Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with impaired muscle action, including muscle weakness and decreased muscle strength. There is an increasing amount of evidence that demonstrates the health benefits of adequate vitamin D levels. And evidence points to a positive effect of vitamin D supplements on physical performance. International health organizations recommend 400 to 6000 IU/day vitamin D supplementation. Recommendations depend on age and health status. A study published by researchers at the University of Gdansk, titled “The Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Physical Capacity among Active College-Aged Males,” was published in Nutrients. It concludes with good news. Vitamin D3 supplements with a dose of 6000 IU daily for eight weeks is sufficient to improve physical capacity and vitamin D3 levels. A total of 28 healthy, male subjects participated in the study. Subjects were divided into two groups (supplement and placebo). Initial physical capacity level, as well as vitamin D concentration, did not differ between supplement and placebo groups. Subjects from the supplement group were given 6000 IU of vitamin D3 daily in capsule form (2000 IU per capsule). The placebo group received identical-looking capsules containing sunflower oil. All participants (medical university students) took three capsules per day in the morning for eight weeks. And they took part in 3 hours per week of supervised physical activity. The participants were instructed to maintain their nutritional habits throughout the whole experiment. The researchers measured the relevant data before, during, and after the experiment. They demonstrated that supplements improve vitamin D levels. And they have a positive impact on both aerobic (VO2 max) and anaerobic performance. In practical terms, anaerobic exercise is more intense, but shorter in duration than aerobic exercise. Vitamin D supplements are good for both. On the other hand, the data imply that low vitamin D levels negatively influence both. And this is the case even in young people with fair aerobic physical fitness. Though all participants in this specific study were young men, it seems plausible to me that the results generalize to everyone. Keep in mind that this study applies to vitamin D3 supplements. Research shows that they are more effective than vitamin D2 supplements. Vitamin D3 is a form of vitamin D which is made by the skin when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D3 is also found in some foods, such as oily fish and egg yolks. And it can be taken as a dietary supplement. Low vitamin D3 levels result from sunlight limitations. This may be due to geographical location. Or it may result from a lifestyle that includes spending most of the time indoors (both during work and in free time). Residents of Gdansk don’t get too much sunlight. I don’t live far from Gdansk. And there isn’t too much sunlight here either. But I’m writing this at 8am. And today is a sunny day. So I’ll go outdoors, enjoy the sunlight, and build up my vitamin D intake. Please do the same when you can. Talk to your doctor, and establish a workout routine. Last but not least, consider pre-workout vitamin D supplements like Thrivous Tenacity!

Researchers at MIT and other institutions have developed a miniaturized detection system that seems to detect diseases with even greater sensitivity than a dog's sense of smell. Dogs are able to smell many things that humans cannot. They have around 300 million scent receptors, compared to around 5 million in humans. And experts have trained dogs, including well-known breeds such as Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds, to detect and alert us to the presence of disease. Some service dogs are trained to sniff skin, breath, or urine samples with a very high success rate. For example, medical detection dogs are smelling breast cancer and prostate cancer at a rate of 97% or higher. They are detecting Parkinson's Disease at a rate of up to 90%. And diabetic alert dogs can detect low blood sugar at a rate of 70% on average. "Dogs, for now 15 years or so, have been shown to be the earliest, most accurate disease detectors for anything that we've ever tried," said MIT researcher Andreas Mershin. "So far, many different types of cancer have been detected earlier by dogs than any other technology." The new miniaturized detector system is described in a research paper published in PLOS ONE. It incorporates mammalian olfactory receptors that act as sensors. The data captured by the sensors can be handled in real-time by a typical smartphone. The researchers tested urine samples from confirmed cases of prostate cancer and controls known to be free of the disease. They used both dogs, trained and handled by Medical Detection Dogs in the U.K., and the miniaturized detection system. The study confirmed that the sniffer dogs had "enormous potential” to detect cancer, said Clare Guest, founder of Medical Detection Dogs, as reported by BBC News. "The dogs have been able to identify these very aggressive cancers. This could lead to lifesaving work in the future that would enable us to understand the difference between other diseases of the prostate and those that will go on to kill men." But the new detection system has enormous potential as well. Actually, the detection hardware is 200 times more sensitive than a dog's nose in terms of being able to detect and identify tiny traces of different molecules. This was confirmed through controlled tests mandated by DARPA. However, in terms of interpreting detection results, the hardware is “100 percent dumber" than a dog, said Mershin. Emulating the nose of a dog is not enough. One has to also emulate the brain of the working dog, which integrates and interprets the molecular signals sensed by the nose. To do this, the researchers used a machine-learning program based on an artificial neural network. The combination of olfactory sensing and machine learning (“machine olfaction”) was able to match the success rates of the dogs. Both methods scored more than 70%. “We knew that the sensors are already better than what the dogs can do in terms of the limit of detection, but what we haven’t shown before is that we can train an artificial intelligence to mimic the dogs,” said Mershin. “And now we’ve shown that we can do this. We’ve shown that what the dog does can be replicated to a certain extent.” The researchers are persuaded that their work could someday lead to automated disease detection systems for smartphones. As a dog lover, I’m happy to see that our four-legged best friends inspire breakthrough medical technologies.

