The top Medical Xpress articles of 2024

It was a good year for medical research as a team of neurobiologists at New York University conducted experiments that showed human non-brain cells are capable of carrying out memory functions. They engineered non-brain cells to glow when a “memory gene” was turned on after exposure to a learning experience and found the cells responded in nearly the same way as a brain cell. Their findings suggest various body parts may respond to stimuli without instructions from the brain.

Also, this past summer, a team of researchers led by a group at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, found evidence showing that taking multivitamins every day will not increase a person’s lifespan. They studied data from 400,000 healthy U.S. adults covering more than 20 years and found no association between regular multivitamin use and lower risk of death. There was also no difference in mortality from cancer, heart disease, or cerebrovascular diseases.

And this past October, a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, found that a commonly used arm position can substantially overestimate blood pressure readings. Allowing the arm to rest on the lap, the team found, overestimated systolic pressure by nearly 4 mmHg, while an unsupported arm led to overestimations of up to 7 mmHg. They also noted that their findings suggest even readings done at doctor’s offices could be wrong if health care workers do not insist on proper arm support.

Also, a team of psychiatrists, neurobiologists and drug impact specialists at Kings College working with colleagues at the University of Exeter, found that regular use of high-potency cannabis can lead to epigenetic changes in users. High potency, they note, is defined as having a THC content of 10% or more. Such impacts tended to involve the immune system and energy production. They also found some evidence it could impact DNA methylation, which could lead to mental health issues.

And this past October, a series of opinions and letters published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at the problem of “Too Much Dentistry.” The debate was begun by a dentist named Paulo Nadanovsky, who claimed many dentists are engaging in overtreatment due to economic pressures. Others responded by suggesting that some of the apparent overtreatment is actually the introduction of new technology, while also acknowledging that some unneeded procedures are done and appointments made more often than they are needed.

Also, this past October, a team of researchers with the Gene–Environment Interactions and Health Research Group at the University of León Institute of Biomedicine, in Spain, found that approximately 40% of postmenopausal hormone positive breast cancers can be linked to excess body fat. Their study involved analysis of medical statistics in a database holding information for 1,033 white postmenopausal women with breast cancer and 1,143 women free of the disease, but matched for age, sex, and geographical region.

And a pair of commentators for The Conversation, noted that some people, like them, do not find themselves visualizing a pink elephant when told not to do so. The request is a famous quote from Siodmak’s “City in the Sky,” where a point was being made about how difficult it can be to suppress undesired thoughts. The commentators, Derek Arnold and Loren Bouyer, point out that they have been diagnosed with aphantasia—they cannot visualize anything. This has led them to suggest that there are likely differences in people who can and cannot visualize things in their head.

Also, this past June, a team of physiologists at the University of Tsukuba, in Japan, found that mice engaging in a single intense physical workout tend to reduce physical activity later, resulting in a lower body temperature and problems with losing weight. Such workouts, they found, result in disruptions to the circadian rhythm, which in turn can lead to an increase in stress hormones. And that, they said, can lead to reduced physical activity, heat production and disruptions to weight-loss efforts.

And a team of neurologists at the University of Chicago found that a midbrain region called the superior colliculus controls certain types of eye movements and also plays an important role in higher cognitive functions. Their work involved conducting brain scans on trained monkeys as they performed various types of activities. The team suggests the connection implies that activities such as directing the head when a light flashes are connected to higher brain functions that are involved in the response.

Also, a team of public health researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China announced this past summer, that they had found microplastics in the semen of every sample they tested. In all, they tested 36 healthy adult men who lived in the city of Jinan—none of whom worked in the plastics industry. The researchers also noted that they had found eight types of plastics in the semen samples, the most common of which was polystyrene.

And a team of geneticists and child development specialists at the Max Planck Society, conducting a genome-wide meta-analysis study of infants (15–18 months) and toddlers (24–38 months) regarding their vocabulary size, found evidence showing that early vocabulary size is genetically linked to ADHD, literacy, and cognition. In early measures of vocabulary size, parents reported which words their children said and/or understood from a given word list.

Also, this past summer, a team of oncologists, urologists and other cancer specialists at the University of California San Francisco, studying the effects of people adhering to the ketogenetic diet and fasting, found something they were not expecting. Putting mice on a high fat, or ketogenic, diet, along with traditional cancer therapies, worked more effectively at preventing pancreatic cancer than just the cancer therapies. They found it removed the cancerous tumor’s only fuel source.

