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Goals, opportunities, guides for advancing soft tissue and soft materials research

Researchers at UMass Amherst have outlined high-priority goals and opportunities for advancing knowledge on cavitation science, which occurs in soft materials and tissues during traumatic brain injury. The team proposes using cavitation as a unique tool to understand soft tissues and develop new medical devices.

SourceUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateApr 15, 2020

Exosomes promote remarkable recovery in stroke

Researchers have found that an exosome treatment can promote full recovery in swine with severe stroke, even in cases where brain cells are at risk of dying. The treatment works by interrupting the process of cell death and reducing damage signals throughout the brain network.

SourceUniversity of Georgia·JournalTranslational Stroke Research·DateJan 14, 2020

Gut microbes may improve stroke recovery

Research suggests that supplementing with short chain fatty acids can improve stroke recovery by reducing inflammation and promoting neuroinflammation. The study found that mice who drank water with added fatty acids experienced better stroke recovery, including reduced motor impairment and increased spine growth.

Complex organ models grown in the lab

Researchers develop a new technique to grow miniature organs with functional blood vessels and immune cells, simulating human embryonic tissues. This breakthrough allows for more efficient disease research and potential transplantation of transplanted tissue.

SourceUniversity of Würzburg·JournalScientific Reports·DateNov 19, 2019

Potential drug targets for glioblastoma identified

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified 10 novel glioblastoma-specific endothelial cell transcripts that could represent potential tumour-targets for therapy. The study uses a new method to process human brain tissue data and identifies disease-related changes in cells lining tumour blood vessels.

SourceKarolinska Institutet·JournalCell Reports·DateNov 5, 2019

McLean's Brain Bank receives new contract from NIH

The McLean Hospital Brain Bank has received a new contract from the NIH to fund 180 brains per year, allowing for enhanced procedures and deeper understanding of brain pathology in psychiatric disorders. The center is part of the NeuroBioBank national resource for investigators using postmortem brain tissue.

Brain tissue kept alive for weeks on an artificial membrane

Researchers developed a microfluidic device to keep brain tissue viable for months using a semi-permeable membrane, allowing gas exchange while preventing dehydration or drowning. This breakthrough enables long-term study of biological development and organogenesis, facilitating drug discovery and tissue research.

SourceRIKEN·JournalAnalytical Sciences·DateOct 9, 2019

Not just images

Researchers at Hebrew University have developed an MRI technique that can detect molecular changes in the brain, allowing for early disease diagnosis and treatment. This non-invasive method provides biological readouts of brain tissue, enabling doctors to compare scans over time and differentiate between healthy and diseased tissue.

SourceThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem·JournalNature Communications·DateSep 5, 2019

Zika virus infects the adult human brain and causes memory deficits in animal models

Researchers found that Zika virus replicates in adult human brain tissue and impairs synapse function and memory in infected mice. The study showed that the virus causes a strong inflammatory response, leading to microglia activation and synapse damage, resulting in memory loss.

Brain takes a beating as arteries age

As humans age, their brains receive increased load from the heart's beating due to stiffening large arteries, causing damage to smallest blood vessels. The hippocampus, crucial for episodic memory, is particularly vulnerable to this increased stress.

SourceUmea University·JournalTrends in Cognitive Sciences·DateAug 20, 2019

The body responds to variations in light between the day and night independently of the brain

New research reveals that tissues can respond to light changes independently of the central clock in the brain, maintaining minimal functions even when other tissues fail. This autonomy has significant implications for health, particularly in regards to premature aging and pathologies caused by daily phase differences.

In vivo super-resolution photoacoustic computed tomography by localization of single dyed droplets

Researchers at Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory created a technique to break the acoustic diffraction limit in PACT by localizing single dyed droplets flowing in blood vessels, achieving six-fold finer resolution. The droplets provide excellent tracers for super-resolution imaging and enable tracking of blood flow speed.