In a Science Immunology Review from earlier this year, researchers discuss how interactions between the nervous and immune systems could impact neurological disorders and allergy-related behaviors like food avoidance.
The nervous and type 2 immune systems regulate each other via cytokines and neurotransmitters, suggesting previously unidentified therapeutic avenues.
Scientists have long suspected that a small population of cells survives treatment and regenerates the tumor. These “cancer stem cells” are thought to resist conventional therapies, allowing the disease to return even after the visible tumor has been removed.
Previous attempts to identify gastric cancer stem cells using other protein markers, such as CD44 or CD133, yielded inconsistent results. These markers often appeared on healthy cells as well or did not fully account for tumor behaviour.
The team discovered that AQP5 reliably marks the cancer stem cells in gastric tumors. Aquaporins are proteins that form channels in cell membranes to control the movement of water into and out of cells. While AQP5 was previously known to mark stem cells in healthy gastric tissue, this study shows it also identifies the specific cells responsible for driving tumor growth, spread, and recurrence.
Importantly, AQP5 does more than simply mark these cells; it actively contributes to their aggressive behavior.
The researchers found that cells with AQP5 were capable of forming new tumors, while cells without AQP5 rarely did so. Most significantly, when they used a targeted method to eliminate only the AQP5-expressing cells, tumors stopped growing or shrank entirely and did not recur. This held true even for cancers that had spread to other organs.
Scientists have identified the specific cells responsible for gastric cancer’s tendency to return after treatment. The study also demonstrated that eliminating these cells stops tumors from growing, even in advanced disease that has spread to other organs.
This year, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) officially recognized a fifth form of diabetes, after decades of controversy. It’s now urging other health authorities, like the World Health Organization (WHO), to follow suit.
Type 5 diabetes is rarely discussed or researched, and yet it is thought to impact up to 25 million people worldwide, especially those in low-and middle-income nations where access to medical care is limited.
It was first described in 1955 in Jamaica, then forgotten about for many years. Even once it was acknowledged by the WHO in the 1980s, the diagnosis created controversy.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest fully programmable, autonomous robots: microscopic swimming machines that can independently sense and respond to their surroundings, operate for months and cost just a penny each.
Barely visible to the naked eye, each robot measures about 200 by 300 by 50 micrometers, smaller than a grain of salt. Operating at the scale of many biological microorganisms, the robots could advance medicine by monitoring the health of individual cells and manufacturing by helping construct microscale devices.
Powered by light, the robots carry microscopic computers and can be programmed to move in complex patterns, sense local temperatures and adjust their paths accordingly.
Researchers have developed experimental drugs that encourage the mitochondria in our cells to work a little harder and burn more calories. The findings could open the door to new treatments for obesity and improve metabolic health.
Obesity is a global epidemic and a risk factor for many diseases, including diabetes and cancer. Current obesity drugs require injections and can cause side effects, so a safe way to boost weight loss could deliver significant public health benefits.
The study, led by Associate Professor Tristan Rawling from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), has just been published in Chemical Science, where it was highlighted as “pick of the week.”
A new study analyzing the immune response to COVID-19 in a Catalan cohort of health workers sheds light on an important question: does it matter whether a person was first infected or first vaccinated?
According to the results, the order of the events does alter the outcome, at least when it comes to long-term protection against omicron.
The study, published in Nature Communications, was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in collaboration with the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) and the Jordi Gol Institute (IDIAP JG), and with support from the Daniel Bravo Andreu Private Foundation (FPDBA).
Restoring Sight For Those In Need — Dr. Edward J. Holland, M.D. & Robert Dempsey — Co-Founders — Holland Foundation For Sight Restoration
Dr. Edward Holland is a world-renowned leader in corneal transplantation and severe ocular surface disease, and is the Co-Founder of the Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration (HFSR — https://www.hollandfoundationforsight… is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals affected by these conditions, including limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) – a rare and devastating condition that can result in chronic pain, profound vision loss, and blindness.
Through this HFSR initiative, Centers of Excellence (COEs) focused on the advanced sight restoration procedures of Ocular Surface Stem Cell Transplantation (OSST) are being launched across the country. As part of its mission, the foundation is also committed to broadening education and training so that more physicians nationwide can learn and implement The Cincinnati ProtocolTM for the management of these patients.
Dr. Holland is also the Director of Cornea Services at Cincinnati Eye Institute (https://www.cincinnatieye.com/doctors…) and Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati (https://med.uc.edu/landing-pages/prof…).
Dr. Holland attended the Loyola-Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago and trained in Ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota. He completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the University of Iowa and then completed a second fellowship in ocular immunology at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
