Biohacking is the practice of reprogramming the mind and body to live better, and is believed by some to be the key to greater health and self-improvement.

Originating from Silicon Valley, biohacking includes a range of activities and habits aimed at "self-optimization," health enhancement, and longevity, such as intermittent fasting, specialized diets (like gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, and the bulletproof diet), supplement regimens, intense exercise, and practices for reducing inflammation and optimizing gut health.

Women have increasingly entered the biohacking space, leading to its evolution toward being more intuitive and less rigid in its benchmarks.

There are concerns that biohacking can become obsessive, as some individuals become fixated on stacking multiple habits or attempting to control every aspect of their health.

Biohacking is not only about diet or exercise; it can also involve undertaking practices like yoga, Ayurveda, use of ice baths, and adopting mental wellness techniques.

Research shows that factors like inflammation, which is sometimes targeted by diet or lifestyle modifications, have been linked to the processes underlying aging and chronic disease.

For example, individuals have used anti-inflammatory diets and exercise to achieve health improvements, with some reporting disease remission and better management of symptoms such as arthritis, although such outcomes are often anecdotal.

Some biohackers follow the latest scientific advances, such as CRISPR gene editing, which allows for precise changes in DNA and has driven new research in disease understanding and potential treatments, though these technologies are largely experimental and not widely available for personal use.

Biohacking can also mean the use of personalized medical screenings, genetic tests, and adopting technologies for tracking health metrics.

The role of genetics, environment, and lifestyle habits in determining health outcomes is under scientific investigation, as illustrated by studies into "metabolically healthy obese" individuals, showing that not all health can be explained by diet and exercise alone.

Mental health practices, social signal processing, and stress reduction are also part of some biohacking routines, with neuroscience research showing how chemicals and brain regions influence social interactions and well-being.

While some elements of biohacking are backed by established science—like the benefits of regular exercise and certain diets—other aspects lack robust clinical evidence, and some practices may even be risky or cause harm if not medically supervised.

As the field matures, advocates acknowledge the importance of balance, self-awareness, and scientific validation to ensure that biohacking methods are safe and truly effective.

Early detection in oncology is vital, with new methods now able to identify disease using just a drop of blood.

A proposed diagnostic approach has completed animal testing and is advancing to analysis using human samples.

Researchers observed how molecular compositions in mice brains changed after glioma-causing cancer cells were introduced.

Tumor development is frequently, but not always, preceded by inflammation.

Scientists believe their method may enable detection of glioma as well as other tumor types.

Gas analyzers can identify marker molecules associated with pathological processes in exhaled air samples from volunteers.

The diagnostic device covers a wide range and can detect many different marker molecules.

A healthy individual's gas profile should have four peaks; deviations may indicate a health issue.

Research in laboratories such as TSU employs gas analyzers and machine learning in laser molecular imaging.

The EU is increasing support for patients with rare and poorly understood diseases.

Genetic consultations are required frequently for these complex conditions, which involve intricate, multi-piece diagnostic puzzles.

Current therapies for rare diseases are often prolonged and seldom lead to a complete recovery.

Experts believe the EU has significant potential to improve outcomes for patients with rare diseases.

Advances in research and attention aim to enhance patient quality of life.

A groundbreaking cancer therapy using gene editing enabled remission in a terminally ill child with leukemia.

Great Ormond Street Hospital used newly developed DNA editing technology for this treatment.

DNA's billions of bases encode the human body's instructions.

T cells from a healthy donor were engineered to prevent attacks on the patient's own body.

Despite initial remission, signs of cancer reappeared after three months.

Gene base editing holds potential for treating other genetic conditions; for example, correcting a single-base mutation in sickle cell anemia.

Research has found so-called "depression genes" across species.

Data from animal models do not always translate to human biology.

Findings could inform diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders in the future.

Scientists have rejuvenated human skin cells by 30 years through cellular reprogramming.

Induced stem cell technology is central to this rejuvenation.

Analysis of extensive medical data from 2020-2021 shows that COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Following past pandemics, such as the Spanish flu, Parkinson’s disease cases also rose, but the long-term effects of COVID-19 remain unclear.

Recent findings were published in Frontiers in Neurology.

Small changes in non-coding DNA can significantly influence gene expression and increase autism risk.

About 1% of people possess chromosomal aberrations, underscoring the need for precise genetic diagnostics.

Researchers analogize the challenge of genetic diagnosis to reconstructing a living animal from its model.

New genes linked to weight gain and loss have been discovered, offering hope for obesity treatments.

Genetics has a prominent role in body weight regulation.

Scientists identified 14 genes promoting weight gain and 3 aiding weight control.

Human evolution may eventually incorporate tools into our biology, leading to possible cyborg integration.

Some individuals use drugs to escape life's worries, despite the high risks involved, including the potential for fatal harm.

All drugs have side effects, which can range from minor headaches to dangerous symptoms requiring further medication.

People sometimes develop tolerance to these drugs, increasing their dose to keep feeling the effects.

For some, like one user who began taking them after feeling tired in the morning, use escalated until they felt constantly angry and disconnected.

Another individual named Kate realized her life was unraveling and decided to quit these drugs completely.

Withdrawal symptoms came as a surprise, since no one had warned about possible side effects.

Students like Phoebe and Jonny, who relied on nootropics to help with exams, soon experienced negative impacts such as severe stomach pain and dependency.

Phoebe began to feel lasting severe stomach pain, while Jimmy realized he was relying on the drug every morning without need.

A cultural pressure exists, according to Wu, across industries: people take drugs to become smarter and more productive, aiming to meet today's definitions of success.

Wanting to be one's best self appears desirable, but it can also lead to immense stress and competition.

The feeling that there are only a limited number of rewards leads people to take extreme measures to reach success.

Where students once took drugs to experience euphoria, now they use them to achieve better grades.

In Silicon Valley, some workers reportedly turn to LSD to cope with demands.

Research shows placental mammals begin development in similar ways, but science cannot yet create fully functional organs or animals solely from stem cells.

A study published in Nature demonstrated embryonic models can develop early nervous systems in a controlled environment, but complete organ development is still far from reality.

Research also indicates that early forms of liver disease can impact heart health, showing the need to consider organ interrelationships.

Scientists suggest features of gut bacteria, fungi, and viruses could one day form the basis for diagnosing conditions such as autism.

Genomic studies now allow targeted drug treatment earlier in the disease process, as illustrated by Dr. Cotter’s work to improve therapies and lessen harmful side effects.

Birth order may shape personality, with significant effects attributed to sibling position and age gaps, but personal factors still play a substantial role.

Birth order studies, such as a 2007 Norwegian one, find firstborn children often have slightly higher IQs than their younger siblings.

Experiments with mixing human and animal brain cells suggest changes at the cellular level, raising new scientific questions.

Research links high nighttime temperatures to greater risk of stroke, emphasizing the impact of environment on health.

Research shows that genetic inheritance plays a role in individual success and health, as talent and innate ability may be partially inherited from parents, not only wealth.

Genetic risk can be estimated by analyzing base pairs in DNA, which are often collected from saliva samples and preserved through freezing for research purposes.

It is important to be cautious of misinformation and pseudoscientific claims; many people overestimate their ability to recognize falsehoods, and new forms of misinformation may use scientific or financial jargon to appear credible.

To address misinformation, it is crucial to critically challenge questionable claims and understand the motivations and origins of fake information, especially in the context of science and health.

A surge has occurred in people's reliance on online sources like YouTube for health and nutrition information, making it easier for unsubstantiated health trends and supply issues (like calcium, iron, and cancer drug shortages) to gain attention.

Biohacking is the practice of reprogramming the mind and body to live better, and is believed by some to be the key to greater health and self-improvement.

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biohacking, reprogramming mind and body to live better

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It’s called “biohacking” and it comes from Silicon Valley. Listen: The long life diet: the longevity formula is calorie restriction …

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It’s called “biohacking” and comes from Silicon Valley.

A relatively new word that comes from the union of “biology” and “hacker” and indicates the attempt to positively influence the functioning of the organism, by hacking, ie trying to “force”, one’s genetic heritage. A strategy to live better and longer launched years ago by Californian top managers and which then spread throughout the world. How to upgrade the “operating system” of the human body? No manipulation, here we are talking about “reprogramming” and new lifestyles. “Our genetic heritage has enormous unexpressed potential that can be activated,” he explains Fabio Piccinidoctor and psychoanalyst, researcher of Food Sciences of theMarche Polytechnic University, author of the book “Biohacking Techniques: how to optimize metabolism to increase health and longevity”. “Biohacking aims to activate epigenetic modifications by awakening dormant genes to enhance the body’s resources.” While genetics studies the structure of DNA, epigenetics the way genes express themselves, i.e. how much they are turned on or off. “We’re talking about a set of strategies that aim to strengthen the body from a physical and mental point of view, first of all through nutrition, sleep quality, physical activity, cognitive stimulation”. One of the pillars of biohacking and the intermittent fasting, Piccini adds, which plans to concentrate the diet in a precise time span of the day (to be followed always under medical supervision). «But it is equally important to take care of sleep, we know very well that sleep debt accelerates aging and that 30-40 percent of people sleep too little. Just as it is essential to check thehydration. Physical training must also be intermittent, with recovery periods in place to allow the muscle layers to rebuild. And then, you have to keep learning something at any age, another pillar of biohacking: studying music or a new language, for example, to counteract cognitive degeneration”.

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THE QUALITY OF LIFE

Sandra Milo is one of the supporters of this well-being and longevity strategy. «I’m lucky, at 90 I’m in full health and I still have a great desire to enjoy life. I don’t know if it’s a matter of genetics, nor do I think there is a “magic formula” of longevity, but I have certainly always been careful to lead a healthy life. There is nothing more beautiful than reaching old age with a smile and in full autonomy », says the actress who baptized the first Biohacking Suite in Rome. “Our mission is not so much to lengthen life but to improve its quality by lowering the rate of morbidity,” explains Dr. Claudio Urbani, specialist in regenerative medicine, neuroscience and stress therapy, head of the longevity center Umb. «Biohacking aims to modify dormant functional responses from non-use, from muscular or cardiovascular function to flexibility. It is about regaining possession of the body and the mind-body axis, starting with stress management». Diagnosing your own state of “aging” involves a series of tests. «The measurement of oxidative stress which measures the quantity of free radicals and indicates any inflammatory states, plethysmography to evaluate the functionality of the microcirculation of the legs, impedancemetry to study body composition, fat and lean mass, nutritional status and hydration level. And only after the check is a tailor-made program created for each person. Among the suggested therapies, there is also that of the cold which stimulates the metabolism and reduces inflammation ».

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Originating from Silicon Valley, biohacking includes a range of activities and habits aimed at "self-optimization," health enhancement, and longevity, such as intermittent fasting, specialized diets (like gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, and the bulletproof diet), supplement regimens, intense exercise, and practices for reducing inflammation and optimizing gut health.

Women have increasingly entered the biohacking space, leading to its evolution toward being more intuitive and less rigid in its benchmarks.

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Biohacking & Toxic Masculinity: How Women Dismantled The Boys Club

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By Jamie Schneider
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Jamie Schneider is the Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.
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Dr. Bindiya Gandhi is an American Board Family Medicine–certified physician who completed her family medicine training at Georgia Regents University/Medical College of Georgia.
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Take a quick search for “biohacker” on TikTok (a tag with over 137 million views), and you’ll discover a slew of men discussing their muscle gains, testosterone levels, and cold plunge routines. You’ll see some women on the page, but the space is undoubtedly dominated by male energy. And think of the outspoken biohackers you may listen to on podcasts—chances are most of them are men, too.

This gendered approach to biohacking, while pervasive, is simply misguided. But now, women are asserting their authority in health optimization, and we expect their emphasis to soar in the year ahead.

Meet the experts

Molly Maloof. M.D.

Molly Maloof. M.D. provides health optimization and personalized medicine to high-achieving entrepreneurs, investors, and technology executives. Since 2012, she has worked as an advisor or consultant to more than 50 companies in the digital health, consumer health, and biotechnology industries. Her company, Adamo Bioscience, is working on sexual health optimization.

Gabrielle Lyon, D.O.

Gabrielle Lyon, D.O. is a board-certified family physician leading a disruption in modern medicine that focuses on the largest organ in the body: skeletal muscle. With a background that includes a combined research and clinical fellowship in geriatrics and nutritional sciences at Washington University and undergraduate training in nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois, she is a subject-matter expert on protein for health, performance, aging, and disease prevention.

Stacy Salvi

Stacy Salvi is the vice president of product and strategy at the medical device company Movano Health—the creator of the Evie Ring, the first medical-grade health wearable designed for women.

Mona Vand, PharmD

Mona Vand, PharmD studied pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences before developing her platform that shares holistic wellness advice.

Why biohacking isn’t just for “bros”

“Women are the original biohackers,” declares family physician, Molly Maloof, M.D. “Our hormones change throughout our lives, and this requires us to adapt accordingly.” Our biology means that women often need to constantly edit their health routines and experiment with lifestyle habits as time goes on. Isn’t that the very definition of biohacking?

Let's back up: Here at mindbodygreen, we think of “biohacking” as the practice of making lifestyle tweaks to optimize health and promote longevity. Not shortcuts—contrary to popular belief—but low-lift, everyday habits that complement and enhance an existing well-being routine. Think: optimizing your exercise regimen using tools and techniques (the “biohacks”) to enhance muscle growth. It’s essentially all about advancing health with “do it yourself” biology—a topic that can pique anyone’s interest, regardless of gender.

“[Women] have a most complex physiological lifecycle that requires us to track and manage fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sexuality, perimenopause, and menopause. So we should be looking at biohacking as a path to even greater health and owning the opportunity to improve our lives,” says Maloof.

Yet many women feel intimidated to enter the biohacking scene as it exists today, turned off by the male-dominated energy in the room.

Women are the original biohackers

Molly Maloof, M.D

“Biohacking has always grabbed my attention, and I want to learn, but it sometimes makes me really stressed out, because I go into this state of perfectionism where I have to do all the things,” says doctor of pharmacy and wellness practitioner Mona Vand, PharmD. “The few biohackers that I followed were all males… it just doesn't really resonate with my energy.”

This male energy is not only frustrating but can potentially harm women’s health in the long run. After all, building muscle, prioritizing protein, and keeping an eye on various health metrics are crucial for longevity—in some cases, these proactive measures can save lives. When women don’t get involved, it can totally impact their well-being.

“Physical strength is nonnegotiable,” says functional medicine doctor Gabrielle Lyon, D.O. “I've been a physician since 2006, and I've never heard someone say, ‘I regret being physically strong.’” And the muscle-building space impacts more than just physiological changes, she says. “You optimize fertility, you make healthier babies, you help the epigenetics of your child,” Lyon adds. “You age better, your skin is better, you're less likely to fall and break a hip… There's nothing that doesn't get better the stronger you are.”

So let’s be clear: Dismantling the biohacking boy’s club is not just about helping women feel included; there are real health implications at stake here.

Why the biohacker space actually really needs a dose of feminine energy

I’d be remiss not to mention how biohacking culture can easily become synonymous with hustle culture (some experts don’t even like to use the term, as it implies you can achieve optimal health with quick fixes). But as more women enter the biohacking space, we expect it to become more intuitive and less about hitting every single benchmark. From there, we predict women will focus more on sustainable changes long-term instead of a gazillion quick hacks.

“I used to think it was a flex to do a million things at the same time and habit stack,” Vand recounts. “I now carve out time for doing things that have no efficiency to them, that are strictly for joy or rest and relaxation, versus benefiting my longevity or health. It can be a little bit obsessive when you get into this thought pattern, and I just don't resonate with it.”

This doesn’t mean biohacking will become “softer” as it embraces feminine energy. But there’s an opportunity here for women to introduce some much-needed flexibility into a space that has long felt needlessly rigid.

How the biohacker game is changing — and where it’s headed next

Thanks to a growing awareness that healthcare protocols should not be gendered, more women are now starting to pay attention to markers of performance like lean muscle, hormetic stressors, VO2 max, HRV, zone 2 training, etc. “Cold plunging, saunas, and harder, more physical activities are not just for the boys anymore,” adds Lyon—and we expect an even bigger shift to come in 2024.

“I think it’s super exciting to see biohacking become more mainstream and more women joining the conversation,” adds Maloof. She praises apps like Wild.AI, for women who aim to make lifestyle adjustments based on their menstrual cycle, and Zero, for women who want to dabble in time-restricted eating, both of which have helped to herald the shift.

Other existing health optimization companies are now inviting women into the conversation by introducing specific features informed by their unique physiology. WHOOP, for example, is currently working on upgrades to their popular health-tracking band: “We did a study recently where we learned a lot about how a woman's body changes during pregnancy and how her heart rate variability (HRV) will evolve. It'll decrease, and then about seven weeks before she gives birth, it will increase sharply,” explains Will Ahmed, WHOOP founder and CEO, on the mindbodygreen podcast

If a woman didn’t know that this was supposed to happen, she might look at this stark increase with a critical (or anxious) eye. “We've been able to take population-level data on pregnant women and now have a feature in the app, where a woman can see how her body is evolving alongside what other pregnant women are experiencing,” he adds.

