Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: biotech/medical – Page 90

An artificial nervous system for communication between wearable and implantable therapeutics Authors

Bioelectronics have transformed our capacity to monitor and treat diseases; however, a lack of micrometer-scale, energy efficient communication options limit these devices from forming integrated networks that enable full-body, sensor driven, physiological control. Inspired by our nervous system’s ability to transmit information via ionic conduction, we engineered a Smart Wireless Artificial Nervous System (SWANS) that utilizes the body’s own tissue to transmit signals between wearables and implantables. When SWANS emits signals, it generates voltage gradients throughout the body that selectively turn on implanted transistor switches when exceeding their gate threshold voltages. SWANS’ implantable communication components maintain syringe-injectable footprints and 15x greater power efficiencies than Bluetooth and Near Field Communication. In vivo studies in rats demonstrate SWANS’ ability to wirelessly regulate dual hind leg motor control by connecting electronic-skin sensors to implantable neural interfaces via ionic signaling as well as coordinate bioelectronics throughout the epidermal, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, and gastrointestinal spaces.

Ramy ghanim, yoon jae lee, garan byun, joy jackson, julia Z ding, elaine feller, eugene kim, dilay aygun, anika kaushik, alaz cig, jihoon park, sean healy, camille E cunin, aristide gumyusenge, woon hong yeo, alex abramson.

CT Scans Projected to Result in 100,000 New Cancers Across The US

More Americans are receiving computed tomography (CT) scans than ever before, and while this technology can save lives, some scientists are concerned that low doses of ionizing radiation could increase cancer risk.

Importantly, at an individual level, the theoretical risk of developing cancer from a CT scan is thought to be very low, if it exists at all. Patients should not hesitate to undergo these tests if they are considered medically necessary.

However, the number of CT examinations performed annually in the US has increased by more than 30 percent since 2007, and researchers suggest that unwarranted tests are exposing the population to unnecessary radiation.

Synthesis of a molecule found in guava plants offers hope in fighting liver-related cancers

You may not be aware that most of the medicines that have been approved for treatment are rooted in nature. For example, the bark of willow trees has been called nature’s aspirin because it contains a chemical called salicin. The human body converts salicin into salicylic acid, which relieves pain and fights fevers.

New research by William Chain, associate professor in the University of Delaware’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and his lab, uses a molecule found in a tropical fruit to offer hope in the fight against liver-related cancers, one of the world’s top causes of cancer deaths.

Using a process called natural product , Chain and his lab group have invented a pathway that uses widely available chemicals to create molecules found in a guava plant that are known to fight these deadly cancers. The work is published in Angewandte Chemie.

Advanced computer modeling predicts molecular-qubit performance

A qubit is the delicate, information-processing heart of a quantum device. In the coming decades, advances in quantum information are expected to give us computers with new, powerful capabilities and detectors that can pick up atomic-scale signals in medicine, navigation and more. The realization of such technologies depends on having reliable, long-lasting qubits.

Now, researchers have taken an important step in understanding the rules necessary for the design of useful, efficient qubits.

Using advanced computer modeling, the researchers came up with a way to accurately predict and fine-tune key magnetic properties of a type of device called a molecular qubit. They also figured out which factors in the material that the qubit sits in affect this tuning the most and calculated how long the qubits can live.

Optimizing how cells self-organize

One of the most fundamental processes in all of biology is the spontaneous organization of cells into clusters that divide and eventually turn into shapes – be they organs, wings or limbs.

Scientists have long explored this enormously complex process to make artificial organs or understand cancer growth – but precisely engineering single cells to achieve a desired collective outcome is often a trial-and-error process.

Harvard applied physicists consider the control of cellular organization and morphogenesis to be an optimization problem that can be solved with powerful new machine learning tools. In new research published in Nature Computational Science, researchers in the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a computational framework that can extract the rules that cells need to follow as they grow, in order for a collective function to emerge from the whole.

Chronic Exposure to Microplastics Induces Blood–Brain Barrier Impairment, Oxidative Stress, and Neuronal Damage in Rats

The widespread prevalence of plastics and in particular, microplastics (MPs) raises concerns about their potential toxic effects. MPs, defined as particles smaller than 5 mm, are distributed throughout ecosystem and can enter the human body through the food chain. There is a lack of knowledge regarding MP potential harmful effects on the mammal’s body, especially the brain. This study aimed to examine the impact of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) MPs (< 30 μm) on blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity, oxidative stress, and neuronal health. Male rats were exposed to LDPE MPs via oral administration for 3 and 6 weeks. The results revealed no significant changes in brain water content across groups. However, BBB integrity was significantly compromised after both 3 and 6 weeks of exposure. Oxidative stress increased in MP-treated groups, evidenced by decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels and elevated malondialdehyde (MDA). Additionally, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels significantly declined in the 6-week group. Histological analysis indicated neuronal damage and death in both treatment durations. These findings demonstrate that chronic exposure to LDPE MPs impairs BBB integrity, increases oxidative stress, and induces neuronal damage in rats. The results highlight the neurotoxic potential of MPs and emphasize the need for further research to address their possible health risks.

The Shockingly Simple Vision Breakthrough That Might End LASIK

Scientists may have found a way to correct vision without surgery, lasers, or cutting.

Using tiny electrical currents and custom contact lenses, researchers reshaped rabbit corneas in just a minute — a process that could one day replace LASIK.

Millions of americans have altered vision.

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