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Medicine and Health

Researchers achieve major breakthrough by growing first contracting human muscle tissue

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Scientists grow contracting human muscle tissue

The good folks over at the Duke University research facility in North Carolina have achieved yet another medical breakthrough less than a year after they managed to grow animal muscle tissue that was able to contract, as well as heal itself. This time around, the researchers were able to successfully grow the first-ever bioengineered human skeletal muscle tissue that’s also very similar to the real thing. The lab-grown tissue has multiple potential applications, but its main use will be to test various new treatments without the need of human subjects. The scientists also hope to learn more about muscle-related diseases and potentially find cures for them ,according to professor Nenad Bursac.

As you might imagine, the whole process took a very long time and was not an easy thing to achieve. Although the scientists already had plenty of experience thanks to their earlier work with animal muscle tissue, it still took them a year before they were able to successfully replicate the results with human cells. Bursac and his team started off by collecting a sample of “myogenic precursors”, which he describes as being stem cells that are in the early stages of developing into muscle tissue. The professor says that this sample was then expanded more than 1000-fold and placed into a 3d mold filled with a nutrient-rich gel. The mold not only nourished the cells as they were developing, but also helped them take the familiar muscle tissue shape we all know from biology class.

The end result is a sample of tissue that responds to external stimuli in a manner that’s very similar to how our own muscles do. Specifically, the tissue will contract accordingly when subjected to an electrical impulse. According to Lauran Madden, who was also part of the research team, the lab-grown muscle tissue is able to behave just like natural muscles because their nerve signalling pathways are fully functional and intact. Madden and Bursac already tested a number of drugs on the tissue and their results match similar tests conducted on humans. The next step is to test new pharmaceutical products for some rare diseases, as well as “provide personalized medicine to patients.”

Medicine and Health

Why is there a distinction between an Innie and an Outie belly button?

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We are interested in addressing some of the most urgent inquiries that society has regarding science. Is it necessary to include death education in schools? What is the impact of ultra-processed foods on human health? Today’s agenda includes a crucial question: what is the reason for an “innie” or an “outie” belly button?

What constitutes a globus dorsi?
Prior to delving into the intricacies of innies and outies, it is imperative to establish a comprehensive understanding of the concept of a belly button. The umbilicus is the scientific term for the belly button, serving as a convenient reminder that it is the location where the umbilical cord, which connects a developing fetus to the placenta, used to be.

Following childbirth, the umbilical cord becomes unnecessary and is commonly severed and secured, resulting in a small stump that gradually desiccates and detaches. The scar that remains following this procedure is commonly referred to as the belly button.

The process of in-and-out formation
There exists a belief among certain individuals that the presence of an innie or an outie belly button is contingent upon the manner in which the umbilical cord is severed or the location of the clamp. However, this assertion is unfounded. The outcome ultimately hinges on the individual’s healing process and the formation of the scar. Nevertheless, certain medical diseases, such as umbilical hernias and granulomas, may be erroneously identified as an external abdominal protuberance.

There is no need for concern over a typical outie belly button, although it is worth noting that this particular variety is relatively uncommon. 90% of people have an innie belly button, while the remaining 10% have an outie. Within the innie and outie categories, there are numerous subtypes that differ from one another in terms of things like form, orientation, and depth.

If you are the proud owner of an innie, while you are (ideally) removing any excess material that may have accumulated (which is a common occurrence), you may also unintentionally uncover a substantial amount of bacteria. In a 2012 scientific investigation, researchers collected samples from individuals’ navels and identified more than 2,300 distinct bacterial species within a mere 60 abdominal buttons. Some individuals have even employed belly button microorganisms for the production of cheese.

Belly buttons have the potential to undergo alterations on occasion.
While the majority of individuals do not experience any changes in their belly button, there are certain factors that can contribute to alterations in the look of some individuals’ navels. The initial procedure is referred to as umbilicoplasty, a cosmetic surgical intervention aimed at altering the dimensions and/or configuration of the rectum.

Another factor to consider is the presence of medical disorders that exert additional pressure on the region, resulting in the protrusion of a typically small belly button. The most prevalent of these circumstances is pregnancy, in which the developing baby exerts the force on an innie to expose itself. This phenomenon can result in the premature rupture of an innie at approximately 26 weeks of gestation, although it typically reverts to its typical introverted state upon the conclusion of the pregnancy.

The presence of any type of abdominal button is considered to be within the normal range. Please be certain that you thoroughly clean all the crevices, for the sake of everything that is virtuous.

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Medicine and Health

Is every face seen as demonic by you? Then you may possess a very uncommon condition

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It is often assumed that our view of others’ faces accurately reflects their true appearance. However, a minority of individuals with a rare neurological disease have skewed perceptions. Researchers have successfully visualized the visual perception of individuals with prosopometamorphopsia (PMO), a disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces.