Similarly, creatine supplements—from the ingredients to the packaging—are no longer marketed toward dudes looking to bulk up, and we are certainly here for it. After all, muscle mass is a predictor of longevity and healthspan, so supplements that promote it can help all of us “hack” our health in a big way.

And as Lyon notes, women have lower endogenous creatine stores compared to men (meaning, they have less available). And the amino acid has been associated with significantly increased muscle mass1 in both men and women, without increasing the risk of adverse outcomes2, like weight gain. “Most of the women in my practice will go on creatine, and they find anecdotally that it really improves both anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance,” Lyon shares.

Not to mention the supplement’s brain health perks: Taking creatine has been shown to benefit both working memory and processing speed3 as well as cognitive longevity4. “It is above and beyond simply sport performance,” adds Lyon, who has certainly seen an uptick in women curious about creatine.

As women feel intimidated (or even restricted) by biohacking spaces, some experts have taken it upon themselves to create new ones that center the feminine. For example, neuropsychophysiologist Kayla Osterhoff, MPH, offers a Women's Biohacking Mini Course, consisting of lifestyle routines and tips aligned with female physiology.

Osterhoff also recently presented at the 2023 Dragonfly Live Conference—among other female biohackers—to discuss the latest advancements in women's well-being and the “health revolution” that’s sweeping the mainstream. This conference aims to gather the “who's-who” in the health space to discuss cutting-edge strategies and innovations that optimize well-being—by having women biohackers at the forefront of the conversation, we can expect them to hit the main stage in a broader sense.

Or take the brand new Evie Ring, the first medical-grade health wearable designed for women, created by medical device company Movano Health. The technology ties hormonal information to a woman’s sleep, activity, and heart health data (among other metrics).

For instance, “If we notice a more restless night of sleep in the luteal phase, we'll point it out and also give some strategies for how somebody may attack their day, despite having not gotten as good of a night of sleep,” says Stacy Salvi, vice president of product and strategy at Movano Health. Similarly, “We know that there are cardiovascular implications when your estrogen drops, so they would want to keep a better look on the function of their heart,” she adds. “This would be something that they would be able to do from our app.”

Even the design itself was made with women in mind: The ring features an open band meant to accommodate how women’s fingers change in size throughout the day, so it can stay comfortable.

To avoid needless stress, Evie also limits the amount of goals you can set on the app. “You can only set three at a time, because we do not want to overwhelm [users] with a bunch of different things,” says Salvi. “I mean, I'm an overachiever. I probably would set every single goal and then fail at them.” And heaven knows we don’t need yet another way for busy, overwhelmed women to feel like they’re failing in a society with unsurmountable standards.

Forecasting the future

A woman walks up to the weight rack in 2024. She sees the usual suspects—bros pounding protein shakes and grunting through their bicep curls—but now she also sees a fair amount of women on the scene. They’ve got creatine supplements! Fitness trackers! Kettlebells! (And no, they aren’t pink.)

Granted, we still have a ways to go before women feel totally embraced by the biohacking space (we’d first have to close the centuries-long gender gap in science and medicine), but it’s clear that the arena is becoming way less of a boy’s club. “And the world is ready, my friend,” says Lyon. “The world is absolutely ready for this.”

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There are concerns that biohacking can become obsessive, as some individuals become fixated on stacking multiple habits or attempting to control every aspect of their health.

Biohacking is not only about diet or exercise; it can also involve undertaking practices like yoga, Ayurveda, use of ice baths, and adopting mental wellness techniques.

Research shows that factors like inflammation, which is sometimes targeted by diet or lifestyle modifications, have been linked to the processes underlying aging and chronic disease.

Title:

Content: I’m 58 but have a biological age of 21 – this is how I did it

After eight rounds of failed fertility treatments and a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, Leslie Kenny changed her lifestyle with the aim of reducing inflammation – the results, she says, were dramatic

Leslie Kenny was 39 and had endured eight rounds of failed fertility treatments, including IVF using a donor egg, when her doctor delivered even more bad news: the pain she’d been feeling in her wrists and fingers was rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and her blood tests showed signs of the disabling autoimmune condition lupus.

“The doctor prescribed me immunosuppressants and said, ‘You have five good years left’,” Kenny says. “I don’t know what that meant but I took it as ‘that’s all you’ve got’ – that this was the end. I was crushed.”

Lupus is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues and causes inflammation that can cause permanent damage to the skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys and even the brain. There is no known cure, although it may relapse and remit. RA, another autoimmune condition, affects the joints leading to inflammation and thickening in the joints, which causes pain and reduced mobility. Again, there are treatments available, but it cannot be cured.

That bombshell diagnosis came in 2004. Today, Kenny is 58 and a slim, healthy woman with boundless energy. Her arthritis and lupus – a diagnosis she now questions – have gone into remission. But more than that, she appears to have beat the ageing process: recent blood tests show her biological age is just 21.

She took the “GlycanAge” blood test while attending a conference on longevity in the US. It is offered by a London-based bioinformatics company and measures levels of inflammation in your body. The results are based on determining the process of ageing as an accumulation of damage to your body over time by over-activation of the immune system, leading to inflammation of the tissues and cells. The result generates an estimated “biological age” depending on the average level of inflammation observed in the body at various points during a normal lifespan.

“Inflammation is the thing that I have been paying attention to for the last 19 years, so I suppose it’s not a surprise,” Kenny says.

Kenny is likely one of only a handful of people who could achieve such results. She is one of a breed of ‘biohacking’ devotees who swear by putting cutting-edge research into cell rejuvenation into practice in their own lives to keep their bodies and minds young, and to fight off the common causes of ageing, including inflammation, high blood sugar and cardiovascular degeneration.

The most well known of these biohackers is Bryan Johnson, the American multi-millionaire entrepreneur and venture capitalist. At 46, he spends $2m (£1.5m) a year on treatments and techniques – including restricting calories, taking large amounts of daily supplements, a strict sleep schedule that involves early nights and very early mornings, and blood transfusions – in an attempt to stop the ageing process.

He claims to have reversed his heart age by five years and has the lung capacity of an 18-year-old. Of his particular quest, Kenny reflects: “That very British saying ‘horses for courses’ comes to mind… but he is biohacking for immortality, whereas I prefer to think of myself as ‘bioharmonising’ for a healthy lifespan.”

Kenny is the co-founder of a not-for-profit group, the Oxford Longevity Project, whose aim is to get the latest groundbreaking ideas and research findings on anti-ageing and longevity to the widest possible audience – and she’s testing them out on her own body.

She set up the organisation with Oxford biologist Professor Denis Noble; Dr Paul Ch’en, a GP with a special interest in the ageing process; and academic and multiple marathon runner Sir Christopher Ball. Kenny brings lived experience as a patient who has seen her own health transformed by putting the latest academic findings into practice.

It was the shock of such a devastating diagnosis at such a young age that prompted Kenny to start doing her own research into autoimmune conditions and inflammation. It encouraged her to turn away from the pharmaceutical answers given by her doctors and find a new approach.

“I did try immunosuppressants and I really hated them. You had to jab yourself in the tummy. There are lots of bruises and it hurts. I just felt I shouldn’t be doing this,” she explains. “I have more of an Asian philosophical orientation, of the idea of bringing the body into balance rather than ‘let’s squash this symptom’. What I wanted to do was bring the body back into harmony.”

Back in 2004 the internet was still in its relative infancy, but patient groups had already started forming to share information on common health conditions. Kenny searched for anything she could find about the link between autoimmune disorders and inflammation in the body. She found there were common causes of inflammation including poor diet, lack of sleep, stress and undiagnosed allergies.

Kenny quit her job (she was, at the time, running a matchmaking agency) to reduce stress and improve sleep, and then overhauled her diet. Allergy testing found she was reacting to wheat and dairy, so she cut both out, and also reduced her sugar intake.

“At the time the idea that sugar was bad for you was kind of a new thing, but I removed sugar from my diet as much as I could and then took lots of foods that were anti-inflammatory,” she says. This involved a largely plant-based diet, also including oily fish such as salmon, lots of extra virgin olive oil and plant milks. She followed guidance from Dr Barry Sears, whose bestselling book The Zone Anti-Inflammatory Diet, had been recently released.

Then, after much discussion with autoimmune sufferers in the US, Kenny took a very radical – and expensive – step: online patient networks in the US were recommending intravenous immunoglobulin, a treatment that resets the immune system by replacing antibodies in your blood but was not recommended on the NHS. Kenny underwent two eight-hour blood transfusions at a hospital in Denver, Colorado in the United States, costing £24,000 and funded by health insurance provided by her then-husband’s employer. It is offered as a treatment for some conditions on the NHS, but not for lupus or RA.

Six months later her blood results had been reversed. The three readings her doctor was monitoring – C Reactive Protein, cytokines and TNFalpha, all of which measure inflammation and the function of the immune system – had reduced rapidly. Her doctor reported that her lupus appeared to be in full remission and she was free of disease and in control of her arthritis symptoms.

Kenny’s rapid success at improving her health kicked off a passion for self-management of illness and ageing that has defined her last two decades. “I really feel that patients need to have a chance of a fair fight,” she says, adding that not everyone can afford expensive blood infusions, but there are many things we can all do cheaply to improve our health.

Living in Oxford and surrounded by academics, Kenny began discussing her results with local friends and neighbours, including Lachlan MacKinnon, who was working on commercialising biotechnology for the Oxford Science Enterprise. He introduced her to Prof Katja Simon and Dr Ghada Alsaleh, who were both working at the Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology at Oxford University at the time, who had discovered something quite surprising – spermidine. “He [Lachlan] said, ‘It’s a terrible name, but it’s really interesting because it seems to be helping with the immune system’.”

In mice, spermidine – a polyamine found in high levels in plants such as mushrooms and fermented foods – was able to boost antibody levels in elderly subjects, keeping the immune system strong, and activate the process of autophagy: a natural cell rejuvenation process that usually happens during periods of fasting.

You may have heard the word recently due to Rishi Sunak’s commitment to a 48-hour fast every week. Consuming spermidine is believed to make the same cellular process happen, but without the inconvenience of starvation. Studies are ongoing but the first published papers also show the same effect in humans as mice.

Kenny has been taking a spermidine supplement ever since, and now promotes these findings alongside other new research through the Oxford Longevity Project.

Kenny also follows a ketogenic diet, very low in carbohydrate and higher in protein, which some academic research shows can help to preventing and treat diabetes, controlling blood sugar spikes and reducing inflammation.

Kenny’s daily routine also includes supplements of collagen, antioxidant-rich raw cacao, and glutathione, which helps repair tissues. She takes HRT to manage her body’s transition through the menopause and says the progesterone helps with restful sleep.

Two days a week she fasts for 16 hours, but she admits “I’m not slavish about it”. More important is the foods you do eat. “The Japanese drink and smoke like chimneys but they only lose four years of life to this, but in the UK we lose 10. It’s because they’re microdosing every day with green tea, they’re eating natto, which is full of spermidine; they’re eating fish full of Omega 3, and lots of fermented foods.”

Kenny walks her dog for at least 30 minutes a day and has an active life. She uses katsu bands, a product from Japan similar to a blood pressure cuff, which pulls the blood into one limb for 30 seconds then when it releases “the blood hits the pituitary gland and says ‘I’ve been lifting heavy weights’, and sends hormones to repair the body,” she explains.

She also uses an inversion chair – a small stool that makes doing a headstand easy for anyone, whatever their age – that trains the core and stimulates the vagus nerve, responsible for the regulation of organ functions such as digestion, heart rate and respiratory rate.

The efforts of figures like Kenny are being watched by experts. Vasa Curcin, professor of health informatics at King’s College London, says the “exciting work” going on among the global community of biohackers is “a huge opportunity to raise awareness and identify challenges for novel therapies and lifestyle tech interventions”.

But he adds: “We need to start considering pragmatic methods that would allow for these efforts to stop being just anecdotal evidence and start contributing to larger knowledge bases to support scientifically rigorous validation studies.”

So what is Kenny’s advice to the rest of us? “The most important thing is to get started and just do one thing. Whether that’s diet or putting a weight by the kettle and doing a bicep curl while you boil it. Just ask yourself to do it once a week, and the next week do it twice a week. Do it slowly and then it becomes a habit.”

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For example, individuals have used anti-inflammatory diets and exercise to achieve health improvements, with some reporting disease remission and better management of symptoms such as arthritis, although such outcomes are often anecdotal.

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The baffling case of metabolically healthy obese people: Are they protected from chronic diseases?

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THE CONVERSATION

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site.

——

Authors: Stan Kubow, Associate Professor, School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, McGill University and Michele Iskandar, Research Associate and Lecturer, School of Human Nutrition, McGill University

There is a growing global body positivity movement to combat the stigma and prejudice that overweight and obese individuals face. Some of this stigma arises from the perception that obese individuals are unhealthy.

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However, weight is only one of the metrics that medical professionals use to assess overall health. In fact, some studies have demonstrated that a significant number of obese people are metabolically healthy, leading to the contention that one could be healthy at any size. This phenomenon is referred to as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). Research is now starting to explore what this means.

A person who is MHO has healthy blood pressure, normal levels of blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and normal blood sugar. Having high values of one or more of these measures significantly increases one’s risk for cardiovascular disease.

It has been proposed that metabolically healthy obese individuals might be protected against obesity-related diseases. The extent of this protection has been controversial within the scientific community, and this is partly because we still don’t have a standardized definition of MHO.

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So, over the past few years, researchers have gone to work to find out who can be defined as MHO, and to what extent people with MHO are protected from chronic disease.

Emerging consensus

Several large population studies have been initiated towards this end. So far, results show that, indeed, more rigorous definitions of MHO are needed. This can be achieved by including other measures of health such as insulin resistance and blood markers of inflammation. Insulin resistance is when the body does not respond well to the insulin hormone that helps to take up sugar from the bloodstream for use as a fuel for energy. This leads to elevated blood sugar and the consequent health complications.

An emerging consensus has been that although MHO individuals show some protection from chronic disease, they still seem to be significantly less protected than those who are metabolically healthy and lean.

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The fact that people with MHO still have a relatively higher disease risk led some researchers to suggest that the term “metabolically healthy obesity” could be a misnomer. Moreover, a majority of the MHO population tends to progress towards “metabolically unhealthy obesity” or MUO over a number of years, leading to enhanced risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other disorders linked with obesity.

This leads to another question: is MHO truly protective over an entire lifetime, or is it just a question of time before MUO sets in, making MHO a transient state?

Protective factors

One factor to consider that might differentiate metabolically healthy versus unhealthy obesity is how fat is distributed in the body. A genetic predisposition for depositing fat under the skin, called subcutaneous fat, seems to play a protective role.

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People with this predisposition are mostly premenopausal women who accumulate subcutaneous body fat in the hips rather than the waist (pear-shaped). They are better protected against diabetes and cardiovascular disease compared to people whose body fat is located more in the abdomen (apple-shaped).

In contrast, obese individuals with a high waist circumference show excessive fat deposition in the abdomen and a pro-inflammatory state that leads to insulin resistance, which can be a precursor to Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers have also looked at the lifestyle habits that differentiate MHO from MUO individuals to see if development of metabolically unhealthy obesity can be prevented.

One factor is exercise. People with MHO are involved in regular physical activity to a greater extent than MUO individuals. The other is diet. Although dietary studies show mixed results, it seems that MHO people consume healthier diets such as the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fish, fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, legumes, extra virgin olive oil and nuts.

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Healthy diets provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits that help achieve a healthy metabolic profile. Indeed, of the MHO population, those who follow the Mediterranean diet seem to have lower mortality rates. Adopting these healthy lifestyle habits could help prevent the trajectory of metabolically healthy obesity moving towards metabolically unhealthy obesity over the course of a lifetime.

Is metabolically healthy obesity real?

So is MHO real and does it protect against disease? There isn’t a yes or no answer yet. The more we learn about it, the more nuance is injected into the concept that one can be perfectly healthy at any size. Based on the information we have so far, only a narrow segment of obese individuals are without risk of developing obesity-related chronic diseases.

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We also know a lot more about their characteristics. They have less abdominal fat and more subcutaneous fat. They have less insulin resistance, less inflammation and a metabolically healthy cardiovascular profile. They also have healthy lifestyle habits such as regular exercise and a healthy diet. It seems that genetics play a role as well.

We can expect more insight from major international population studies and clinical trials that are currently underway. But in the meantime, the age-old advice holds truer than ever: regular physical activity and a healthy diet are crucial to maintain health and longevity.

——

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

——

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/the-baffling-case-of-metabolically-healt https://theconversation.com/the-baffling-case-of-metabolically-

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Some biohackers follow the latest scientific advances, such as CRISPR gene editing, which allows for precise changes in DNA and has driven new research in disease understanding and potential treatments, though these technologies are largely experimental and not widely available for personal use.

