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Physicists in Japan have developed streamlined formulas to measure quantum entanglement, revealing surprising quantum interactions in nanoscale.
The term “nanoscale” refers to dimensions that are measured in nanometers (nm), with one nanometer equaling one-billionth of a meter. This scale encompasses sizes from approximately 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique physical, chemical, and biological properties emerge that are not present in bulk materials. At the nanoscale, materials exhibit phenomena such as quantum effects and increased surface area to volume ratios, which can significantly alter their optical, electrical, and magnetic behaviors. These characteristics make nanoscale materials highly valuable for a wide range of applications, including electronics, medicine, and materials science.
Moreover, among the 37 druggable genes supported by at least two pieces of genetic evidence, we have identified 28 drugs targeting MPL, CA4, TUBB, and RRM1, although neither in clinical trials nor reported previously have the potential to be repurposed for slowing down brain aging. Specifically, four drugs, namely, avatrombopag, eltrombopag, lusutrombopag, and romiplostim, which are typically used for thrombocytopenia, act as agonists for MPL. As mentioned above, MPL is a thrombopoietin receptor and has been linked to platelet count and brain morphology in the GWAS catalog. Notably, platelet signaling and aggregation pathway is enriched using the 64 MR genes. It is worth noting that platelet count decreases during aging and is lower in men compared to women (84). A recent study of platelets has also revealed that platelets rejuvenate the aging brain (85). Schroer et al. (86) found that circulating platelet-derived factors could potentially serve as therapeutic targets to attenuate neuroinflammation and improve cognition in aging mice (86). Park et al. (87) reported that longevity factor klotho induces multiple platelet factors in plasma, enhancing cognition in the young brain and decreasing cognitive deficits in the aging brain (87). Leiter et al. (88) found that platelet-derived platelet factor 4, highly abundant chemokine in platelets, ameliorates hippocampal neurogenesis, and restores cognitive function in aged mice. These findings suggest that the aforementioned drugs may enhance the expression of MPL, leading to increased platelet count and potentially contributing to a delay in brain aging. It is important to note that determining the significant tissue(s) for gene prioritization can be challenging. Although brain tissues may be more biologically relevant for brain aging, circulating proteins have the capability to modulate brain aging as well (89, 90). Six drugs (cladribine, clofarabine, gallium nitrate, gemcitabine, hydroxyurea, and tezacitabine) are inhibitors of RRM1, whereas 12 drugs (brentuximab vedotin, cabazitaxel, crolibulin, indibulin, ixabepilone, paclitaxel, plinabulin, podofilox, trastuzumab emtansine, vinblastine, vinflunine, and vinorelbine) are inhibitors of TUBB. Most of these drugs targeting RRM1 and TUBB are antineoplastic agents used in cancer treatment. In addition, six drugs (acetazolamide, brinzolamide, chlorothiazide, methazolamide, topiramate, and trichlormethiazide) are inhibitors of CA4 and most of them are used for hypertension.
