Neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular disorders and other age-related neurological conditions are major causes of long-term disability. A review published in SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences by researchers from Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, examines how damaged nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA can become immune danger signals. The authors highlight cGAS-STING as a key molecular hub linking cellular damage, inflammaging and neuroimmune dysfunction, and discuss opportunities for more precise therapeutic intervention.

Researchers have uncovered an unexpected antiviral role for PGK1, an enzyme best known for its function in glucose metabolism. Acting through its non-canonical protein kinase activity, PGK1 phosphorylates the host protein heat shock protein 90-alpha (HSP90AA1), reduces its chaperone function, and promotes its proteasomal degradation. The resulting loss of viral protein stability restricts the replication of several RNA and DNA viruses, highlighting a potential host-directed antiviral strategy.

Medical assistance can help women suffering from severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, but insufficient recognition of Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) means that many are not getting the help they need to overcome this severe and debilitating form of morning sickness.

Salk scientists find B cells can promote killer T cell function in a mouse model of an aggressive breast cancer, and that the antitumor benefit of CD40 agonist treatment depends on B cells. Findings help address the major gap in research around B cells that has limited their clinical application; explain why B cell responses are associated with favorable patient outcomes; and provide a foundation for testing B cell-centered immunotherapy strategies.

USC Researchers have developed a new, noninvasive way to examine how blood flow and cellular organization align across the layers of the living human brain. Their study, published in Nature Communications, introduces the cerebral blood flow–cell-body staining intensity similarity index, or CCSI. It may help scientists understand how blood vessels, cells, and energy-producing machinery work together to support brain function. The hope is that CCSI may eventually offer insight into early signs of disease and potential treatments. The researchers used arterial spin labeling, or ASL, a noninvasive MRI technique that magnetically labels water in the blood and tracks it into brain tissue. A powerful 7 Tesla MRI scanner measured blood flow throughout the brain at a resolution of one cubic millimeter. The study included 30 healthy adults; 14 returned for a second scan to test the consistency of the measurements. The team divided the cortex into 360 regions and examined blood flow at multiple depths. They compared those patterns with cell-body staining data from BigBrain, a detailed three-dimensional digital reconstruction of a human brain that maps how densely cells are packed throughout the cortex. The resulting CCSI score measured how closely blood flow and cellular density followed the same pattern across cortical depth. Higher scores indicated that cell-dense layers tended to receive more blood flow. Blood flow and cellular organization aligned in most cortical regions, meaning that within a given region, blood flow tended to be highest in the layers with the most cells, although the strength varied across the brain. Alignment was strongest in primary visual and sensorimotor areas, which support vision, movement, and touch. To clarify what CCSI represents biologically, the researchers compared it with maps of mitochondrial activity, cell types, and gene expression. Together, the findings suggest that the alignment of blood flow and cellular structure reflects a coordinated system involving blood vessels, supporting cells, and energy production.