Title:

Content: CRISPR, 10 years on: Learning to rewrite the code of life

In just a decade, CRISPR has become one of the most celebrated inventions in modern biology, swiftly changing how medical researchers study diseases: Cancer biologists are using the method to discover hidden vulnerabilities of tumor cells; doctors are using it to edit genes that cause hereditary diseases. But CRISPR's influence extends far beyond medicine

By Carl Zimmer
Published: Jun 28, 2022

Jennifer Doudna, who shared the 2020 Nobel Prize for chemistry for her work on CRISPR, at the University of California in Berkeley, Jan. 15, 2019. The gene-editing technology has led to innovations in medicine, evolution and agriculture — and raised profound ethical questions about altering human DNA. (Anastasiia Sapon/The New York Times)

Ten years ago this week, Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues published the results of a test-tube experiment on bacterial genes. When the study came out in the journal Science on June 28, 2012, it did not make headline news. In fact, over the next few weeks, it did not make any news at all.

Looking back, Doudna wondered if the oversight had something to do with the wonky title she and her colleagues had chosen for the study: “A Programmable Dual RNA-Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Immunity.”

“I suppose if I were writing the paper today, I would have chosen a different title,” Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley, said in an interview.

Far from an esoteric finding, the discovery pointed to a new method for editing DNA, one that might even make it possible to change human genes.

“I remember thinking very clearly, when we publish this paper, it’s like firing the starting gun at a race,” she said.

In just a decade, CRISPR has become one of the most celebrated inventions in modern biology. It is swiftly changing how medical researchers study diseases: Cancer biologists are using the method to discover hidden vulnerabilities of tumor cells. Doctors are using CRISPR to edit genes that cause hereditary diseases.

“The era of human gene editing isn’t coming,” said David Liu, a biologist at Harvard University. “It’s here.”

But CRISPR’s influence extends far beyond medicine. Evolutionary biologists are using the technology to study Neanderthal brains and to investigate how our ape ancestors lost their tails. Plant biologists have edited seeds to produce crops with new vitamins or with the ability to withstand diseases. Some of them may reach supermarket shelves in the next few years.

Also read: Inside the world of DNA decoding in India

CRISPR has had such a quick impact that Doudna and her collaborator, Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, won the 2020 Nobel Prize for chemistry. The award committee hailed their 2012 study as “an epoch-making experiment.”

Doudna recognized early on that CRISPR would pose a number of thorny ethical questions, and after a decade of its development, those questions are more urgent than ever.

Will the coming wave of CRISPR-altered crops feed the world and help poor farmers, or only enrich agribusiness giants that invest in the technology? Will CRISPR-based medicine improve health for vulnerable people across the world, or come with a million-dollar price tag?

The most profound ethical question about CRISPR is how future generations might use the technology to alter human embryos. This notion was simply a thought experiment until 2018, when He Jiankui, a biophysicist in China, edited a gene in human embryos to confer resistance to HIV. Three of the modified embryos were implanted in women in the Chinese city of Shenzen.

In 2019, a court sentenced He to prison for “illegal medical practices.” MIT Technology Review reported in April that he had recently been released. Little is known about the health of the three children, who are now toddlers.

Scientists don’t know of anyone else who has followed He’s example — yet. But as CRISPR continues to improve, editing human embryos may eventually become a safe and effective treatment for a variety of diseases.

Will it then become acceptable, or even routine, to repair disease-causing genes in an embryo in the lab? What if parents wanted to insert traits that they found more desirable — such as those related to height, eye color or intelligence?

Françoise Baylis, a bioethicist at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, worries that the public is still not ready to grapple with such questions.

“I’m skeptical about the depth of understanding about what’s at issue there,” she said. “There’s a difference between making people better and making better people.”

Also read: Pfizer offers to sell medicines at cost to poorest countries

Making the cut

Doudna and Charpentier did not invent their gene-editing method from scratch. They borrowed their molecular tools from bacteria.

In the 1980s, microbiologists discovered puzzling stretches of DNA in bacteria, later called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR. Further research revealed that bacteria used these CRISPR sequences as weapons against invading viruses.

The bacteria turned these sequences into genetic material, called RNA, that could stick precisely to a short stretch of an invading virus’s genes. These RNA molecules carry proteins with them that act like molecular scissors, slicing the viral genes and halting the infection.

As Doudna and Charpentier investigated CRISPR, they realized that the system might allow them to cut a sequence of DNA of their own choosing. All they needed to do was make a matching piece of RNA.

To test this revolutionary idea, they created a batch of identical pieces of DNA. They then crafted another batch of RNA molecules, programming all of them to home in on the same spot on the DNA. Finally, they mixed the DNA, the RNA and molecular scissors together in test tubes. They discovered that many of the DNA molecules had been cut at precisely the right spot.

For months, Doudna oversaw a series of round-the-clock experiments to see if CRISPR might work not only in a test tube but in living cells. She pushed her team hard, suspecting that many other scientists were also on the chase. That hunch soon proved correct.

In January 2013, five teams of scientists published studies in which they successfully used CRISPR in living animal or human cells. Doudna did not win that race; the first two published papers came from two labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts — one at the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, and the other at Harvard.

Also read: Can these startups fix rural healthcare in India?

‘Did you CRISPR that?’

Lukas Dow, a cancer biologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, vividly remembers learning about CRISPR’s potential. “Reading the papers, it looked amazing,” he recalled.

Dow and his colleagues soon found that the method reliably snipped out pieces of DNA in human cancer cells.

“It became a verb to drop,” Dow said. “A lot of people would say, ‘Did you CRISPR that?’”

Cancer biologists began systematically altering every gene in cancer cells to see which ones mattered to the disease. Researchers at KSQ Therapeutics, also in Cambridge, used CRISPR to discover a gene that is essential for the growth of certain tumors, for example, and last year, they began a clinical trial of a drug that blocks the gene.

Caribou Biosciences, co-founded by Doudna, and CRISPR Therapeutics, co-founded by Charpentier, are both running clinical trials for CRISPR treatments that fight cancer in another way: by editing immune cells to more aggressively attack tumors.

Those companies and several others are also using CRISPR to try to reverse hereditary diseases.

Other companies are injecting CRISPR molecules directly into the body. Intellia Therapeutics, based in Cambridge and also co-founded by Doudna, has teamed up with Regeneron, based in Westchester County, New York, to begin a clinical trial to treat transthyretin amyloidosis, a rare disease in which a damaged liver protein becomes lethal as it builds up in the blood.

Doctors injected CRISPR molecules into the volunteers’ livers to shut down the defective gene. Speaking at a scientific conference last Friday, Intellia researchers reported that a single dose of the treatment produced a significant drop in the protein level in volunteers’ blood for as long as a year thus far.

The same technology that allows medical researchers to tinker with human cells is letting agricultural scientists alter crop genes. When the first wave of CRISPR studies came out, Catherine Feuillet, an expert on wheat, who was then at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, immediately saw its potential for her own work.

“I said, ‘Oh, my God, we have a tool,’” she said. “We can put breeding on steroids.”

A photo provided by Rice University shows Gang Bao, a biochemical engineer who is working on a treatment for sickle cell disease using CRISPR. Ten years after CRISPR’s introduction to the world, the gene editing technique continues to create new avenues for exploration, reinvigorate old studies and spur complicated ethical discussions. (Rice University via The New York Times)

Prime CRISPR

The original CRISPR system, known as CRISPR-Cas9, leaves plenty of room for improvement. The molecules are good at snipping out DNA, but they’re not as good at inserting new pieces in their place. Sometimes CRISPR-Cas9 misses its target, cutting DNA in the wrong place. And even when the molecules do their jobs correctly, cells can make mistakes as they repair the loose ends of DNA left behind.

A number of scientists have invented new versions of CRISPR that overcome some of these shortcomings. At Harvard, for example, Liu and his colleagues have used CRISPR to make a nick in one of DNA’s two strands, rather than breaking them entirely. This process, known as base editing, lets them precisely change a single genetic letter of DNA with much less risk of genetic damage.

Liu has co-founded a company called Beam Therapeutics to create base-editing drugs. Later this year, the company will test its first drug on people with sickle cell anemia.

Liu and his colleagues have also attached CRISPR molecules to a protein that viruses use to insert their genes into their host’s DNA. This new method, called prime editing, could enable CRISPR to alter longer stretches of genetic material.

“Prime editors are kind of like DNA word processors,” Liu said. “They actually perform a search and replace function on DNA.”

Rodolphe Barrangou, a CRISPR expert at North Carolina State University and a founder of Intellia Therapeutics, predicted that prime editing would eventually become a part of the standard CRISPR toolbox. But for now, he said, the technique was still too complex to become widely used. “It’s not quite ready for prime time, pun intended,” he said.

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Biohacking can also mean the use of personalized medical screenings, genetic tests, and adopting technologies for tracking health metrics.

The role of genetics, environment, and lifestyle habits in determining health outcomes is under scientific investigation, as illustrated by studies into "metabolically healthy obese" individuals, showing that not all health can be explained by diet and exercise alone.

Mental health practices, social signal processing, and stress reduction are also part of some biohacking routines, with neuroscience research showing how chemicals and brain regions influence social interactions and well-being.

While some elements of biohacking are backed by established science—like the benefits of regular exercise and certain diets—other aspects lack robust clinical evidence, and some practices may even be risky or cause harm if not medically supervised.

As the field matures, advocates acknowledge the importance of balance, self-awareness, and scientific validation to ensure that biohacking methods are safe and truly effective.

Early detection in oncology is vital, with new methods now able to identify disease using just a drop of blood.

Title:

Content: Breathing and a drop of blood.
New method determines cancer in minutes - RIA Novosti, 04.10.2023
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Breathing and a drop of blood.
New method detects cancer in minutes
Russian scientists have developed a new method of rapid diagnosis of cancer
© iStock.com / urbazonGirl undergoing lung function testing in a medical clinic
Read ria.ru in
MOSCOW, 4 Oct — RIA Novosti, Vladislav Strekopytov.
Scientists from Tomsk State University (TSU) have developed a painless rapid diagnosis of health status by a drop of blood or exhaled air.
In just a few minutes, you can identify markers of dangerous diseases, including nascent cancer.
Human Molecular Profile
Doctors say that proper and timely diagnosis is the key to successful treatment.
It is especially important to quickly and accurately diagnose such critical conditions as a heart attack or stroke, when the bill literally goes on for minutes.
And in the case of oncology, the main task is not to miss the disease at an early stage.
The idea that the composition of blood, urine and saliva reflects the state of human health has existed since ancient times.
However, only the technological progress of recent decades has made it possible to quantify the metabolic products contained in biological fluids - metabolites.
There was a separate scientific direction - metabolomics, in which scientists study the molecular signs of various processes in the body, including pathological ones.
Based on mathematical modeling, scientists from the Laboratory of Laser Molecular Imaging and Machine Learning at TSU calculated multicomponent molecular profiles characteristic of certain diseases.
Then, mixtures of marker molecules were produced from known compounds in a certain concentration for each of the profiles, the neural network was trained on their example and the results were tested on real samples of biological fluids and tissues taken from patients.
“Our diagnostic method is based on the component analysis of tissues, biological fluids or exhaled air on biomarker molecules, ” says Denis Vrazhnov, a project participant in the laboratory.“ For this, we use modern devices — a Raman microscope, a terahertz spectrometer, gas analyzers. ”
© RIA Novosti / Vladislav StrekopytoJunior Researcher, Laboratory of Laser Molecular Imaging and Machine Learning, TSU Denis Vrazhnov
Denis Vrazhnov, Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Laser Molecular Imaging and Machine Learning, TSU
Diagnosis by molecular profiles is much more accurate than by individual marker molecules, and the use of artificial intelligence in interpreting data minimizes the risk of errors.
In the future, the entire procedure of analyzes can be performed completely automatically, according to the authors of the new method.
How it works, journalists were shown during an excursion to the laboratory, organized within the framework of the initiative "Popular Science Tourism" of the Decade of Science and Technology, which provides for visits to the objects of the national project "Science and Universities".
Find cancer by blood drop
Directly tracking metabolic changes in the human body is very difficult.
Some – for example, the breakdown of hormones – occur very quickly, others are realized at the intracellular level and are not available for direct observation.
Therefore, most methods of functional diagnostics are based on indirect data.
So, in ultrasound studies (ultrasound), the doctor analyzes the picture created by sound waves when passing through tissues and organs.
A radiograph is a projection of X-rays reflecting the internal anatomical structure.
By the spectral characteristics of light, one can judge the molecular composition of tissues or liquids.
© RIA Novosti / Vladislav StrekopytovEmployees of the Laboratory of Laser Molecular Imaging and Machine Learning at TSU work on a Raman microscope
Employees of the Laboratory of Laser Molecular Imaging and Machine Learning at TSU are working on a Raman microscope
“Looking at the spectral profile, we can say what reactions occur in the body, how it reacts to external stimuli, viruses, bacteria, ” explains the scientist.
In experiments conducted on one of the most sensitive devices, the confocal Raman spectrometer, the researchers found that the shape of the profile can be tracked, and at a very early stage, the development of cancer: skin cancer (melanoma) and glioma - one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
The results were confirmed by another instrument, the terahertz spectrometer.
CC BY 4.0 / Michael B. Fenn {et al.}, 2011 / Schematic diagram of the Raman spectrometer
Glioma is most often detected in the later stages, when the patient develops symptoms such as severe headaches and nausea.
The diagnosis is confirmed by an MRI of the head.
Now the disease can be detected by a drop of blood.
The proposed method has passed the stage of pilot testing on animals, and now experts are moving to research on human biomaterials.
"We studied how the molecular composition of brain tissue changes in mice that were planted with cancer cells, as a result of which they developed glioma, - says Vrazhnov. - It turned out that a healthy brain has one profile, and a patient has a completely different one.
What's more, we found that it's different for tumor and inflammation. "
This solves another diagnostic problem.
It is known that the development of a tumor is often, but not always, preceded by inflammation.
Analysis of molecular profiles makes it possible to isolate metabolites of pre-oncological inflammation in a blood serum sample with high reliability and to notice the beginning of brain tumor development much earlier than it is done now.
The authors are confident that it will be possible to detect not only glioma, but also other types of tumors.
All data on blood changes in various oncological diseases are now included in the electronic database, which will be accessed by artificial intelligence in the process of analysis.
Diagnosis of Breathing
Researchers from TSU have learned to obtain a molecular profile not only by blood, but also by the composition of the air exhaled by a person.
To do this, they improved with the help of machine learning methods of chemical analysis on another device - a gas analyzer.
“Changes in metabolism are reflected in the composition of the blood that washes the lungs, – explains the scientist. – Due to gas exchange, marker molecules that accompany some pathological process enter the exhaled air, and we catch them with the help of a gas analyzer. ”
© RIA Novosti / Vladislav StrekopytovDobrovolets takes a sample of air for diagnosis
The volunteer takes a sample of air for diagnosis
At the same time, the diagnostic is important not so much the set of analyzed compounds (as a rule, it is standard: nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia and some other volatile hydrocarbons), as the ratio of their concentrations.
For example, increased ammonia content is a good marker of diabetes.
With the help of molecular profiles, covid, tuberculosis, heart disease can be recognized.
"All these diseases change the composition of the exhaled air, - the researcher notes. - Our device works in a very wide range and can" catch "a large number of marker molecules."
© RIA Novosti / Vladislav StrekopytovOn the profile of a healthy person should be four peaks, if less - this is an alarming sign
There should be four peaks on the profile of a healthy person, if less is an alarming sign
The method has already been tested in clinical conditions on patients with tuberculosis.
Good results were also shown in trials in groups of volunteers with primary myocardial infarction.
Molecular psychosomatics
Recently, laboratory scientists have tried to diagnose mental illness with the help of a gas analyzer.
To do this, we collected exhaled air samples from patients with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, compared the results with a control group and identified chemical features characteristic of each of the diagnoses.
“When we conducted the studies, we were asked to check whether the markers of depression in the exhaled air were preserved in those who have already undergone treatment, ” says Vrazhnov.
But in some patients in the group that was already preparing for discharge, the spectral characteristics did not change.
This suggests that the treatment was insufficient and the disease may return quickly. "
© RIA Novosti / Vladislav StrekopytoGas analyzer in the laboratory of laser molecular imaging and machine learning TSU
Gas analyzer in the laboratory of laser molecular imaging and machine learning TSU
The proposed method, according to its authors, can become the first objective tool for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment in psychiatry, where traditionally used to rely only on the subjective opinion of the observing physician.
The most unusual experiment the laboratory staff conducted in one of the cinemas of the city.
Assuming that the set of chemicals produced by the body depends, among other things, on the general psychological state of the person, they collected air samples in the cinema hall during the demonstration of the action film, analyzed them and obtained a profile of "collective stress", which became more pronounced as the plot developed and tensions increased.
The researchers hope that the rapid diagnosis of molecular profiles will receive wide practical application.
In addition to medicine, it will be able to be used in forensics, inspection and control systems, as well as in other areas.
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A proposed diagnostic approach has completed animal testing and is advancing to analysis using human samples.

Researchers observed how molecular compositions in mice brains changed after glioma-causing cancer cells were introduced.

Tumor development is frequently, but not always, preceded by inflammation.

Scientists believe their method may enable detection of glioma as well as other tumor types.

Gas analyzers can identify marker molecules associated with pathological processes in exhaled air samples from volunteers.

