Latest News Releases 8 April

Titanium micro-particles in the oral mucosa around dental implants are common. This is shown in a new study from the University of Gothenburg, which also identified 14 genes that may be affected by these particles. 

Research has found that handheld electro-shockers commonly used for self defense can potentially interact with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) such as pacemakers, putting individuals at risk. The study in Heart Rhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, and the Pediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society, published by Elsevier, shows that the individual interactive risk is primarily based on the applied voltage, but also on the manufacturer and type of implanted CIED.

Scientists developed a new way of investing in stocks using natural language processing. Using dynamic topic modeling, a variant of Latent Dirichlet Allocation, the new model uncovers hidden risk factors directly from company reports and translates them into tradable indices with minimal human oversight. Investors can now trade these risk factors directly and track industry trends using only the information contained in words.

The ricefield eel (Monopterus albus) is the only protogynous hermaphrodite freshwater fish. How this species changes its sex remains elusive. By performing comparative transcriptome analysis, we tentatively propose that a temperature-induced sex reversal mechanism is at work in ricefield eel, similar to that in embryonic reptiles. We show that warm temperature induces the expression of male sex determination genes in ovarian tissues, and that temperature-induced up-regulation of male genes depends on Trpv4, a thermosensor that can sense thermal cues.  

This study uncovers dynamic immune adaptations during pregnancy through single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells at different pregnancy stages. A gradual reduction in cytotoxicity of T and NK cells, along with decreased MHC-II and CD40 signaling in T and B cells, suggests weakened adaptive immunity. Meanwhile, upregulated pro-inflammatory genes in monocytes may compensate for this reduction. Late pregnancy shows a transition toward immune activation in dendritic and CD4+ T cells. Notably, we highlight a novel pro-aging effect of pregnancy, which may reverse postpartum. These findings enhance our understanding of pregnancy immunity and its impact on disease risk.

Traditional terahertz (THz) polarization conversion devices show the unchanged polarization state on each output plane along the propagation path. This paper proposes a THz polarization controlled metasurface device that is dependent on propagation distance, which can continuously modify the polarization state of each output plane along the propagation path. The designed metasurface device can control the phase difference between the left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized components in the incident THz linearly polarized wave. This phase difference changes with the propagation distance, and ultimately outputs a linearly polarized wave that rotates along the propagation path. The polarization rotation angle can cover 0 to π. This device may have potential applications in fields such as variable matter excitation, THz communication, THz radar, THz sensing.

For the first time, researchers have revealed the high-affinity interaction between mitochondrial proteins HAX1 (intrinsically disordered) and CLPB (α-helical), uncovering their structural and functional synergy. Using NMR, the study shows HAX1's disordered region binds CLPB's helical domain with low micromolar affinity, providing mechanistic insights into diseases like cancer and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy. These findings open new avenues for targeted therapies against mitochondrial dysfunction-related disorders.

This work developed a new deep learning framework, MULGONET, to predict cancer recurrence and identify key biomarkers by integrating multi omics data (such as mRNA, DNA methylation, copy number variation). By utilizing the gene ontology (go) hierarchy, the model overcomes the challenges of data dimensionality and interpretability, and achieves higher accuracy in bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, and gastric cancer datasets. This innovation enables clinicians to pinpoint key genes and biological pathways associated with cancer recurrence, paving the way for personalized treatment strategies.

Researchers create for the first time volumetric graphics in mid-air that can be directly grabbed and manipulated with the hands. We are used to direct interaction with our phones, where we tap a button or drag a document directly with our finger on the screen – it is natural and intuitive for humans. This technology enables us to use this natural interaction with 3D graphics to leverage our innate abilities of 3D vision and manipulation.