And a pair of education researchers, one with Queen Mary University of London, the other with University College London, led a team that found that non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and self-regulation, are as important as intelligence in determining academic success. Margherita Malanchini and Andrea Allegrinimade and their team made these findings while analyzing the educational advancement of 10,000 children in England, including a large number of twins.

And a team of geneticists at the Mayo Clinic announced this past September, that they had identified eight novel genetic mutations in patients with CSF1R-Related Disorder worldwide. The rare genetic disorder results in cognitive decline and memory loss as a person grows older. Early symptoms include personality changes, anxiety, depression and loss of inhibition.

Also, a team of gerontologists and mechanical engineers at the University of Colorado at Boulder discovered why it is that people move slower when they get older. In running experiments with volunteers in two age groups, 18 to 35 and 66 to 87, the researchers found people in the older group tended to move slower as a means for conserving energy—something that becomes more important as muscles become less efficient at burning calories.

And a team of bioengineers at Northwestern University announced that they had developed a new biomaterial that demonstrated an ability to regrow damaged cartilage in knee joints in animal models. The biomaterial was made using two components: a bioactive peptide that binds to transforming growth factor beta-1—an essential protein for cartilage growth and maintenance—and a modified hyaluronic acid. Test animals saw rejuvenation in their knee joints within six months of application.

Also, this past October, a team of biologists and chemists at Harvard Medical School demonstrated the means by which plastic chemical phthalate can cause DNA breakage and chromosome defects in sex cells, in roundworms. Their results suggest that consumption of certain types of plastics by adults can result in dramatic birth defects in offspring. A closer look showed that it was benzyl butyl phthalate in the plastic that was causing the problems.

And this past summer, a team of geneticists from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the University of California San Diego, found a link between genetics and coffee consumption. The team used data from the family tree tracing site 23andMe to study the connection between coffee drinking and coffee intake—in so doing, they found that different gene variants influenced how much a given person likes coffee, thus driving their consumption habits.

Also, an international team of bioengineers announced this past autumn that they had developed a synthetic type of insulin that switches on and off and could help diabetics avoid sudden drops in blood sugar levels. The team has already demonstrated the usefulness of the insulin in animal models. The main feature of the insulin is a molecule called NNC2215 that can serve as a switch, turning on and off, increasing or decreasing glucose levels in the blood.

And a team of neuroscientists, aging specialists and biochemists at the University of California, Los Angeles, announced that they had synthesized a molecule they called DDL-920, that when given to Alzheimer’s mouse models, restored cognitive function lost to the disease. The team explained that it was able to do so by essentially jump-starting the brains’ memory circuitry by enhancing γ-oscillations.

Also, just last month, an international team of medical researchers announced that they had discovered one gene (FLVCR1) that could be used to diagnose 30 patients whose condition had been unexplained for years. Along the way, they found that the FLVCR1 gene coded for a protein that played a major role in the production of red blood cells and the way that choline and ethanolamine was transported in cells—factors that led to a wide range of conditions, all of which could be traced to one defective gene.

And recently, a team of geneticists at the University of Chicago, working with a colleague from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio announced that they had found that RNA plays a significant role in how DNA is packaged and stored in human cells, via a gene known as TET2. And because of that, it plays a major role in the development of some types of cancers. The finding, the team claims, may help to explain why so many cancers and other disorders involve TET2-related mutations.

Also, last May, a team of oncologists, geneticists, and other medical researchers at the University of Florida, announced the results of a successful human clinical trial—an mRNA vaccine developed by the team successfully reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal brain tumor. The research team noted that the results mirrored those found in trials involving dog models with brain cancers. The team has already scheduled a Phase I pediatric clinical trial and are expecting similar results.

And just last month a team of MIT engineers found that when muscles are at work, they help neurons grow. Prior work had shown that exercising can not only strengthen muscles but it can bolster bone strength, enhance blood vessel growth, and boost the immune system. Now it appears that when muscles are at work, they release a soup of biochemical signals called myokines, which spur neurons into growing up to four times further than they would otherwise.

And finally, a team of medical researchers at the University of California San Diego, found that the difference in people with autism whose symptoms lessen as they grow older and those who do not may have its basis while they are still in their mother’s womb. They collected stem cells from 10 toddlers ages 1 through 4, with idiopathic autism and used them to create brain cortical organoids (BCOs) and compared them with similar BCOs made using stem cells from six neurotypical toddlers. They found differences in BCO size in children with autism—a hint that in utero brain size may be related to later-life autism outcomes.

