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Category: biotech/medical – Page 94

Exploring the Multifaceted Landscape of MASLD: A Comprehensive Synthesis of Recent Studies, from Pathophysiology to Organoids and Beyond

Soft drink consumption is linked to an increased risk of major depressive disorder and greater depressive symptom severity, mediated by changes in gut microbiota, particularly Eggerthella abundance.

Question Is soft drink consumption related to depression diagnosis and severity, and is this association mediated by gut microbiome alteration?

Findings In this cohort study, soft drink consumption was significantly associated with diagnosis of major depressive disorder, as well as depression severity, across a single-study cohort of 932 clinically diagnosed patients and healthy controls. This association was significantly mediated by Eggerthela abundance in female patients and controls.

Meaning Education, prevention strategies, and policies aiming to reduce soft drink consumption are urgently required to mitigate depressive symptoms; in addition, interventions for depression targeting the microbiome composition appear promising.

Study reveals how uterine contractions are regulated by stretch and pressure during childbirth

When labor begins, the uterus must coordinate rhythmic, well-timed contractions to deliver the baby safely. While hormones such as progesterone and oxytocin are key contributors to that process, scientists have long suspected that physical forces—in this case, the stretching and pressure that accompany pregnancy and delivery—also play a role.

Now, a new study from Scripps Research published in Science, reveals how the uterus senses and responds to those forces at a molecular level. The findings could help scientists better understand the biological roots of conditions such as stalled labor and , guiding future efforts to develop treatments that improve maternal care.

“As the fetus grows, the uterus expands dramatically, and those physical forces reach their peak during delivery,” says senior author Ardem Patapoutian, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Presidential Endowed Chair in Neurobiology at Scripps Research.

Study uncovers distinct genetic blueprints for early- and late-onset depression

A new study is providing a clearer picture of the genetic landscape of major depression, revealing that the disorder may have fundamentally different biological roots depending on the age at which it first appears. The research, published in Nature Genetics, found that depression beginning in adolescence or young adulthood has a stronger genetic basis, is linked to early brain development, and carries a much higher genetic association with suicide attempts compared to depression that starts later in life.

Major depressive disorder is recognized as a clinically diverse condition, meaning its symptoms and course can vary substantially from person to person. Researchers have long suspected that this clinical variability might stem from different underlying causes.

One of the most apparent distinctions among individuals with depression is their age at onset. Depression that emerges early in life is often associated with more severe outcomes, including suicidal behavior, while late-onset depression has been linked more frequently to cognitive decline and cardiovascular problems.

Glucagon Signaling Is Required For The Lifespan Extending Effect Of Calorie Restriction

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Urolithin A nudges aging immune cells toward a youthful profile in 28 days

An international research team focused on aging reports that urolithin A at 1,000 mg per day shifted human immune profiles toward a more naive-like, less exhausted CD8+ state and increased fatty acid oxidation capacity, with additional functional gains.

Urolithin A is a metabolite produced by gut bacteria after breaking down ellagic acid from certain foods, such as pomegranates and walnuts. While produced naturally through microbial digestion, it is in much smaller quantities than available as a supplement or used in the study.

Aging bodies face reduced production of mature T cells, shrinking naive T cell pools and chronic low-grade inflammation. Mitochondrial dysfunction and waning autophagy sit at the core of these shifts, with mitophagy failure linked to immune dysregulation and disease.

One of the world’s oldest blood pressure drugs may also halt aggressive brain tumor growth

A Penn-led team has revealed how hydralazine, one of the world’s oldest blood pressure drugs and a mainstay treatment for preeclampsia, works at the molecular level. In doing so, they made a surprising discovery—it can also halt the growth of aggressive brain tumors.

Over the last 70 years, hydralazine has been an indispensable tool in medicine—a front-line defense against life-threatening , especially during pregnancy. But despite its essential role, a fundamental mystery has persisted: No one knows its “mechanism of action”—essentially how it works at a molecular level, which allows for improved efficacy, safety, and what it can treat.

