A 15-year retrospective study in adults admitted to the intensive care department at Donostia University Hospital has revealed crucial insights into invasive Streptococcus pyogenes (iGAS) infections. While the prevalence of the toxic M1uk strain has grown in Western Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality rates due to M1uk were not significantly higher. Timely treatment with clindamycin significantly reduced mortality rates, underscoring its importance in containing iGAS.

Liver fibrosis is a major health threat, and current therapies remain limited. To advance treatment options, researchers at Yangzhou University studied how dihydroartemisinin affects liver fibrosis. Their analysis revealed that dihydroartemisinin upregulates CHAC1 transcription via H3K9 acetylation, prompting ferroptosis in hepatic stellate cells and slowing fibrosis. These findings point to promising new molecular targets for combating liver fibrosis and improving patient outcomes.

Short ultraviolet/ozone (UVO) treatment optimizes cell adhesion on plastic culture substrates by selectively enriching adhesion proteins, as reported by researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Their latest study explains the underlying reason why there is an optimal UVO treatment time, with the optimal surface condition arising when the ability to selectively adsorb and immobilize key adhesion proteins is maximized. This study paves the way for the design of polymeric materials used in medical research.

Wearable microfluidic sensors are promising for efficient sweat analysis, with applications in sports, healthcare, worker safety, and more fields. Recently, researchers from Chung-Ang University have successfully demonstrated next-generation soft, skin-interfaced 3D microfluidic systems for accurate and comprehensive sweat rate, cumulative loss, and biochemical content assessment. This cutting-edge technology is expected to revolutionize real-time and non-invasive tracking of health status and disease progression.

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.