer of Immune Memory Uncovered

Researchers have made a pioneering discovery that astrocytes, cells within the central nervous system traditionally not associated with immune functions, are capable of developing what’s being called an “immune memory.” This capability…


Summary: Astrocytes, traditionally non-immune cells within the central nervous system, possess the ability to develop an immune memory, responding more vigorously to subsequent immune challenges. This groundbreaking study reveals that through an epigenetic mechanism involving the enzymes p300 and ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), astrocytes enhance their pro-inflammatory responses, a trait similar to the immune memory seen in adaptive immunity.

The findings, which have been observed in both mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS) and human cell samples, suggest that astrocyte immune memory may play a significant role in chronic neurological disorders, offering new insights into disease pathology and potential therapeutic targets to mitigate CNS inflammation.

Behavioral and neural correlates to multisensory detection of sick humans

Importantly, the superior temporal sulcus (STS), and superior temporal gyrus (STG) are considered core areas for multisensory integration (, ), including for olfactory–visual integration (). The STS was significantly connected to the IPS during multisensory integration, as indicated by the PPI analysis ( Fig. 3 ) focusing on functional connectivity of IPS and whole-brain activation. Likewise, the anterior and middle cingulate cortex, precuneus, and hippocampus/amygdala were activated when testing sickness-cue integration-related whole-brain functional connectivity with the IPS but were not activated when previously testing for unisensory odor or face sickness perception. In this context, hippocampus/amygdala activation may represent the involvement of an associative neural network responding to threat () represented by a multisensory sickness signal. This notion supports the earlier assumption of olfactory-sickness–driven OFC and MDT activation, suggested to be part of a neural circuitry serving disease avoidance. Last, the middle cingulate cortex has recently been found to exhibit enhanced connectivity with the anterior insula during a first-hand experience of LPS-induced inflammation (), and this enhancement has been interpreted as a potential neurophysiological mechanism involved in the brain’s sickness response. Applied to the current data, the middle cingulate cortex, in the context of multisensory-sickness–driven associations between IPS and whole-brain activations, may indicate a shared representation of an inflammatory state and associated discomfort.

In conclusion, the present study shows how subtle and early olfactory and visual sickness cues interact through cortical activation and may influence humans’ approach–avoidance tendencies. The study provides support for sensory integration of information from cues of visual and olfactory sickness in cortical multisensory convergences zones as being essential for the detection and evaluation of sick individuals. Both olfaction and vision, separately and following sensory integration, may thus be important parts of circuits handling imminent threats of contagion, motivating the avoidance of sick conspecifics (, ).

60 Minutes Australia

More and more people around the world are taking their chances that science will advance significantly in the future so their preserved, frozen bodies can be revived back to life.

► WATCH Full Episodes on 9NOW: https://9now.app.link/uNP4qBkmN6
► Subscribe here: http://9Soci.al/chmP50wA97J

Synopsis | Dying for Life (2024)
For as long as mankind has been capable of thought, we have known the truth about life: that it ends in death. But as our scientific knowledge increases, there are more and more believers who think humans will soon be clever enough to halt the inevitability of their mortality. Others of course will never be convinced living forever is either possible or desirable. They say the idea that death could one day be considered a curable disease is nonsense. But advocates of cryonics, including many Australians, tell Amelia Adams now is the time to start getting ready for life after life.

MORE VIDEOS like this one.
► • Extreme diets and health trends peopl…
► • Botox addicts getting younger and you…
► • Pill claiming to extend human life to…

FOLLOW 60 Minutes Australia.
► WATCH more of 60 Minutes Australia: https://www.60minutes.com.au.
► Facebook: / 60minutes9
► Twitter: / 60mins.
► Instagram: / 60minutes9

ABOUT 60 Minutes Australia.

Japan’s Anti-Aging Vaccine: The Future of Longevity Revealed

Welcome back to Virtual Reality James! In this exciting video, we delve into the groundbreaking topic of Japan’s Anti-Aging Vaccine and explore the future of longevity. Join us as we uncover the latest scientific advancements and reveal how this revolutionary vaccine could potentially transform the way we age.

Discover the secrets behind this cutting-edge technology that aims to slow down the aging process and enhance our quality of life. We’ll explore the science behind the vaccine, its potential benefits, and the implications it may have on society as a whole.