© 2024 Science X Network

It was a good year for medical research as a team of neurobiologists at New York University conducted experiments that showed human non-brain cells are capable of carrying out memory functions. They engineered non-brain cells to glow when a “memory gene” was turned on after exposure to a learning experience and found the cells responded in nearly the same way as a brain cell. Their findings suggest various body parts may respond to stimuli without instructions from the brain.

Also, this past summer, a team of researchers led by a group at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, found evidence showing that taking multivitamins every day will not increase a person’s lifespan. They studied data from 400,000 healthy U.S. adults covering more than 20 years and found no association between regular multivitamin use and lower risk of death. There was also no difference in mortality from cancer, heart disease, or cerebrovascular diseases.

And this past October, a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, found that a commonly used arm position can substantially overestimate blood pressure readings. Allowing the arm to rest on the lap, the team found, overestimated systolic pressure by nearly 4 mmHg, while an unsupported arm led to overestimations of up to 7 mmHg. They also noted that their findings suggest even readings done at doctor’s offices could be wrong if health care workers do not insist on proper arm support.

Also, a team of psychiatrists, neurobiologists and drug impact specialists at Kings College working with colleagues at the University of Exeter, found that regular use of high-potency cannabis can lead to epigenetic changes in users. High potency, they note, is defined as having a THC content of 10% or more. Such impacts tended to involve the immune system and energy production. They also found some evidence it could impact DNA methylation, which could lead to mental health issues.

And this past October, a series of opinions and letters published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at the problem of “Too Much Dentistry.” The debate was begun by a dentist named Paulo Nadanovsky, who claimed many dentists are engaging in overtreatment due to economic pressures. Others responded by suggesting that some of the apparent overtreatment is actually the introduction of new technology, while also acknowledging that some unneeded procedures are done and appointments made more often than they are needed.

Also, this past October, a team of researchers with the Gene–Environment Interactions and Health Research Group at the University of León Institute of Biomedicine, in Spain, found that approximately 40% of postmenopausal hormone positive breast cancers can be linked to excess body fat. Their study involved analysis of medical statistics in a database holding information for 1,033 white postmenopausal women with breast cancer and 1,143 women free of the disease, but matched for age, sex, and geographical region.

And a pair of commentators for The Conversation, noted that some people, like them, do not find themselves visualizing a pink elephant when told not to do so. The request is a famous quote from Siodmak’s “City in the Sky,” where a point was being made about how difficult it can be to suppress undesired thoughts. The commentators, Derek Arnold and Loren Bouyer, point out that they have been diagnosed with aphantasia—they cannot visualize anything. This has led them to suggest that there are likely differences in people who can and cannot visualize things in their head.

Also, this past June, a team of physiologists at the University of Tsukuba, in Japan, found that mice engaging in a single intense physical workout tend to reduce physical activity later, resulting in a lower body temperature and problems with losing weight. Such workouts, they found, result in disruptions to the circadian rhythm, which in turn can lead to an increase in stress hormones. And that, they said, can lead to reduced physical activity, heat production and disruptions to weight-loss efforts.

And a team of neurologists at the University of Chicago found that a midbrain region called the superior colliculus controls certain types of eye movements and also plays an important role in higher cognitive functions. Their work involved conducting brain scans on trained monkeys as they performed various types of activities. The team suggests the connection implies that activities such as directing the head when a light flashes are connected to higher brain functions that are involved in the response.

Also, a team of public health researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China announced this past summer, that they had found microplastics in the semen of every sample they tested. In all, they tested 36 healthy adult men who lived in the city of Jinan—none of whom worked in the plastics industry. The researchers also noted that they had found eight types of plastics in the semen samples, the most common of which was polystyrene.

And a team of geneticists and child development specialists at the Max Planck Society, conducting a genome-wide meta-analysis study of infants (15–18 months) and toddlers (24–38 months) regarding their vocabulary size, found evidence showing that early vocabulary size is genetically linked to ADHD, literacy, and cognition. In early measures of vocabulary size, parents reported which words their children said and/or understood from a given word list.

Also, this past summer, a team of oncologists, urologists and other cancer specialists at the University of California San Francisco, studying the effects of people adhering to the ketogenetic diet and fasting, found something they were not expecting. Putting mice on a high fat, or ketogenic, diet, along with traditional cancer therapies, worked more effectively at preventing pancreatic cancer than just the cancer therapies. They found it removed the cancerous tumor’s only fuel source.

