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Scientists grow specialized nerve cells that degenerate in ALS and are damaged in spinal cord injury

Researchers have developed a way to grow a highly specialized subset of brain nerve cells that are involved in motor neuron disease and damaged in spinal injuries. Their study, published today in eLife, presents fundamental findings on the directed differentiation of a rare population of special brain progenitors—also known as adult or parent stem cells—into corticospinal-like neurons. The editors note that the work provides compelling data demonstrating the success of this new approach.

The findings set the stage for further research into whether these molecularly directed neurons can form functional connections in the body, and to explore their potential use in human diseases where corticospinal neurons are compromised.

Reirradiation With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Spinal Metastases: Planning Procedure From a High-Volume Multidisciplinary Spine Oncology Program (SOaR2)

New in practicalRO.

We sought to develop a systematic spine reirradiation planning protocol prioritizing patient safety and maximizing tumor dose delivery. Patients were presented at a Multidisciplinary Spine Oncology Tumor Board to confirm suspicion for recurrent or progressive malignancy and were evaluated in the clinic by the Department of Radiation Oncology and Neurosurgery. Suitable patients proceeded to computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging scan simulation. A dedicated physics pathway was activated with the fusion of the magnetic resonance imaging scan and planned CT scan, verified independently by 2 physicists.

Single‐Cell Profiling Across Immune Tissues and Organs Reveals Immunosenescence Signatures in Male Rhesus Monkeys

Single-cell profiling across bone marrow, spleen, mesenteric lymph, and blood in rhesus monkeys reveals organ Immunosenescence. GZMB rises with age, particularly in cytotoxic and terminally exhausted…

Caffeinated Coffee Consumption or Abstinence to Reduce Atrial Fibrillation: The DECAF Randomized Clinical Trial

RCT: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who continued their usual caffeinated coffee intake after cardioversion experienced less recurrence of AF or atrial flutter compared to those who abstained from coffee and caffeine.

Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was clinically detected recurrence of AF or atrial flutter over 6 months.

Results Two hundred patients (mean [SD] age, 69 [11] years; 71% male) were randomized to caffeinated coffee consumption (n = 100) or coffee abstinence (n = 100). Baseline coffee intake was 7 cups (IQR, 7–18) per week in both groups. During follow-up, coffee intake in the consumption and abstinence groups was 7 (IQR, 6–11) and 0 (IQR, 0–2) cups per week, respectively, resulting in a between-group difference of 7 cups (95% CI, 7–7) per week. In the primary analysis, AF or atrial flutter recurrence was less in the coffee consumption (47%) than the coffee abstinence (64%) group, resulting in a 39% lower hazard of recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.42–0.89]; P = .01). A comparable benefit of coffee consumption was observed with AF recurrence only. There was no significant difference in adverse events.

Conclusions and Relevance In this clinical trial of coffee drinkers after successful cardioversion, allocation to consumption of caffeinated coffee averaging 1 cup a day was associated with less recurrence of AF or atrial flutter compared with abstinence from coffee and caffeinated products.

Sex Differences in Left Ventricular Remodeling for Aortic Regurgitation

In a multicenter cohort study of adults with moderate-severe AorticRegurgitation and preserved ejection fraction, women experienced higher mortality under medical management compared to men.

The optimal left ventricular end-systolic diameter index threshold associated with mortality was similar for both sexes (≥20 mm/m²), while volumetric thresholds differed: 40 mL/m² for women and 45 mL/m² for men.

These findings support the use of sex-specific thresholds to improve risk stratification and timing of intervention.

This cohort study evaluates sex differences in left ventricular remodeling among individuals with aortic regurgitation.

Ferroplasticity drives social isolation-induced anxiety via a ventral hippocampal iron-α-synuclein axis

Online now: Social isolation is a major risk factor for anxiety disorders. Wang et al. reveal that isolation of mice drives anxiety through an iron-dependent synaptic remodeling mechanism (ferroplasticity) in the ventral hippocampus. Targeting excess brain iron or α-synuclein signaling via non-invasive intranasal delivery rescues anxiety, offering a novel therapeutic strategy.

How your life story leaves epigenetic fingerprints on your immune cells

The COVID-19 pandemic gave us tremendous perspective on how wildly symptoms and outcomes can vary between patients experiencing the same infection. How can two people infected by the same pathogen have such different responses? It largely comes down to variability in genetics (the genes you inherit) and life experience (your environmental, infection, and vaccination history).

These two influences are imprinted on our cells through small molecular alterations called epigenetic changes, which shape cell identity and function by controlling whether genes are turned “on” or “off.”

Salk Institute researchers are debuting a new epigenetic catalog that reveals the distinct effects of genetic inheritance and life experience on various types of immune cells. The new cell type-specific database, published in Nature Genetics, helps explain individual differences in immune responses and may serve as the foundation for more effective and personalized therapeutics.

Earth’s Magnetic Field as Dark-Matter Sensor

One candidate for dark matter is a subatomic particle carrying a tiny electric charge many times smaller than that of the electron. This so-called millicharged dark matter would presumably interact with Earth’s magnetic field, generating potentially observable time variations in the magnetic field on Earth’s surface. A new study of archived data looked for this signal but came up empty [1]. The research has thus placed strict limits on the properties that a millicharged dark-matter particle could have if it has a small mass (in the range of 10–18 to 10–15 eV/c2).

Dark matter can’t have a typical electric charge, as it would interact too strongly with normal matter. But a small charge is possible and could produce features in-line with dark-matter models. Astrophysicists have looked for evidence of millicharged dark matter in stellar evolution data, as such particles could cause stars to cool faster than expected. No such signal has been seen, ruling out a large portion of millicharged-dark-matter parameter space.

Lei Wu from Nanjing Normal University in China and colleagues have explored another potential signal in the geomagnetic field. According to the team’s calculations, low-mass millicharged particles could annihilate each other in the presence of the planet’s magnetic-field background, producing an effective electric current that would generate its own magnetic field. This dark-matter-induced field would be small (roughly a million times less than Earth’s field), but it might be detectable owing to its peculiar time variation (at frequencies less than 1 Hz). The researchers failed to find such a signal in previously collected geomagnetic observations. The absence rules out low-mass dark-matter charges in a large range down to 10−30 times the electron charge. Such a small charge may seem implausible, but “nature sometimes surprises us,” Wu says.

‘Goldilocks size’ rhodium clusters advance reusable heterogeneous catalysts for hydroformylation

Recent research has demonstrated that a rhodium (Rh) cluster of an optimal, intermediate size—neither too small nor too large—exhibits the highest catalytic activity in hydroformylation reactions. Similar to the concept of finding the “just right” balance, the study identifies this so-called “Goldilocks size” as crucial for maximizing catalyst efficiency. The study is published in the journal ACS Catalysis and was featured as the cover story.

Led by Professor Kwangjin An from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, in collaboration with Professor Jeong Woo Han from Seoul National University, the research demonstrates that when Rh exists as a cluster —comprising about 10 atoms—it outperforms both single-atom and nanoparticle forms in reaction speed and activity.

Hydroformylation is a vital industrial process used for producing raw materials for plastics, detergents, and other chemicals. Currently, many Rh catalysts are homogeneous—dissolved in liquids—which complicates separation and recycling. This challenge has driven efforts to develop solid, heterogeneous Rh catalysts that are easier to recover and reuse.

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