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Category: health – Page 2

Mitochondrial carrier SLC25A34 links clock, diet, and temperature control of adipocyte lipid cycling

An unexpected and potentially big finding:

A single mitochondrial protein has an outsized role, acting as a central node, coordinating our circadian clock, temperature, dietary cues, sleep/wake cycle to control brown fat metabolism.

Brown/beige fat burns energy to keep the body warm and is linked to metabolic health. Its activity follows a daily rhythm (high when you’re awake, low during sleep), but it can also ramp up *suddenly* in response to cold weather or a fatty meal. How one system handles both scheduled and surprise demands was a mystery — until now.

The answer: one mitochondrial protein, SLC25A34.

The researchers found that three different signals — the circadian clock, diet, and temperature — all funnel through a single orphan mitochondrial transporter called SLC25A34.

How it works:

- During sleep: The circadian clock proteins REV-ERBα/β shut off SLC25A34 production.

Continue reading “Mitochondrial carrier SLC25A34 links clock, diet, and temperature control of adipocyte lipid cycling” | >

Catalog of mitochondria across life’s family tree unearths unusual functions

A research consortium has generated the broadest look yet at the proteins that make up mitochondria, capturing the organelle’s diversity across multiple branches on the tree of complex life. With major contributions from Broad Institute scientists and its Proteomics Platform, the consortium generated and analyzed the mitochondrial proteomes of one plant and five single-celled pathogens that affect millions of people globally every year.

Their results reveal unexpected functions of the organelle, clues to its origin and role in the evolution of complex-celled organisms known as eukaryotes, and potential new drug targets for neglected tropical diseases.

The MitoCarta Tree of Life project was led by scientists at the Broad Institute, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School (HMS), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Their findings appear in nine scientific papers and a commentary article in Cell and related journals.

AI-powered medical devices must be tested in real-world settings

@ Nature this week calls out lack of real world data for AI medical algorithms.

AI-powered medical devices that inform clinical decision-making need rigorous, real-world testing equivalent to what’s required for drugs and self-driving cars.

- Since ChatGPT’s release in late 2022, generative AI has flooded into clinics rapidly — roughly 3 peer-reviewed articles on clinical AI publish every day, and 230+ million people weekly ask ChatGPT health questions.

- AI systems now handle admin tasks, order labs, help prescribe drugs, interpret X-rays/MRI/CT scans, and diagnose rare diseases.

- But regulatory oversight lags: some AI-powered medical products are being certified *without* real-world assessment.

Why current testing falls short:

- Most AI tools are novel, so there’s little existing clinical data to benchmark against (unlike a revised stethoscope or new bandage).

Continue reading “AI-powered medical devices must be tested in real-world settings” | >

Get Support For Adaptive Sports

Exciting news for anyone considering a Hero Flex, thanks to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (Challenged Athletes Foundation)! 💙

CAF exists because health insurance almost never covers sport specific equipment, even when it’s the thing that gets someone back to the sport they love. Sport is deemed a lot of the time ‘not medically necessary’, but seeing how so many of our users thrive in their sport, we’d like to differ! CAF made supporting disabled athletes their mission and since starting, they’ve awarded over 60,000 grants to athletes across 105 sports.

Applications open today, September 28, and close November 13 at 5pm PT. 🚴‍♂️ 🏋️‍♂️ 🦾

If you or someone in your family has a permanent physical disability and wants to get into sports or back to it, it’s worth applying!

You also don’t have to do it alone. Your local Open Bionics CPO can book a Hero FLEX consultation and go through the CAF eligibility criteria with you.

Apply here: https://www.challengedathletes.org/caf-athletes/

#HeroFLEX #HeroArmy #Prosthetics #ChallengedAthletesFoundation #AdaptiveSports

Continue reading “Get Support For Adaptive Sports” | >

Wearable sensor metrics, AI, and context

“No one ever made a decision because of a number. They need a story.—Daniel Kahneman.

An essay from WSJ (gift link) https://wsj.com/opinion/when-ai-tells-a-story-about-your-hea…_permalink.

As health-tracking devices (like Oura rings, Whoop bands, and continuous glucose monitors) proliferate and generative AI becomes better at interpreting data, companies promise to turn personal measurements into actionable health insights. However, while AI excels at turning complex, ambiguous data into compelling personalized stories, there is a significant risk that these narrative health insights offer false precision—making recommendations feel far more reliable and individualized than the actual evidence supports.

1. Biology vs. Upstream Metrics.

Just as drug trials targeting specific biomarkers (e.g., lowering inflammation or Lp(a) levels) don’t always reduce overall disease or mortality, tracking upstream metrics (like glucose spikes in non-diabetics or sleep/readiness scores on wearables) often relies on unvalidated formulas with little proof that acting on them improves long-term health.

* AI works spectacularly in constrained biological problems (like AlphaFold predicting protein structures), but predicting holistic human health outcomes remains far more complex.

2. The Danger of AI Storytelling.

* Quoting Daniel Kahneman, “No one ever made a decision because of a number. They need a story.” Generative AI excels at connecting disparate data points (e.g., your HRV, sleep length, workout mileage, and stress levels) into plausible, persuasive narratives.

Continue reading “Wearable sensor metrics, AI, and context” | >

Gut microbe molecule reveals molecular link between microbiome and whole body metabolism

Researchers at the University of Konstanz have demonstrated at a molecular level how bacteria in the human gut influence the entire body. Among other things, they can lower blood sugar levels and reduce fatty liver disease. The work is published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

For several years, a wide range of over-the-counter products designed to have a positive effect on the gut microbiome have been available. They promise greater bacterial diversity in the digestive tract and, as a result, better overall health. For the same purpose, doctors prescribe medications aimed at restoring gut microbial balance, for instance, following antibiotic treatment.

But why does the gut microbiota have such a profound impact on the entire organism? Thomas Brunner, professor of biochemical pharmacology, and biologist Anna Pia Plazzo at the University of Konstanz set out to answer this question. Together with their team, they recently discovered that gut bacteria and the compounds they produce—which also enter the food chain via ruminants—trigger biological processes that the human body can activate only with difficulty. They help suppress inflammation and may also have beneficial effects on fatty liver disease.

Popular Supplement Increases Strength Even Without Exercise, Study Shows

Talk to any young athlete, and they’ll know about creatine.

It’s one of the most popular supplements for improving muscle recovery and preserving muscle mass – used by gym junkies around the world.

Now, new research adds to tentative evidence that creatine may benefit the body and brain even without exercise.

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