About one third (35%) of people who took a new drug for treating obesity lost more than one-fifth of their total body weight. The drug, semaglutide, works by hijacking the body's own appetite regulating system in the brain. It leads to reduced hunger and calorie intake. A study is published in New England Journal of Medicine. In it, the researchers report that participants in a large scale global trial lost an average 15.3 kg. This was accompanied by reductions in risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. For example, waist circumference, blood fats, blood sugar, and blood pressure decreased. And participants reported improvements in their overall quality of life. “The findings of this study represent a major breakthrough for improving the health of people with obesity,” said Rachel Batterham in a press release. It was issued by UCL, where she leads the Centre for Obesity Research. "Three quarters (75 percent) of people who received semaglutide 2.4mg lost more than 10 percent of their body weight and more than one-third lost more than 20 percent," she continued. "No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss - this really is a gamechanger. For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery." Semaglutide is already approved and used clinically at a lower dose for treatment of diabetes. With evidence from this trial, semaglutide has been submitted for regulatory approval as a treatment for obesity. I’m one of too many people with excess weight. Deep down in my often aching bones, I know that I should lose weight. But I’m unwilling to give up the pleasure of good food in large doses. I’ll add that I don’t like exercise, to which I really prefer my armchair and a good book. So I guess I’m a card carrying member of the demographics targeted by this research. Perhaps some next-generation treatments will help us? Nanotech Promises Better Cancer Immunotherapy Researchers at UT Southwestern have shown that a new nanoparticle-based drug can boost the body's innate immune system. And it can make the immune system more effective at fighting off tumors. A study is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. Researchers describe how to successfully target the immune molecule, STING. They do so with nanoparticles that can switch on/off immune activity in response to their physiological environment. This approach leads to a more effective immune response against multiple solid tumors. In the laboratory, mice survived longer and had slower tumor growth. The researchers are persuaded that this new nanotechnology approach offers a way to realize the exciting potential of STING activation without some of the limitations. Re-Educated Immune Cells Optimize Immunity Researchers at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) have identified a therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells. They were prompted by the need to improve conventional treatments for people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). A specific group of patients, called "elite controllers," are able to live with the infection without any drug intervention. In a paper published in Autophagy, the researchers show that the strength of elite controllers comes from their energy metabolism within a certain type of immune cells. These immune cells can be "re-educated" using a soluble protein called interleukin-21 (IL-21). This optimizes their energy intake and immune function. These findings are not necessarily limited to HIV-1. They could have implications for other pathologies associated with persistent inflammation, such as cancer. Synthetic Gene Circuits for Cancer Treatment Bioengineers at Arizona State University have developed a new process for inserting synthetic gene circuits into cells. This could have broad implications for improving the effectiveness of a range of disease therapies. Synthetic gene circuits can be customized to fight disease, including ca ...