The illness known as PMO is considered to be quite uncommon, with just around 75 documented case reports available. Consequently, its understanding remains limited. Nevertheless, individuals with this disorder are aware that they see facial characteristics as distorted. However, the specific manifestations of these distortions, such as variations in form, size, and location of features, might differ across individuals.

According to Antônio Mello, the principal author, it might be challenging to accurately envision the perspectives of individuals in a project management office (PMO). “In previous research on the condition, individuals with PMO struggle to accurately evaluate the representation of their distortions in a visualization due to the presence of a face in the visualization, which leads patients to perceive distortions on it as well.”

However, the researchers at Dartmouth College encountered an exceptional instance involving a 58-year-old guy who only saw faces as distorted when seen in person but perceived them properly when presented with a photograph shown on a screen or paper.

Due to the patient’s ability to see both distorted and authentic faces, it provided the researchers with a chance to precisely depict his visual perception. In order to do this, a photograph of an individual’s visage was captured and then shown to the patient on a computer screen while the actual person was there, with the patient being instructed to compare the disparities in real-time.

By enabling the team to modify the picture shown on the screen to align with the distortions seen by the patient in the real face, it becomes evident why he has been referring to people’s looks as “demonic.”.

The researchers want their results to enhance doctors’ awareness of PMO and provide a deeper comprehension of their patients’ experiences. Consequently, this might aid in diminishing instances of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis. It is sometimes misconstrued as a mental condition rather than a neurological one. In this patient’s case, he might have seen people who resembled demons, but there was no delusional belief that they were actually demons.

“Several individuals with PMO have reported being diagnosed with schizophrenia by psychiatrists and prescribed anti-psychotic medications, despite their condition actually being related to visual impairment,” said senior author Brad Duchaine.

“It is not unusual for individuals with PMO to withhold information about their issue with face perception due to concerns that others may interpret the distortions as indicative of a psychiatric condition,” said Duchaine. The issue at hand is often not comprehended by others.

The research has been published in The Lancet.

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Biology

Weight Loss Launchpad: Space Technology Enhances the Effectiveness of Obesity mRNA Treatment

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Researchers at Penn Engineering have devised an innovative approach for the synthesis of a vital component of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), drawing inspiration from space shuttle technology. LNPs play a crucial role in the administration of mRNA therapeutics, as exemplified by the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. They enhance the ease of LNP manufacturing and enhance their efficacy in facilitating the transportation of mRNA into cells for medical interventions.

In an article published in Nature Communications, Michael J. Mitchell, an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, presents a novel approach for the synthesis of ionizable lipidoids. These lipidoids are crucial chemical constituents of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that play a crucial role in safeguarding and delivering therapeutic payloads. In this study, Mitchell et al. conducted an investigation of the efficacy of mRNA drug delivery for the treatment of obesity as well as the potential of gene-editing techniques for the management of hereditary disorders.

Optimizing the Production Process
Prior research has demonstrated that lipidoids possessing branching tails exhibit superior efficacy in delivering mRNA to cells. However, the processes involved in synthesizing these molecules are both time-consuming and expensive. According to Xuexiang Han, a postdoctoral student in the Mitchell Lab and co-first author of the research, we present an innovative approach for the effective and economical production of these lipidoids.

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The procedure entails the amalgamation of three chemical compounds, namely an amine “head,” two alkyl epoxide “tails,” and two acyl chloride “branched tails.” The observed similarity between the fully developed lipidoid and a space shuttle affixed to two booster rockets is not a mere coincidence. Han, a college student, recounts that a documentary on the space shuttle left a lasting impression on him due to the remarkable design of the solid rocket boosters that facilitated the shuttle’s entry into orbit. According to Han, it was determined that the addition of two branch tails as “boosters” to the lipidoid might enhance the transportation of mRNA.

The addition of branching tails greatly improved the ability of LNPs containing the new lipidoid to deliver mRNA to specific cells, similar to how boosters help a rocket get into the atmosphere. “We saw a big increase in the production of a hormone that controls metabolism in certain cells after these lipidoids were used to deliver mRNA.” This development is highly promising, particularly in the context of obesity treatment,” states Mitchell.

The article titled “In situ combinatorial synthesis of degradable branched lipidoids for systemic delivery of mRNA therapeutics and gene editors,” authored by Xuexiang Han, Junchao Xu, Ying Xu, Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Lulu Xue, Ningqiang Gong, Rakan El-Mayta, Rohan Palanki, Claude C. Warzecha, Gan Zhao, Andrew E. Vaughan, James M. Wilson, Drew Weissman, and Michael J. Mitchell, was published in Nature Communications on February 26, 2024.
The provided DOI, 10.1038/s41467-024-45537-z,

The research was carried out at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science and received funding from the National Institutes of Health (Award DP2 TR002776), the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (CBET-2145491), and the American Cancer Society (Grant RSG-22-122-01-ET).

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