Researchers in Japan discovered that blocking the enzyme BCAT1 can reduce fibrosis, or harmful stiffening, in mouse hearts after a heart attack. This intervention preserved heart function even when administered after tissue damage had begun. The findings suggest BCAT1 as a promising, targeted therapy for heart failure in humans, with the potential for fewer side effects.

Kyoto, Japan -- In treating diabetes, post-meal elevation of glucose levels is an important therapeutic target. Existing clinical studies indicate that eating vegetables, protein, or fat before carbohydrates can moderate a post-meal rise in blood glucose, pointing to the potential of meal-sequencing as a simple and sustainable dietary strategy.

Scientists have often attributed the benefits of this strategy to slower gastric emptying and greater secretion of incretin hormones, such as GLP-1, that decrease blood glucose levels. However, the roles that gut and pancreatic hormones, as well as neural pathways, play in this process have remained less understood. This motivated an international team of researchers to investigate how the timing of fat intake influences glucose levels, hormone secretion, and gastric emptying.

"Our group has long been interested in practical dietary approaches that people can continue in everyday life," says corresponding author Daisuke Yabe of Kyoto University. "Meal-sequencing is appealing because it merely changes how a meal is eaten rather than requiring people to avoid entire food groups."

Global climate and weather forecasting use predictive models which divide the Earth’s atmosphere into a grid, with each section typically covering tens to hundreds of kilometers. Now a new model, run by a team at the University of Tokyo, has narrowed this grid spacing down to just 220 meters. This higher resolution removed instances of “popcornlike” rain, bursts of heavy rain which appear on simulations but not in real life, providing more accurate predictions of extreme local weather from a global model.

Researchers at Shinshu University identified complement C7 as a biomarker of fibrosis severity and liver-related events in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Multi-omics analyses linked C7 expression to activated hepatic stellate cells within fibrotic liver regions. Higher serum C7 levels were associated with increased liver-related event risk and showed diagnostic performance compared with established non-invasive markers. Findings were supported across Japanese cohorts and validated in 4,486 UK Biobank participants, highlighting C7’s potential for risk stratification.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease can progress differently among patients. Researchers at Shinshu University identified an IgA-enriched MASLD subtype with increased risk of liver-related events, even after accounting for advanced fibrosis. The team found increased IgA-associated immune activity in the gut and liver, including IgA-expressing B-lineage cells in portal regions. The findings highlight the gut–liver axis and suggest that IgA may help identify high-risk patients for closer monitoring and treatment research.

Food presentation plays an important role in a diner’s perception. Researchers in Japan found that diners perceived a sturgeon-filet dish as significantly healthier when its sauces were placed separately rather than drizzled across the plate. After tasting, participants gave slightly higher ratings for overall liking and intention to eat more with the minimal presentation. Although these findings remain exploratory, they highlight how thoughtful plating choices could help restaurants communicate a healthier impression to diners.

Hyponatremia is associated with antipsychotic treatment, but risks may differ between individual medications. Now, researchers analyzed US FDA safety reports and a Japanese claims database involving 55,394 patients. The study found that aripiprazole was associated with a significantly lower risk of hyponatremia than olanzapine, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.52. Other antipsychotics showed no significant differences after adjustment. These findings may help inform antipsychotic selection for patients at a higher risk of hyponatremia.

β-amino alcohols are important building blocks in many pharmaceuticals and biological molecules, but selectively producing their anti form over their syn form remains challenging. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a nickel catalyst that leverages several types of molecular interactions simultaneously to control an addition reaction, enabling highly selective synthesis of anti-β-amino alcohols. This type of cooperative catalyst design could pave the way for new methods to control chemical reactions and develop complex catalytic systems.

Researchers from Nagoya University in Japan have developed a durable fuel-cell catalyst by wrapping platinum nanoparticles in nitrogen-containing graphene and placing them on carbon nanotubes. This design retained 96.9% of its active surface after 30,000 durability cycles, pointing towards fuel cells with longer lifespans and lower platinum demand.