The authors found a promising new non-opioid painkiller (analgesic) - a compound known as BnOCPA (benzyloxy-cyclopentyladenosine) - with potentially fewer side effects than other potent painkillers.
This study brings us one step closer to understand a crucial protein called α-synuclein (αSyn) that is mostly expressed in neurons and has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
The authors found that αSyn is required for neuronal expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and that following any stimulus that triggers interferon signals αSyn interacts with signaling proteins in neurons to trigger the expression of ISGs.
This study done with Mongolian gerbils showed the nuanced effects of testosterone (it helps animals quickly switch between prosocial and antisocial behaviors) and how testosterone influences the neural activity of oxytocin cells associated with social bonding - that is, testosterone encourages males to be sociable and friendlier.
The authors analyzed mortality data and medical records of over 100,000 individuals over a 30-year follow-up period and they found that adults who exercised two to four times the currently recommended level of moderate or vigorous physical activity each week (i.e. 150-600 minutes each week) had the lowest risk of death.
The authors discovered two compounds that are more potent and less toxic than existing leukemia treatments, so this new class of drugs that provide leukemia patients with a safer, more targeted form of therapy.
The authors measured handgrip strength by using a dynamometer, while considering how handgrip strength relates to gender, body height, and age, and they discovered that a weak handgrip strength could be a sign of underlying health problems.
These marine biologists discovered that whale sharks ate seaweed as well as krill at Ningaloo Reef, which makes them the largest omnivore in the world - measured up to 18.8 meters (61.7 feet) in length.
The authors discovered that the extract from roots of the Rhodiola (*Rhodiola rosea*) plant is a safe and effective non-pharmaceutical option to help control type 2 diabetes -it decreased the number of inflammatory biomarkers and improved insulin response in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes, and it reduced fasting blood sugar levels and changed the composition of digestive bacteria.
This is the first comprehensive environmental DNA (eDNA) biodiversity survey conducted on Mount Everest and it gives evidence of 187 taxonomic orders (i.e. 16.3% of all known orders in the tree of life) from only 20 liters of water gathered.
Based on the first model to replicate how a drug dissolves in the human stomach, the authors found that consuming pills while resting on the right side was by far the best, allowing pills to enter the deepest portion of the stomach and dissolve 2.3 times quicker than even an upright posture.
The authors found a common mechanism for atherosclerosis and cancer metastasis (i.e. endothelial cells accumulate a lipid delivery molecule known as “low-density lipoprotein” (LDL) and attract immune cells known as “neutrophils” that contribute to tumor progression), which suggests a viable treatment strategy for both diseases at the same time.
The authors discovered the new C18ORF25 gene that is activated by all forms of exercise and is responsible for enhancing muscle strength, which opens the door to the creation of therapeutic therapies that mirror some of the benefits of exercise.
The study reveals that a compound called trimethylamine N-oxide, or TMAO, produced by gut microorganisms may alter cellular processes in scleroderma (autoimmune disorders) patients, causing fibrosis, inflammation, and vascular damage.
By analyzing more than 1,000 patient MRI images (about 300,000 locations throughout the brain) from 22 international epilepsy centers, the authors have created an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can identify subtle brain abnormalities that cause epileptic seizures, such as drug-resistant focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) - the algorithm was successful in identifying the FCD in 67% of cases in the cohort (538 participants).
Researchers from Yale University discovered that light accelerates electrical conductivity in nature’s “Electric grid” within biofilm bacteria in the soil and oceans - exposing bacteria-produced nanowires to light yielded an up to a 100-fold increase in electrical conductivity.
This discovery could lead to new insights into how to exploit this hidden electrical current for a variety of purposes (e.g. to create new renewable fuel sources, to help eliminate biohazard waste).
Study: 🔗https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32659-5🔗
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