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Her initial workup revealed enlarged mediastinal nodes, bilateral ground glass interstitial opacities with areas of septal thickening, an incidental 4-cm left lower lobe nodular mass, multiple hypermetabolic lesions in the liver (the largest was 2.8 cm with a standard uptake value of 43), and osseous metastatic disease.

Ultrasound-guided biopsy showed poorly differentiated metastatic lung adenocarcinoma (stage 4) with 5% tumor cells expressing PD-L1 and negative for EGFR/ALK gene alterations.

Summary: Researchers found that mutations in the Sox3 gene cause hypopituitarism, a condition where the pituitary gland produces insufficient hormones, leading to growth issues and infertility. In a study on mice, they discovered that Sox3 mutations affect brain cells called NG2 glia, which are essential for hormone production.

Treating the mice with aspirin or altering their gut microbiome restored NG2 glia levels and reversed hypopituitarism. These findings suggest that both aspirin and gut bacteria could be explored as potential treatments for people with Sox3 mutations or other hormone-related disorders.

In 2012, 7-year-old Emily Whitehead became the first pediatric patient to receive pioneering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) therapy to fight the recurrence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Twelve years later, Emily is in remission and a student at the University of Pennsylvania, where the therapy was developed. But for many others, the fight continues: more than half of ALL patients experience a relapse within one year following CAR-T therapy.

Nanomedicines have created a paradigm shift in healthcare.

The authors propose a framework to be followed during preclinical investigation of nanomedicines to increase their translatability potential.

Amazing success at reversing Type 1 diabetes.

A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes started producing her own insulin less than three months after receiving a transplant of reprogrammed stem cells.

She is the first person with the disease to be treated using cells that were extracted from her own body.

Continue reading “Stem cells reverse woman’s diabetes — a world first” »

Year 2023 once again nad helps even in Parkinson’s being a neuroprotective for the mitochondria.

Zhang, X., Xu, S., Hu, Y. et al. Irisin exhibits neuroprotection by preventing mitochondrial damage in Parkinson’s disease. npj Parkinsons Dis. 9, 13 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-023-00453-9

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Continue reading “Irisin exhibits neuroprotection by preventing mitochondrial damage in Parkinson’s disease” »

A Spain-based startup has successfully demonstrated the capability of its graphene-based brain-computer interface (BCI) to perform precise tumor surgery.

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, a company specializing in brain-computer interface therapies, successfully implanted its cortical interface in a human patient.

Continue reading “‘World’s first’ graphene brain chip implanted in a cancer patient” »

Researchers have discovered an antibody able to neutralize all known variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as distantly related SARS-like coronaviruses that infect other animals.

As part of a new study on hybrid immunity to the virus, the large, multi-institution research team led by The University of Texas at Austin discovered and isolated a broadly neutralizing plasma antibody, called SC27, from a single patient. Using technology developed over several years of research into antibody response, the team led by UT engineers and scientists obtained the exact molecular sequence of the antibody, opening the possibility of manufacturing it on a larger scale for future treatments.

“The discovery of SC27, and other antibodies like it in the future, will help us better protect the population against current and future COVID variants,” said Jason Lavinder, a research assistant professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and one of the leaders of the new research, which was recently published in Cell Reports Medicine.