Research team at Freie Universität Berlin discovers unexpected differences in aging bacterial cells. Surprising findings on bacterial aging have emerged from a study carried out by a team of researchers led by the biologist Dr. Ulrich Steiner at Freie Universität Berlin. In a new paper published in Science Advances the team demonstrated that even genetically identical bacterial cells living in the same environment react differently to the aging process and that changes occur at different rates within different regions of…

– a new approach to enhance standardization. Scientists from the IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Düsseldorf recently published a study on “Reassessment of marker genes in human induced pluripotent stem cells for enhanced quality control” in Nature Communications. The work was conducted together with colleagues from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin and the University Hospital in Düsseldorf. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have a great potential for scientific and medical…

As air temperatures stay elevated through fall months, people may still want clothes that cool them down while outside, especially if they live in cities that stay warmer than rural landscapes. Researchers who previously demonstrated a cooling fabric coating now report on additional tests of a treated polyester fabric in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Fabric treated with the team’s chalk-based coating kept the air underneath up to 6 degrees Fahrenheit cooler in warmer urban environments. Researchers Evan D. Patamia,…

Findings point to potential for short-circuiting the progression of the fatal disease if diagnosed early. Approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) each year. On average, they survive for only two to five years after being diagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease causes the death of neurons in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness, respiratory failure and dementia. Despite the devastating nature of the…

Data presented at Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting. Cleveland Clinic researchers are presenting updated findings from their novel study of a vaccine aimed at preventing triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease. The study team found that the investigational vaccine was generally well tolerated and produced an immune response in most patients. The team described the side effects of the vaccine, showed the highest tolerated dose to date, and presented the immunologic effects…

A team of scientists led by Caltech and Emory University has synthesized a highly complex natural molecule using a novel strategy that functionalizes normally nonreactive bonds, called carbon–hydrogen (C–H) bonds. The work demonstrates a new category of reactions that organic chemists can consider as they work to create natural products that could be used in pharmaceuticals or new materials, or to produce organic chemicals in more sustainable ways. “This work moves the field forward by showing the power of C–H…

Rainfall induces bursts of natural nanoparticles that can form clouds and further precipitation over the Amazon rainforest. During the wet season in the Amazon rainforest heavy rainfall frequently occurs during the afternoon. For clouds and precipitation to develop, tiny airborne particles known as cloud condensation nuclei are required for water vapor to condense and form cloud droplets. But what are the origins of these cloud condensation nuclei? An international research team from Germany, Brazil, Sweden, and China now showed that…

… that monitor internal biomarkers to detect and assess airway diseases. Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is leading a team of researchers that has developed a system of artificial cilia capable of monitoring mucus conditions in human airways to better detect infection, airway obstruction, or the severity of diseases like Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) and lung cancer. The research was published in the November 4 issue of PNAS in the article, “Sensory Artificial Cilia for In Situ…

Surgical field expansion plate allows surgeons more independence. Robot-assisted heart surgery usually requires an assistant at the operating table to help the surgeon insert the robot arm through a small incision. The assistant has to constantly make sure the surgeon has enough room to operate via the robot arm. For greater independence on the surgeon’s side, an Osaka Metropolitan University-led group has developed a device that can secure the surgical field. Graduate School of Medicine Professor Toshihiko Shibata and Associate…

An international team led by Goethe University Frankfurt has identified an intracellular sensor that monitors the quality of so-called MHC-I molecules, which help the immune system recognize and kill harmful cells, including tumor cells. The sensor ensures that defective MHC-I molecules remain inside the cell, where they are eventually degraded. Surprisingly, a lack of this quality assurance can lead to more MHC-I molecules reaching the surface of cancer cells, triggering a stronger immune response against the tumor. It is comparatively…

Research from the College of Medicine offers hope for delaying Alzheimer’s disease progression by years after initial diagnosis. A new therapy may delay Alzheimer’s disease progression by years, according to a study by researchers at Texas A&M University College of Medicine. Published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, the research aims to explore treatment options for Alzheimer’s, which constitutes the most common form of dementia and is a leading cause of death among those aged 65 or older, afflicting nearly 7 million…

Stanford Medicine-led team uncovers potential therapy. ecDNA catapults into spotlight. A trio of research papers from Stanford Medicine researchers and their international collaborators transforms scientists’ understanding of how small DNA circles — until recently dismissed as inconsequential — are major drivers of many types of human cancers. The papers, to be published simultaneously in Nature on Nov. 6, detail the prevalence and prognostic impact of the circles, called ecDNA for extrachromosomal DNA, in nearly 15,000 human cancers; highlight a novel mode of inheritance…

Experiments at GSI/FAIR determine properties of moscovium an. An international team led by scientists of GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz, succeeded in determining the chemical properties of the artificially produced superheavy elements moscovium and nihonium (elements 115 and 113). Moscovium thus becomes the heaviest element ever chemically studied. Both of the newly characterized elements are more chemically reactive than flerovium (element 114), which was previously studied at GSI/FAIR. The results are published in…

A wide variety of COVID-19 symptoms exist, ranging from mild to severe, and while current strains of the virus generally cause milder symptoms, those with co-morbidities are still at an exponentially greater risk of severe disease. Now, new research from Emory University is providing a more precise prediction of COVID-19 severity that can be found by looking at autoantibodies in the nasal cavity, leading to more personalized treatment plans. For high-risk individuals, this could provide critical information to inform immediate…

A research group may have unraveled the mystery behind the locomotion of the ancient marine reptile, the plesiosaur, by recreating a bio-inspired control system that accounts for motion adjustment. Extinct animals have vastly different body shapes from animals still around today, making it difficult to determine how they moved by comparing them to living species. Additionally, fossils rarely preserve the soft limb tissues that scientists need to study locomotion and gain key insights into their lifestyles. Plesiosaurs roamed Earth’s prehistoric…

Dysferlin protein protects and shapes the membrane of heart muscle cells. Researchers from the Heart Center of the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) led by Priv.-Doz. Dr Sören Brandenburg have identified a protein that plays a central role in the heart’s adaptation to increased stress. The results of the study were published in the renowned journal ‘Circulation Research’. The heartbeat is carried out by specialized heart muscle cells called cardiomyocytes that can neither divide nor renew themselves. As a result,…