In this Perspective, Lazure and Gomes argue that metabolic changes that occur as a result of ageing may shape tumour initiation and progression and the development of metastatic disease.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 768
Multimodal AI to forecast arrhythmic death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Lai et al. present the machine learning model MAARS to predict arrhythmic sudden cardiac death from multimodal imaging and clinical data in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
How the genome defends itself against internal enemies
An international research team has deciphered a mechanism of the evolutionary arms race in human cells. The findings provide insights into how mobile elements in DNA hijack cellular functions—and how cells can defend themselves against this in order to prevent conditions such as tumor formation or chronic inflammation.
An international research team led by Freiburg biologists Dr. Wenjing Qi and Prof. Ralf Baumeister has discovered how the LINE1 retrotransposon exploits a cell protein to become active itself, as occurs in tumors. At the same time, the researchers have also deciphered the cell’s appropriate countermeasures to prevent conditions such as tumor formation or chronic inflammation. The results have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Wristband sensor provides all-in-one monitoring for diabetes and cardiovascular care
A new wearable wristband could significantly improve diabetes management by continuously tracking not only glucose but also other chemical and cardiovascular signals that influence disease progression and overall health. The technology was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
The flexible wristband consists of a microneedle array that painlessly samples interstitial fluid under the skin to measure glucose, lactate and alcohol in real time using three different enzymes embedded within the tiny needles. Designed for easy replacement, the microneedle array can be swapped out to tailor wear periods. This reduces the risk of allergic reactions or infection while supporting longer-term use.
Simultaneously, the wristband uses an ultrasonic sensor array to measure blood pressure and arterial stiffness, while ECG sensors measure heart rate directly from wrist pulses. These physiological signals are key indicators of cardiovascular risk, which is often elevated in people with diabetes but is rarely monitored continuously outside of a clinical setting.
Scientists grow mini amniotic sacs in the lab using stem cells
A newly created cell model of the amniotic sac could reveal new insights into early pregnancy, as well as generate helpful products for medical use.
DunedinPACNI estimates the longitudinal Pace of Aging from a single brain image to track health and disease
Differences in the Pace of Aging are important for many health outcomes but difficult to measure. Here the authors describe the Dunedin Pace of Aging Calculated from NeuroImaging measure, an approach that uses a single brain image to measure how fast a person is aging and can help predict mortality or the risk of developing chronic disease.
AI-assisted technique can measure and track aging cells
A combination of high-resolution imaging and machine learning, also known as artificial intelligence (AI), can track cells damaged from injury, aging, or disease, and that no longer grow and reproduce normally, a new study shows.
These senescent cells are known to play a key role in wound repair and aging-related diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, so tracking their progress, researchers say, could lead to a better understanding of how tissues gradually lose their ability to regenerate over time or how they fuel disease. The tool could also provide insight into therapies for reversing the damage.
The study included training a computer system to help analyze animal cells damaged by increasing concentrations of chemicals over time to replicate human aging. Cells continuously confronted with environmental or biological stress are known to senesce, meaning they stop reproducing and start to release telltale molecules indicating that they have suffered injury.
Permanent retention of exceptional trees can improve ecosystem integrity in managed forests
Even-aged forest management is geared towards timber production with ecosystem health as a lesser consideration. This creates a dichotomy where forests are treated either as plantations or reserves. Uneven-aged management can bring compromise to conflicting land uses by reducing ecosystem impacts while still allowing timber extraction. Whereas selection forestry focuses on which trees are taken, retention forestry focuses on protecting features that will remain after logging. These biological legacies provide ecosystem continuity.
Retained trees are often chosen based on their habitat value. Snags and living trees that are diseased, damaged, or dying provide cavities, decaying wood, and other microhabitats for a diversity of biota. Defects that make high-quality habitat trees tend to cause the collapse of large and old trees, so it’s important to designate healthy recruitment trees for the future. Retention forestry that focuses only on habitat trees may be inconsistent with the goals of long-term carbon storage and ecosystem resilience.
An article just published in Forest Ecology and Management explores the idea of “exceptional trees” and why we might consider choosing a subset of the most robust trees for permanent retention in managed forests. We present methods for precisely estimating aboveground biomass across the landscape and assess the contribution of exceptional trees to biomass and productivity. Our study focuses on Sequoia sempervirens (redwood) in California’s Demonstration State Forests.
Inflammasome Molecular Insights in Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases (AIDs) emerge due to an irregular immune response towards self- and non-self-antigens. Inflammation commonly accompanies these conditions, with inflammatory factors and inflammasomes playing pivotal roles in their progression. Key concepts in molecular biology, inflammation, and molecular mimicry are crucial to understanding AID development. Exposure to foreign antigens can cause inflammation, potentially leading to AIDs through molecular mimicry triggered by cross-reactive epitopes. Molecular mimicry emerges as a key mechanism by which infectious or chemical agents trigger autoimmunity. In certain susceptible individuals, autoreactive T or B cells may be activated by a foreign antigen due to resemblances between foreign and self-peptides. Chronic inflammation, typically driven by abnormal immune responses, is strongly associated with AID pathogenesis. Inflammasomes, which are vital cytosolic multiprotein complexes assembled in response to infections and stress, are crucial to activating inflammatory processes in macrophages. Chronic inflammation, characterized by prolonged tissue injury and repair cycles, can significantly damage tissues, thereby increasing the risk of AIDs. Inhibiting inflammasomes, particularly in autoinflammatory disorders, has garnered significant interest, with pharmaceutical advancements targeting cytokines and inflammasomes showing promise in AID management.
Novel Gene Therapy Trial for Sickle Cell Disease Launches
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is enrolling patients in an innovative clinical trial that seeks to cure sickle cell disease. The trial is the first in the U.S. to apply non-viral CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology in humans to directly correct the genetic mutation that causes the disease.