Throughout the video, we’ll interview leading experts in the field, providing you with valuable insights and expert opinions. Learn about the research studies conducted, the promising results obtained, and the potential challenges that lie ahead.

Join us on this captivating journey as we explore the potential impact of Japan’s Anti-Aging Vaccine on our future. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the advancements in longevity research and the possibilities they hold.

Spatial study of lung cancer reveals immune markers of response to immunotherapy

Through Broad’s Scientists in the Classroom program, Broad researchers visit every 8th grade classroom in Cambridge each year to talk about genetics and evolution.

Every summer, 18 high school students spend six weeks at Broad working side-by-side with mentors on cutting-edge research.

In November 2022, Broad’s Genomics Platform sequenced its 500,000th whole human genome, a mere four years after sequencing its 100,000th.

Can epigenetic reprogramming reverse aging?

The field of aging research has made significant progress over the last three decades, reaching a stage where we now understand the underlying mechanisms of the aging process. Moreover, the knowledge has broadened to include techniques that quantify aging, decelerate its process, as well as sometimes reverse aging.

To date, twelve hallmarks of aging have been identified; these include reduced mitochondrial function, loss of stem cells, increased cellular senescence, telomere shortening, and impaired protein and energy homeostasis. Biomarkers of aging help to understand age-related changes, track the physiological aging process and predict age-related diseases [1].

Longevity. Technology: Biological information is stored in two main ways, the genomes consisting of nucleic acids, and the epigenome, consisting of chemical modifications to the DNA as well as histone proteins. However, biological information can be lost over time as well as disrupted due to cell damage. How can this loss be overcome? In the 1940s, American mathematician and communications engineer Claude Shannon came up with a neat solution to prevent the loss of information in communications, introducing an ‘observer’ that would help to ensure that the original information survives and is transmitted [2]. Can these ideas be applied to aging?

Surgical Robot Outperforms Human Surgeons in Precise Removal of Cancerous Tumors

Surgically removing tumors from sensitive areas, such as the head and neck, poses significant challenges. The goal during surgery is to take out the cancerous tissue while saving as much healthy tissue as possible. This balance is crucial because leaving behind too much cancerous tissue can lead to the cancer’s return or spread. Doing a resection that has precise margins—specifically, a 5mm margin of healthy tissue—is essential but difficult. This margin, roughly the size of a pencil eraser, ensures that all cancerous cells are removed while minimizing damage. Tumors often have clear horizontal edges but unclear vertical boundaries, making depth assessment challenging despite careful pre-surgical planning. Surgeons can mark the horizontal borders but have limited ability to determine the appropriate depth for removal due to the inability to see beyond the surface. Additionally, surgeons face obstacles like fatigue and visual limitations, which can affect their performance. Now, a new robotic system has been designed to perform tumor removal from the tongue with precision levels that could match or surpass those of human surgeons.

The Autonomous System for Tumor Resection (ASTR) designed by researchers at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, MD, USA) translates human guidance into robotic precision. This system builds upon the technology from their Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), which previously conducted the first fully autonomous laparoscopic surgery to connect the two intestinal ends. ASTR, an advanced dual-arm, vision-guided robotic system, is specifically designed for tissue removal in contrast to STAR’s focus on tissue connection. In tests using pig tongue tissue, the team demonstrated ASTR’s ability to accurately remove a tumor and the required 5mm of surrounding healthy tissue. After focusing on tongue tumors due to their accessibility and relevance to experimental surgery, the team now plans to extend ASTR’s application to internal organs like the kidney, which are more challenging to access.

World-first Trial of Regenerative Hearing Drug is Successfully Completed

Researchers at UCL and UCLH have successfully completed the first trial of a therapy designed to restore hearing loss. The REGAIN trial, the results of which were published in Nature Communications, was the first study of a treatment aimed at restoring lost hearing, focusing on a drug with the technical name gamma-secretase inhibitor LY3056480.

The researchers found that while the therapy did not restore hearing across the group of adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, a deeper analysis of the data showed changes in various hearing tests in some patients, suggesting the drug has some activity in the inner ear.

These so-called efficacy signals call for further development of LY3056480—using the learnings from this trial.