THE MEDICAL NEWS

Making a living brain transparent and watching its neurons fire without disturbing their function-sounds like science fiction, doesn't it? Yet the solution may already exist within our own bodies.

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts to destroy insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Progressive loss of these cells destabilizes the body's glucose levels and drives the course of the disease, so preserving or restoring beta cell mass is a central treatment goal.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new way to alter complex drug molecules using light rather than toxic chemicals – a discovery that could accelerate and improve how medicines are designed and made.

Researchers analyzed molecular sensitization patterns in Polish patients with perennial allergic rhinitis who tested positive for cockroach allergens. They found that most apparent cockroach allergies were driven by cross-reactive proteins shared with mites, seafood, and other arthropods rather than true cockroach-specific allergens.

Immunotherapy given during and after chemoradiation did not improve survival for study participants with limited-stage, small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) according to the results of an international clinical trial, NRG-LU005, led by NRG Oncology in collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. The results are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Biologists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have uncovered how the protein NuSAP safeguards tiny structures inside cells called centrioles, revealing a mechanism linked to developmental disorders such as microcephaly and mosaic variegated aneuploidy (MVA) syndrome.

A randomized crossover trial found that replacing red meat patties with processed plant-based meat alternatives for six days significantly lowered circulating trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a gut-derived metabolite linked to cardiovascular risk. The plant-based phase also produced modest reductions in cholesterol markers but slightly increased weight and NT-proBNP, possibly due to higher sodium i…

A University of Virginia School of Medicine researcher has received $3.4 million from the National Institutes of Health to increase the availability of weight-management programs that offer beneficial personalized feedback.