The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) scientists have uncovered a crucial pathway that may help preserve thymic function as we age.

New research shows that individuals who have recovered from depression are generally less willing to exert effort to pursue potential rewards compared to those who have never experienced depression, unless the rewards are large and highly likely. A new study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, provides deeper insights into subtle motivational deficits that persist in individuals who have recovered from depression, potentially explaining relapse vulnerability and guiding targeted treatment for sustained recovery and overall patient well-being.

A discovery by scientists at Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences could pave the way for new breakthroughs in detecting and treating the disease. Their findings were recently published in Nature Communications.

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed an advanced analytical tool using spectral flow cytometry to analyze CAR T cells, revealing that a five-day expansion process enhances their effectiveness against cancer compared to a ten-day approach. This tool captures 36 cellular characteristics simultaneously, providing a comprehensive view that can optimize CAR T cell manufacturing and improve patient outcomes. The findings, published in Molecular Therapy, highlight the potential for tailoring production conditions to enhance the therapeutic potential of CAR T cell therapies.

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest a narrowing of racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu)-targeted therapies over time among older Medicare beneficiaries with ERBB2-positive breast cancer. Future research is needed to understand the practices that contributed to the narrowing of racial and ethnic disparities and to develop implementation strategies to effectively improve the quality and equity of breast cancer care.

UCLA and UCSD scientists inserted DNA-encoding methylmercury detoxification enzymes into the genome of an abundant human gut bacterium. The engineered bacterium detoxified methylmercury in the gut of mice and dramatically reduced the amount that reached other tissues, such as the brain and liver. Mice given an oral probiotic containing the engineered microbe and fed a diet high in bluefin tuna had much lower methylmercury levels than expected, suggesting that a probiotic might eventually make it safer for people to consume fish. Researchers performed the tests using pregnant mice and found lower levels of methylmercury in both maternal and fetal tissues, and lower signs of mercury toxicity in the fetal brain.