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Oxytocin, Physical Intimacy, Wound Healing, and Stress Responses

RCT: Daily oxytocin administration combined with positive physical intimacy was linked to improved wound healing and reduced cortisol. Oxytocin alone or positive interactions without physical intimacy did not enhance healing, suggesting the neurohormone acts to amplify the health effects of social behaviors.

This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial tested whether intranasal oxytocin, instructed positive interaction (PAT), and naturally occurring intimacy influence wound healing. Oxytocin enhanced wound healing only in interaction with social behaviors, by tendency with PAT and significantly with affectionate touch and sexual activity, whereas oxytocin or PAT alone showed no effect. These findings suggest that oxytocin amplifies the benefits of intimacy rather than exerting direct effects.

Previous animal data on this topic are mixed, with oxytocin alone showing no effect on healing,31 but synergistic effects with social interaction in hamsters29 and with social housing in mice.30 Human evidence remains scarce, limited to 1 study linking endogenous oxytocin with partner communication and faster healing.33

Despite early enthusiasm in oxytocin administration studies, more recent reviews have highlighted that findings from intranasal oxytocin research are inconsistent and studies are often underpowered.47-49 Several large-scale replications have failed to reproduce key effects, such as the link between oxytocin and trust,50 and null results have been reported in both healthy and clinical populations.51 Given these limitations, researchers have increasingly called for a shift from testing general main effects of oxytocin toward examining interactions that consider individual and contextual factors.48,52 As summarized by Yao and Kendrick,53 oxytocin effects in romantic contexts vary depending on factors like relationship type and perceived partner characteristics; for example, oxytocin enhances partner attractiveness, especially when the partner is seen as trustworthy.

Breakthrough: Scientists Created a ‘Universal’ Kidney To Match Any Blood Type

After a decade of work, researchers are closer than ever to a key breakthrough in kidney transplants: being able to transfer kidneys from donors with different blood types than the recipients, which could significantly speed up waiting times and save lives.

In research published last year, a team from institutions across Canada and China reported creating a ‘universal’ kidney that, in theory, can be accepted by any patient.

Their test organ survived and functioned for several days in the body of a brain-dead recipient, whose family consented to the research.

Gentle implant can illuminate, listen and deliver medication to the brain

A new type of brain implant may have implications for both brain research and future treatments of neurological diseases such as epilepsy. Researchers from DTU, the University of Copenhagen, University College London, and other institutions have developed a long, needle-thin brain electrode with channels—a so-called microfluidic Axialtrode (mAxialtrode), named for its ability to distribute functional interfaces along the length of the implant, enabling both neural signal recording and precisely targeted medication delivery across different brain regions. The research results have been published in Advanced Science.

The technology has primarily been developed for basic research into the brain. It can help researchers better understand how signals move across brain layers, for example in epilepsy, memory, or decision-making. In the longer term, the researchers point out that the mAxialtrode may be important for treatment—for example, in targeted drug delivery combined with electrical or light-based stimulation of specific areas of the brain.

Postdoc Kunyang Sui, who led the development of the mAxialtrode concept together with Associate Professor Christos Markos, emphasizes that it has made it possible to combine several functions in a single implant which makes brain research less invasive and more precise.

Why Many Human Conceptions Don’t Last Until Birth

While estimates of total pregnancy losses vary considerably, about 15% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and many other conceptions do not survive past the very early stages of pregnancy. The primary cause for these losses is chromosomal abnormalities, like extra or absent chromosomes. Scientists have now analyzed data collected from over 140,000 IVF embryos to identify genetic differences that can increasethe risk of pregnancy loss. This work showed that there are certain genetic variants in some women that increase the risk of miscarriage. These findings, which were reported in Nature, may help scientists develop new methods to reduce the risk of pregnancy loss.

“This work provides the clearest evidence to date of the molecular pathways through which variable risk of chromosomal errors arises in humans,” said senior study author Rajiv McCoy, a computational biologist at Johns Hopkins University. “These insights deepen our understanding of the earliest stages of human development and open the door for future advances in reproductive genetics and fertility care.”

Scientists use RNA nanotechnology to program living cells, opening a new path for cancer cure

Scientists at Rutgers University–Newark have developed a first-of-its-kind RNA-based nanotechnology that assembles itself inside living human cells and can be programmed to stop propagation of harmful cells. The findings, recently published in Nature Communications, represent a major breakthrough in biomedical research. The researchers are now in the midst of testing the technology on human cancer cells as a potential cure for the disease but have not yet finished the study or published results.

This nanostructure technology, which was tested in human cell cultures, can be used as a molecular tool for biomedical research and therapeutics. Because it can be customized, it has the versatility to target multiple detrimental genes and proteins simultaneously.

The work was led by Professor Fei Zhang of the Rutgers-Newark Department of Chemistry and Professor Jean-Pierre Etchegaray of the Department of Biological Sciences at Rutgers-Newark, along with an interdisciplinary team of researchers.

Most Preventable Cancers Are Linked to Just Two Lifestyle Habits

A new analysis identified several ways that we can reduce the odds of cancer occurring.

It’s easy to feel powerless against cancer, but a new study has identified several ways that we can reduce the odds of it occurring.

According to new analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a third of all cancer cases globally are preventable.

Lung, stomach, and cervical cancers make up nearly half of those cases.

Nanoengineered extrusion-aligned tract bioprinting enables functional repair of spinal cord injuries

Gu et al. present NEAT, a nanoengineered extrusion-aligned tract bioprinting strategy that fabricates aligned, human neural stem cell-laden collagen hydrogel constructs through shear-induced fibrillar organization. In a rat model of complete spinal cord transection, NEAT enables axonal reconnection and functional locomotor recovery, demonstrating its translational potential for spinal cord repair and neural tissue engineering.

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