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Mathematical modeling helps advance use of magnetic particles in targeted drug-delivery systems

A Florida State University computational scientist is paving the way for future medical breakthroughs by developing mathematical models and simulations to predict the behavior of a unique drug-delivery method, which aims to deploy treatments directly to targeted sites in the body.

Florida State University Associate Professor of Scientific Computing Bryan Quaife is part of a multi-institutional team of engineers, mathematicians and computational scientists conducting foundational research essential to the design of a drug-delivery system that could reduce medication side effects while increasing treatment efficacy. Their research expands on work proposing the use of magnetic particles to guide cell-like drug carriers toward a specific target, like a tumor.

This work, which was published in Physical Review Letters, reveals how tiny particles moving inside microscopic drug carriers can gradually stress and eventually rupture the enclosing membrane. These findings could help engineers design smarter drug-delivery systems to protect therapeutic cargo during transport and release it on demand at the desired location.

Molecular machinery in cardiac mitochondria reacts to metabolic stress in unexpected way

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet report that the molecular machinery responsible for cellular energy conversion is more interconnected than previously understood, shedding light on how mitochondria adapt under stress.

Mitochondria generate most of the cell’s energy by converting nutrients into ATP, the molecule that powers nearly all cellular processes. Although ATP synthase and metabolic pathways such as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle have long been known to work together, they have generally been viewed as separate systems.

Nasal viruses may drive allergic rhinitis, and ribavirin shows early promise as a targeted spray treatment

Nasal commensal viruses may worsen allergic rhinitis by activating type I IFN-linked neutrophils and NET formation. Ribavirin reduced nasal viral abundance and improved symptoms in mice and in a small phase 2 trial.

How chromatin movement helps control gene expression

In a new study, MIT researchers have measured chromatin movement at timescales ranging from hundreds of microseconds to hours, allowing them to rigorously quantify those dynamics for the first time.

Their analysis revealed that chromatin can exist in two different categories: In one, chromatin moves in a constrained way that allows it to primarily contact only neighboring regions of the genome; in the other, chromatin moves more freely and contacts regions that are farther away, but only over longer timescales.

The findings offer insight into how gene expression is regulated, as well as how chromatin segments come together for other processes such as DNA repair, the researchers say.

Perovskite solar cells need decades-long durability. New work shows which fast-aging tests come closest

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) could conquer the mass market within a few years, perhaps even being produced in Europe. Their large-scale production is highly cost-effective, and unlike silicon solar cells, their production is less energy-intensive. However, perovskite solar cells ideally need to achieve decades-long warranties, which remains a challenge.

To assess their long-term stability, various test methods are used to accelerate aging. But how accurately do these methods reflect the actual degradation processes? A new study in Joule by a team led by Dr. Carolin Ulbrich (HZB) and Andreas Bartelt (HTW Berlin) now answers this question.

Evert style vessel anastomosis: a standardized hand-sewn technique for intima-to-intima contact in microvascular reconstruction

Head and neck microvascular free flap reconstruction is frequently challenged by compromised vessel conditions due to tumor extension, radiation therapy, and surgical scarring. Microvascular couplers effectively promote intima-to-intima contact, reducing thrombosis risk, but have limitations in vessel size compatibility and cost. We developed the Evert Style Vessel Anastomosis (ESVA) technique to achieve similar intimal apposition benefits without couplers and evaluated its efficacy and safety.

We retrospectively analyzed 32 patients who underwent head and neck microvascular free flap reconstruction between 2020 and 2024. Vessel conditions were classified as Type 1 (easily evertible), Type 2 (evertible with atherosclerosis/inflammation), Type 3 (technically difficult eversion), or Type 4 (non-evertible). Anastomoses were performed using either nylon or ACRI+Asflex sutures. The ESVA technique involved 90-degree needle insertion with external vessel wall eversion. Outcome measures included anastomosis time, vascular complications, and flap survival rates. Only end-to-end arterial and venous anastomoses were included in the present analyses.

A total of 30 arterial and 31 venous anastomoses were performed using the ESVA technique. Three anastomoses involving Type 4 (non-evertible) vessels required conventional anastomosis without eversion. Among vessels suitable for ESVA, Type 2 vessels were most common, followed by Type 3 and Type 1. The mean arterial anastomosis time was significantly shorter with ACRI+Asflex sutures (20.8 ± 2.4 min) compared with nylon (23.4 ± 2.8 min; p = 0.007). Similarly, venous anastomosis time was reduced from 21.4 ± 2.7 min with nylon to 19.2 ± 1.2 min with ACRI+Asflex sutures (p = 0.007). In ESVA cases involving Type 1 and/or Type 2 vessels, ACRI+Asflex sutures significantly reduced arterial (20.8 vs. 23.4 min; p = 0.014) and venous (18.7 vs. 20.2 min; p = 0.04) anastomosis times. Even in anastomoses involving Type 3 vessels (either donor, recipient, or both), significant time reduction was observed for both arteries (23.0 vs. 25.6 min; p = 0.008) and veins (19.5 vs. 24.8 min; p = 0.00014).

Onsite fabrication unlocks large-area electronic skin for robots and wearables

Korean researchers have secured flexible electronic skin technology that can be fabricated directly in the field. This achievement has increased the feasibility of commercializing electronic skin for use in various fields, including robots and wearable devices.

In collaboration with the research team of Professor Ahn Jun Seong from the Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering at Korea University’s Sejong Campus, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has developed an in-situ process-based electronic skin fabrication technology capable of producing large-area multimodal sensors without a clean room, a dedicated semiconductor processing facility.

The research is published in npj Flexible Electronics.

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