“Hydralazine is one of the earliest vasodilators ever developed, and it’s still a first-line treatment for preeclampsia—a hypertensive disorder that accounts for 5%–15% of worldwide,” says Kyosuke Shishikura, a physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. “It came from a ‘pre-target’ era of , when researchers relied on what they saw in patients first and only later tried to explain the biology behind it.”

From body fat to bone, experiment offers hope for ‘gentle’ repair of fractures

Japanese researchers are testing a surprising, minimally invasive way to repair spine fractures.

A team at Osaka Metropolitan University found that stem cells from can repair breaks similar to those common in people with the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis.

“This simple and effective method can treat even difficult fractures and may accelerate healing,” said study co-leader Dr. Shinji Takahashi, an orthopedic surgeon and clinical lecturer at the university.

Bridging Retinal and Cerebral Neurodegeneration: A Focus on Crosslinks between Alzheimer–Perusini’s Disease and Retinal Dystrophies

In the early stages of Alzheimer–Perusini’s disease (AD), individuals often experience vision-related issues such as color vision impairment, reduced contrast sensitivity, and visual acuity problems. As the disease progresses, there is a connection with glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leading to retinal cell death. The retina’s involvement suggests a link with the hippocampus, where most AD forms start. A thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) due to the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is seen as a potential AD diagnostic marker using electroretinography (ERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Amyloid beta fragments (Aβ), found in the eye’s vitreous and aqueous humor, are also present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and accumulate in the retina. Aβ is known to cause tau hyperphosphorylation, leading to its buildup in various retinal layers.

The role of intestinal microbiota and its metabolite short-chain fatty acids in hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis

Hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (HLAP) is a severe gastrointestinal condition characterized by an increased risk of multiple organ dysfunction and elevated mortality. Intestinal microbiota, often described as the second human genome, plays a key role in maintaining gastrointestinal and systemic homeostasis. Among its various metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are particularly abundant and functionally significant. Current evidence indicates a strong relationship between SCFAs and the pathogenesis and progression of HLAP. SCFAs contribute to the restoration of intestinal homeostasis by modulating the composition of gut microbiota, enhancing the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier, and regulating mucosal immune responses. Furthermore, SCFAs attenuate systemic inflammatory responses, promote pancreatic tissue repair, and reduce the risk of multiple organ dysfunction. These protective effects indicate that SCFAs represent a promising therapeutic target for gut-centered interventions in HLAP. This review summarizes the changes in intestinal microbiota and SCFA levels following HLAP onset, elucidates the underlying mechanisms by which SCFAs exert protective effects, and evaluates their potential therapeutic applications, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the development of gut-targeted strategies in the management of HLAP.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is characterized by acute inflammation and cellular injury within the pancreas and is recognized as a common cause of acute abdominal disorders. With improvements in living standards and shifts in dietary habits, the incidence of hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (HLAP) has significantly increased, surpassing alcoholic pancreatitis to become the second leading cause of AP (Chinese Pancreatic Surgery Association, and Chinese Society of Surgery, Chinese Medical Association, 2021). Additionally, HLAP is increasingly observed in younger adults and is associated with severe clinical presentations, including a higher incidence of complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute kidney injury (AKI), and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) (Li et al., 2018).

A Radical New Kind of Particle Accelerator Could Transform Science

A particle accelerator that produces intense X-rays could be squeezed into a device that fits on a table, my colleagues and I have found in a new research project.

The way that intense X-rays are currently produced is through a facility called a synchrotron light source. These are used to study materials, drug molecules, and biological tissues. Even the smallest existing synchrotrons, however, are about the size of a football stadium.

Our research, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters, shows how tiny structures called carbon nanotubes and laser light could generate brilliant X-rays on a microchip. Although the device is still at the concept stage, the development has the potential to transform medicine, materials science, and other disciplines.

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