There are a few limitations to this study: (i) The accurate estimation of brain age is hindered by the lack of ground-truth brain biological age and discrepancies between brain biological age and chronological age in supposedly healthy individuals. The estimated brain age derived from MRI data includes inherent biases (91). Although our model has shown better generalization performance compared to other models, there is always an expectation for a more accurate brain age estimation model that can deliver more robust outcomes for clinical applicants (3, 91). (ii) Potential data bias may affect the findings of this comprehensive study. For instance, the brain age estimation model and GWAS summary statistics primarily relied on cohorts of European white individuals, potentially overlooking druggable targets that would be effective in individuals of non-European ancestry. Validation using genomic and clinical data from more diverse populations could help remedy this limitation. (iii) Validation on independent discovery and replication cohorts would enhance the reliability of the identified genes as drug targets for the prevention of brain aging. Although we maximized statistical power using the UKB data as a large discovery cohort, the absence of a discovery-replication design is unavoidable. As large-scale datasets containing both MRI and genome-wide genotypes were not widely available, we used a combination of GWAS for BAG, MR with xQTL, colocalization analysis, MR-PheWAS, and the existing literature to carefully identify genetic targets that are supported by evidence for their involvement in brain aging. With the availability of more comprehensive proteomics platforms and the inclusion of more diverse non-European ancestry populations in studies, it is likely to replicate and validate our results. (iv) Brain aging is a complex process involving numerous potential causes, such as aging of cerebral blood vessels (92), atrophy of the cerebral cortex (93), etc. These causes may overlap and interweave, undergoing considerable changes during brain aging (48). Although our study demonstrates the utility of systematically analyzing GWAS alongside extensive brain imaging information and xQTL analysis to enrich the identification of drug targets, there remains a need for machine learning or statistical methods to address the various risk factors associated with brain aging. Fine-grained analysis is a must to comprehend the individualized causes and trajectories of brain aging, enabling the identification of effective drug targets and the use of precision medications for the purpose of slowing down or even preventing brain aging. There is also an increasing need for comprehensive studies spanning different tissues and organs to evaluate tissue-or organ-specific effects of targets, enabling the systematic prevention or treatment of human aging. (v) This study did not explore adverse effects of the rediscovered antiaging drugs. This is particularly important because healthy aging individuals should be encouraged to consider the potential risks associated with taking medications or supplements for slowing down aging as these interventions may have unintended negative consequences for both individuals and society. Alternatively, it is worthwhile to explore nonpharmacological interventions/digital therapies that can help preserve mental and physical fitness in people during aging.
In summary, we present a systematic study for identify genetically supported targets and drugs for brain aging with deep learning-based brain age estimation, GWAS for BAG, analysis of the relation between BAG and brain disorders, prioritization of targets using MR and colorization analysis for BAG with xQTL data, drug repurposing for these targets of BAG, and PheWAS. Our results offer the potential to mitigate the risk associated with drug discovery by identifying genetically supported targets and repurposing approved drugs to attenuate brain aging. We anticipate that our findings will serve as a valuable resource for prioritizing drug development efforts for BAG, shedding light on the understanding of human brain aging and potentially extending the health span in humans.
Researchers have developed a blood test that could accurately detect up to 50 types of cancers, and some of these detections could be even before the symptoms appear. The test would help physicians detect the origin or the source of cancer within the body explain the researchers from the European Society of Oncology. The study titled, “Sensitive and specific multi-cancer detection and localization using methylation signatures in cell-free DNA,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Annals of Oncology.
Sensitive and specific multi-cancer detection and localization using methylation signatures in cell-free DNA. Image Credit: Roman Zaiets
The researchers noted that this new test has a 0.7 percent false-positive rate for cancer detection and soon could be part of the cancer screening programs in different nations. They found that 96 percent of the time, the test could predict the tissue from which cancer had started, and the accuracy rate was 93 percent.
Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have studied the impact of two brain areas on the nature of memory content. The team from the Department of Neurophysiology showed in rats how the so-called locus coeruleus and the ventral tegmental area permanently alter brain activity in the hippocampus region, which is crucial for the formation of memory.
The two areas compete with each other for influence to determine, for example, in what way emotionally charged and meaningful experiences are stored. Dr. Hardy Hagena and Professor Denise Manahan-Vaughan conducted the study using optogenetics. In the process, they genetically modified rats so that certain nerve cells could be activated or deactivated with light.
They published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Could this VR experience change how you see the planet?
For many, constant bad news numbs our reaction to climate disasters. But research suggests that a new type of immersive storytelling about nature told through virtual reality (VR) can both build empathy and inspire us to act.
I’m crying into a VR headset. I’ve just watched a VR experience that tells the story of a young pangolin called Chestnut, as she struggles to survive in the Kalahari Desert. A vast, dusty landscape extends around me in all directions, and her armoured body seems vulnerable as she curls up, alone, to sleep. Her story is based on the life of a real pangolin that was tracked by scientists.
