Severe self-injurious behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses a significant risk of permanent physical injury. Not all children respond to behavioral therapies. Findings from a pilot trial in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, show that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), the reward-related region of the brain, in children with severe self-injurious behavior and ASD is relatively safe and feasible and may have notable benefits.

A new study in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT) concluded that inhaled technosphere insulin (TI-Afrezza) should be considered as an option for individuals with type 1 diabetes who want an alternative to using an insulin pump or multiple daily injections (MDI) for insulin delivery.

In a new study in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT), investigators evaluated biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in overweight and obese (OW/OB) adults with Type 1 Diabetes treated with tirzepatide, a dual-incretin approved for use in individuals with type 2 diabetes associated with CVD and DKD.

To date, the project has successfully developed self-assembled nanoparticles capable of loading and releasing anti-cancer drugs, such as paclitaxel and camptothecin, which are used to treat various types of tumours. Positive results have also been achieved in integrating photosensitizers like rose bengal, which, when activated by light, target cancer cells in photodynamic therapy.

On October 21, 2024, the research team led by Professor Lv Han from Capital Medical University Affiliated Beijing Friendship Hospital, in collaboration with the team led by Professor Jiang Jiehui from Shanghai University, conducted a population-based cohort study to investigate the long-term effects of unhealthy lifestyles, metabolic abnormalities, and other risk factors on brain aging. The results demonstrated that these risk factors significantly accelerate brain aging, and the researchers proposed key strategies to promote brain health. The study was published in the Research under the title "Discovery of High-Risk Clinical Factors That Accelerate Brain Aging in Adults: A Population-Based Machine Learning Study" (Research 2024; 7: Article 0500. DOI: 10.34133/research.0500).

Atomic nuclei with “magic numbers” of protons or neutrons in their nuclear shells are extremely stable. Nuclear physicists are especially interested in nuclei with doubly magic numbers—those that have full shells for both protons and neutrons. One example is the tin isotope Sn-100, which has 50 protons and 50 neutrons. To prepare for future work on Sn-100, researchers studied the properties of isotopes of indium as they approached 50 neutrons. This helps to demonstrate how adding single particles changes the properties of a nucleus.

A research team led by Professor Myung Ki from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Korea University College of Medicine (KUCM) recently published a study examining the link between education levels and suicide rates. The study found that among young men aged 30 to 44 whose highest level of education was elementary school or lower, the suicide rate was 6.1 to 13 times higher than that of men with a university or higher degree across all survey periods (1995–2020). These findings highlight the profound impact of socioeconomic disparities on suicide rates.

When groups make decisions­—whether it’s humans aligning on a shared idea, robots coordinating tasks, or fish deciding where to swim—not everyone contributes equally. Some individuals have more reliable information, whereas others are more connected and have higher social influence. A new study by researchers at the Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence shows that a combination of uncertainty and heterogeneity plays a crucial role in how groups reach consensus. The findings, published in Scientific Reports by Vito Mengers, Mohsen Raoufi, Oliver Brock, Heiko Hamann, and Pawel Romanczuk, show that groups make faster and more accurate decisions when individuals factor in not only the opinions of their neighbors but also their confidence about these opinions and how connected those others are within the group. However, more confidence does not always equal smarter decisions. The study also shows that overconfident group members with wrong information might mislead the group.