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Category: biotech/medical – Page 76

How a respiratory bacterium obtains essential lipids from the human body and targets fat-rich tissues

A multidisciplinary team has uncovered a key mechanism that allows the human bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae—responsible for atypical pneumonia and other respiratory infections—to obtain cholesterol and other essential lipids directly from the human body.

The discovery, published in Nature Communications, was co-led by Dr. Noemí Rotllan, from the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) and the Center for Biomedical Research in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders (CIBERDEM); Dr. Marina Marcos, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB); and Dr. David Vizarraga, from the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona of the Spanish National Research Council (IBMB-CSIC) and the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG).

Overall coordination was led by Dr. Joan Carles Escolà-Gil, from IR Sant Pau and CIBERDEM; Dr. Jaume Piñol, from UAB; and Dr. Ignacio Fita, from IBMB-CSIC. The study also involved collaboration from the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the UAB (IBB-UAB), the Center for Biomedical Research in Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV), and other leading institutions.

New class of strong magnets uses earth-abundant elements, avoids rare-earth metals

Georgetown University researchers have discovered a new class of strong magnets that do not rely on rare-earth or precious metals—a breakthrough that could significantly advance clean energy technologies and consumer electronics such as motors, robotics, MRI machines, data storage and smart phones.

A key figure of merit for a magnet is the ability of its magnetization to strongly prefer a specific direction, known as magnetic anisotropy, which is a cornerstone property for modern magnetic technologies.

Today, the strongest anisotropy materials for permanent magnets depend heavily on rare-earth elements, which are expensive, environmentally damaging to mine and vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions and geopolitical instability. For thin film applications, certain alloys of iron and platinum have become the materials of choice for next generation magnetic recording media, which contain precious metal platinum. Finding high-performance alternatives based on earth-abundant elements has therefore been a long-standing scientific and technological challenge.

Beta-Hydroxy-Butyrate: A Key Player In Longevity?

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Synthetic Biology and AI: The Future of Brain and Body Replacement — SciCon 2024

At SciCon 2024, John Cumbers, founder and CEO of SynBioBeta, explores the groundbreaking and controversial potential of synthetic biology and AI in brain and body replacement. He delves into stem cell research and AI’s role in regenerating brain function, while also addressing the provocative idea of gradually replacing parts of the brain and body. Cumbers discusses how these advancements could one day lead to life extension, challenging traditional views on aging, and raising ethical questions about the future of human biology.

SciCon (2024) is ResearchHub’s annual conference, which unites truth-seekers and innovators to push the boundaries of open science.

– ResearchHub’s mission is to accelerate the pace of scientific research. We are building a modern platform where people can collaborate on scientific research more efficiently, much like GitHub has done for software engineering. We believe scientific research should be accessible to everyone, collaborative, and prioritized.

Product: https://www.researchhub.com/
Website: https://researchhub.foundation/
GitHub: https://github.com/ResearchHub

Nivolumab and Ipilimumab Combination Treatment in Advanced dMMR/MSI-H Noncolorectal Cancers

In a nonrandomized phase 2 trial of adults with advanced dMMR/MSI-H noncolorectal cancers, combined nivolumab/ipilimumab showed an objective response rate of 63% and 6-month progression-free survival rate of 71%.

Main Outcomes and Measures The co-primary end points were objective response rate (ORR) and 6-month progression-free survival (6-PFS) as assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1, with the secondary end points being median overall survival (mOS), progression-free survival (PFS), and treatment-related toxic effects.

Results Overall, 52 participants were included. The median (range) age of participants was 62 (29−84) years; 41 (79%) were female individuals and 11 (21%) were male individuals. Overall, 52 patients representing 17 tumor types were enrolled, with the most common tumor type being endometrial cancer (26 [50%]). Twenty-seven patients (52%) were pretreated for metastatic disease. ORR was 63% (95% CI, 50% to 75%) with the median duration of response not being reached and 79% of responses being ongoing. The median PFS and OS have not been reached and the 6-month PFS was 71% (95% CI, 57%-81%). Overall, 12 patients (23%) experienced a grade 3/4 immune-related adverse event.

Conclusions and Relevance This nonrandomized clinical trial found that combined anti–PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade was associated with a high rate of durable responses in dMMR/MSI-H noncolorectal cancers, comparing favorably to published trials using anti–PD-1/programmed cell death ligand 1 monotherapy. Anti–PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade using nivolumab and ipilimumab may represent an alternative treatment option to monotherapy in this patient population.

Scientists Preparing to Simulate Human Brain on Supercomputer

Despite its diminutive size, the organ packs almost 500 feet of wiring and 54.5 million synapses into the size of a grain of sand — an astonishing feat of computational neurology research that allows scientists to better understand how signals travel throughout the brain.

And thanks to significant advances of some of the world’s most capable supercomputers, researchers at the Jülich Research Centre in Germany are now aiming their sights at a far more ambitious goal: a simulation at the scale of the entire human brain.

Previous attempts, dating back a decade, like the Human Brain Project, fell largely flat, despite considerable government funding. But as New Scientist reports, the Jülich researchers think they can push things forward. The idea is to bring together several models of smaller regions of the brain with a supercomputer to run simulations of billions of firing neurons.

Blood Pressure Trajectory in Children From Birth Through Childhood

Higher blood pressure at birth and childhood was associated with a higher risk of hypertension later in life in this ENVIRONAGE study, which tracked BP from birth through childhood.

Question Is blood pressure (BP) at birth and in early childhood associated with BP in later childhood?

Findings In this cohort study of 500 children with BP measured at birth, preschool age (4−6 years), and school age (9−11 years), BP tracked over time. The risk of elevated BP and hypertension at preschool age and school age was associated with BP levels at birth and early childhood.

How scientists are turning thyme into precision medicine

Thyme extract is packed with health-promoting compounds, but it is difficult to control and easy to waste. Researchers created a new technique that traps tiny amounts of the extract inside microscopic capsules, preventing evaporation and irritation. The method delivers consistent nanodoses and could eventually be used in medicines or food products. It may also work for many other natural extracts.

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