Using in vivo mouse models and primary in vitro alveolar epithelial cell cultures, researchers found influenza A virus (H1N1) preferentially infects alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells in the early stage of lung alveolar infection. Compared to alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells, AT2 cells exhibit significantly delayed production of type I/III interferons, interferon-stimulated genes and chemokines, which drives elevated viral replication and higher infection susceptibility.

PCOS is a common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, imposing substantial health and economic burdens worldwide. In a recent large-scale study involving more than 14 million pregnant women across Chinese Mainland, researchers explored how the prevalence of PCOS has increased since the implementation of the universal two-child policy. The article discusses how pregnant women with PCOS face higher risks of various adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted obstetric management.

Japan has one of the world’s longest-living populations, yet predicting which octogenarians will lose their independence remains difficult. Now, researchers identify two blood proteins—beta-2-microglobulin and cystatin C—that are consistently associated with future disability in adults aged 85 years and older. The findings, independently replicated in an Italian aging cohort, suggest that kidney dysfunction and chronic inflammation contribute to disability risk and could support earlier preventive interventions in rapidly aging populations worldwide.

About one in five patients with coronary artery disease show little or no measurable improvement in their exercise capacity despite completing a full cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program. Identification of these “non-responders” before training could help in the better design of the treatment strategy. In a new study, researchers used machine learning model to predict who would benefit from exercise-based CR. Overall, the study points toward a more personalized model of CR.

Robot-assisted knee replacement surgery is more precise than a surgeon on their own, but does not currently lead to improvements in patient outcomes, according to the RACER-Knee trial, the world's largest clinical study of its kind. This trial makes an important contribution to the evidence on robotics in health care and where future advances and research should focus. The trial, coordinated by the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, is published in The Lancet, the world's oldest and best-known general medical journal.

Modern biology research can now generate valuable data on an unprecedented scale. But there is one major obstacle: making sense of these complex high-dimensional datasets. A team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has developed a new tool that can provide accurate pictures of the structures hiding within highly complex datasets. By helping scientists uncover hidden patterns in the data, the software will help to make new scientific discoveries.

Researchers have developed a plug-and-play technology that enables customised biomaterials to be created using blue light, vitamin B2 and common biological building blocks.