A research team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has shown that a one-time administration of a gene therapy expressing  the metabolic factor FGF21 can prolong health span in old mice. The 27-month pharmacology study, published in Molecular Therapy, shows sustained beneficial effects across multiple endpoints associated with aging and health span.

 

Food safety explained in a child-friendly way: the BfR children's book “Luis’ and Maya’s adventure in the shrinking lab: searching for clues in the kitchen” is now also available in Spanish. Following the great success of the German and English version, Spanish-speaking children can now also embark on a journey of discovery. With large illustrations and entertaining texts, Luis and Maya, together with the friendly germ Fred, dive into the world of bacteria and viruses. They learn why it is important to wash their hands regularly, how bacteria spread in the kitchen and how to store food properly in the refrigerator. “In Germany, around 100,000 cases of disease are reported each year that may have been caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses or parasites in food – the actual number is likely much higher. For children especially it can be very dangerous as their immune systems are not yet fully developed. Our children’s book intends to make these topics accessible to even very young children and thus help them to protect themselves from foodborne diseases,” says Professor Andreas Hensel, President of the BfR. “While the children do detective work, they learn in a playful way why kitchen hygiene is so important.”

Taylor & Francis has announced the publication of the first Plain Language Summary of Publication (PLSP) in veterinary research, a milestone in making discoveries in animal health more accessible, engaging and impactful. This new initiative bridges the gap between complex scientific findings and practical understanding.

Some cancer cells evade medicines by switching to a sleep-like state with the help of stress hormone receptors. Researchers have developed a method that allows them to degrade these receptors and therefore bypass the cells’ protective mechanism. To this end, they built a switch that can be turned on and off with light in the vicinity of the tumour and that tags the receptors for disposal. This system is effective against lung cancer in the lab and could also have future applications in breast and prostate cancer. 

Female patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are 26% less likely to be admitted to a specialized trauma centre than males, according to a study on data from Ontario published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251721. This difference persisted even after the researchers accounted for factors such as age, severity of injury, other health conditions, and socioeconomic circumstances.

People with depression who find that it affects their memory or attention span could benefit from an existing licensed drug currently used to treat chronic constipation, according to a new study published in Psychological Medicine by academics from the University of Birmingham and University of Oxford.

A major analysis of 25 studies across Africa and Asia finds that insecticide-treated nets cut malaria cases by up to 68% — but highlights challenges that threaten to undermine their long-term impact.