Researchers at University of Southern California (USC) are advancing toward personalized deep brain stimulation. This research could open the doors to major steps forward in achieving new therapies for a whole host of neurological and mental disorders. In fact, millions of patients suffering from neurological and mental disorders such as depression, addiction, and chronic pain are treatment-resistant. 30% of all major depression patients do not respond at all to any medication or therapy. A paper is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The researchers have found a way to predict what effect electrical stimulation will have on an individual's brain activity across multiple brain regions. To accomplish this, the researchers designed two tools. The first is a novel electrical stimulation wave to map brain activity. The second is a new machine-learning technique that learns the map from brain data collected during stimulation. "Our wave, which changes its amplitude and frequency randomly in time, allowed us to see and predict how the brain responded to a wide range of stimulation doses," explains lead researcher Maryam Shanechi in a press release issued by USC. What this means is that doctors may soon be able to personalize a "dose" of deep brain stimulation. This would be done on a case-by-case basis and in real-time by changing the amplitude and frequency of stimulation. "[We] hope to build closed loop brain-machine interfaces that adjust the dose of electrical stimulation therapy by tracking the symptoms in real-time based on brain activity and by predicting how a change in stimulation can change the activity and thus these symptoms," adds Shanechi. New Skin Cancer Therapies Yale researchers are developing a skin cancer treatment that involves injecting nanoparticles into the tumor. This would kill cancer cells with a two-pronged approach, as a potential alternative to surgery. A paper is published in PNAS. It describes the new treatment. Tumors are injected with polymer-based nanoparticles, carrying a chemotherapy agent. Key to the treatment's success is that the nanoparticles are bioadhesive. That is, they bind to the tumors and remain attached long enough to kill a significant number of the cancer cells. In related news, scientists at Boston University have discovered that a drug that was previously created to target one specific type of protein has much broader use against a family of proteins that act to promote melanoma. Melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer. The drug is YK-4-279. This finding is detailed in a paper published in Cancer Research. Improved Lung Function in COPD Patients Researchers at National Institutes of Health and their collaborators have found that inhaling unfragmented hyaluronan improves lung function in patients suffering from severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Hyaluronan is a sugar secreted by living tissue that acts as a scaffold for cells. It is also used in cosmetics as a skin moisturizer and as a nasal spray to moisturize lung airways. A study is published in Respiratory Research. It reports that hyaluronan shortened the amount of time that COPD patients in intensive care needed breathing support. It also decreased their number of days in the hospital, which saved money. DNA Change Repairs Immune Deficiency Researchers at Garvan Institute of Medical Research have discovered that three patients spontaneously repaired harmful variants in their DNA. The patients had a severe genetic immunodeficiency. And the spontaneous change restored normal immune function over time. Some spontaneous DNA changes are associated with the development of diseases like cancer. But in these three patients, a spontaneous DNA change, known as somatic reversion, had a positive effect. It repaired the faulty genes responsible for DOCK8 deficiency. The deficiency is a rare inherited condition. A study is published in Journal of Clinical Investigation. The researchers det ...

A controlled double-blind trial from India shows that Boswellia Serrata can enhance pain tolerance. In Ayurvedic medicine, the herb is also known as Indian Frankincense. The study is published in the Indian Journal of Pharmacology: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study to evaluate the analgesic activity of Boswellia serrata in healthy volunteers using mechanical pain model The findings of the study are particularly interesting because they involve testing pain thresholds in healthy adults. That applies to most readers of this article. The active compound in Boswellia Serrata is 3-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA). AKBA binds to 5-LOX receptors, blocking active compounds from binding to it. This reduces the production of inflammatory leukotrienes. The Mechanics of Pain In the body, arachidonic acid can follow two main paths that cause inflammation and pain: the COX pathways, and the LOX pathway. The COX pathways produce prostaglandins that cause inflammation, fever, and pain. Aspirin and common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents or drugs (NSAIDS) affect the COX pathways. Blocking the COX-1 pathway, such as with aspirin, can cause damage to the gastric lining. Blocking the COX-2 pathway, such as with prescription medications, can carry the risk of cardiovascular events and should be monitored. Ibuprofen blocks both the COX-1 and COX-2 pathways. The LOX pathway increases leukotrienes that cause inflammation, pain, allergy responses, and gastric damage. Blocking the LOX pathway, such as with Boswellia Serrata, reduces leukotrienes. And that may reduce inflammation and pain. For more details about the effect of Boswellia Serrata on the LOX pathway, see the work of Safayhi H, Mack T and others on " Boswellic acids: Novel, specific, non-redox inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase." A New Approach to Pain Reduction In the Indian clinical trial, researchers noted they were looking for treatments to relieve chronic