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Category: biotech/medical – Page 70

Precision radio waves may help counter brain diseases

A study has found that precise application of radio waves can change the activity of brain cells in ways that could counter neurological conditions. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the work introduces a technique called transcranial radio frequency stimulation (TRFS), which promises to treat neurological diseases with neither the invasiveness of surgery nor the frequent failure of drugs as patients (e.g., 30% of people with depression and epilepsy) develop resistance.

Published online recently in the journal Brain Stimulation, the study describes the use of radio frequency (RF) energy, which is effective at penetrating biological tissue. The study says TRFS could overcome the limits of older technologies because it can, depending on the nature of the disease, target either a small part of the brain or the entire organ, and it can dial nerve signaling up or down.

“Our study is the first to demonstrate in live mice the potential of the technology to be highly effective for adjusting neural activity,” said senior study author György Buzsáki, MD, Ph.D., the Biggs Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “The need for better, noninvasive techniques is becoming ever more urgent, with one in three people globally affected by some form of brain disorder during their lifetime,” said Dr. Buzsáki, also faculty at the Institute for Translational Neuroscience.

FOXJ3 gene variants linked to drug-resistant focal epilepsy

Researchers have discovered that mutations in the FOXJ3 gene act as a “master switch” failure, disrupting how the brain builds its layers and leading to FCD, a primary cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. The study reveals how FOXJ3 controls the formation of brain cortical layers during brain development by regulating the PTEN–mTOR signaling pathway.

The PTEN-mTOR signaling pathway acts as a critical control system for cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. When this system malfunctions, it causes many neurological disorders including FCD, tuberous sclerosis complex and neurofibromatosis. The discovery of FOXJ3, a transcription factor (a protein that regulates gene activity), as a new cause of these “mTOR pathway diseases” (mTORpathies) provides new insight into the biological origins of epilepsy and cortical malformations, as well as potential new treatments.

The research team by studying families with inherited focal epilepsy alongside mouse and single-cell analysis, uncovered how FOXJ3 mutations disrupt how brain cells move to their correct locations and take on their proper roles during early brain development.

“Focal cortical dysplasia is one of the most common causes of epilepsy that does not respond to medication, yet in many patients the underlying cause remains unknown,” said the corresponding author. “Our findings identify FOXJ3 as the critical genetic and molecular link between abnormal brain development and epilepsy.” ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.

A Review of How the Heart Ages

The European Heart Journal has published a review of what happens to the human heart as it ages, noting the cellular effects of mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular senescence along with more visible changes such as hypertrophy and fibrosis.

A constantly working organ

The reviewers begin this paper by noting the constant work of the heart, as it must unceasingly pump blood for us to be able to live. Unfortunately, this organ is well-known to fail with age; while only roughly 1% of people under 55 suffer heart failure, it occurs in over 10% of people over 70 [1].

Dendritic cell immunotherapy induces anti-tumor effect in a transgenic mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

The promise of dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy has been established by two decades of translational research. However, long-term benefits of DC vaccination are reported in only scattered patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here we optimize DC vaccination and evaluate its safety and antitumor efficacy in the genetically engineered PDAC model (KrasLSL-G12D p53LSL-R172H Pdx-1-Cre (KPC mice)). KPC transgenic mice and orthotopic models using KPC cell lines were treated with DC vaccine via an intraperitoneal route. Tumor growth and microenvironment were dynamically monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Histological analysis and flow cytometry were used to evaluate tumor-directed T cell immunity of these mice. DC vaccine via intraperitoneal injection suppressed tumor progression (P = 0.030) and significantly prolonged survival time (P = 0.028) in KPC mice. Vaccinated KPC mice displayed an increased antitumor T cell response indicated by a higher IFN-γ production (P = 0.016) and tumor-specific cytotoxicity (P = 0.027). Particularly, the mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of KPC tumor calculated from diffusion weighted MRI (DW-MRI) were significantly higher in DC vaccine group than that in control group (P < 0.001). More interestingly, we observed that ADC positively correlated with fibrosis in KPC tumor (R2 = 0.463, P = 0.015). Our study demonstrated that the immunization with our improved DC vaccine can elicit a strong tumor-specific immune response and tumor suppression in PDAC.

A new model for alveolar macrophage-Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) interactions!

A new model for alveolar macrophage–Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) interactions!

https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.

Michael S. Glickman & team establish a stem cell–derived lung alveolar macrophage model to reveal itaconate functions differently between human macrophage types in the host defense against Mtb:

The figure: Brightfield and stained images of two macrophage populations.

1Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.

2Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

Continue reading “A new model for alveolar macrophage-Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) interactions!” | >

Study suggests one common amino acid may affect how long men live

A large new study suggests that higher levels of a common amino acid called tyrosine may be linked to a shorter lifespan in men.

The research, published recently in the journal Aging, examined whether blood levels of two amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, were connected to how long people live.

Amino acids are building blocks of protein. They are found in protein-rich foods such as milk, eggs and meat, and are also sold as dietary supplements.

Insulin resistance prediction from wearables and routine blood biomarkers

A machine-learning model that integrates data from wearable devices (such as smartwatches) with blood biomarkers and demographic data can predict whether someone has insulin resistance, enabling timely lifestyle interventions to prevent progression to type 2 diabetes.

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