An Osaka Metropolitan University researcher examined whether abdominal obesity predicts frailty progression in 2,962 community-dwelling adults aged 30–79 years in Osaka, Japan over the course of a year.

A research team at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) and the Faculty of Medicine at Kanazawa University has developed a new class of engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs) capable of inducing antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs), the immune cells that play a central role in suppressing excessive immune responses. The findings, now published in Drug Delivery, may pave the way for next-generation therapies for autoimmune and allergic diseases, where unwanted immune activation must be precisely controlled.

Abstract:

A research group led by Professor Hiroaki SUZUKI and Takeshi HAYAKAWA from the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Chuo University, graduate student Zhitai HUANG, graduate students Kanji KANEKO (at the time) and Ryotaro YONEYAMA (at the time), together with Specially Appointed Assistant Professor Tomoya MARUYAMA from the Research Center for Autonomous Systems Materialogy (ASMat), Institute of Integrated Research (IIR), Institute of Science Tokyo, and Professor Masahiro TAKINOUE from the Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo, has developed a novel and highly accessible technology for producing uniform Biomolecular Condensates^*1) using a simple, low-cost vibration platform.

Ribosomes—the tiny factories that build proteins in our cells—don’t all work with the same efficiency. Researchers from Japan have discovered that ribosomes actually compete with one another, and those that perform poorly are selectively broken down when more efficient ones are present. This built-in “survival of the fittest” mechanism keeps protein synthesis accurate and efficient, shedding new light on how cells maintain quality control and prevent ribosome-related diseases.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers developed a new educational program incorporating training for nurses on all processes of Evidence-Based Practice.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have decoded the nuclear genome of Amorphochlora amoebiformis, a unicellular marine alga belonging to the chlorarachniophyte group. The genome is approximately 214 megabase pairs in size and contains around 17,500 protein-coding genes. Notably, introns (noncoding sequences typically removed by splicing) constitute approximately three-quarters of the genome, making it the most intron-rich eukaryotic genome reported to date.

Researchers have achieved a groundbreaking discovery that bridges artificial intelligence and nuclear physics. By applying deep learning techniques to a vast amount of unexamined nuclear emulsion data from the J-PARC E07 experiment, the team identified, for the first time in 25 years, a new double-Lambda hypernucleus.

A land-based Benizake (sockeye salmon) aquaculture project in Fukushima—jointly led by Okayama University of Science, NTT East, and local retailer Ichii Inc.—is moving from pilot operations toward full-scale commercialization in Namie Town after being selected for a national subsidy program supporting recovery and job creation in areas affected by the 2011 disaster. About 1,500 fish are currently being raised in a 20-ton tank, with initial shipments expected after next summer and a new facility targeted for completion by 2026.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have successfully traced the mechanism behind how an industrially important “superbase” catalyst is synthesized in a faster, microwave-assisted reaction. They took measurements using X-rays while the reaction occurred, uncovering how small precursor molecules were formed first before they clustered to create the final product. Their insights promise finer control over a promising technology for speeding up chemical synthesis in industry.

In a new study from Kindai University, researchers show that acute systemic inflammation triggered by lipopolysaccharide selectively disrupts metabolism in the cerebrum. Using a high-throughput metabolomics platform, the team discovered significant reductions in N-acetylaspartate and malic/aspartic acids alongside an accumulation of urea—indicating impaired neuronal function and disturbances in the malate–aspartate shuttle and urea cycle. These findings identify potential early biomarkers of neuroinflammation, and may support future advances in detecting inflammation-linked neurodegenerative disease.