pain, such as that caused by osteoarthritis or inflammatory bowel diseases. And they hoped to find something with fewer side effects than NSAIDS. GI bleeding, increased blood pressure, and heart and kidney problems are associated with NSAIDS. But instead of testing a new treatment on persons with disease, they decided to test it on healthy persons. Their reasoning was that this would help the study avoid confounding variables that often arise in tests on persons with disease. And the upshot, for the rest of us, is that their decision makes it easier to apply the results more broadly. Measuring Pain Threshold and Tolerance This study involved twelve healthy men, aged 18 to 45. The researchers used a validated mechanical pain model to measure pain threshold and pain tolerance. Pain threshold is the force applied when pain is first identified. And pain tolerance is the force applied when the pain is no longer bearable. The force was applied to the nail bed of the index finger on the non-dominant hand. Researchers used an instrument that increases force incrementally over time. Each participant went through a control run and then two trials in random order. One trial was after taking a placebo. The other trial was after taking a dietary supplement containing 250 mg of Boswellia extracts. Each trial included measurements at baseline, one hour, two hours, and three hours after consumption of the supplement. Pain threshold was improved at two and three hours after supplementation. The improvement was greater at three hours. Pain tolerance improved at one, two, and three hours after supplementation. None of participants reported adverse side effects. Although healthy adults don’t often get an intentional finger pinch, the test is still a standardized and measurable example of managing pain. In this study, a Boswellia Serrata supplement improved both the pain threshold and pain tolerance in healthy adults within hours of ingestion. Thrivous Tenacity Thrivous develops Tenacity Arthroprotector to enhanc ...

Many people all over the world are likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine BBIBP-CorV, developed by the Chinese state-owned biopharmaceutical company Sinopharm. Many countries have approved the vaccine and announced plans to deploy it. For example Hungary, the country where I live, became the European Union’s first member to approve China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. And Hungary sealed a deal for 5 million doses, Reuters reports. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he would personally opt to receive the Chinese vaccine, as he trusted it more than others. BBIBP-CorV is based on inactivated coronaviruses. This is an approach that has been used for over a century. And it works by teaching the immune system to make antibodies against the coronavirus, explains The New York Times. There was a limited clinical trial “aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine candidate, BBIBP-CorV, in humans.” The preliminary results were published in The Lancet in October 2020. And they are encouraging. A press release issued by the journal states that the study detected antibody responses in all recipients by day 42 after vaccination. And it provides some data for participants aged over 60 years. The vaccine was safe and well tolerated at all tested doses, with no severe adverse reactions reported. More recently in December, the health ministry of the United Arab Emirates stated that the vaccine has 86 percent efficac. They cited an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials yet to be published, Reuters reports. Chromosome Anomaly Is a Cancer Vulnerability An abnormal number of chromosomes (aneuploidy) is a unique characteristic of cancer cells that researchers have known about for decades. Scientists at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have shown how that could become a weak point for cancer cells. Approximately 90 percent of solid tumors, such as breast cancer and colon cancer, and 75 percent of blood cancers are aneuploid in nature. A study is published in Nature. It shows that aneuploid cancer cells demonstrate heightened sensitivity to damage to a critical cellular mechanism that ensures the proper separation of chromosomes during cell division. The study also reveals the molecular basis for the heightened sensitivity of aneuploid cancer cells. The scientists are persuaded that their research could lead to the development of future drugs that will use this vulnerability to eliminate cancer cells. Smartphone App for Neurodegenerative Diseases Researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have invented a smartphone-controlled soft brain implant that can be recharged wirelessly from outside the body. It is described in a study published in Nature Communications. The implant enables long-term neural circuit manipulation without the need for periodic disruptive surgeries to replace a battery. It has been used to suppress cocaine-induced behavior in laboratory rats by delivering light stimulation into the brain, controlled with the smartphone app. The researchers believe this technology can help uncover and treat psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. They may include addiction, depression, and Parkinson's. 3D-Printing for Bone Reconstruction Scientists at University of New South Wales Sydney have developed a ceramic-based ink. It may allow surgeons in the future to 3D-print bone parts, complete with living cells that could be used to repair damaged bone tissue. Using a 3D-printer that deploys a special ink made up of calcium phosphate, the scientists developed a new technique. It is known as ceramic omnidirectional bioprinting in cell-suspensions (COBICS). And it is described in a research paper published in Advanced Functional Materials. The new technique enables printing of bone-like structures that harden in a matter of minutes when placed in water. Potential applications include creation of bone in th ...

