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Category: biotech/medical – Page 1,638

Senolytic elimination of senescent macrophages restores muscle stem cell function in severely dystrophic muscle

Senescent macrophages are in fact also found to express senescence-related markers p16(Ink4a) and β-galactosidase (β-gal), and promote inflammation in diseased tissues [25, 26]. Our previous work has indicated increased cellular senescence in dystrophic muscles of mdx/utr(−/−) mice [3], however, whether or not macrophages in particular develop cellular senescence and promote senescence associated phenotypes was still unknown. To this end, here we further examined mdx/utr(−/−) mice and solved these puzzles.

Immune cells in the skeletal muscle are activated during muscle injury and promote the process of muscle regeneration by coordinating with muscle stem cells. However, studies with severely diseased muscles further demonstrate that immune cells can become dominantly activated and is inductive of increased fatty infiltration and fibrosis formation, while at the same time potently repress the proliferation and function of muscle stem cells [27]. Our current results in severely dystrophic muscle reveal a similar situation of interaction between macrophages and MPCs, showing that the function of MPCs is repressed by the senescent macrophages. As senescent cells accumulate in the aged or diseased tissues, it can exert profound effects on the growth and function of normal cells by releasing SASPs [9, 10].

Key advance in physics research could help enable super-efficient electrical power

Today, an international team of researchers led by Séamus Davis, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and University College Cork, has announced results that reveal the atomic mechanism behind high-temperature superconductors. The findings are published in PNAS.

Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance, so that an electric current can persist indefinitely. These are already used in various applications, including MRI scanners and high-speed maglev trains, however superconductivity typically requires extremely low temperatures, limiting their widespread use. A major goal within physics research is to develop super conductors that work at , which could revolutionize energy transport and storage.

Certain copper oxide materials demonstrate superconductivity at higher temperatures than conventional superconductors, however the mechanism behind this has remained unknown since their discovery in 1987.

Self-assembling molecules suffocate cancer cells within hours

The technology at the heart of this research takes aim at one of the key metabolic functions of cells in all living things called ATP, or adenosine triphosphate. This molecule is the primary energy carrier in cells, capturing chemical energy from the breakdown of food molecules and distributing it to power other cellular processes.

Among those cellular processes is the proliferation of cancerous cells, and because of this we have seen ATP implicated in previous anti-cancer breakthroughs. The authors of the new study sought to cut off the supply of ATP, which is generated as mitochondria soak up oxygen and convert it into the molecule.

Deinococcus radiodurans — the consummate survivor

Circa 2005 Bacteria that is resistant to radiation could lead to better radiation resistance in humans.

Relatively little is known about the biochemical basis of the capacity of Deinococcus radiodurans to endure the genetic insult that results from exposure to ionizing radiation and can include hundreds of DNA double-strand breaks. However, recent reports indicate that this species compensates for extensive DNA damage through adaptations that allow cells to avoid the potentially detrimental effects of DNA strand breaks. It seems that D. radiodurans uses mechanisms that limit DNA degradation and that restrict the diffusion of DNA fragments that are produced following irradiation, to preserve genetic integrity. These mechanisms also increase the efficiency of the DNA-repair proteins.

Psilocybin therapy seems to help some people give up drinking alcohol

Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, may help people with alcohol dependencies abstain from drinking. Nearly half of those who took the drug as part of a 12-week therapy programme no longer drank more than eight months later, according to results from the largest trial to date on psilocybin and addiction.

Michael Bogenschutz at NYU Langone Health in New York and his colleagues recruited 95 adults who were diagnosed with alcohol dependence. None of the participants had any major psychiatric conditions or had used psychedelics in the past year.

Everyone in the group went through a 12-week therapy programme. Most weeks, they had a roughly 1-hour long session with a therapist and a psychiatrist where they received cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol use disorder.

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