The diagnostic device covers a wide range and can detect many different marker molecules.

A healthy individual's gas profile should have four peaks; deviations may indicate a health issue.

Research in laboratories such as TSU employs gas analyzers and machine learning in laser molecular imaging.

The EU is increasing support for patients with rare and poorly understood diseases.

Title:

Content: The EU will improve the treatment of rare diseases, supporting pharmaceutical companies and scientists
In collaboration with the European Commission
Copyright euronews
Euronews
The EU will lend a helping hand to millions of patients with rare and poorly understood diagnoses.
Brussels promises to support pharmaceutical manufacturers who work in the interests of this group of patients.
Help is waiting for little Victor, the hero of our report.
Three years of diagnosis
Victor lives near Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
Shortly after his birth eight years ago, his parents realized that his son ’ s development was in jeopardy.
His mother, Juliana, recalls: “We went to a neurologist every month.
And then every two months to genetics.
It was obvious to us that something was wrong with the development. ”
It took the family 3 years and tests in 6 countries to make a diagnosis.
Victor suffers from Coffin-Lowry syndrome, it is caused by a small mutation in one of the genes.
"The mutation causes a great delay in psychomotor development, - says Juliana. - He is 8 years old, but mentally and physically he is developed by 2-3 years.
The delay will continue throughout life. ”
The woman became a co-founder of the association of patients with Coffin-Lowry syndrome.
Swimming, physiotherapy, working with a speech therapist help improve the quality of life of her boy.
But how to cure it, science does not yet know.
After consulting with doctors from different countries, Iuliana realized that “the child needs a drug that will help the neurons to better interact with each other. ”
She summarizes: "There has been no research in this regard."
Fold the puzzle of disease
Victor's case is not unique.
The European Union has approved treatment for about 300 of the more than 6,000 rare diseases identified, or just 5%.
One of the addresses where Victor's family received help is the Center for Medical Genetics in Craiova.
Each year, the local specialists treat about a thousand people suffering from rare diseases.
Diagnosis and selection of therapy is fraught with difficulties.
Iona Streta, a geneticist, explains: “Sometimes rare diseases are like a puzzle consisting of 20 pieces.
Then you go to a neurologist, then a pediatrician, a cardiologist and a lab, do a general blood test, a genetic test, to get the big picture.
But some diseases are puzzles of more than 2 thousand pieces, very small.
It takes a lot of time to assemble them.
But people need quick answers to their needs and questions. ”
Aware of the need for new, more advanced and at the same time cheaper drugs, the European Commission seeks to stimulate developers by giving them the right to increased scientific and administrative support.
The Commission also proposed granting companies additional periods of market exclusivity, during which their products are protected from competition.
Eurordis is a non-profit alliance working for the benefit of 30 million Europeans suffering from rare diseases.
Its director, Jan Le Cam, talks about the specifics of helping such patients: "Treatment means eliminating only some of the symptoms, sometimes delaying the onset of the disease, slowing its progression or even stopping the development of the disease.
This is usually a long-term therapy that rarely leads to a full recovery.
So the needs in this area are huge, and the most important thing here is science.
Now we are experiencing an exceptional moment, we are witnessing the emergence of new therapies, including gene and cell therapy, but not only this: pharmacology is developing, including through the reuse of old molecules.
It ’ s just a fountain of opportunity. ”
Joint work of countries and doctors
According to experts, the European Union has every opportunity to maximize this potential.
Dr. Streta relies on information exchange and joint research.
“Imagine that I have three such patients here, perhaps three more will be found in France, the same number in Finland.
Let ’ s look at these people ’ s genetic profiles, their analyses, to see if we can find some biomarkers, potential therapeutic targets, and then maybe run trials and find the right treatment. ”
The family of Victor also has hopes for science.
“In the last two years, treatments based on gene editing have appeared, ” the boy ’ s mother says.“ We are also betting on neurological treatment to improve the connections between neurons.
So the son will learn faster, his speech will improve.
I think the more we talk about rare diseases, the more research is funded, the closer we are to giving patients a better life. "
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A groundbreaking cancer therapy using gene editing enabled remission in a terminally ill child with leukemia.

Title:

Content: A new method of cancer therapy has allowed to cure leukemia terminally ill child
Subscribe to our newsletter “Context ”: it will help you understand the events.
A British teenage girl managed to cure leukemia by applying a new type of therapy - the so-called base editing.
All other methods of treatment of 13-year-old Alyssa were unsuccessful, so the doctors of the world-famous London children's hospital Great Ormond Street, in fact, created a new medicine for her.
Six months later, no cancer cells were found in her body, although Alyssa is still under medical supervision.
Last May, Alyssa was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Under normal conditions, T cells are the body's defenders, but in Alyssa, their activities have become out of control and have become dangerous.
Alyssa had an aggressive type of cancer.
Neither chemotherapy nor bone marrow transplantation helped.
“After all, I would have died, ” Alyssa says.
Her mother, Kiona, says that last year she waited with horror for Christmas, thinking that they were meeting him together for the last time, and just cried on her daughter ’ s birthday in January.
What happened a few years ago was unimaginable.
Great Ormond Street ’ s team used gene editing technology that emerged just six years ago.
Editing the grounds
Nitrogenous bases are organic compounds that make up nucleic acids.
The four base types — adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) — are the building blocks of our genetic code.
Like the letters of the alphabet, the billions of bases in our DNA make up the instructions for the human body.
Base editing allows scientists to select a specific part of the genetic code and then change the molecular structure of just one base, transforming it into another and changing the genetic instructions.
A team of doctors and scientists used this tool to create a new type of T cells capable of tracking and killing cancer T cells in Alyssa's body.
Healthy donor T cells were used for this purpose.
The first modification turned off Alyssa ’ s T-cell targeting mechanism so that they would attack her body
The second amendment removed the CD7 leukocyte antigen, which is present in all T cells.
• The third edition prevented the death of cells from chemotherapy, making them “invisible ” to the drug.
In the final stage of genetic modification, T cells were instructed to hunt for all cells in which the CD7 protein was present in order to destroy all T cells in her body, including cancer cells.
Alyssa's immune system, including T cells, was supposed to be restored with a second bone marrow transplant.
Alyssa remained vulnerable to infections, as both cancer T cells in her body and those that protected her from disease.A month later, Alyssa went into remission, and she underwent a second bone marrow transplant to restore her immune system.Alyssa spent 16 weeks in the hospital and was at this time maximally protected from possible infections.
After the examination, three months later, the doctors were alarmed, as the girl again found signs of cancer.
But two subsequent examinations showed a complete absence of cancer cells.
Huge potential
"Alyssa is the first patient to be treated with this technology," says Professor Wasim Qasim of the University of California and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
According to him, such genetic manipulation is a very rapidly developing field of science with huge potential for the treatment of a number of diseases.
However, the technology used to treat Alyssa is only a small fraction of what can be achieved using base editing.
Dr. David Liu of the Broad Institute, one of the inventors of the method, finds it surprising and unusual that the new method began to be used to treat people just six years after its development.
In the therapy developed for Alyssa, each base editing involved breaking down a section of the genetic code so that it no longer worked.
But the technology can be applied more subtly and selectively - for example, instead of turning off a defective instruction, you can adjust it.
Sickle cell anemia, for example, is caused by a change in just one base that can be corrected.
Scientists are already testing base editing in sickle cell anemia, as well as hereditary elevated cholesterol and beta-thalassemia (blood disease).

Great Ormond Street Hospital used newly developed DNA editing technology for this treatment.

DNA's billions of bases encode the human body's instructions.

T cells from a healthy donor were engineered to prevent attacks on the patient's own body.

Despite initial remission, signs of cancer reappeared after three months.

Gene base editing holds potential for treating other genetic conditions; for example, correcting a single-base mutation in sickle cell anemia.

Research has found so-called "depression genes" across species.

Title:

Content: .
Interspecific "genes of depression"
Interspecific "genes of depression"
Scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Almazov National Medical Research Center, Sirius University, the Institute of Translational Biomedicine of St. Petersburg State University, Granov Russian Research Center for Radiology and Surgical Technologies, the Institute of Neurology and Medicine (Novosibirsk) and the Ural Federal University conducted an interspecific analysis of brain gene expression in zebrafish, rats and humans to identify new common molecular targets. and for the treatment of central nervous system disorders caused by chronic stress.
The study identified several key brain proteins that may play an important role in the pathogenesis of affective disorders.
The work is reported by the press service of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Affective disorders, also known as emotional disorders, are a set of mental disorders with a change in emotional state.
These are various forms of depression and mania, psychosis, increased anxiety.
They are widespread, as they are formed not only as an independent mental pathology, but also as complications in neurological and other somatic diseases.
This fact causes difficulties in diagnosis: low mood, anxiety and irritability people refer to temporary, situational manifestations.
According to statistics, emotional disorders of varying severity occur in 20% of people, but only a quarter of them receive qualified help.
Despite the high prevalence of such diseases, many pathological mechanisms are still not clear.
Animal models such as rats and zebrafish are often used to investigate affective disorders.
However, not all the data obtained in animal models can then be applied to humans.
This leads scientists to look for new techniques that would help identify evolutionarily stable molecular mechanisms for the development of affective disorders.
The team, led by Alan Kaluev, chief scientist at the MIPT Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Neurobiological Problems and Bioscreening, conducted the study, which used both traditional methods, such as comparing “healthy ” humans and animals with those who have symptoms of the disease, and more complex approaches: cross-species analysis by comparing orthologists —“ similar ” genes of different organisms that perform a similar function and are descended from a single DNA sequence.
The analysis used sequencing data of RNA — ribonucleic acid, which is an intermediate biomolecule for the transfer of information from the “source ”, DNA, to proteins that perform a certain function.
Genome-wide DNA sequencing gives an overall picture of the diversity of genes in the body, but it cannot answer the question of which are active in different cells and tissues at a certain point in time.
For this reason, RNA sequencing is used to analyze gene expression, through which a direct link can be established between gene activity and certain physiological conditions.
Scientists have managed to fix some common mechanisms of response to stress, including changes in the activity of genes responsible for calcium signaling, cell adhesion molecules and oxidative phosphorylation.
Elena Petersen, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biological and Neurobiological Problems and Bioscreening at MIPT, says: “We were able to identify several key brain proteins (GRIA1, DLG1, CDH1, THRB, PLCG2, NGEF, IKZF1 and FEZF2) as promising targets for drug exposure, as well as offer a new set of genes that can be used for further study of affective pathogenesis."
Scientists have identified common genes that are involved in pathogenesis in all three species and, therefore, are evolutionarily stable biomarkers of affective pathology.
The data were re-checked using several different techniques.
In the future, the results of the study can be used in the diagnosis and therapy of affective disorders.
The work was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Source: polit.ru

Data from animal models do not always translate to human biology.

Findings could inform diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders in the future.

What are the health benefits of the practice of bathing in cold water?

Scientists have rejuvenated human skin cells by 30 years through cellular reprogramming.

Title:

Content: Researchers at the British Babraham Institute managed to reprogram human skin cells and make them 30 years younger.
A new technique for rejuvenating skin cells allowed researchers to rewind their biological clock, making a “leap in time ”, while the cells did not lose their functions, according to Bloomberg.
In the study, scientists describe the possibility of partially restoring the function of old cells, as well as updating their biological age.
In experiments modeling the skin wound, the partially renewed cells showed signs of behavior more similar to the behavior of young cells.
Experts suggest that the results of the study may change regenerative medicine, especially if this process can be replicated in other types of cells.
Professor Wolf Reik, head of the epigenetics research program, said the work has very exciting implications.
"We will be able to identify genes that rejuvenate without reprogramming, and specifically target cells to reduce the effects of aging," he explained.
Dr. Diljit Gill, a research fellow at Professor Rake's lab at the Bebraham Institute, said:
"Our results are a big step forward in understanding cell reprogramming.
We have shown that cells can be rejuvenated without losing their function. "
It is noted that as a person ages, the ability of cells to function normally decreases, and the genome - the DNA circuit - accumulates signs of aging.
Regenerative biology aims to repair or replace cells, including old ones.
One of its most important tools is the ability to create “induced ” stem cells.
However, this process erases the functions of cells and gives them the ability to become cells of any type.
The new method, based on a technique that was a Nobel laureate and which scientists use to create stem cells, overcomes the problem of completely erasing the identity of the cell, stopping the reprogramming of part of the process.
This allowed the researchers to find the exact balance between reprogramming cells, making them biologically younger, but in doing so they could regain their specialized cellular function.
Scientists noted that the potential application of this technique depends on the fact that the cells not only look younger, but also function as young cells.
Experts suggest that in the future, the study may open up other therapeutic options.
They noticed that their method also affected other genes associated with age-related diseases and symptoms, such as the APBA2 gene associated with Alzheimer's disease and the MAF gene, which contributes to the development of cataracts.
You may also be interested in news:

Induced stem cell technology is central to this rejuvenation.

Title:

Content: Researchers at the British Babraham Institute managed to reprogram human skin cells and make them 30 years younger.
A new technique for rejuvenating skin cells allowed researchers to rewind their biological clock, making a “leap in time ”, while the cells did not lose their functions, according to Bloomberg.
In the study, scientists describe the possibility of partially restoring the function of old cells, as well as updating their biological age.
In experiments modeling the skin wound, the partially renewed cells showed signs of behavior more similar to the behavior of young cells.
Experts suggest that the results of the study may change regenerative medicine, especially if this process can be replicated in other types of cells.
Professor Wolf Reik, head of the epigenetics research program, said the work has very exciting implications.
"We will be able to identify genes that rejuvenate without reprogramming, and specifically target cells to reduce the effects of aging," he explained.
Dr. Diljit Gill, a research fellow at Professor Rake's lab at the Bebraham Institute, said:
"Our results are a big step forward in understanding cell reprogramming.
We have shown that cells can be rejuvenated without losing their function. "
It is noted that as a person ages, the ability of cells to function normally decreases, and the genome - the DNA circuit - accumulates signs of aging.
Regenerative biology aims to repair or replace cells, including old ones.
One of its most important tools is the ability to create “induced ” stem cells.
However, this process erases the functions of cells and gives them the ability to become cells of any type.
The new method, based on a technique that was a Nobel laureate and which scientists use to create stem cells, overcomes the problem of completely erasing the identity of the cell, stopping the reprogramming of part of the process.
This allowed the researchers to find the exact balance between reprogramming cells, making them biologically younger, but in doing so they could regain their specialized cellular function.
Scientists noted that the potential application of this technique depends on the fact that the cells not only look younger, but also function as young cells.
Experts suggest that in the future, the study may open up other therapeutic options.
They noticed that their method also affected other genes associated with age-related diseases and symptoms, such as the APBA2 gene associated with Alzheimer's disease and the MAF gene, which contributes to the development of cataracts.
You may also be interested in news:

Analysis of extensive medical data from 2020-2021 shows that COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Title:

Content: After reviewing millions of medical data for 2020 and 2021, researchers found that COVID-19 patients had higher rates of development of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer ’ s disease, Parkinson ’ s disease, brain hemorrhages and stroke.
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A new study presented recently at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Vienna indicates an increased risk of several neurological diseases in patients after suffering COVID-19.
According to the results of the study, the risk of developing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and various strokes significantly increased among people who had COVID, compared with those who were not infected.
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After reviewing millions of medical data for 2020 and 2021, the researchers found that patients who had undergone COVID-19 had higher rates of development of various neurodegenerative diseases.
“More than two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exact nature and evolution of COVID-19 ’ s impact on neurological diseases remained unexplored, ” said Pardis Zarifkar of the University Hospital of Copenhagen.
"Previous studies have established a link with neurological syndromes, but until now it was not known how much COVID-19 affects the incidence of specific neurological diseases and whether it differs from other respiratory infections."
In the course of the work, the scientists analyzed electronic medical records of almost half of the total population of Denmark for 2020 and 2021.
During the entire study period, individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 were 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer ’ s disease; 2.6 times more likely to have Parkinson ’ s disease; 4.8 times more likely to have cerebral hemorrhage; and 2.7 times more likely to have ischemic stroke.
Zarifkar notes that the increased risk of developing these neurological diseases after COVID-19 coincides with those cases previously reported after influenza or bacterial pneumonia.
However, due to the high prevalence of COVID-19 infections, it is likely that the baseline rates of these neurodegenerative diseases will increase globally in the coming years.
"We found evidence of an increased risk of neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular disease among COVID-19 positive patients compared to individuals without COVID, which should be confirmed or disproved by large statistical studies in the very near future," Zarifkar added.
"It is encouraging that, with the exception of ischemic stroke, most neurological disorders do not occur more frequently after COVID-19 than after influenza or bacterial pneumonia."
For decades, scientists have observed a relationship between certain viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases.
Perhaps the most famous of these was the increase in the incidence of Parkinson ’ s disease following the Spanish flu pandemic in the early 20th century.
Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, experts have warned of potential spikes in diseases such as Pankinson ’ s disease, and now the findings suggest that these predictions may come true.
Scientists have previously tried to figure out which mechanisms may contribute to an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases after COVID-19.
For many years, the most well-known theory explaining the link between viral infections and neurodegeneration has been the hypothesis that inflammation caused by a virus can either provoke or accelerate the development of neurological diseases.
A review paper published in 2012 suggested that repeated viral infections could increase the risk of neurological disease by activating a "cascade of relevant events" similar to those seen in the earliest stages of neurodegeneration.
"We suggest that neurodegeneration can be triggered and then spread by repeated inflammatory reactions (such as local cytokine production) over time," the 2012 review said.
"Moreover, there is evidence of activation of both microglial and astrocytic cells that track existing neural circuits in the CNS [central nervous system] and PNS [peripheral nervous system].
These inflammatory processes, combined with regional and cell-type dependent neuronal vulnerability, can cause specific structural and functional neurodegenerative disorders that define individual neurodegenerative diseases. "
As a result of numerous studies, it has been found that inflammation of the brain is a characteristic feature of some infections caused by COVID-19.
However, it is currently unknown exactly how the virus can cause such neuroinflammation and whether such an autoimmune reaction will lead to long-term problems.
In comments on the new COVID-19 data, Sarah Imarcio of Alzheimer ’ s Research UK said it should not be forgotten that the neurological diseases that cause dementia are driven by a range of factors, from genetic predisposition to age and the environment.
Therefore, COVID-19 potentially plays only a small role in the overall risk of developing these diseases in humans.
Imarcio also stressed that there are a number of other factors that may explain why rates of neurodegenerative diseases are higher in people infected with COVID-19.
And of course, it ’ s too early to judge the long-term effects of COVID-19 on some brain diseases that could take decades to develop.
“Diseases like Alzheimer ’ s have been developing in the brain for years, and COVID-19 didn ’ t appear in Europe until early 2020, ” Imarcio added.
"It may very well be that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's are more susceptible to contracting diseases like COVID-19.
And while reporting these findings is worrisome, we need to see the results of this study in a peer-reviewed publication before we can draw any real conclusions from this study. "
The new study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology.
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Sources: European Academy of Neurology, Journal Frontiers in Neurology.
(https: / / www.eurekalert.org / news-releases / 956611)
(https: / / www.frontiersin.org / articles / 10.3389 / fneur.2022.904796 / full)
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Following past pandemics, such as the Spanish flu, Parkinson’s disease cases also rose, but the long-term effects of COVID-19 remain unclear.

