A joint research team from Saitama University, Tottori University, the National Institute of Genetics, the National Institute for Basic Biology, and the Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems has identified an evolutionarily conserved role for Hox9–10 genes in establishing the progenitor cells that give rise to vertebrate hind appendages. Using genetic analyses in zebrafish and CRISPR-Cas9 experiments in the Iberian ribbed newt, the team showed that these genes act at an unexpectedly early stage of pelvic fin and hindlimb development, providing new insight into how the vertebrate paired appendage-patterning system may have evolved.

Psychological stress is known to worsen rheumatoid arthritis, but how stress triggers inflammation has remained unclear. A study conducted at Chiba University in collaboration with other institutes has identified a pathway that links stress to arthritis flares. Their findings show that stress activates brown adipose tissue to release interleukin-6, which stimulates synovial fibroblasts to produce CXCL1, recruiting neutrophils to the joints. These findings provide insights into how stress may reactivate joint inflammation during arthritis.

Late preterm birth may subtly influence brain maturation into early adolescence, a new study using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study reports. Researchers found no broad differences in behavior or cognition, but brain imaging revealed regional volume differences and more pronounced differences in white matter microstructure. Some white matter measures also changed differently over 2 years between late preterm and full-term children, suggesting subtle differences in brain development. 

Kyoto, Japan -- Many owners will enthusiastically attest that their cat has improved their quality of life. Some studies support this common claim that caring for a feline friend has positive effects on human health and wellbeing. However, the evidence is inconsistent, and other studies have even reported possible negative effects of cat ownership.

This led a team of researchers at Kyoto University to question the idea that simply owning a cat provides intrinsic health benefits. Instead, they wondered whether any benefits or drawbacks to keeping a cat come from the quality of the relationship between the human and cat, particularly how owners interact with their cats in everyday life.

To investigate, the team conducted a one-month study of the daily lives of a group of 29 cats and their 19 owners, recruited through flyers and social media. In each household, the researchers conducted hormonal analysis through urine samples, attached Small Bluetooth Low Energy -- BLE -- beacons to the cats' collars to measure daily physical proximity, assessed the owners' mood through questionnaires, and observed the cats' behavior toward their owners and unfamiliar people.

Tomomichi Itoh and his colleagues at Ehime University have shown how tiny light-induced molecular shape changes can be amplified into visible deformation of polymer microparticles. The team developed light-responsive particles containing azobenzene molecules and revealed how structural changes triggered by light spread through the material, ultimately deforming particles several to tens of micrometers in size. These findings provide new insights for designing light-driven microscale materials and devices.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University have developed a way to observe how antibodies interact with a cancer-related protein carried on tiny membrane-bound vesicles released by cells. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy, they found that measuring how much of the protein is present does not necessarily show how accessible it is to antibodies. The findings reported in the journal Small Methods provide a new way to investigate differences between individual cancer-derived vesicles although further research is needed before the approach can be used clinically.

Chemical predictions can help prevent unwanted medication reactions or improve efficacy of industrial processes, among other applications, but predicting how chemicals interact can be costly and time-consuming — especially as how chemicals may react in one environment may behave differently in another. A novel experimental modeling approach may help simplify the process by not only increasing the number of chemical predictions, but also the transferability of such foresight.

Heart failure (HF) alters the bone marrow (BM), reducing protective cells that regulate inflammation, reports a study conducted at Science Tokyo. According to the study, cardiac stress reduces a population of mesenchymal stromal cells that produces heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor. The resulting reduction in protective signaling alters blood-forming stem cells and promotes inflammatory macrophages. The findings identify the BM niche as an important regulator of lasting immune changes associated with HF, suggesting potential targets for future therapies.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have developed MatterGen-e^-, a machine learning model for the inverse design of inorganic crystals. The model generates crystal structures with electronic-structure descriptors to match a target property, producing more valid, stable, unique, and novel structures than when the crystal structure is considered alone. Control experiments showed that only physically meaningful electronic descriptors improve stability and validity, whereas diversity increased regardless of the descriptors used.