And a pair of education researchers, one with Queen Mary University of London, the other with University College London, led a team that found that non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and self-regulation, are as important as intelligence in determining academic success. Margherita Malanchini and Andrea Allegrinimade and their team made these findings while analyzing the educational advancement of 10,000 children in England, including a large number of twins.

And a team of geneticists at the Mayo Clinic announced this past September, that they had identified eight novel genetic mutations in patients with CSF1R-Related Disorder worldwide. The rare genetic disorder results in cognitive decline and memory loss as a person grows older. Early symptoms include personality changes, anxiety, depression and loss of inhibition.

Also, a team of gerontologists and mechanical engineers at the University of Colorado at Boulder discovered why it is that people move slower when they get older. In running experiments with volunteers in two age groups, 18 to 35 and 66 to 87, the researchers found people in the older group tended to move slower as a means for conserving energy—something that becomes more important as muscles become less efficient at burning calories.

And a team of bioengineers at Northwestern University announced that they had developed a new biomaterial that demonstrated an ability to regrow damaged cartilage in knee joints in animal models. The biomaterial was made using two components: a bioactive peptide that binds to transforming growth factor beta-1—an essential protein for cartilage growth and maintenance—and a modified hyaluronic acid. Test animals saw rejuvenation in their knee joints within six months of application.

Also, this past October, a team of biologists and chemists at Harvard Medical School demonstrated the means by which plastic chemical phthalate can cause DNA breakage and chromosome defects in sex cells, in roundworms. Their results suggest that consumption of certain types of plastics by adults can result in dramatic birth defects in offspring. A closer look showed that it was benzyl butyl phthalate in the plastic that was causing the problems.

And this past summer, a team of geneticists from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the University of California San Diego, found a link between genetics and coffee consumption. The team used data from the family tree tracing site 23andMe to study the connection between coffee drinking and coffee intake—in so doing, they found that different gene variants influenced how much a given person likes coffee, thus driving their consumption habits.

Also, an international team of bioengineers announced this past autumn that they had developed a synthetic type of insulin that switches on and off and could help diabetics avoid sudden drops in blood sugar levels. The team has already demonstrated the usefulness of the insulin in animal models. The main feature of the insulin is a molecule called NNC2215 that can serve as a switch, turning on and off, increasing or decreasing glucose levels in the blood.

And a team of neuroscientists, aging specialists and biochemists at the University of California, Los Angeles, announced that they had synthesized a molecule they called DDL-920, that when given to Alzheimer’s mouse models, restored cognitive function lost to the disease. The team explained that it was able to do so by essentially jump-starting the brains’ memory circuitry by enhancing γ-oscillations.

Also, just last month, an international team of medical researchers announced that they had discovered one gene (FLVCR1) that could be used to diagnose 30 patients whose condition had been unexplained for years. Along the way, they found that the FLVCR1 gene coded for a protein that played a major role in the production of red blood cells and the way that choline and ethanolamine was transported in cells—factors that led to a wide range of conditions, all of which could be traced to one defective gene.

And recently, a team of geneticists at the University of Chicago, working with a colleague from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio announced that they had found that RNA plays a significant role in how DNA is packaged and stored in human cells, via a gene known as TET2. And because of that, it plays a major role in the development of some types of cancers. The finding, the team claims, may help to explain why so many cancers and other disorders involve TET2-related mutations.

Also, last May, a team of oncologists, geneticists, and other medical researchers at the University of Florida, announced the results of a successful human clinical trial—an mRNA vaccine developed by the team successfully reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal brain tumor. The research team noted that the results mirrored those found in trials involving dog models with brain cancers. The team has already scheduled a Phase I pediatric clinical trial and are expecting similar results.

And just last month a team of MIT engineers found that when muscles are at work, they help neurons grow. Prior work had shown that exercising can not only strengthen muscles but it can bolster bone strength, enhance blood vessel growth, and boost the immune system. Now it appears that when muscles are at work, they release a soup of biochemical signals called myokines, which spur neurons into growing up to four times further than they would otherwise.

And finally, a team of medical researchers at the University of California San Diego, found that the difference in people with autism whose symptoms lessen as they grow older and those who do not may have its basis while they are still in their mother’s womb. They collected stem cells from 10 toddlers ages 1 through 4, with idiopathic autism and used them to create brain cortical organoids (BCOs) and compared them with similar BCOs made using stem cells from six neurotypical toddlers. They found differences in BCO size in children with autism—a hint that in utero brain size may be related to later-life autism outcomes.

© 2024 Science X Network