I thought I'd seen it all when it came to brain boosting supplement scams, with Amazin Brain and then SF180 Brain Pills. But the company's latest scam, Vigor Smart, takes the cake. When visiting the official website for Vigor Smart, I found the same verbiage, endorsements, graphics, and pictures as Amazin Brain and SF180 Brain Pills. However, the fake news page was worse. Vigor Smart can kiss PR away for their fake press release. Using an “Entertainment Today” logo, their advertorial reports on 23 January 2021 that they got the “largest deal in Shark Tank history.” Supposedly, all five judges decided to invest more than a million dollars in the Vigor Smart supplement. However, when searching Shark Tank's official blog site, Vigor Smart doesn't appear. The last nootropic featured on Shark Tank was in the 10 April 2020 episode. The blog states that investors, Mark and Lori, tend to shy away from investing in any company making health claims. The maker of these brands lures consumers in with what appears to be 30-day free trial offers, with payment of shipping and handling via credit card. In a response to a Better Business Bureau complaint, Amazin Brain clarifies: “We do not offer sample sizes or free gifts, we send you a full 30 day supply and allow you to try our products free for 14 days at only the cost of shipping and handling. If you do not cancel within trial, upon expiration you are billed the retail price of the products as well as enrolled in an automated shipping program.” Vigor Smart's Mental Health Claims Vigor Smart claims to be a natural formula revolutionary brain supplement. It claims to eliminate brain fog and reduce stress and anxiety. And it claims to improve memory, focus, mental energy, brainpower, and overall brain health. However, nowhere on their site nor on Amazon.com could I find the nutrition label or ingredients of Vigor Smart. Nor could I find any listed side-effects like headache or dizziness. The front of the bottle shows it contains 700 mg total of L-Glutamine and Bacopa Monnieri. L-Glutamine is a readily available amino acid in meat and dairy. It is taken orally to improve the physical health of someone suffering severe wounds, burns, sickle cell anemia, or surgery. It has no nootropics benefits. Bacopa Monnieri is of Indian origin. It is used in Ayurveda medicine to improve cognitive functioning and memory by reducing stress. A daily supplement of Bacopa Monnieri has been shown to safely enhance cognitive performance. What's Missing Tells a Bigger Story Vigor Smart may be missing some of the most important nootropics, scientifically proven to enhance brain functioning. Ginkgo Biloba improves blood flow to the brain to support healthy brain aging. Phosphatidylserine is a fatty substance that helps protect brain cells, while increasing transmission capabilities between them. The only thing about Vigor Smart that doesn't look the same as Amazin Brain or SF 180 Brain Pills is the cost. For 60 capsules, Amazon sells Amazin Brain for $29.97. SF 180 Brain Pills sells for $36.40. And Vigor Smart sells for $49.95. That's less nootropic ingredients than either Amazin Brain or SF 180 Brain Pills for more money. Don't buy into this scam! Thrivous Nootropics If you're looking for nootropics to support healthy brain function and enhance cognition, Thrivous is a far better choice. Thrivous offers multiple nootropic products. They include Clarity Daily Nootropic to enhance memory, focus, and mood. Clarity contains only effective nootropic nutrients and doses. Each nutrient and each dose is based on multiple human studies. And Thrivous shares all of them in a summary of clinical studies, which you can download and review. Each bottle of Clarity passes through multiple rounds of rigorous quality control. Suppliers test the identity, potency, and safety of each nutrient. Third-party testers verify all test results with a second and third rounds of testing for each nutrient and their combination. And Thrivous ...

