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Originally published by Nagoya University, on June 17, 2024   In Parkinson's disease, a reduction in the gut bacteria of genes responsible for synthesizing the essential B vitamins B2 and B7 was found. Credit: Reiko Matsushita A study led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has revealed a link between gut microbiota and Parkinson's disease (PD) . The researchers found a reduction in the gut bacteria of genes responsible for synthesizing the essential B vitamins B2 and B7 . They also identified a relationship between the lack of these genes and low levels of agents that help maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier. This barrier prevents toxins from entering the bloodstream , which c auses the inflammation seen in PD . Their findings , published in npj Parkinson's Disease , suggest that treatment with B vitamins to address these deficiencies can be used to treat PD . PD is characterized by a variety of physical symptoms that h...

Originally published by the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, on June 19, 2024 Snapshots of the cell railroad. Cells stretch away from a fish scale (left) into artificial lanes (red) and form trains (middle) in different sizes (right). Credit: Vercurysse, Brückner et al./Nature Physics Looking under the microscope, a group of cells slowly moves forward in a line, like a train on the tracks . The cells navigate through complex environments. A new approach by researchers involving the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now shows how they do this and how they interact with each other . The experimental observations and the following mathematical concept are published in Nature Physics . The majority of the cells in the human body cannot move . Some specific ones , however, can go to different places . For example, in wound healing, cells move through the body to repair damaged tissue . They sometimes travel alone o r in different group sizes. Althou...

Originally published by European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) at MedicalXpress, on June 13, 2024 The exact origin and precursor differentiation route of tissue macrophages remains controversial . At the 2024 congress of EULAR — The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology — new work sheds light on blood precursors of pathogenic tissue macrophages Credito: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and destruction . There is currently no cure —and although there are many treatments, their effectiveness varies from person to person, suggesting an undefined pathogenic diversity. Deep characterization of myeloid cell subsets by single cell RNA sequencing across healthy and inflamed tissues in RA has led to the identification of new pathogenic cell states and subsets —with data coming from five large-scale studies . But subset overlap across studies and compartments —s...

Originally published by Hannah Thomasy, PhD, for the Scientist on June 14, 2024 Scientists turned a deadly virus into a crucial tool for understanding the wiring of the brain.   Rabies labeling helps scientists identify neurons in the primary visual cortex that connect to two different higher visual brain regions. Marina Garrett  In 1906 , pathologist Camillo Golgi and neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal won the Nobel Prize for their work on the structure of the nervous system . More than a century later, the puzzle of nervous system organization —the intricately tangled mess that results from each neuron’s connections to thousands of others— remains incomplete . Yet, fully developing scientific understanding of these connections is crucial , said Edward Callaway , a systems neurobiologist at the Salk Institute . “If you don’t have some knowledge about how the different parts are interacting , there’s no way to generate a hypothesis about how they’re working toget...

Originally pablished by Megan Giboney, RegMedNet, on 17 May 2024 An extracellular vesicle-based gene therapy has repaired damaged intervertebral discs in a mouse model of chronic back pain. Ohio State University (USA) researchers have developed a novel non-viral gene therapy to treat discogenic back pain, a type of chronic low back pain that results from the degeneration of intervertebral discs . Intervertebral discs function to separate the vertebrae, preventing them from grinding together, and provide a shock-absorbing effect and degeneration of these discs is responsible for approximately 40% of cases of discogenic back pain . Currently there are very few treatment option s available and most rely on treating symptomatic pain rather than restoring the structure of the discs. Original article

Originally published by Birte Vierjahn, University of Duisburg-Essen, on June 4, 2024                       Credit: Current Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.062 Several million cells divide every second in our bodies. During nuclear division ( mitosis ), the genetic material must be distributed correctly and completely between the daughter cells— errors in this process can lead to defective developments or genetic disorders , and many cancer cells are also characterized by unequal numbers of chromosomes . Therefore, if errors in the division process become apparent , the cell can stop it . Biologists at the University of Duisburg-Essen have been able to elucidate this process at a molecular level . Their findings are published in Current Biology . During cell division , mitotic spindles are formed —tiny fibers that originate at opposite poles of the cell and bind to the chromosomes to pull one represen...

Originally published by University of Plymouth, on May 28, 2024        Pond snail embryos at the University of Plymouth. Credit: University of Plymouth Research led by the University of Plymouth has shown that a new deep learning AI model can identify what happens and when during embryonic development , from video . Published in the Journal of Experimental Biology , the study, titled " Dev-ResNet: Automated developmental event detection using deep learning ," highlights how the model , known as Dev-ResNet , can identify the occurrence of key functional developmental events in pond snails , including heart function, crawling, hatching and even death. A key innovation in this study is the use of a 3D model that uses changes occurring between frames of the video , and enables the AI to learn from these features , as opposed to the more traditional use of still images. The use of video means features ranging from the first heartbeat , or crawling behavior , ...