A study by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan suggests the importance of tailored exercise programs for school-age children born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia to address declines in limb muscle strength, balance, and endurance.

In industries, the detection of anomalies such as scratches, dents, and discolorations is crucial to ensure product quality and safety. However, conventional methods rely on heavy computational processing and image enhancement and may not truly reflect subtle defects, particularly in low-light settings. Now, researchers have designed a robust model with noise suppression and illumination-adaptive features that enhance the accuracy and consistency of anomaly detection across diverse surfaces and textures in poorly lit industrial environments.

Microglial dysfunction has been implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but limited access to human brain tissue posed challenges in related research. A new study explored how immune cells called monocyte-derived macrophages can serve as models for microglia in ASD. Researchers used these cells to investigate neuroimmune responses, such as synaptic phagocytosis in ASD. These findings could open new avenues for understanding the brain-immune system connection in ASD and identifying potential targets for therapy.

Herpesviruses, which cause skin and genital infections, neonatal diseases, and meningitis, can successfully persist over a lifetime and transmit from one host to another. One key strategy that enables them to coexist within host cells is mimicry of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs)—proteins that regulate crucial cellular processes. A new study by researchers from Japan reveals novel insights into mechanisms underlying CDK mimicry by viral kinases, driven by phosphorylation of conserved amino acid residues.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can differentiate into any blood cell. However, as HSCs age, they are more likely to differentiate into platelets and myeloid cells. This age-dependent shift is poorly understood due to a lack of marker genes. Now, scientists from the University of Tokyo present the Clusterin (Clu) gene as a novel biomarker of HSC aging. This allows easy identification of aged HSCs, shedding light on the biological mechanisms of aging.