Two patients have been cured of beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease, after their own genes were edited with CRISPR-Cas9 technology. This raises hopes for countless people all over the planet suffering from genetic diseases, and other diseases that may be open to genetic attacks. CRISPR-Cas9 technology pioneers Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 as reported in Pulse 173. Sickle cell disease is an inherited defect of hemoglobin, the iron-containing protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to cells throughout the body. Beta thalassemia is a blood disorder that reduces the production of hemoglobin. Sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia are major diseases in the world, notes a press release issued by University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). In Nigeria alone, five million people suffer from sickle cell disease. And many others suffer from this disease throughout Africa. 30% of transplants performed in India, which has 1.3 billion people, are to treat severe beta thalassemia. A research paper published in New England Journal of Medicine describes how CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing modified the DNA of stem cells by deleting the gene BCL11A. This is the gene responsible for suppressing fetal hemoglobin production. The first two patients to receive the treatment have had successful results and continue to be monitored. This gene-editing procedure has a huge potential, said Damiano Rondelli, Professor of Hematology at the UIC College of Medicine. “Cells of the same patient can be manipulated and can be transplanted without the risk of rejection or to cause immune reactions from the donor (graft-versus-host disease),” he said. “For the almost 900 patients with SC coming to our hospital, this should be great news.” Rondelli is on the steering committee for an international clinical trial. The trial is at an early stage. And the first patients will be followed for some time before expanding the numbers worldwide. This treatment could be a game-changer for world health. “The hope is that this treatment will be accessible and affordable in many low-middle-income countries [e.g. the Middle East, Africa, and India], and have an important impact in the lives of many people in these areas,” added Rondelli. Personalized Vaccine for Anti-Cancer Response Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Broad Institute have made advances in the development of a cancer vaccine. It is able to produce long-lasting anti-tumor responses in patients with melanoma. A study is published in Nature Medicine. It reports that, four years after patients with melanoma were treated with a personalized cancer vaccine, the immune response kindled by the vaccine remains robust and effective in keeping cancer cells under control. The vaccine is known as NeoVax. It works by targeting specific proteins on each patient's tumor cells. Four years after vaccination, all eight patients who participated in the study were alive. And six showed no signs of active disease. In two of the patients, cancer had spread to their lungs. They received an immune checkpoint inhibitor, a drug that loosens some of the restraints on the immune response to cancer. The researchers are persuaded that NeoVax can help control metastatic tumors, particularly when combined with immune checkpoint inhibition. Designer DNA May Treat Myeloma Scientists at UC San Diego School and Ionis Pharmaceuticals are researching how to treat myeloma. This is a type of blood cancer that eventually becomes resistant to existing treatments. The treatment silences IRF4, a gene that allows myeloma stem cells and tumor cells to proliferate and survive. A study is published in Cell Stem Cell. The scientists report their successes inhibiting IRF4 with an engineered piece of DNA, developed by Ionis and known as ION25. The treatment lowered disease burden, reduced myeloma stem cell abundance, and increased survival in laboratory mice ...

Scientists have stored data in the genomes of living bacteria, Nature reports. Researchers at Columbia University designed bacteria “that, when zapped with electricity, make distinctive changes to their genomes. The ‘electricity on’ and ‘electricity off’ genomic patterns serve as the equivalent of the 1s and 0s used in digital computers.” A research paper is published in Nature Chemical Biology. It describes a new “electrogenetic” framework for direct storage of digital data in living cells. The scientists encoded binary data in 3-bit units into CRISPR arrays of bacterial cells by electrical stimulation. To demonstrate the new technology, the scientists electrically encoded up to 72 bits of data and wrote the message, “Hello world!” “Imagine having cellular hard-drives that can compute and physically reconfigure in real time,” research leader Harris Wang told Singularity Hub. “We feel that the first step is to be able to directly encode binary data into cells, without having to do in vitro DNA synthesis.” This has evident applications to data storage. This “may give James Bond a new tool for hiding messages in plain sight,” notes a summary published in Science. But perhaps this research program will have even more spectacular applications in life sciences and medicine. Creating a direct interface between silicon and genomes “could significantly accelerate our ability to reprogram cells for our own devices,” notes Singularity Hub. “If you can get the cells to directly talk to a computer, and interface its DNA-based memory system with a silicon-based memory system, then there are lots of possibilities in the future,” Wang said. Disabling a Single Gene May Slow Aging A genome-wide CRISPR-based screening technology has identified a