Health

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are growing placenta organoids, a 90-million-year old fossil, and how COVID-19 can cause insomnia, but people were more relaxed during the emergency measures.

Elucidating why some patients with specific joint deformities are symptomatic while others are not

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how exercising to music can help cognitive function, a material inspired by a mythological creature, and choking cancer cells using calcium.

A team of researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University assessed the feasibility of conducting cardiopulmonary exercise testing with the upper limbs as an alternative to the conventional method that uses the lower limbs. The researchers investigated the relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake during exercise stress tests using a cycle ergometer and an arm crank ergometer, and estimated maximal oxygen uptake. The study participants were 17 male collegiate athletes from rowing and cycling clubs. The results showed that the estimated maximal oxygen uptake for both rowing and cycling groups was lower on the arm crank ergometer than on the cycle ergometer. Additionally, this study showed that exercise testing using an upper extremity ergometer underestimates cardiopulmonary function, regardless of upper limb training status.

A new technology to increase visibility of cancer cells to the immune system using CRISPR has been developed, and could lead to a new way to treat cancer.

A water-soluble, luminescent europium complex enables evaluation of malignancy grade in model glioma tumor cells.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are watching plants warn each other of danger, how even “harmless” addictions can have a serious side effects, and how to clear roads and railways faster using gold nanorods.

7000 forever chemicals (PFAS) and human PPARa binding properties predicted using AI technology

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how a King Kongesque ape went extinct, how antibodies can make you dizzy, and a material that can break down harmful chemicals using the sun.

Tohoku University researchers have unveiled a new approach to treating lymph node metastasis. The process invovled administering anticancer drugs directly into the lymph nodes, producing better outcomes and lessening the side effects commonly associated with cancer treatment.

Researchers from Osaka University found that CD4+ T cells can be classified into 18 categories and 12 distinct gene programs, and that characteristic changes in CD4+ T cell profiles are associated with autoimmune disease, sex, and aging. Analysis of these distinctive immune cell profiles could be used to predict autoimmune disease in the future, paving the way for precision medicine.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are self-sacrificing cancer cells, tiny new drones that kill cancer cells and a living “skin” that covers the Great Wall of China.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University assessed the correlation between human mobility restrictions and the medical costs associated with lifestyle-related diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. A cross-sectional study revealed that an increase in walking and public transit use was associated with reduced medical costs of lifestyle diseases. These findings implicate governments to take measures other than restricting walking and public transit during pandemics and emphasize the importance of walkable cities.

Researchers from Osaka University have shown that the rare D-form of the amino acid alanine shows a clear circadian rhythm, and is able to affect the circadian clock and regulate gluconeogenesis, a method of glucose release, in the kidney. D-alanine upregulates genes linked to both gluconeogenesis and the circadian rhythm through the circadian transcriptional network. D-alanine is linked to many metabolic and immunological diseases, and this mechanistic insight could potentially lead to novel therapeutic approaches.

Researchers identify RBFox1 as a key intrinsic regulator of heart muscle cell maturation, overcoming a major limitation in cardiac regenerative therapy and disease modelling and demonstrating for the first time that RNA splicing control can significantly impact this process.

"Amaterasu" particle: a new cosmic mystery, Geckos inspire robotic device, Targeting cancer while protecting healthy cells, Honey, I shrunk the bear, Two species lost to science spotted again. Plus New Science Communication Resources. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how eels can transfer DNA, older babies falling for tricks that younger ones do not, and a crystal layer deep in the Earth.

Chronic wounds cost Singapore an estimated SGD$350 million a year, accounting for approximately 0.07% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The amount is a significant economic burden, considering that the country spends 4% of its GDP on healthcare. This is according to the first local study that has quantified the national cost of chronic wounds in a multi-ethnic Asian population. The research, conducted by scientists and clinicians at eight institutions in Singapore, was led by Duke-NUS Medical School and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

While anger and aggression are instinctive behaviors found across many species, leaving these emotions unchecked can lead to conflict and violence. In a recent study, researchers at Tohoku University demonstrated that neuronal-glial interactions in the cerebellum determine the degree of aggression exhibited by mice. This suggests that future therapeutic methods could adjust glial activity in the cerebellum to help reduce unwanted aggression.

World-renowned professors from six leading institutions in four countries launched the Pandemic Research Alliance (PRA) today (4 December) to drive concerted research into respiratory viruses from animals to humans, improved surveillance, and new solutions to better manage the next pandemic.

Pregnancy brings a rise in pancreatic beta cells – the cells that produce insulin. Shortly after birth, these cells return to their normal levels. The mechanisms behind this process had remained a mystery. But now a research group has revealed that white blood cells called macrophages ‘eat’ these cells.

Decreasing pancreatic beta cell numbers – the only cells that produce insulin – is a leading cause of diabetes. In a promising development, a research group has revealed that stimulating autonomic vagal nerves connected to the pancreas can improve the function and also increase the number of pancreatic beta cells in mice.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are hungry, grumpy bears that don’t sleep, solving a 200-year-old mystery about dolomite, and how yoga can help people with epilepsy.

The report, titled "Pathways for transforming the cancer ecosystem: A patient-centred framework" was compiled from more than 100 interviews with key stakeholders including patients, patient support organisations and other community groups, clinicians, researchers, multiple industries, and healthcare decision-makers.

An international team of researchers led by Osaka Metropolitan University has elucidated the process by which the major flavonoids naringenin, apigenin, and genistein are metabolized in the body. These findings are fundamental in elucidating the correlation between the metabolism of flavonoids in the body and their potential health benefits.

A research team from Osaka Metropolitan University has successfully developed a novel pneumococcal vaccine by combining the team’s proprietary mucosal vaccine technology with pneumococcal surface proteins that can cover a wide range of serotypes. Experiments were conducted using mice and macaques and it was confirmed that pneumonia caused by pneumococcal infection was clearly suppressed in the target groups of animals inoculated with the vaccine.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are screentime changing children’s brains, a bacterium that can help reduce toilet time, and a reproductive strategy that is definitely not the butt of the joke.

Researchers develop new method suppressing the distribution of drugs to healthy tissues, but also to rapidly removes the drugs once distributed in the body, which could improve the accuracy of imaging diagnosis of difficult cancers, reduce toxicity to healthy tissues, and furthermore improve the effectiveness of treatment.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are sea cucumbers that glow in the dark, a needle that softens at body temperature, and the real size of our sun.

Researchers from Osaka University found that Japanese people who used medical information were more likely to wear masks and disinfect their hands even before the COVID-19 outbreak, while those who exchanged information with acquaintances were more likely to newly start mask-wearing and hand disinfection post outbreak. This will assist in the development of risk communication strategies to promote infection-preventive behavior in a timely manner.