Recent findings were published in Frontiers in Neurology.

Small changes in non-coding DNA can significantly influence gene expression and increase autism risk.

Title:

Content: The butterfly effect in DNA: how mutations in non-coding regions activate autism genes
‘ Butterfly Effect ’ May Explain Some Genetic Causes of Autism
The butterfly effect may explain the activation of genes associated with autism in DNA.
According to the latest study, the complex ripple effect of mutations in genes unrelated to autism may ultimately affect the activity of genes associated with the disorder.
The mechanism of work is that DNA contains genetic material known as promoters, which regulate the activation and deactivation of genes.
Because DNA has a three-dimensional structure, promoters can control genes that are at a great distance from them in the DNA sequence.
These promoters and the corresponding genes form a topologically associated domain (TAD).
Because of this complex mechanism, a person who does not have mutations in genes associated with autism may still develop the disorder due to mutations in promoters elsewhere in the genome.
This new study, published in the journal Cell Genomics, explores this idea.
Autism is often inherited, and it is estimated that 40% to 80% of cases are related to hereditary genes.
However, spontaneous mutations in the DNA that cause autism are also possible.
These mutations are found in "non-coding" sections of DNA that make up most of the genome.
Prior to this study, there was little data on how mutations in non-coding DNA affect the likelihood of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The new findings, obtained after analyzing the genomes of more than 5,000 people with autism, point to a direct link between autism and gene regulation mechanisms, especially with TADs containing genes associated with autism.
Even small changes in the DNA sequence in non-coding regions can significantly affect gene expression, which increases the risk of ASD.
This is compared to the butterfly effect, where a small change in the initial state of a complex system has far-reaching consequences.
In additional experiments using CRISPR gene editing technology on human stem cells, the researchers confirmed the effect of mutations in TAD promoters on genes associated with autism.
Further research is planned to identify other types of non-coding mutations that may affect the likelihood of developing autism.
Author Makar Gorshenin
Makar Vadimovich Gorshenin is a student of the Moscow University of Finance and Law, a freelance correspondent of Pravda.Ru.
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About 1% of people possess chromosomal aberrations, underscoring the need for precise genetic diagnostics.

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Content: NEWS
Coronavirus
Diseases and medicines
Science
Traditional medicine
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Chromosomal rearrangements diagnosed with laser tweezers
Chromosomal permutations, or aberrations, are considered the main cause of spontaneous abortions.
Moreover, about one percent of people on Earth live with such mutations.
That is why it is necessary to quickly and reliably diagnose such disorders, for which scientists proposed the use of laser tweezers, which allows you to manipulate individual molecules.
Photo: Naked-Science.ruNaked-Science.ru
The human genome consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes, of which one is sexual, identical in the case of women (XX) and dissimilar in the case of men (XY).
This whole set includes structures of different size, having a stretch and so-called shoulders, which sometimes vary markedly in size.
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Sometimes in such a set there are quite serious changes.
For example, individual chromosomes in a pair can be doubled (as in the case of Down syndrome) or fall out (an example is Shereshevsky-Turner syndrome, when only one X chromosome remains from the sex chromosome).
Smaller scale rearrangements are also described: for example, in Oldred and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndromes, a small portion of the chromosome disappears.
In other cases, part of the chromosome can double or turn 180 degrees.
About one percent of people live with chromosomal aberrations of one kind or another.
Moreover, they are considered the most common cause of spontaneous abortion in the early stages.
Therefore, it is very important to have reliable and rapid diagnostic methods that allow you to detect such mutations in time.
Sometimes doctors who suspect another case of chromosomal rearrangements cannot understand which of them they are dealing with, or assess the size of the defect - all this makes it difficult to predict the course of the disease.
To solve such problems, researchers from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) proposed diagnostics based on high-precision biophysical methods.
It made it possible to achieve very high accuracy and to notice those chromosomal aberrations that are indistinguishable by standard methods.
"Ideally, we would like to take a sample from a person with infertility, for example, and use our method to analyze chromosomes to detect the defects present.
In principle, it can also be useful for the study of other chromosomal rearrangements and diseases, in particular cancer, ” said Professor Ian Hickson (Ian Hickson) from the Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine, one of the authors of the new paper in Nature.
The scientist notes that modern hospitals (for example, in Denmark) are already diagnosing chromosomal aberrations, but their technology is far from perfect.
"Now, when studying chromosomes, they are exposed to chemical reagents with which they are fixed.
It ’ s all like a veterinarian who wants to see a pet dog, but to do this, he must first make a stuffed animal out of it, ” explained Hickson.
The solution proposed by the Danes is much more delicate and high-tech.
They use laser, or optical tweezers – a special tool that allows you to manipulate microscopic objects and even individual molecules.
Scientists use optical tweezers in protein research and for particularly accurate measurements.
When working with chromosomes, this technique essentially works like a very high resolution microscope.
Moreover, in this case, you can move, squeeze and stretch the chromosomes.
For example, with such manipulations, a piece at the end of a chromosome can fall off, which indicates certain mutations.
It turns out, with the help of optical tweezers, it is really possible to notice even the smallest defects and conduct a better diagnosis.

Researchers analogize the challenge of genetic diagnosis to reconstructing a living animal from its model.

New genes linked to weight gain and loss have been discovered, offering hope for obesity treatments.

Title:

Content: Scientists have discovered the genes responsible for weight gain and weight loss
The study may help make a breakthrough in the treatment of obesity.
Although it is generally believed that the main factors in weight gain in people are excessive appetite and lack of exercise, but scientists are beginning to paint a much more complex picture.
It turns out that our genes can also play a significant role in this.
A team of scientists from the University of Virginia during the study was able to identify 14 genes that can cause weight gain, and another 3 that can prevent it.
Scientists hope that their discovery will help make a significant breakthrough in the treatment of obesity.
Genes and obesity
It is known that there are hundreds of genes associated with obesity that are more common among overweight people than with healthy ones.
Therefore, the team set out to determine which of these genes play a causal role in promoting or preventing weight gain.
To do this, they developed an automated pipeline to simultaneously test hundreds of genes.
And helped them in this modest worms, known as Caenorhabditis elegans.
These tiny individuals, which live in rotten vegetation, share more than 70% of our genes and have become the basis for many key scientific discoveries.
How the study was conducted
Developing a new approach for some worms, the researchers put them on an unhealthy high-fructose diet so that they served as a model for obesity, whereas the control group received regular food.
The scientists then applied machine learning to screen 293 genes, trying to identify those that directly cause or prevent obesity in worms.
This analysis allowed the researchers to identify 14 genes that cause obesity, and 3 others that dim weight gain.
When the scientists blocked the negative effects of the three genes, it led to the worms living longer and having better neuromotor functions.
We expect that our approach and the new genes we have discovered will accelerate the development of treatments to reduce the burden of obesity.
Study author Eileen O'Rourke said.
And while the discovery holds promising promise, the team understands that there is still a lot of research to be done before we start developing drugs aimed at influencing these genes.
The latest medical news in our group on Odnoklassniki
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Genetics has a prominent role in body weight regulation.

Title:

Content: Scientists have discovered the genes responsible for weight gain and weight loss
The study may help make a breakthrough in the treatment of obesity.
Although it is generally believed that the main factors in weight gain in people are excessive appetite and lack of exercise, but scientists are beginning to paint a much more complex picture.
It turns out that our genes can also play a significant role in this.
A team of scientists from the University of Virginia during the study was able to identify 14 genes that can cause weight gain, and another 3 that can prevent it.
Scientists hope that their discovery will help make a significant breakthrough in the treatment of obesity.
Genes and obesity
It is known that there are hundreds of genes associated with obesity that are more common among overweight people than with healthy ones.
Therefore, the team set out to determine which of these genes play a causal role in promoting or preventing weight gain.
To do this, they developed an automated pipeline to simultaneously test hundreds of genes.
And helped them in this modest worms, known as Caenorhabditis elegans.
These tiny individuals, which live in rotten vegetation, share more than 70% of our genes and have become the basis for many key scientific discoveries.
How the study was conducted
Developing a new approach for some worms, the researchers put them on an unhealthy high-fructose diet so that they served as a model for obesity, whereas the control group received regular food.
The scientists then applied machine learning to screen 293 genes, trying to identify those that directly cause or prevent obesity in worms.
This analysis allowed the researchers to identify 14 genes that cause obesity, and 3 others that dim weight gain.
When the scientists blocked the negative effects of the three genes, it led to the worms living longer and having better neuromotor functions.
We expect that our approach and the new genes we have discovered will accelerate the development of treatments to reduce the burden of obesity.
Study author Eileen O'Rourke said.
And while the discovery holds promising promise, the team understands that there is still a lot of research to be done before we start developing drugs aimed at influencing these genes.
The latest medical news in our group on Odnoklassniki
https: / / hronika.info - Added valyuha to the category Miscellaneous
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Scientists identified 14 genes promoting weight gain and 3 aiding weight control.

Title:

Content: Scientists have discovered the genes responsible for weight gain and weight loss
The study may help make a breakthrough in the treatment of obesity.
Although it is generally believed that the main factors in weight gain in people are excessive appetite and lack of exercise, but scientists are beginning to paint a much more complex picture.
It turns out that our genes can also play a significant role in this.
A team of scientists from the University of Virginia during the study was able to identify 14 genes that can cause weight gain, and another 3 that can prevent it.
Scientists hope that their discovery will help make a significant breakthrough in the treatment of obesity.
Genes and obesity
It is known that there are hundreds of genes associated with obesity that are more common among overweight people than with healthy ones.
Therefore, the team set out to determine which of these genes play a causal role in promoting or preventing weight gain.
To do this, they developed an automated pipeline to simultaneously test hundreds of genes.
And helped them in this modest worms, known as Caenorhabditis elegans.
These tiny individuals, which live in rotten vegetation, share more than 70% of our genes and have become the basis for many key scientific discoveries.
How the study was conducted
Developing a new approach for some worms, the researchers put them on an unhealthy high-fructose diet so that they served as a model for obesity, whereas the control group received regular food.
The scientists then applied machine learning to screen 293 genes, trying to identify those that directly cause or prevent obesity in worms.
This analysis allowed the researchers to identify 14 genes that cause obesity, and 3 others that dim weight gain.
When the scientists blocked the negative effects of the three genes, it led to the worms living longer and having better neuromotor functions.
We expect that our approach and the new genes we have discovered will accelerate the development of treatments to reduce the burden of obesity.
Study author Eileen O'Rourke said.
And while the discovery holds promising promise, the team understands that there is still a lot of research to be done before we start developing drugs aimed at influencing these genes.
The latest medical news in our group on Odnoklassniki
https: / / hronika.info - Added valyuha to the category Miscellaneous
Read also
Add a comment
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Human evolution may eventually incorporate tools into our biology, leading to possible cyborg integration.

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Content: 13 June 2024, Thursday, 14: 11
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The latest study by neuroscientists has become a sensation.
A new study by neuroscientists shows that humans can evolve into cyborgs with “tweezers ” bionic hand tools.
The next step in human evolution could be the further integration of technology with flesh and bone.
But, according to a new study, this technology does not mimic human traits like modern prostheses.
Neuroscientists have found that people do feel more connected to bionic tools, similar to tweezers, than with grafts resembling human hands, writes The Sun.
Using virtual reality (VR), the researchers tested whether people can feel that the claw of tweezers is part of their body.
Participants were able to successfully implement a “bionic instrument ” and a prosthetic arm with equal degrees.
However, people were faster and more accurate at virtually completing tasks with tweezers than when they were using a human hand.
For our biology to blend seamlessly with the tools, we need to feel that the tools are part of our body.
Our results suggest that people may perceive tweezers as an inseparable part of their body, ” said Ottavia Maddaluno, a neuroscientist at the University of Rome Sapienza and first author of the study.
Scientists believe that the participants identified their hands more with tweezers because of their simplicity: "In terms of tweezers' task, tweezers are functionally similar to a human hand, but simpler as well as easier in terms of computation for the brain," Maddaluno added.
The next step is to study whether these bionic instruments can be implemented in patients who have lost limbs.
"We also want to investigate the plastic changes that this kind of bionic instrument can cause in the brains of both healthy participants and amputees," said Ottavia.
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Some individuals use drugs to escape life's worries, despite the high risks involved, including the potential for fatal harm.

Title:

