With rising global attention to health and the accelerating trend of population aging, the demand for Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMPs) has i…

Carotid atherosclerosis is a significant cause of incident and recurrent ischemic stroke, with risk not solely related to the degree of luminal stenosis. Multimodal imaging approaches, including posit...

Researchers explored a fluid-based optical device known as an electrowetting prism to steer lasers at high speeds for advanced imaging applications. This new

New research uncovers shared patterns between ribosomal RNAs and genes linked to brain disorders, including autism, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and schizophrenia.

The authors review evidence that the primary function of the brain, supported by distributed neural systems, is the predictive regulation of physiology (i.e., allostasis). An example from Alzheimer’s disease illustrates how this perspective might reframe traditional psychologically centered perspectives on neurological health.

Scientific Reports - Netrin-1 as a molecular mediator linking APOE ε4 to alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis

Study shows a novel compound that degrades key proteins found in prostate cancer cells blocks oncogenic androgen receptor signaling.

Scientists have discovered extremely rare remnants of “proto Earth,” which formed about 4.5 billion years ago, before a colossal impact irreversibly altered the primitive planet’s composition and prod...

Abstract. The integration of biomolecular studies of past organisms with geoarchaeological studies can significantly improve our understanding of the relat

BACKGROUND: Whether TNK (tenecteplase) benefits patients with acute ischemic stroke treated within 4.5 to 24 hours remains uncertain, and no previous meta-analysis has differentiated between clinical ...

For the first time, an international team of scientists led by Leiden Observatory and SRON can explain the extreme jet streams observed around the equators of all the giant planets using a single mode...

COVID-19 induces a marked plasmablast (PB) expansion, whose functional role remains unclear. We performed B-cell immunophenotyping and multiplex cytok…

People are better at keeping the beat to sounds than to rhythmic vibrations. 

New research has found genetic associations between cannabis use and psychiatric, cognitive, and physical health. The findings could inform prevention and treatment strategies for cannabis use disorde...

Researchers have found a new way to produce human blood cells in the lab that mimics the process in natural embryos. Their discovery holds potential to

Artificial neurons that mimic the brain's efficiency are here, using 1/10th the voltage and 1/100th the power of others.

The paper proposes a novel unifying hypothesis—that heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) arises primarily from the expansion and dys…

Cluster of differentiation 47 (CD47) is a widely expressed transmembrane protein that serves as a critical immunoregulatory checkpoint in both homeostatic and pathological conditions of the digestive ...

Aims/hypothesis Despite being commonly prescribed to treat painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), the impact on the brain of long-term opioid use as analgesia is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the structural and functional brain alterations associated with prescription opioid use in a large cohort of people with painful DPN. Methods A total of 82 patients with diabetes were enrolled: 57 with painful DPN (18 with long-term opioid prescription [O+ individuals] and 39 who were not prescribed opioids [O− individuals]) and a control group of 25 patients with diabetes but without DPN (no DPN) matched for age (± 2 years), sex and type of diabetes. All participants underwent detailed clinical/neurophysiological assessment and brain MRI at 3 T, and a subset (14 in each group, n=42) also underwent resting-state functional MRI. Results O+ individuals had greater caudate volume (ANOVA, p=0.03) compared with O− individuals (p=0.03) and those with no DPN (p=0.01). Functional connectivity was lower between the caudate and thalamus (r β = −0.24, seed-level correction −3.9, pFDR ≤0.05) in O+ individuals compared to those with no DPN. Moreover, seed-to-voxel analysis using caudate as the seed showed a significantly lower functional connectivity in O+ individuals compared with O− individuals in a cluster encompassing the superior frontal gyri bilaterally. Conclusions/interpretation We demonstrate that disruption of dopaminergic pathways occurs within the brain when opioids are used for analgesic purposes for painful DPN, which may reflect alterations in reward systems. This study has important clinical implications, as the measures of dopaminergic pathways found in this study may represent neuroimaging biomarkers that could be used to diagnose and monitor the negative consequences of prescription opioid use. Graphical Abstract

MIT engineers designed a control mechanism, known as DIAL, that allows them to establish a desired protein level, or set point, for any synthetic gene circuit.

The piezoelectric effect enables the conversion between electrical and mechanical energy, making it essential across various fields. While synthetic piezoelectric ceramics and polymers are extensively utilized in electronics and biomedicine, their inherent rigidity, fragility, processing challenges, toxicity, and nondegradability limit their potential. In contrast, piezoelectric biomaterials offer a promising alternative for biomedical fields because of their natural biocompatibility, biodegradability, and environmental friendliness. However, weak piezoelectricity and challenges in large-scale fabrication hinder their applications. This paper critically reviews recent advances in piezoelectric biomaterials, focusing primarily on design strategies and manufacturing methods. We first summarize the principles, advantages, and categories of a variety of piezoelectric biomaterials. Next, we explore computational studies, highlight emerging approaches in molecular engineering and manufacturing, and examine their cutting-edge applications in bioelectronics and biomedicine. Additionally, we evaluate the effectiveness of various design and manufacturing approaches in enhancing piezoelectric performance, outlining their respective advantages and limitations. Finally, we discuss key challenges and provide insights into computational modeling, fabrication techniques, characterization methods, and biomedical applications to guide future research.