Robot-guided neurosurgery in patients with epilepsy involves accurately mapping the skull to identify the entry points and target areas. A recent study compared the clinical utility of a contactless optical method with the conventional method, which requires repeated contacts. The study demonstrates that optical tracking is accurate, less time-consuming, and easily learned by new users. These findings pave the way for faster and more error-free surgical interventions for epilepsy.

The authors have proposed the Microbiota-derived metabolites–epigenetics (MDME) axis, a conceptual framework explaining how microbial metabolites function as a critical link between the environment and host health. These metabolites directly instruct the host's epigenome, reprogramming gene expression and regulating host health and diseases. Diverse categories of metabolites contributing to host health via different epigenetic mechanisms are comprehensively discussed. This perspective moves beyond simple associations to provide a predictive model for how our lifestyle, mediated by our microbiome, shapes our health and disease risk, opening new avenues for mechanistic and therapeutic studies.