Content: New superhuman brains.
About drugs that make you smarter and more miserable!
Entrepreneur and programmer Dave Asbury ’ s mornings may not seem different at first glance than anyone else ’ s.
Dave wakes up and takes his young children to school, then comes home and makes himself a breakfast of coffee and butter.
Then, he walks into his office, reaches out to a corner, pulls several capsules out of boxes that look like medicine, and then starts working.
[1] Here it is.
Everything is normal, until we discover that the capsules he takes are not really drugs, but drugs.
Dave ’ s use of these drugs cannot be considered strange: throughout human history, before civilizations even existed, drugs accompanied humans.
For the damage that may lead the individual to death, some found in them an escape from the worries and burdens of life, although the price they will pay for this is high.
What is really strange is that what Dave, and many others, want from taking a certain type of drug is the complete opposite of all this; he doesn ’ t want to get away with it every morning; he wants to indulge more in it and manipulate it to his advantage; he wants to become smarter, more productive, richer.
Dave ’ s drugs are neither weed nor opioid, nor are they similar to any other familiar drug, Dave taking nootropics, or “smart ” drugs.
The chemist C.C. didn't have a clue.
Giragia Yuma said that the word he invented as the name for the drug Pristam, which he installed in his laboratory one day in 1964, would become so popular 60 years later.
The name of this compound came from the combination of the Greek words "nos", which means brain, and "tropin", which means "me," and created in his laboratory the first drug that he hopes will succeed in bending the brain of those who use it.
[2] Like any medicine.
Another, Gergea designed the prestam as a treatment, and he hoped it would help patients with brain and cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer ’ s in the elderly and speech disorders in children.
But most Nutrobix users now are often completely healthy individuals with no brain abnormality, and do not aim to cure themselves of a disease.
[3]
Smart drug users are also different from any other type of drug users: they are not marginalized groups or young Magna people who dose drugs in dark dens or raucous parties; nootropics are some of the world ’ s finest college students and some of the brightest tech minds in Silicon Valley, the tech heartland of San Francisco.
By taking drugs that are mostly made for people with cognitive disorders as a result of mental illness, these brilliant students and programmers want to enhance their ability to learn, focus and think creatively to become smarter, which seems to be happening under the influence of these drugs.
Phoebe, a history student at a prestigious university in England, describes the impact of nootropics on her in an interview with The Guardian: “These drugs help you work, so you can study longer without distractions.
You feel like going to the library on your own, and you don ’ t even want to take a lunch break.
You look at the clock and it ’ s 7: 00 p.m., but you can still keep going. ”
Johnny, a student at the same university, describes his first experience with drugs: "I had a strange feeling, I remember sitting in the exam and thinking, 'This is terrible!
Oh, my God!
I feel as if I ’ m going to lose consciousness, ” but at the same time I could remember everything, whole paragraphs remembered word for word.
That was great. "[4]
It all sounds really cool, taking a few pills in the morning gives you an incredible ability to work and think.
But, as anyone who has ever taken a drug knows, every drug has side effects that range in severity, from mild things like a headache to symptoms as severe as the disease for which you took it, and additional drugs have to be taken to treat it.
So what are the side effects of entropy?
There aren ’ t enough studies to answer this question, but many people ’ s long-term experience with Nutrobox has never been promising.
Writer and journalist Kate Miller tells her story with those drugs that she started taking after a student in her final year of university, continuing with her after entering her career.
At first, everything seemed great, she found that she could concentrate for long hours and work tirelessly until late at night, and with all this, she was able to maintain a good social life.
But not long after, the ugly face of Nootropics revealed itself to her: Kate became an addict.
In her New York Times article, Kate recounts what she went through: “I was fooling myself when I thought I could stay balanced while taking these drugs, when I thought the benefits outweighed the harm.
I started to increase the doses I was taking, and then, I found myself spending long nights flipping over in bed and falling asleep, my mind racing and my heart beating violently.
When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I did was reach out to take the pills again.
My body started getting used to these drugs, and then I lost their effect, so I started to increase the dose.
I would take it if I found myself yawning after I turned off the alarm.
I turned into a wreck, always angry and lost my ability to connect with the world. ”
Kate reached the point where she found her life was falling apart on all levels, and here came her decision to stop taking those drugs once and for all.
But what no one has told her is that stopping itself will be difficult, as nitrobix, like other drugs, leaves its users at the beginning of quitting defenseless in front of a barrage of painful withdrawal symptoms.
“I found myself sleeping during meetings and I couldn ’ t finish my work before the deadline.
I also began to feel very hungry and began to eat heavily.
This disorder left me with a very fragile and sensitive brain chemistry, and my weight gain and late work only made matters worse.
It was hard for me to understand at the time that what I was going through was withdrawal symptoms; no one had warned me about the side effects of these drugs. ”
Phoebe and Jonny, students who had been helped by Nootropics during the exam period, soon noticed the bad effect on them; Phoebe began to feel severe pain in her stomach, and Jimmy felt that he was becoming too dependent on her for everything, and he ate it every morning without really needing it.
Fortunately, before they went through Kate ’ s bad experience, the Taliban gave up Nutropics altogether.
Even Dave Asbury, an entrepreneur who takes huge amounts of nootropics every morning and founded a company that makes coffee mixed with the drugs, has developed a severe allergy to certain foods that he has been eating normally throughout his life.
In a paper in the journal Clinical Neuroscience, researchers Farid Taleh and Jane Aglotti found that many Nutrobix drugs cause side effects ranging in severity from diarrhea, headaches, dizziness and insomnia, to memory loss, identity disorders and motor system deficiencies.
The research also included a case study of four individuals between the ages of 17 and 28 who were taken to the hospital emergency room after a nervous breakdown. [6] Here, we find ourselves faced with a more important question: Why would people with high levels of intelligence resort to drugs that may add to their intelligence even deeper, but they may also have side effects that no one knows are serious?
[7]
Tim Farris, an entrepreneur and renowned author of human development books, has no real qualms about the long-term side effects of nootropics.
Speaking to CNN, after he started talking about the amount of pressure entrepreneurs are under today, he concluded: “Just like an Olympian who is willing to do anything, even if he reduces his age to five years, to win a gold medal, you ’ ll think about any drugs you take to become smarter. ”
[8]
Jeff Wu, a software engineer who set up a company that specializes in manufacturing nootropics, goes on to say, “Creativity and high mental performance are the only ways you can succeed in Silicon Valley.
I liken tech and finance to professional athletes, so the only way for your team, product or project to be successful is to have a comparative advantage over competitors. ”
It ’ s not just the tech industry, Wu adds: “To become smarter and more productive is to meet modern day standards of success. ”
If some people seem willing to swallow poorly researched drugs without suffering from a real disease just to increase their ability to produce something strange, you ’ ve never heard of the term and the practices that these drugs and many other strange practices include: body hacking, or “biohacking. ”
As a programmer or engineer might look at a computer looking for ways to develop it, biohackers are trying through methods that vary in extremes, from intermittent fasting to injecting themselves with stem cells, to make their bodies and brains better, stronger, healthier.
At first glance, this may not seem like a bad thing, so who wouldn ’ t want to be the best possible version of themselves?
But what ’ s interesting about this is that their desire to develop their bodies and brains stops at the point where these bodies and brains are more productive, and does not go beyond them to other areas of life, where none of the body hackers, for example, thought about creating a drug that by taking it more willing to help others in their distress.
Faced with the large number of people who are willing to take Nutropics to increase their production capacity, neuroscientist Anders Sandberg found in a study that only 9% of people are willing to take a drug that makes them more empathetic or kinder.
This increased use of nootropics and the willingness to manipulate the very composition of the body in order to increase production is itself a symptom of a civilizational disease that envelops our world today: the obsession with success at any cost.
The Guardian ’ s Carol Gadwallar says of this: “In the 1960s, sedatives were known as the little helper of mothers.
Today, however, Futropics is a small aid to capitalism.
“It ’ s just another symptom of a world dominated by competition where everyone is looking for a comparative advantage that puts them above others. ”
[10] Neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee says: "Today, from the moment of their birth until their death, people only know about running in a rat race.
We are overwhelmed by the feeling that there are a limited number of prizes on the horizon and that everyone is competing for them.
It ’ s hard and you ’ re willing to do anything to win. ”
[11]
In this world governed by machines and numbers, we are also expected to become machines: machines that wake up in the morning and work tirelessly until evening falls, and everything is ultimately governed by numbers.
How successful you are depends on how much you produce each day, which at the end of the month will translate into how much you make.
Your salary or wealth is no longer just a means to provide you with a decent life, but has become a kind of obsession, everyone wants to be successful in a modern culture that values only material values, and defies those who fail the test of making money.
In such a culture, it is not surprising to find people willing to swallow drugs with unknown side effects in order to be better.
Isn ’ t that, in one way or another, what modern culture imposes on us all today, working to burn and losing some of life ’ s simplest pleasures just to live properly and escape the stigma of failure?
The question remains: Is there then a relentless pursuit of success, what kind of happiness?
Or is the summit nothing more than a glittering image of something really empty and cold and lonely?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sources:
1.
I ’ m The Guy Who Created Bulletproof Coffee – This Is My Morning Routine
2.
Nootropic
3.
Under pressure, Silicon Valley workers turn to LSD microdosing
4.
Students used to take drugs to get high.
Now they take them to get higher grades
5.
The Last All-Nighter
6.
Probable Nootropicinduced Psychiatric Adverse Effects: A Series of Four Cases
7.
My smart drugs nightmare
8. smart drugs: what silicon valley is on
9.
Under Pressure: Silicon Valley workers turn to lsd
10.
Students used to take drugs to get high.
Now they take them to get higher grades
11.
Under Pressure: Silicon Valley workers turn to lsd
Source: The Island
About this story
“Narcissism ” is a widespread term, often misused to describe anyone who abuses us.
But in fact, a little bit of narcissism will do you good -- this report looks at the evolution of the concept of narcissism over the past decades.
6 / 10 / 2017
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All drugs have side effects, which can range from minor headaches to dangerous symptoms requiring further medication.

People sometimes develop tolerance to these drugs, increasing their dose to keep feeling the effects.

For some, like one user who began taking them after feeling tired in the morning, use escalated until they felt constantly angry and disconnected.

What are the risks and dangers of combining the keto diet and intermittent fasting?

Another individual named Kate realized her life was unraveling and decided to quit these drugs completely.

Withdrawal symptoms came as a surprise, since no one had warned about possible side effects.

Students like Phoebe and Jonny, who relied on nootropics to help with exams, soon experienced negative impacts such as severe stomach pain and dependency.

Phoebe began to feel lasting severe stomach pain, while Jimmy realized he was relying on the drug every morning without need.

A cultural pressure exists, according to Wu, across industries: people take drugs to become smarter and more productive, aiming to meet today's definitions of success.

Wanting to be one's best self appears desirable, but it can also lead to immense stress and competition.

The feeling that there are only a limited number of rewards leads people to take extreme measures to reach success.

Where students once took drugs to experience euphoria, now they use them to achieve better grades.

In Silicon Valley, some workers reportedly turn to LSD to cope with demands.

Research shows placental mammals begin development in similar ways, but science cannot yet create fully functional organs or animals solely from stem cells.

Title:

Content: In a major breakthrough.
Growing an artificial mouse embryo with a brain and a beating heart!
Science and Technology
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Copy the link https: / / en.rt.com / tojo
Eavesdropping on early intertissue communication in emerging life can tell us a lot about organ growth, fertility, and disease in general.
It can help prevent early miscarriage, or even tell us how to transplant entire replacement organs from scratch.
In a huge leap forward in stem cell research, an experiment led by researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK has developed a living model of a mouse embryo complete with heart tissue and brain beginnings.
The research reinforces the recent success of a team of some of the same scientists, who pushed the boundaries of mimicking mice ’ s embryonic development, using stem cells that have never been seen inside a mouse ’ s uterus.
In the past, embryologists have focused heavily on extracting selected stem cells from parts of an embryo that can grow into an animal and encouraging them to reproduce in vitriol filled with specially selected nutrients.
Over the years, this method has resulted in clumps of cells containing the primary structures of the intestine and tissue tuck called the neural tube.
However, the so-called "gastroloid" model contains in form, but lacks function.
Many of the features expected to develop alongside these tissues are absent, making it difficult to draw parallels between the model and the developing embryo.
There are ways to encourage the appearance of brain-like structures, as well as working heart tissue and a more complex bowel tube.
However, solutions based on relatively simple hormonal soups can only go away.
Be it mice, humans or horses in this regard, placental mammals begin their lives in almost the same way.
Shortly after fertilization, the first cell divides until there are three primary areas of tissue: one continues to form the animal itself, two contribute to organs that facilitate its development within the mother, and where the first can generate a typical embryo (or embryo) on its own, the presence of the second two groups of nearby placental cells provides the necessary chemical negotiations that promote a series of small changes in the developing animal.
By blending representative stem cells from these three major tissue groups and improving previous ways of developing them in vitro (i.e. in a dish) into an embryo, the team found that their model could progress under its vapor to develop a nervous system equivalent to a normal mouse embryo at 8.5 days after conception.
This is a small step, equivalent to one day of development for an unborn mouse.
But a lot can happen within 24 hours of pregnancy.
The artificial embryo also contains the foundational heart tissue that moves the pulse and the beginnings of the gut, as well as the beginnings of structures that can build in the actual embryo parts of the skeleton, muscles and other tissues under the skin.
And on its own, the model won ’ t continue to evolve into anything like a thriving baby mouse.
Science is also far from being able to produce anything as advanced as a functional organ from stem cells alone, let alone a whole animal.
And while similarity is very important in research, it is — so to speak — only the deep skin, which lacks the signals you might see turning into a fully formed organism it represents.
Having a collection of tissues that inherently reflect extra-body evolution provides researchers with an opportunity not only to observe genetic changes, but also to test them ethically which can help improve our understanding of how our bodies grow.
The researchers noted that there is already evidence of ways in which they can better optimize the process to better mimic natural evolution.
The research was published in the journal Nature.
Source: Science Alert
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A study published in Nature demonstrated embryonic models can develop early nervous systems in a controlled environment, but complete organ development is still far from reality.

Research also indicates that early forms of liver disease can impact heart health, showing the need to consider organ interrelationships.

Title:

Content: Gulf News
Study Shows Early Forms of Liver Disease Affect Heart Health
Thank you for reading and your interest in a study showing that early forms of liver disease affect heart health.
ADEN (Reuters) - Researchers from the Smedt Heart Institute in Cedar Sinai have found that even early forms of liver disease directly affect heart health.
Study Shows Early Forms of Liver Disease Affect Heart Health
The findings, published recently in the journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, help further clarify the link between liver disease and heart disease beyond their common risk factors.
In the study, researchers compared patients ’ FIB-4 scores — a marker for cirrhosis that could indicate the risk of acute liver disease — with heart abnormalities visible through heart MRI scans.
They found that high FIB-4 scores were associated with impaired heart function and vascular dimensions.
Alan Cowan, a cardiologist and cardiac imaging researcher at the Smidt Heart Institute as well as the lead author of the study, said it was known that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was linked to cardiovascular death, but the relationship was not well understood and may be obscured by risk factors common to the two, such as diabetes.
Previous similar studies have been limited in scope, looking only at how cirrhosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease affect the heart.
Earlier this year, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a statement that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease — an increasingly common liver condition — is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease associated with atherosclerosis.
Surprisingly, heart disease — not the progression of liver disease — is the leading cause of death in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, according to the American Heart Association.
“If 25% of the population has this potential risk factor for heart disease, we know we need to fully understand it.
Therefore, our overall goal from this study was to examine the links between the heart and liver – a new area of study, but it makes sense to explore further.
The liver treats cholesterol and produces factors that contribute to blood clotting and inflammation.
And all of that can affect the heart — so we wanted to take a closer look at these correlations. ”
For the study, the researchers reviewed electronic medical records from the past 11 years of 1,668 patients with low, medium or high scores of FIB-4 within one year of performing an MRI of the heart, adjusting for standard cardiovascular risk factors.
They found that nearly 86% of patients had at least one heart abnormality.
Cardiac MRI provides a unique view of the heart, using detailed imaging that can identify subtle changes in heart structure and function, blood vessel size and structure, heart muscle composition, and more.
"The abnormalities we saw were changes in blood vessels - enlarged blood vessels coming out of the heart - as well as an increase in the amount of blood moving and usually, when doctors check the heart, we don't think about the liver, and vice versa.
We tend to be very specialized in our member categories.
"But the results of this study suggest that we can and should examine liver disease when looking at heart disease, and we cannot consider the heart and liver as completely separate organs."
Cowan added that the next step in the research is to explore the impact that liver disease can have on heart health.
"Other questions arise, such as: When treating people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, can medications that treat this also help the heart?
Or when you see a cardiologist or primary care physician and risk factors such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and family history, should non-alcoholic fatty liver disease be a standard risk factor to consider?
A new study suggests that leprosy, one of the oldest and most persistent diseases in the world, may have a surprising ability to stimulate liver growth and regeneration.
Scientists discovered that parasites associated with the disease can reprogram cells to increase the size of the liver in adult animals without causing damage, scarring or tumors.
The results suggest that it is possible to adapt this natural process to rejuvenate the aging liver and increase the period of health - the length of time you live free of diseases - in humans.
Experts say it can also help restore the growth of a damaged liver, reducing the need for transplantation.
Currently, transplantation is the only option for people with end-stage liver scarring.
Professor Anora Rambukana, lead author of the Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said: “If we can determine how bacteria grow in the liver as a functional organ without causing harmful effects on living animals, we may be able to translate this knowledge to develop safer therapeutic interventions aimed at regenerating aging liver and regenerating damaged tissue. ”
Previous studies have promoted liver regrowth in mice by generating cells through an invasive technique that has often led to scarring and tumor growth.
To overcome these harmful side effects, the Edinburgh researchers built on their earlier discovery about the ability of partial cellular reprogramming of leprosy causing bacteria, Mycobacterium leprosy.
Working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the team infected 57 animals, the natural host of the leprosy bacteria, with Mycobacterium leprosy, and compared the livers of these animals with their uninfected counterparts and those found to be resistant to infection.
They found that the infected animals developed an enlarged liver — but intact and uninfected — with the same vital components, such as blood vessels and bile ducts, such as an uninfected, infection-resistant armadillo.
The researchers believe that the bacteria hijacked the liver ’ s inherent regenerative capacity to increase the size of the organ and, therefore, to provide it with more cells that can grow within it.
They also discovered several indications that the main types of liver cells — known as liver cells — had reached a regenerative state in infected animals.
The researchers hope the discovery, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, could help develop interventions for aging and liver damage in humans.
Dr Zania Stamataki, an assistant professor at the University of Birmingham ’ s Centre for Liver and Digestive Research, said: “This is exciting and unusual research in that it shows liver growth in the absence of liver injury.
"This research is an innovative example where we can use microbes as tools to understand biology."
Dr Darius Weidera, associate professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the University of Reading, said: “Overall, the findings could pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to treating liver diseases, such as cirrhosis.
However, given that the research was done using armadillo as a model animal, it is unclear whether and how these promising results could translate into human liver biology.
Furthermore, since the bacteria used in this study are pathogenic, a fundamental improvement of the methods is required before clinical translation. ”
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Scientists suggest features of gut bacteria, fungi, and viruses could one day form the basis for diagnosing conditions such as autism.