Chestnut hasn’t found enough to ants to eat, since insect numbers have dwindled due to climate change. Her sunny voice remains optimistic even as exhaustion takes over. In the final scenes, she dies, and I must clumsily lift my headset to dab my eyes.
A recent study published in JAMA Oncology presents promising new data on a treatment regimen beneficial to patients with a subset of head and neck cancer known as oropharyngeal cancer. A rare malignancy that forms in the middle of the throat, oropharyngeal cancer can develop in the roof of the mouth, tonsils, the back of the throat, or the back of the tongue.
A history of human papillomavirus (HPV) presents a significant risk factor for developing oropharyngeal cancer, as about two-thirds of patients carry HPV DNA. Oncologists classify these cases as human papillomavirus−positive oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+ OPC). Compared to oropharyngeal cancers not associated with HPV, treatment regimens involving chemotherapy and radiation significantly prolong survival in HPV+ OPC. Despite the treatment efficacy associated with chemoradiotherapy, long-lasting toxicities associated with these treatments remain a clinical challenge.
In search of a treatment regimen that retains tumor control with limited side effects, a team of researchers from the University of Chicago designed a clinical trial to evaluate the response and toxicity associated with a treatment regimen involving chemotherapy and an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), nivolumab. ICIs, the class of immunotherapies that block the interaction between proteins on immune cells that would dampen the immune response if engaged, have efficacy in treating several types of cancer, often with limited toxicity. In the current clinical trial, ICI and chemotherapy serve as a neoadjuvant, drugs given in hopes of shrinking a tumor prior to an additional treatment. Not all patients received the same treatment following the neoadjuvant administration of chemotherapy and ICI.
Wayne State University researchers are using photoacoustic imaging to observe brain activity and, in the process, discovering more about how it responds to different types of learning and experiences.
The team’s findings were recently published in the journal Photoacoustics.
The study, “Use of pattern recognition in photoacoustic imaging to identify neuronal ensembles in the prefrontal cortex of rats undergoing conditioned fear learning,” stemmed from a project by Wayne State University School of Medicine alumnus, James Matchynski, M.D., Ph.D., and was led by School of Medicine faculty members Shane Perrine, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, and Alana Conti, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences and director of the Translational Neuroscience Program. The team collaborated with colleagues in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Learn how to build or just use Alex Ziskind’s LLM Hardware Calculator.
Understand what hardware you need for the model you want to run locally.
This M4 Max 16 MacBook Pro can handle some of the larger language models.
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A Brazilian study published in Nutrients suggests that fish oil may help reduce insulin resistance and improve glucose tolerance by influencing the body’s inflammatory response.
Funded by FAPESP, the study was conducted on rats that, while not obese, exhibited a condition resembling type 2 diabetes—a disorder marked by high blood sugar levels due to diminished insulin effectiveness.
As the authors explain, supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids such as those present in fish oil has been prescribed for individuals with cardiovascular problems and type 2 diabetes, but the effects of these nutrients on insulin resistance without obesity are poorly understood.
Fish oil supplementation modified the profile of defense cells, shifting them from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory state, effectively reversing a condition resembling type 2 diabetes.
A Brazilian study published in Nutrients suggests that fish oil may help reduce insulin.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, crucial for regulating blood glucose levels. It helps cells in the body absorb glucose from the bloodstream and convert it into energy or store it for future use. Insulin production and action are essential for maintaining stable blood sugar levels. In people with diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or cannot effectively use the insulin it does produce (Type 2 diabetes), leading to elevated levels of glucose in the blood. This can cause various health complications over time, including heart disease, kidney damage, and nerve dysfunction. Insulin therapy, where insulin is administered through injections or an insulin pump, is a common treatment for managing diabetes, particularly Type 1. The discovery of insulin in 1921 by Frederick Banting and Charles Best was a landmark in medical science, transforming diabetes from a fatal disease to a manageable condition.
