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Category: biotech/medical – Page 50

Abstract: For several years, researchers have known that hyperactivity of a subset of neurons located in the hypothalamus, called AgRP neurons, is common in mice with diabetes

“These neurons are playing an outsized role in hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes,” said UW Medicine endocrinologist Dr. Michael Schwartz, corresponding author of the paper.

To determine if these neurons contribute to elevated blood sugar in diabetic mice, researchers employed a widely used viral genetics approach to make AgRP neurons express tetanus toxin, which prevents the neurons from communicating with other neurons.

Unexpectedly, this intervention normalized high blood sugar for months, despite having no effect on body weight or food consumption.

Conventional wisdom is that diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, stems from a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors, including obesity, lack of physical activity and poor diet. This mix of factors leads to insulin resistance or insufficient insulin production.

Until now, scientists have traditionally thought the brain doesn’t play a role in type 2 diabetes, according to Schwartz.

The paper challenges this and is a “departure from the conventional wisdom of what causes diabetes,” he said.

The new findings align with studies published by the same scientists showing that injection of a peptide called FGF1 directly into the brain also causes diabetes remission in mice. This effect was subsequently shown to involve sustained inhibition of AgRP neurons.

Continue reading “Abstract: For several years, researchers have known that hyperactivity of a subset of neurons located in the hypothalamus, called AgRP neurons, is common in mice with diabetes” | >

Link between ADHD and obesity might depend on where you live

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might contribute to obesity by reducing physical activity—a relationship that can also be mediated by the features of the urban environment in which a person lives.

That is the conclusion of a new study published in PLOS Complex Systems by Tian Gan, Rayan Succar, and Maurizio Porfiri of the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University, U.S., and Simone Macrì of the Italian National Institute of Health, Italy.

For years, scientists have suspected that impulsivity—including conditions like ADHD—may increase the risk of , but much of the evidence has focused on individual traits and behaviors, placing limited attention toward environmental and .

Satellite data from ship captures landslide-generated tsunami for the first time

Landslide-generated tsunamis pose a serious risk to coastal communities, particularly within narrow fjords where tall cliffs can trap and amplify waves. Scientists rely heavily on earthquake-based observation systems to issue tsunami warnings, but these methods don’t always capture localized ground movement caused by landslides.

Now, for the first time, scientists have detected tsunami waves caused by a landslide using data from a ship’s satellite receiver. The CIRES and CU Boulder-led research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, shows the potential for an approach to improving tsunami detection and warning, providing lifesaving information to coastal communities.

“Landslides into water can produce a tsunami, and some of them can be quite large and destructive,” said CIRES Fellow Anne Sheehan, a professor of Geological Sciences at CU Boulder and co-author of the study. “Scientists have captured larger, earthquake-induced tsunamis using ship navigation systems. Our team had equipment in the right place at the right time to show this method also works for landslide-generated tsunamis.”

Mindfulness course found to be effective in people with difficult-to-treat depression

Mindfulness-based therapy can offer significant relief for individuals who are still depressed after receiving treatment, according to a new clinical trial.

Researchers hope their findings, published in Lancet Psychiatry, could provide a new treatment pathway for people with who have not benefited from previous treatment.

The study, titled “Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus treatment as usual after non-remission with NHS Talking Therapies high-intensity psychological therapy for depression: a UK-based and cost-effectiveness randomised, controlled, superiority trial,” was led by a researcher from the University of Surrey.

Q&A: A generative AI technique for designing RNA with improved function

Ribonucleic acid, also called RNA, is a molecule present in all living cells. It plays a critical role in transmitting genetic instructions from DNA and creating proteins. With the power to execute a plethora of functions, the little RNA “messenger” has led to important innovations across therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines, and made us rethink our understanding of life itself.

A team of researchers from Boston University’s Biological Design Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering recently made significant steps forward in the development of the next generation of computational RNA tools. They recently published a study in Nature Communications describing a generative AI technique for designing different types of RNA molecules with improved function.

Much like a that can be used to compose entirely new texts, the model can compose new RNA sequences tailored for specific tasks in the cell or in a diagnostic assay. Their research has shown that it’s possible to predict and generate RNA sequences that have specific functions across a broad array of potential applications.

World’s First CRISPR-Edited Spider Produces Glowing Red Silk From Its Spinneret

One of the reasons why this has never happened before is that spiders themselves are difficult organisms to work with within the laboratory. They are a diverse group, have a complex genome structure, and their cannibalistic nature means that they have to be reared individually, otherwise their cage neighbors would be gobbled up. Despite this, new developments in Parasteatoda tepidariorum have allowed this species to become a research model.

The research team looked into spider silk as the target. Spider silk is an incredibly strong and scientifically interesting substance, as it is five times stronger than a steel cable of the same weight, tear-resistant, while also being biodegradable, lightweight, and elastic.

To genetically modify this arachnophobe’s nightmare, the scientists developed an injection solution. This had a gene-editing system that also included a red fluorescent protein gene sequence. This solution was then injected into oocytes inside unfertilized female spiders, when these spiders mated with males, it resulted in the genetically modified offspring.

A Distinct New Form of Diabetes Has Been Officially Recognized

Type 5 diabetes has just been recognised as a distinct form of diabetes by the International Diabetes Federation. Despite the name, there are more than a dozen different types of diabetes. The classification isn’t quite as tidy as the numbering suggests.

Here’s a clear guide to the different types, including some that you may not have heard of, along with information about what causes them and how they are treated.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the body’s immune system mistakenly attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This autoimmune reaction can occur at any age, from infancy through to old age.

Ransomware attacks drive majority of US health data breaches, analysis shows

A new study led by researchers from Michigan State University, Yale University and Johns Hopkins University reveals that ransomware attacks—which involve a hacker putting encryption controls into a file and then demanding a ransom to unlock the files—have become the primary driver of health care data breaches in the United States, compromising 285 million patient records over 15 years.

Published May 14 in JAMA Network Open, the study provides the first comprehensive analysis of ransomware’s role in health care breaches across all entities covered by privacy laws—hospitals, physician practices, and data clearinghouses—from 2010 to 2024.

“Ransomware has become the most disruptive force in health care cybersecurity,” said John (Xuefeng) Jiang, Eli Broad Endowed Professor of accounting and in the MSU Broad College of Business and lead author of the study. “Hospitals have been forced to delay care, shut down systems and divert patients—all while sensitive patient data is held hostage.”