Title:

Content: Science and Technology
A new study on unity.
What did you reveal?
Gulf Dot -
A new study on unity.
What did you reveal?
Often, the process of ascertaining whether a child has autism depends on the parents' description of their child's behavior, as well as the observations of specialists, leaving plenty of room for human error.
It is possible that parents' fears may distort some of the answers given by specialists to them, and it is possible that some doctors and therapists underestimate the diagnosis of certain symptoms, which may appear in children, which may lead to incorrect conclusions about autism spectrum disorder.
Autism spectrum disorder is a condition associated with brain development that affects how a person perceives and deals with others on a social level, causing problems with social interaction and communication, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The disorder involves limited and repetitive patterns of behavior, and the term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to a wide range of symptoms and levels of severity.
A study published in the journal Nature Microbiology after analyzing more than 1,600 stool samples from children aged 1 to 13 showed distinct biological markers in the samples of children with autism.
Qi Su, a researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and lead author of the study, said: “The unique effects of gut bacteria, fungi, viruses and others could one day be the basis of a diagnostic tool for autism. ”
"This tool could help professionals diagnose autism early, giving children access to more effective treatments at a younger age."
For decades, researchers have looked at genes and medical history alongside brain scans to find a reliable predictor of autism, but the research has had limited success.
Over the past 15 years, some researchers have begun to investigate whether stool, which is a window into the trillions of fungi, bacteria and viruses that live in the gut, might provide a clearer answer to autism.
The study, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, described that "researchers are now accepting the idea that the gut could be an essential tool for detecting autism."
However, more research is needed to convince skeptical scientists that these biomarkers are valid indicators of autism.
Skeptics of the study ’ s findings argue for facts that show exactly how the gut microbiome is linked to autism and whether it plays a significant role in causing it.
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Genomic studies now allow targeted drug treatment earlier in the disease process, as illustrated by Dr. Cotter’s work to improve therapies and lessen harmful side effects.

Title:

Content: Migraine (migraine) affects millions of people around the world.
However, identifying an effective prophylactic drug — that is, drugs that are only available by prescription and most commonly for sibling sufferers — remains a long and complex process.
Patients often switch between medications for weeks or months until a therapeutic response is achieved.
Now, after years of slow progress and advances in migraine treatments, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine has discovered changes in six genes that could shed light on the causes of the debilitating condition and provide a potential step toward guiding individual treatments.
The new research, led by Fred Cotter, MD, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic, was published at Mulkioler Genetics & Genomics Medicine.
Dr. Cotter, who has been treating patients with complex headache syndromes for more than 25 years, explains: “Our study is based on the assumption that the seven chemically and therapeutically distinct types of migraine prevention drugs have a biological effect that stabilizes or compensates for the biological cause of a patient ’ s migraine attacks.
"This study is the first step towards identifying and treating each patient's biological cause."
A migraine is a headache that can cause severe pain, palpitations or a sensation of pulse, usually on one side of the head.
It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, severe sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraine attacks can last from hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it hinders a person ’ s daily activities.
For the purposes of the study, Dr. Cotrer and his team compared the exomes of people whose migraine attacks were significantly reduced by verapamil, a prophylactic for migraine, with the exomes of people who received the same dose of verapamil but showed little or no improvement.
The exome is part of a patient ’ s genome — the complete set of genes — that encodes cells in a person ’ s body, including the brain where a migraine attack is likely to begin.
Dr Cotter explains: “We looked for changes in the genetic code that are present in respondents and not in non-respondents.
"We then reviewed the changes we detected by genotyping the changes in a large verification group of different study subjects, from whom we also obtained treatment response data."
The team discovered changes in six genes that they found were statistically significantly linked to the response to verapamil.
“Pathway analyses of specific changes involved alterations in the cellular function of people who responded to verapamil compared to those who did not. ”
Dr. Cotter says the findings provide vital information to understand how the drug works for migraine, and make it possible to make new treatments without unnecessary side effects.
“The results could also lead to the development of a genetic biomarker test that will instruct doctors to prescribe a preventative treatment that is likely to work for each individual patient.
We can give it to them as the first drug instead of the fourth or fifth. ”
Overall, the team analyzed genetic samples from nearly 6,000 migraine patients.
They plan to study and sequence additional samples from the Mayo Clinic ’ s migraine bio repository, the largest of its kind in the United States, to analyze other preventive anti-migraine treatments.
Personalization of medicine using pharmacogenomics
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individual Medicine are pioneers in pharmacogenomics, which combines pharmacology and the study of genes to provide patients with safe drugs and dosages.
Richard Winchelbaum, MD, interim director of the Center for Individual Medicine, helps guide Mayo ’ s efforts toward integrating pharmacogenomics into clinical practice.
Dr. Cotter ’ s study is just one example of how the center works to improve treatments and reduce harmful side effects, he says.
Dr. Winchelbaum says: “Dr. Cotter and his team should be congratulated for their decades-long efforts to understand the role of genomes in the cause of the problem and in individual variation in response to migraine treatment.
Using a drug – verapamil in this case – as a ‘ molecular probe ’, they have taken a big step forward in our understanding and treatment of this difficult condition. ”
"In the near future at Mayo Clinic, genomic test results for most patients will be part of their electronic health record, allowing doctors to use the information to personalize care."
# # #
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a non-profit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, providing empathy and expertise to those who need hospitalization and response.
For more Mayo Clinic news, visit the Mayo Clinic News Network.
For information on COVID-19, including the Mayo Clinic coronavirus map tracking tool, which has a 14-day forecast of COVID-19 trends, visit the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Resource Center.
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Birth order may shape personality, with significant effects attributed to sibling position and age gaps, but personal factors still play a substantial role.

Title:

Content: Psychologists: Your Order Among Your Brothers Affects Your Personality Style
Jokes are common about the order of the brothers and their connection to their personalities; the privilege and tyranny of the older brother, the oppression of the middle, and the pampering of the youngest.
Is there a side to this truth?
Is it possible that your position among your siblings affects your personality?
The position of the psychologist Alfred Adler as a second son who wished to have the favor of his older brother with his parents would enrich his personality and motivate him to develop his most famous theories.
In the suburbs of Vienna, after Adler was born in 1870, four years later and recovering from rickets and pneumonia, he decided that he had to become a doctor in order to protect himself from the disease.
At that time, he had a habit of looking to his older brother Sigmund and making constant subtle comparisons between them, because of his sense of inferiority and jealousy; while he was lying in his early years, his brother was healthy and playing around.
In his writings, he describes Yuma and his family on the beach: “He could run, jump and move around effortlessly, but any movement would have exhausted me. ”
This comparison extended to his future career, as he lived with the future psychotherapist Sigmund Freud, who gained a reputation that left a number of his successors in his shadow, and sometimes compared Adler to Freud despite his public disagreement with some of his theories and the establishment of the Society for Individual Psychology.
Adler believed that all human behavior was driven by an absolute desire for superiority driven by feelings of inferiority or inferiority.
We all have some of those feelings that are socially or psychologically related.
In his theory, Adler tells us that the social and societal aspects of a person ’ s life are just as important as their inner thoughts and emotions, and Adler ’ s interest extends to child development and birth order theory.
Yes, there are many factors that can contribute to a child's personality, such as economic status, family structure, adoption, mental or physical damage, etc. Most psychologists agree with Adler that children have their own unique personality traits depending on the order of their birth.
Adler's theory of birth order states that the position of an individual in his family will affect his life and the development of his personality, which was embraced by many psychologists, such as Dr. Kevin Lehman, who studied birth order since 1967 and wrote the book "Birth order: why you are who you are", in which he stressed that the secret of personal differences between siblings lies in the order of birth and how parents treat their children differently based on whether they are the oldest or middle. the youngest or the only child.
Some researchers have argued that this may also affect health, with their studies suggesting that if you are older, you are more likely to weigh less at birth than your siblings.
Adler explains how family environments and dynamics play a role in a child's formation, although families differ, because there are general similarities between parents' interactions with their children, as well as siblings.
Adler has mentioned the psychological birth order or your perceived position within your family as more important than the numerical birth order, which can sometimes be different, such as being average but bearing the responsibilities of the older child due to a disability or the parents' culture, vision and social background.
Adler notes that if the age difference in children is more than three years old, subgroups with different dynamics may form.
Most experts agree, but add that the age gap is five years, and that twins often receive special attention from parents, so experts note that these rules do not necessarily apply to all categories, and that the order of birth, while helping to shape personality, is not the only factor.
Many psychotherapists use this theory today, but is it based on science?
Here is a closer look at the truth and science behind the birth order.
Let ’ s take a closer look at Adler ’ s birth theory and see which traits he believes can be linked to the order of birth.
Big brother.
Parents pay attention to the older child, they are more careful about everything related to his upbringing.
The child fears the birth of his second brother, as he finds himself forced to share his parents' interest in the child.
If the time gap between them is less than three years, he will not be able to understand what has happened and if it is explained to him repeatedly in words or concepts, it will be difficult for him to accept the situation, and he sees hostility towards his younger brother for being the one who caused him to be dethroned.
An older child is usually obedient, careful, organized and conservative, with limited relationships, and a great deal of seriousness, and dominant in social circles, prone to neurosis, depression and anxiety arising from an unhealthy focus on human imperfections, or a false belief of superiority (6).
Adler attributes this to the child losing full parental attention, and trying to compensate for this by working to restore it.
The parents place really high expectations on him, perhaps even tougher on him, demanding that he set an example and take responsibility for his younger siblings.
Moving from being an only child to the oldest child, they have to learn how to share.
This is what makes the child turn to an authoritarian and strict approach, in which he feels responsible for the other siblings, and then he feels in control.
This child tends to grow up to be a leader and follow the rules, but he also seems to have a bossy attitude.
Those leadership skills may make him a leader in his work.
In the mid-1990s, American psychologist Frank J. Sulawy combed through history books in search of prominent figures from the firstborn and the rebels who were born later, and he saw among the late newborns thinkers and revolutionaries such as Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Among the firstborn he discovered leaders such as Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini.
The older brother often has a strong fear of failure, aspires to perfectionism, idealism and a tendency to excel, and because he is afraid to commit an inflexible slip and does not like change, he hesitates to step out of his comfort zone.
They also tend to complete their education with a higher degree and choose prestigious traditional professions, such as medicine or engineering.
In his efforts to please others.
Middle Brother
The second child finds that the eldest son receives the attention of his parents, feeling neglected, excluded and unloved, and that life is unfair, not only does he lose his status as the youngest child, but he does not enjoy the rights and responsibilities of the eldest brother or the privileges of the youngest.
He sees his older brother as a role model, trying to keep up and compete with him to draw attention to him and feeling the need to prove his self-worth fighting for importance and excellence and often this trend in his career work harder than those around him to be the best but may set unrealistic goals, leading to ultimate failure.
This may lead to nervousness later in life.
A 2016 research in the Journal of Human Resources found that parents do not actually offer children born later the same cognitive support as they do their firstborn children.
In the same context, the middle son is cooperative, flexible, seeks to please those around him, and has the ability to compromise, even if he refuses equality with his younger brothers, which has led psychologists to describe him as a dove of peace (7) (8).
He enjoys negotiating and bargaining and often communicates with people of all ages easily.
All this makes the child develop a very black and white attitude which makes him impatient, more balanced, rebellious at once and probably the most independent of his siblings.
The younger brother.
Most older siblings have reached different stages of development in life and are no longer dependent on their parents for everything.
Often, the rest of the family shows responsibility towards the youngest, leading the child to want to grow faster, have more control over his or her life, and become more independent.
But such care may spoil the younger child, even if he enjoys freedoms that his older siblings did not.
The younger brother may develop his or her own ways of attracting attention, and the family sometimes excessively tends for the younger child to be certain of his or her place in the family and perhaps creative, rebellious, and socially open: no wonder, then, that many famous actors and comedians are the youngest in their families.
We may feel that the younger child is too selfish, usually adventurous and risky, and early free-spirited children may be more open to unconventional experiences and physical dangers than their siblings.
The only child.
The fourth category described by Adler is the only child known to be a child without siblings.
Since there are no sibling competitors he enjoys the full attention of his parents throughout their upbringing and often being pampered can lead to a sense of entitlement and dependency even when outside the family.
However, some of these children may only feel suffocated by attention from their families and seek independence and autonomy (10).
What do studies tell us about birth order and its relationship to personality?
Many early studies challenge the validity and accuracy of this theory, due to a systematic flaw such as family size, as their size is linked to several social factors such as race, education, and wealth.
Studies show that wealthier and more educated parents have fewer children, which means that children who grow up in comfortable or lavish environments are more likely to imitate the traits of an older son (citing two houses for two children versus a house for five children: in the first, the child has 50% of being a virgin; in the second, the child has a 20% chance of being a virgin)
Despite these uncertainties, some recent studies that have been scrutinized have supported birth order theory at the biological level.
For example, a 2007 study in Norway showed that the IQ of a first-born child was two to three points higher than that of the next child.
A 2009 study found that “birth order affects our choices of friends and partners.
The firstborn is more likely to be associated with the firstborn, the middle born with the middle, and the last born with the last. ”
which means that personal factors play a significant role in their lives.
Other recent analyses of these studies have found that birth order may have some effect on a child ’ s development, though not as profound as the theory claims, as evidenced by a 2015 review finding that first-born babies actually have higher intelligence levels than babies in other birth order settings.
But the researchers found no differences between older children and others in terms of broader personality traits such as extroversion, emotional stability, or imagination.
It is clear that the issue of birth order, in which cultural and biological factors intersect survival, related to the concerns of parents for the only child or the older child, etc. A previous study showed that compared to later births, the likelihood of newborn children participating in dangerous sports is lower due to fears of physical injury.
A 1980 study of 170 females and 142 college students showed lower levels of anxiety and higher ego in older children, as measured by the Howarth Personality Questionnaire.
But at times, these investigations have used dubious methods.
Family members themselves are asked to evaluate themselves in terms of extroversion, openness to experience, discipline, tolerance, and neuroticism.
But these surveys were conducted only at the same time and only one person judged his personality and that of his siblings.
These details are important because self-perception and the perception of others can sometimes vary greatly.
In addition, test subjects may have subconsciously incorporated the clichés of older siblings and later universal births into their assessment, and thus could have achieved the expected result themselves.
Whatever your ranking in the family, and regardless of the accuracy of the descriptions shown by the studies on your case, we find that the general agreement between researchers lies in the privacy of each family, so it will be worth noting the impact of your ranking among your brothers on the formation of your personality through your understanding of the personality of your parents, and then notice how they deal with the older or younger brother or with you personally based on their fears and expectations. Then you will begin to deepen your understanding of yourself and your family problems, if any.
Finally, remember that this is a space to help yourself and your family overcome problems, not to make them up, magnify them, or throw accusations lightly.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sources and references:
1.
Birth Order Theory: Insights Into Your Personality
2.
BIRTH ORDER
3.
Does Birth Order Affect Personality?
4.
How Birth Order May Influence Your Kid ’ s Personality Traits
5.
What to Know About Birth Order
6.
Alfred Adler Birth Order Theory Explained
7.
An Analysis of Empirical Validity of Alfred Adler ’ s Theory of Birth Order
8.
What to Know About Birth Order
9.
Birth Order and Child Personalities: A Glimpse Into Adlerian Theory and Contemporary Ideas
10.
Alderian overview of birth order characteristics
11.
Birth Order Theory: How Birth Order Affects Your Personality
12.
Does Birth Order Affect Personality?
13.
Does Your Birth Order Affect Your Personality?
Source: The Island

Birth order studies, such as a 2007 Norwegian one, find firstborn children often have slightly higher IQs than their younger siblings.

Experiments with mixing human and animal brain cells suggest changes at the cellular level, raising new scientific questions.

Title:

Content: “Waiting for a supernatural. ”
Transferring Human Brain Cells to Rats
New research shows that human neurons implanted in the brains of rats continued to grow, forming connections with the brain cells of animals and helping to guide their behavior, raising ethical and scientific questions as to whether it would result in a superorganism or an improved rat with unique abilities.
According to a study published in the journal Nature, clumps of lab-grown human brain cells were transplanted into the brains of newborn mice, showing that these cells grew and merged with rodent neural circuits, eventually making up about one-sixth of their brains.
The researchers say these animals could be used to learn more about human neurological and psychiatric disorders.
The team used organics made from skin cells.
These cells were synthesized into stem cells in the lab before being encouraged to form layers of cells similar to those found in the human cortex, the folded outer part of the brain that contains areas responsible for thought, vision, hearing, memory and sensing the environment, among other things.
This process took about two months in the lab.
The resulting three-dimensional organelles were then injected into the brains of day-old mice through an incision in the skull, the organelles were implanted into the sensory cortex, an area that plays a role in helping animals feel their environment.
Within four months, brain scans showed that the organelles had grown to about nine times their original size and made up about a third of the cerebral hemisphere.
The cells appear to have formed connections with mice ’ s brain cells and were integrated into brain circuits.
Stanford University ’ s Sergio Pashka said: “It ’ s just a very big step. ”
In another experiment, the team specifically fired human cells using optogenetics — a technique that involves shedding light on brain cells that have been genetically modified to respond to light.
By doing so, the researchers were able to influence how often the mice sought a reward.
Bashka hopes that studying human brain organelles in mice could help researchers understand human diseases.
In another experiment, his team created organelles using cells taken from people with Timothy syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the brain and heart.
These neurons looked different from healthy cells, and they seemed to work differently as well.
The research team is currently testing potential new treatments for the syndrome in these mice.
But the more important question is, are mice with brain cells still mice?
The participating researchers believe they are, and Paschka says the animals showed no signs of enhanced cognition or any human-like behaviors.
Another co-researcher says the human brain is incredibly complex — far more so than rat brains, even with a fraction of human cells in it.
Julian Savulescu, a bioethicist at the National University of Singapore, who was not involved in the study, commented on the experiment, “It ’ s an important step forward in advancing toward [understanding] and treating brain diseases. ”
But evolution also raises ethical questions, he says, especially regarding what it means to “humanize ” animals.
He sees that mice, at least at the cellular level, are no longer fully mice.
However, Savulescu has no ethical concerns about the study, because only a small portion of the cells were transplanted and placed in a part of the brain that deals with sensing the environment, rather than consciousness.
But in the future, scientists should be aware of the potential effects of growing larger organoids in other areas of the brain, "it raises the possibility of creating an improved rat that may have greater cognitive abilities than the average rat," he says.
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Research links high nighttime temperatures to greater risk of stroke, emphasizing the impact of environment on health.

