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Category: biotech/medical – Page 37

The burden of Influenza

Basically every year 1 billion people get infected by influenza causing extreme resource shortages still it is getting better to keep the death count down with vaccines but still its potential is still very dangerous and is not quite contained. Along with the super k version of influenza causing a spike in cases globally now. I still think that we need better protection against certain diseases so the resources are not drained globally. Perhaps we can use tricorder like devices on our phones that essentially heal us from diseases which I believe radio nanotransfection could lead to breakthroughs in the future.

Credit: WHO / Lindsay Mackenzie.

Influenza, or the flu, is both a seasonal and a pandemic virus. Every year, mainly during the winter season, seasonal influenza infects as many as 1 billion people. This makes it one of the most common infectious respiratory viruses, after the common cold. Thankfully, the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, or GISRS, monitors what viruses are circulating and twice a year recommends which viruses to target in the flu vaccine for the upcoming season. The flu vaccine is the best way to prevent infection and may reduce symptoms if you do get the flu. For those who are more vulnerable to flu, what we call ‘high risk groups’, the vaccine can save your life. Good hygiene practices can also reduce the risk of infection (for more information, see the factsheet here ). Thankfully, although there are hundreds of millions of cases every year, the vast majority of these are not serious. Nevertheless, WHO estimates that there are 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and between 290 000 to 650 000 respiratory deaths annually.

Clinical Signs at Diagnosis and Comorbidities in a Large Cohort of Patients with Lipedema in Spain

By Simarro Blasco, J. L., et al. (2025). Biomedicines, 13(12), 3049. 📖Read the full text: https://brnw.ch/21wYJvv.

Large clinical study of 1,800+ women with lipedema identifies key clinical signs and frequent comorbidities, supporting a systemic, connective-tissue–based understanding of the disease.

Background/Objectives: Lipedema is a chronic disorder that affects almost exclusively women and is characterized by bilateral, symmetrical accumulation of subcutaneous fat, typically in the buttocks, hips, and lower limbs, and in some cases the arms.

A lupus-derived autoantibody that binds to intracellular RNA activates cGAS-mediated tumor immunity and can deliver RNA into cells

Harnessing antibodies found in patients with lupus, researchers test a new cancer therapy that turns autoimmune responses against tumor cells in mice, suggesting similar approaches could be integrated into immunotherapy regimens.

Learn more in Science Signaling.

Delivery of autoimmune disease–associated antibodies activates the immune system to fight glioblastomas.

How imagining a positive encounter can make you like them better

Cardiovascular risk factors can spark inflammation by eliciting misdirected responses of intrinsic vascular cells and leukocytes, culminating in lesion initiation, progression, and complication. Soehnlein and Libby review key underlying inflammatory mechanisms in atherosclerosis and discuss how new understanding based on increasingly sophisticated tools has enabled translation to the clinic.

Ants may hold solution to human superbug, researchers discover

Has a crucial component to the development of human medicine been hiding under our feet? Auburn University Assistant Professor of Entomology Clint Penick and a team of graduate students may have found that ants are far ahead of humans in antibiotic innovation. “In our study, we tested how ants use antibiotic compounds to fight off pathogens and asked why their chemical defenses remain effective over evolutionary time,” Penick said.

“Humans have relied on antibiotics for less than a century, yet many pathogens have already evolved resistance, giving rise to ‘superbugs.’ Ants, by contrast, have been using antibiotics for tens of millions of years, and they might hold the key to using these powerful drugs more wisely.”

Ants as a source of antibiotics The team looked at just six ant species, all found easily in the Southeastern United States.

Noradrenergic control of bone marrow and thymus by AgRP neurons is impaired in experimental multiple sclerosis

In this work, Vigo et al. demonstrate that norepinephrine (NE) promotes myeloid hematopoiesis in BM and regulates thymic Tregs via B3ARs in EAE. B3ARs are controlled by hypothalamic AgRP neurons, which are dysfunctional in EAE. Serum levels of AgRP are elevated in people with MS and correlate with disease severity.

Cold weather concerns: Doctor explains how winter affects children’s immunity and growth

Winter’s chill impacts children’s health, increasing illness and affecting growth due to reduced sunlight, indoor confinement, and dietary shifts. Experts advise parents to prioritize balanced nutrition, adequate sleep, and physical activity. Simple measures like hygiene, vaccinations, and sun exposure are crucial for keeping kids healthy and thriving throughout the colder months.

Symptoms of a heart attack may emerge weeks beforehand: What to know

A heart attack is a medical emergency that requires an immediate call to the emergency services. However, there are sometimes warning signs that can show up weeks in advance that should prompt you to visit your doctor.

Firstly, what exactly happens during a heart attack? A heart attack occurs when the vessels that supply the heart itself with oxygen and nutrients—known as coronary arteries—become blocked. One cause is calcium deposits building up in them, says the German Heart Foundation.

As this is a gradual process, symptoms often appear before the blockage occurs, when the vessels are already narrowed in what is referred to as coronary heart disease.

How Memories Form in the Brain: “Pulse Generators” Grow and Shrink

Memories and learning processes are based on changes in the brain’s neuronal connections and, as a result, in signal transmission between neurons. For the first time, DZNE researchers have observed an associated phenomenon in living brains – specifically in mice. This mechanism concerns the cellular pulse generator for neuronal signals (the “axonal initial segment”) and had previously only been documented in cell cultures and in brain samples. A team led by neuroscientist Jan Gründemann reports on this in the journal Nature Neuroscience, alongside experts from Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. Their study sheds light on the brain’s ability to adapt. Next, the researchers intend to investigate the significance of these findings in Alzheimer’s disease.

In the brain, neurons branch out and connect with each other to form a network through which electrical signals are actively exchanged. This network structure is an essential component of the brain’s “hardware” and is therefore fundamental to its function, especially with regard to learning processes and memory formation. However, this complex architecture and signal transmission across this network are not fixed; they can change as a result of experiences and events. This flexibility, also known as neuroplasticity, is the basis for the brain’s ability to adapt.

As memories are formed, the brain changes in measurable ways: synaptic “pulse generators” grow and shrink, revealing surprising insights from brain research.

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