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.

Scientists using living human brain tissue have shown for the first time how a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s can stick to and damage the connections between brain cells.

This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among clinically diagnosed depression inpatients in Beijing, China, between 2005 and 2018. Drawing from a dataset of over 20,000 patients across 19 psychiatric hospitals, the researchers found a high and rising rate of T2DM—9.13% overall—with significantly higher prevalence among older adults, those with comorbid hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and those with repeat hospital admissions. The analysis also uncovered nuanced patterns of risk influenced by sex, age, and socioeconomic indicators such as occupation and type of medical insurance.

The findings underscore the importance of integrating physical and mental health care for patients with depression, particularly as these individuals may be at elevated risk of developing chronic metabolic diseases. The research provides critical data to inform targeted intervention strategies and healthcare policies aimed at preventing and managing diabetes within psychiatric populations. Future work will explore longitudinal outcomes and additional risk factors such as body mass index and antidepressant use.

The sensation of controlling one’s body and things in the environment is known as sense of agency (SoA). Not only is SoA pivotal for tasks and well-being in everyday life, but its mechanisms have become increasingly important for the development of human-computer interfaces in new technology. This need has fueled research in this area, in particular to understand how SoA is generated from scratch in unfamiliar environments. Researchers at the University of Tokyo performed experiments involving hand-to-screen mapping using a specialized glove and highlighted the role of motor exploration in generating experience of self-agency. Their findings could contribute to future health and technology applications.

Esophageal cancer is a prevalent and aggressive malignancy associated with a poor prognosis. Metabolomics and microbiomics have emerged as promising approaches for investigating the tumor microenvironment and monitoring dynamic changes throughout the treatment process. These methodologies facilitate the direct observation of phenotypic alterations with high sensitivity, throughput, and adaptability across diverse sample types. Microbial genomic data play a crucial role in predicting the metabolic potential of microorganisms, whereas metabolomics offers direct evidence of active metabolic pathways under specific conditions. This review presents novel insights into the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of esophageal cancer through the application of metabolomics and microbiomics. Future advancements in the integration of multi-omics data are expected to further elucidate the metabolic mechanisms and pathophysiological processes underlying esophageal cancer, thereby laying a robust scientific foundation for early diagnosis, prognostic assessment, and personalized treatment strategies.