new driver of cellular aging. This was reported in a press release issued by the Chinese Academy of Science. They added that this could form part of new strategies to delay aging and prevent aging-associated diseases. A research paper is published in Science Translational Medicine. It shows that disabling a gene called KAT7 by CRISPR can reduce cellular aging and senility. KAT7 is one of the catalysts for aging. The gene therapy is based on disabling a single gene or using KAT7 inhibitors. According to the researchers, this could extend mammal life. It could also slow down the aging of human liver cells and find applications in medicine against human aging. Nanoparticles for Vaccines Against Coronaviruses Caltech scientists are using nanoparticles to develop vaccines for a wide range of related coronaviruses. Their aim is to prevent future pandemics. The scientists have designed a protein-based nanoparticle onto which pieces of up to eight different types of coronavirus have been attached. The nanoparticle is shaped like a cage made up of 60 identical proteins. Each has a small protein tag that functions like a piece of Velcro. A research paper is published in Science. It reports that, when injected into mice, this nanoparticle induces the production of antibodies that react to a variety of different coronaviruses. They include similar viruses that were not presented on the nanoparticle. Only a Few Proteins Control Many Cancer Types By analyzing data from almost 10,000 patients, Columbia University researchers have found that tumors can be categorized into 112 subtypes. This is regardless of the cancer's origin. Within each subtype, “Master Regulator” proteins that control the cancer were virtually identical, independent of the specific genetic mutations of each patient. A paper is published in Cell. It indicates that the key genetic programs necessary for the survival of cancer cells are mechanistically controlled by only 24 Master Regulator modules. Each comprises just a handful of such proteins working in concert. The researchers are persuaded that this has the potential to streamline and improve cancer treatment in the future.

In 2016, researchers from the University of Padova in Italy published a study in the journal Nutrients. It demonstrated that a Mediterranean Diet, combined with a daily supplement of Curcumin and Boswellia Serrata Extract (BSE), has a protective effect against oxidative stress. Oxidative stress plays a major role in aging and the deterioration of health over time. The reason your mother taught you to eat your vegetables for the antioxidants is that they help combat oxidative stress. Curcumin and BSE are both powerful antioxidants, and Curcumin is anti-inflammatory as well. The Italian researchers behind the Nutrients study recruited a cohort of 47 male master cyclists — all healthy, high-performance athletes — to participate in the study. The cyclists made a useful study group because regular intensive exercise causes oxidative stress. That means these cyclists had pretty high baseline levels of the chemical markers the researchers were interested in. In athletes, oxidative stress can cause muscle damage and reduced athletic performance. It can also accumulate in the cells and tissues over time and accelerate age-related decline. The researchers wanted to see if diet and supplements could reduce the markers of oxidative stress in these athletes’ bodies. So they divided the athletes into two groups: The control group was prescribed a Mediterranean Diet. The treatment group was prescribed both a Mediterranean Diet and a daily supplement. The supplement was a tablet containing 140 mg of BSE and 10 mg of Curcumin, in a proprietary formula designed for easy cellular absorption. The researchers required all participants to keep a food diary and to return unused pills at the end of the trial, so they could verify compliance. Blood and urine samples were taken once at the beginning of the trial and once at the end, after 3 months. The blood and urine samples were examined for twelve different potential markers of oxidative stress. At the end of the study period, both the treatment and control groups exhibited a significant reduction in three of the twelve markers. This suggests that a Mediterranean Diet, by itself, goes a long way toward reducing oxidative stress. The treatment group also saw statistically significant reductions in two markers compared to the control group. They included a 47% reduction in total Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). This suggests that treatment with Curcumin and BSE provides a substantial benefit beyond what a Mediterranean Diet confers. Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) can either be derived from food or produced within the body, especially under conditions of hyperglycemia or oxidative stress. AGEs cause harmful stiffening of tissues, such as skeletal muscle, tendons, joints, bone, heart, arteries, lungs, and skin. They accumulate in cells and skeletal muscle tissue as we age. Levels of AGEs in older adults seem to predict an earlier death. So a safe supplement that reduces levels of AGEs could have powerful anti-aging benefits. Both Curcumin and BSE had previously shown promise for reducing AGEs in vitro and in animal studies. But the Nutrients study is the first to document this effect in humans. Thrivous Tenacity Arthroprotector contains both 500 mg of Turmeric Rhizome Extract (95% Curcumin) and 100 mg of Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract. Maybe you’re a master cyclist looking to maximize athletic performance. Or maybe you're just a regular person looking to stave off age-related decline. Either way, Tenacity can offer you valuable protection against the chemical effects of stress.