From the article: Researchers from the University of Cambridge have created a new type of neural implant that could restore limb function in paralyzed limbs.

The developed device works in sync between the brain and paralyzed limbs - it combines flexible electronics and human stem cells to "better integrate" with the nerve and drive limb function, according to a press release.

There have been former attempts at using neural implants to restore limb function, but these mostly failed. This is because scar tissue can envelop the electrodes over time, disrupting the connection between the device and the nerve.

"If someone has an arm or a leg amputated, for example, all the signals in the nervous system are still there, even though the physical limb is gone,” said Dr. Damiano Barone from Cambridge’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences, who co-led the research, said in a statement. "The challenge with integrating artificial limbs, or restoring function to arms or legs, is extracting the information from the nerve and getting it to the limb so that function is restored."

The researchers combined cell therapy and bioelectronics into a single device, improving functionality and sensitivity.

In this case, they sandwiched a layer of muscle cells that were reprogrammed from stem cells between the electrodes and the living tissue. This led to device integration with the host's body, preventing the formation of scar tissue. For the time time, the cells survived on the electrode for 28 days - the duration of the experiment.

First, the researchers designed a biocompatible flexible electronic device thin enough to be attached to the end of a nerve. According to the release, a layer of stem cells, reprogrammed into muscle cells, was then placed on the electrode.

From the article: A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that individuals are more likely to blame themselves when casual conversations become difficult. The findings reveal that the self-serving bias you find in many other human activities seems to disappear when engaging in casual conversation. This insight may be helpful to those who experience anxiety during small talk.

Informal conversations involve complex interactions between individuals that require coordination of turn-taking, eye contact, the anticipation of upcoming content, and interpretation of previous statements. The number of participants, cultural background, and goals can vary, and finding a balance between small talk and more personal topics can be difficult.

Despite the benefits of deeper conversations for mental well-being, people often overestimate the awkwardness of such interactions. Conversations can be challenging due to their inherent complexity, uncertainty, and broad scope.

Surprisingly, there is a lack of research in this area, given how crucial social connections are to our health and how conversations play a vital role in creating and sustaining these relationships. Researchers are working to address this gap in the literature by exploring whether individuals have a negative outlook on their conversational abilities compared to other everyday activities.

From the article: The study looked at the sleep habits of over 29,000 people aged between 37 and 73 and could provide the basis for helping to combat major diseases like dementia.

According to lead author and PhD candidate Dr Tergel Namsrai, it’s not just lack of sleep that can impair brain health.

“Getting more than nine hours of sleep a day or less than six hours were both associated with lower brain volume and cognitive measures – crucial for things like reaction time and memory,” Dr Namsrai said.

“Daytime dozing was also associated with some of these indicators of impaired brain health.”

Dr Namsrai said there needs to be greater focus on the links between sleep and brain health, as well as more research into ways to improve sleep.

“The mechanisms underlying the link between sleep and brain health are not well understood – there’s a lot of work to be done,” she said.

“But our study shows it could be an important target if we want to improve brain health into old age and delay the onset of dementia."

Dementia is among the world’s leading causes of death worldwide and is expected to impact 150 million people by 2050.

From the article: One of the papers presents results of a clinical trial in which approximately 40% of patients with acute leukemia subtypes had a complete response – a disappearance of all signs of cancer – to treatment with the drug revumenib. The other paper uncovers a molecular countermove by which leukemia cells come to sidestep the drug and reassert their growth.

The papers point to the promise of the targeted approach to acute leukemia treatment exemplified by revumenib and to the potential to extend its benefits with drugs that trip up the resistance mechanism, researchers say.

"The two genetic subtypes of acute leukemia involved in this research account for approximately 40% of all cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in children and adults," says Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD, president of the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and co-senior author of the paper on revumenib resistance. "They're driven by a rearrangement of the MLL1 gene or a mutation in the NPM1 gene. Both types depend on a protein called menin to sustain their growth."

The first of the new Nature studies reports on a phase I/II clinical trial of the drug revumenib, which targets menin, in 68 patients with acute leukemia that wasn't responding other therapies. The trial, dubbed the AUGMENT-101 study, found that of 60 patients who could be evaluated, 53% responded to the drug and 30% had a complete response.

"For patients with acute leukemia who have undergone several previous treatments, this is a very encouraging result," Armstrong says. "However, after the second cycle of treatment, some patients did develop resistance to revumenib."