Title:

Content: What is the relationship between high night temperature and increased risk of stroke?
HEALTH
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The risk of stroke increases significantly as nighttime temperatures rise, a potential health concern worldwide.
The research team, led by Helmholtz Research Center Munich in Germany, mapped overnight temperatures against the number of strokes recorded in the German city of Augsburg over a 15-year period and found a statistically significant increase in stroke risk on days when temperatures are extreme.
Alexandra Schneider, an epidemiologist at Helmholtz Munich, said: “We wanted to understand how high temperatures during the night pose a health risk.
“This is important because climate change is causing nighttime temperatures to rise much faster than daytime temperatures. ”
The study listed a total of 11037 strokes from 2006 to 2020.
Overall, the risk of stroke increased by 7% during nights classified as "tropical", where the temperature remains above 14.6 ° C.
There was evidence that the number of strokes increased over time as well: hot nights were associated with two more strokes per year (from 2006 to 2012), while hot nights were associated with 33 more cases per year (from 2013 to 2020), reflecting rising temperatures over the years.
Researchers say a variety of factors could be behind these statistics, including an increased likelihood of dehydration, which is known to increase the likelihood of a stroke.
The team hopes the results will lead to improved preventive measures: hospitals can plan additional coverage for staff on hot nights, while the most vulnerable in society can be made more aware of the risks.
More detailed studies across larger groups and other parts of the world will be needed to confirm the link.
The study was published in the European Heart Journal.
Source: Science Alert
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Research shows that genetic inheritance plays a role in individual success and health, as talent and innate ability may be partially inherited from parents, not only wealth.

Title:

Content: What do you rely on, Dad?
Learn about social genetics from the synergistic effects of genetic power and golden spoon
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
What we want you to know is
As an ordinary person, I believe that talent has a great impact on whether people can succeed or not, and as a sociologist, I can say that research also shows that innate ability has an impact on worldly success, that is, the rich generation may rely not only on the father's wealth, but also on the good inheritance of parents' intelligence.
Text: Lin Meng-yong (Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University)
When we see the beautiful appearance of the second generation of stars and think of the beauty of their parents, we call it the result of “genetic power. ”
When we see the sons and daughters of famous sportsmen on the sand, we also say that they have inherited good "sports cells".
And when we talk about the rich second generation, we say that they were born with golden spoons, saying that they are “dependent on their parents. ”
Admittedly, all people in this society to succeed requires effort and luck, but if you accidentally win the lottery before birth, then these people in the society can get more benefits than others?
In general, academic literature generally shows that people with higher education and higher incomes tend to grow up in families with higher education or higher incomes.
For example, a study has shown that parents of tenured professors in the United States are 25 times more likely to be professors than the average person.
Traditional social studies say that this is the result of class replication, intergenerational cultural capital transfer, children are submerged in their interactions with their parents, and learn how to do the right thing at the right time.
But from the small exam to growing up, we usually have "freaks" around us, which means very smart talent, and it is easy to read books, and the test is always top of the list.
If these people only learn the secrets of success through their own efforts, the right way to study, and interaction with their parents and teachers, this makes us deeply suspicious of those who have been studying hard all day and all night.
As an ordinary person, I believe that talent has a great impact on whether people can succeed, and as a sociologist, I can say that research also shows that innate ability has its impact on worldly success, that is, the rich generation may not only rely on the father has money, but also may be a good inheritance of parents' intelligence.
Human beings as social animals and biological animals, we can not ignore the social and biological aspects of human beings. As we grow older, youth is no longer, we can not deny that changes in the body affect the life; as the world deepens and the experience becomes wider, our understanding of this society also allows us to deny that people are unpredictable and unpredictable.
If you don ’ t mix the two, you probably won ’ t be human.
The people who think they are doing research related to biosociology and sociogenomics are those who try to separate and interweave the biological and social aspects of people.
And I am one of them too.
If you read this, or don ’ t believe what I say, I ’ ll try to start with some examples of health, reach further into the traditional field of sociology, and finally discuss the limitations and challenges facing this field.
To see the fate of the world through your mouth.
To talk about this research, mention Francis Galton in the 19th century, who proposed eugenics, arguing that gifts are passed down through the family.
There is a notorious history of eugenics, so there is no mention of it here.
In the early 20th century, scientists began to treat twins as subjects of study, comparing the differences between identical twins and fraternal twins in various characteristics, and calculating heritability.
If a trait can be inherited, then when the environment is the same, identical twins should be more similar than identical twins, after all, identical twins are genetically identical, and identical twins are only brothers or sisters born at the same time (Note: studies usually only include identical twins of the same sex, otherwise different genders may affect the distribution of genes and how others treat them).
After James Watson and Francis Crick (and Rosalind Franklin) discovered the structure of genes, coupled with the development of molecular biology, candidate gene research became a new method for everyone to use.
These studies are usually based on genes identified by biological experiments.
For example: experimental rats with a specific MAOA gene variant and a 5-HTT gene variant are more likely to have aggressive behavior; those with a FTO gene variant are more likely to gain weight; the comparison of APOE variants will get Alzheimer ’ s and so on.
Some behavioral scientists look at these genetic variants to see if people will have the same characteristics, and if so, whether they will have different effects in different environments.
Around 2005, a new cross-generational approach to genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was born.
Geneticists began using this method to find base pairs associated with specific traits.
Since then, social scientists have tried to study social-related traits using whole genes.
However, because there are too many base pairs considering tens of thousands at a time, there is a lot of noise, so later developed a method called polygenic fractions.
The polygenic score is the score generated by adding up the number of bases that each person is at risk. Since everyone has different bases at each base location, if someone carries an A at this location, someone carries two A's, and some people have no A's, then if A is a risk base related to obesity, then the one with 1 is here, and the two are 2, there is no. 0.
Adding up all the bases, the sum is a person ’ s genetic risk (of course, it ’ s not that simple, I ’ m just simplifying it).
How do I get everyone ’ s base pairs? The easiest way is to drop the saliva (Figure 1).
Researchers usually ask respondents to spit a few milliliters of saliva in a small box or small jar. After spitting, the lid is covered with a lid, and the liquid that stabilizes the DNA in the lid will flow into the jar, so that the DNA will not be broken down so quickly during transportation.
The genetic sequencing is then left to the laboratory personnel, and behavioral researchers only need to receive the base pairs of data before the next data analysis.
Of course, before asking people to spit, the researchers will definitely get the consent of the respondents to receive and store genetic data.
Because saliva can be stored for a longer period of time if it is frozen, researchers usually want to freeze the rest of the saliva a little longer so that it is not wasted.
In addition, in addition to collecting saliva, researchers will also interview people about other demographic or social factors, so that they can do social science analysis.
There are genes, so what?

Genetic risk can be estimated by analyzing base pairs in DNA, which are often collected from saliva samples and preserved through freezing for research purposes.

It is important to be cautious of misinformation and pseudoscientific claims; many people overestimate their ability to recognize falsehoods, and new forms of misinformation may use scientific or financial jargon to appear credible.

Title:

Content: A Guide to Survival in the Face of False Data
In this day and age, the world is full of evil and the world is full of evil.
What is a fact?
Politicians are not afraid; what is science?
See how the media reports.
In the hands of Silicon Valley startups, the art of bullshit has sublimated; in the eyes of colleges and universities, bullshit is more rewarding than analytical thinking.
What the administration does, it seems that most of it is just a kind of high-level work to put together and reorganize.
The advertising company blinked heartily, inviting everyone to come together to debunk the true face of the bullshit.
We took the call, but instead we relaxed our guard and took the second-order bullshit they had stuffed in. By misleading the world about specific issues, bullshit can contaminate the world and make it hard to trust so-called information, so this book, though weak, represents an attempt to counter it.
The philosopher Harry Frankfurt has discovered that ubiquitous bullshit has become a key feature of our generation.
His classic article, On Bullshit (later published as a book, the Chinese version of "Bullshit!
One of the most striking features of our culture is that there is too much bullshit.
Everyone knows this, and everyone has a part to play in it.
We are all used to it.
However, we do not know exactly what nonsense is, why it has spread here, and what its effect is.
We also don ’ t have the heart to understand what the bullshit means to us.
In other words, about the bullshit, the theory of pay.
To eradicate bullshit, you need to know exactly what bullshit is, but that ’ s where things get tricky.
First of all, "bullshit" is both a noun and a verb usage.
I can not only say, “I ’ m tired of your bullshit, ” but I can also bullshit you in reverse. That ’ s pretty straightforward! In general, bullshit refers to the act of engaging in bullshit.
However, what is the noun "bullshit"? As with all the attempts to explain the concept of philosophy in everyday language, it is probably only futile to give it the most perfect and appropriate definition.
Instead, we ’ re going to give a few examples and then try to describe something that qualifies as bullshit.
* The illusion of time.
Many people think they are good at figuring out what is bullshit.
When we come across a bullshit that wins with rhetorical skills or fancy words, maybe it is. Call it “old-school bullshit. ”
Let's look at the following examples:
• Our shared mission is to leverage the capabilities of our bilateral solutions to leverage opportunities for underutilized human resources (in other words, we are a human resources dispatching company).
• We exist because of transmission.
The way to open the mystery is to be one with it (this may be called the New Century old-school bullshit).
• Like our ancestors, we look to the vast land of greatness, with determination and passion, to rekindle the spark of our people ’ s lives that have been extinguished (spare us? Tell us how exactly do you intend to bring employment back to this area?)
Although it is not yet time for the old school ghost to quit the jianghu, but when we meet the rising star of what we call the "new school ghost", we can compare it to the next.
The language of the new school of bullshit is mathematics, science, and statistics, which give the impression of rigor and precision.
Those words that do not hold up well are put on a reasonable coat through the makeup of numbers, charts, statistics, and data charts.
New school bullshit might look like this:
• Our best-performing global funds have outperformed the broader market in seven of the last nine years after adjusting for exchange rates.
How many funds are underperforming the broader market?
Also, is it the same fund that outperformed the broader market in seven out of nine years? Or are several different funds outperforming the broader market in one of those seven years?)
• Although statistically insignificant (p = 0.13), the results of this study highlight the clinically significant amount of efficacy of this target proton therapy (5-year relative survival rate = 1.3), challenging current treatment paradigms (what does a clinically important but statistically insignificant study mean? Is there any reason to imagine that this result “challenges the current therapeutic paradigm ”?)
• The team used convolutional neural network algorithms to extract basic control logic from a diverse network of human metabolites, transcripts, and proteomes (what is a diversity network? Why are these “XX bodies ” related and measured? What does the author mean by“ control logic ”? How do we know that these systems are connected by a basic control logic?
And if there is such a basic control logic, how do we know that we can actually capture it in this way?).
• According to our systematic screening, 34% of Year 2 students with disruptive behavior problems admitted to having sniffed a microphone at least once in the past year (why is this important?
What is the percentage of students who do not have disruptive behavioural problems who admit to having sniffed a microphone pen?
Probably higher!).
New school bullshit can be very persuasive, because most people see the information presented in numbers and feel they are not qualified to question it, and this is what new school bullshit people rely on.
To counter this, one must learn when and how to challenge such claims.
* Who is creating a fake?
Both of our authors are dedicated to teaching students how to think logically and quantitatively when faced with data.
From our eponymous course at the University of Washington, we hope to show you that you don ’ t have to be a professional statistician, econometrician, or data scientist to think critically about quantitative arguments, and you don ’ t have to work on huge datasets and weeks to see through the bullshit.
It is often enough to look at the problem with basic logical inferences, supplemented by information that search engines can find if necessary.
The reason why we want to help people understand the bullshit and refute the bullshit is for the benefit of citizens.
This has nothing to do with ideologies such as the left and right, who have proven themselves to be good at creating and spreading false information, regardless of whether they are on the left or the right.
It should be said (and it may sound grandiose) that we believe that full detection of bullshit is necessary to maintain a liberal democracy.
Democracy will always need voters who can think critically, but this is more important than ever in an era of fake news and foreign interference in the election process through social media.
In a 2016 New York Times op-ed, Mark Galeotti outlined what the best defense against this type of information warfare is.
In the face of leaks, instead of fighting one by one, the U.S. government should teach people to recognize that they are being manipulated by information.
Americans should be able to learn from schools, non-governmental organizations, public service outreach activities, and other channels to become a smart media consumer basic skills, including the fact of news reporting, and the fact that pictures do not necessarily have the truth.
As academics who have taught data science, statistics, and other related subjects at public universities for decades, we know how to teach these kinds of thinking methods, and we believe it can be done without political sidelines.
The optimal size of the federal government, the acceptability of government involvement in people ’ s private lives, and what a country should do on the international stage (for which you may disagree with us), but we don ’ t mind, we just want to help people of all political views resist the specter, because we feel that democracy is best when voters recognize the truth from all sides. It is.
What we want to build is not a platform that just doesn ’ t sound like it, so most of the examples in this book are not the worst of the examples we know, much less the ones that excite us. Instead, we have selected examples that can be used as a teaching tool to elicit special pitfalls and highlight appropriate coping strategies.
For this book, we hope that you can read, think, and see for yourself who is bullshitting.
About a century ago, the philosopher John.
As John Alexander Smith once said to a new student at Oxford University:
Nothing you will learn in the course of your studies will be useful to you in the future, except that, if you are diligent and conscientious, you will be able to find out who is talking indiscriminately, which, in my opinion, is the most important, if not the only, purpose of education.
Despite the success of management engineering (science, technology, engineering, medicine, collectively known as STEM) higher education, we still feel that we are not doing well in this area.
Operational stuff is usually well taught: students know how to manipulate matrices, do cell transfection, perform gene scans, run machine learning algorithms, etc., but when they focus on facts and skills like this, they sacrifice the training and practice of the art of “critical thinking. ”
Humanities and social sciences teach students to let conflicting ideas collide with each other, and try to solve them when they encounter situations of different tones, while science and engineering teaching rarely gives students paradoxes that need to be solved, and they rarely encounter situations where the form of evidence conflicts and needs to be reconciled, or false claims that need to be criticized.
As a result, college graduates are often prepared to question and recognize logical fallacies when faced with verbal arguments, but when a narrative is presented in quantitative terms, they are unexpectedly silent.
Of course, this is also true of secondary education.
By incorporating the inquiry-based teaching that is now widely used in the humanities into polytechnic education, schools will be able to shape a generation of students who can easily pick up the nonsense of statistics and artificial intelligence analysis from the bullshit of politics, ethics, art, philosophy and other fields.
For a variety of reasons, the following chapters of this book make extensive use of scientific and medical research as examples.
We all love science and we specialize in it.
And the kind of quantitative claims we deal with in this book are also based on science.
Looking at all human systems, science seems to be insulated from bullshit, but it is not.
We believe that if voters are not blind, they must first build a public understanding of science, and we hope to identify the many stumbling blocks that stand in the way of that understanding.
But we want to emphasize in particular that science is an institutionalized and effective way to understand the physical world, and nothing we can say can undermine it. In the end, science is useful despite all our complaints, so many biases, and so many problems, so much sneaking in.
With the help of science, people can fly planes, make video calls, transplant organs, eradicate infectious diseases, and understand everything from the initial state of the universe after the Big Bang to the molecular basis of life.
The emergence of new forms of information technology has changed the way humans communicate, both scientifically and socially.
Information becomes more accessible, and information overload becomes worse.
We hope this book will help readers face this vicious battle and discern the truth.
(This article is excerpted from Carl Burgstrom and Jervyn West, “The Illusion of Data: Data Reading is the Most Important Critical Literacy in the Age of Deep Fake, and Smart Decisions Aren ’ t Tricked ”, provided by CommonWealth Magazine)
Extended reading
The number of people watching YT skyrocketed to do so!
Use two techniques to absorb powder
Popular knowledge YouTuber key: 40 words to finish the point
Happy Line Exercise: How to Make Your Boss Happy?

To address misinformation, it is crucial to critically challenge questionable claims and understand the motivations and origins of fake information, especially in the context of science and health.

A surge has occurred in people's reliance on online sources like YouTube for health and nutrition information, making it easier for unsubstantiated health trends and supply issues (like calcium, iron, and cancer drug shortages) to gain attention.