The study examines how masseter muscle volume (MMV) affects sarcopenia risk in older adults, revealing that reduced MMV is linked to a higher sarcopenia risk independent of nutritional intake, particularly in men. Additionally, comparisons between the characteristics of the masseter muscle and appendicular skeletal muscle provided new insights into the functional and genetic factors influencing MMV. These findings hold promise as an innovative approach for the prevention and early diagnosis of sarcopenia.

The skin microbiome plays a key role in skin health and disease. While imbalances in skin microbiome composition are linked to disease, studying it has been challenging due to limited methods for culturing multiple bacterial species together. Now, scientists have developed a new medium, the "TUS Skin Bacteria Co-culture (TSBC)," which allows co-culturing of key skin bacteria while preserving their natural balance, opening new pathways for studying microbial interactions and skin health.

We discuss methods for calculating Chern numbers of two-dimensional lattice systems using spiral boundary conditions which sweep all lattice sites in one-dimensional order. Specifically, we establish the one-dimensional representation of Fukui-Hatsugai-Suzuki’s method, based on lattice gauge theory, and the Coh-Vanderbilt’s method, which relates to electronic polarization. The essential point of this discussion is that the insertion of flux into the extended one-dimensional chain generates an effective current in a perpendicular direction.

A research team at Tohoku University have proposed a strategy to use spinel oxides to improve a reaction called the oxygen evolution reaction.

We conducted research to integrate international drug-drug interaction (DDI) information by mapping Japanese and international drug terminology. In this study, we developed a method of mapping the YJ code to RxNorm and compared the Japanese and international DDI information. The results indicated that the DDI information needs to be adjusted to be internationally consistent. It is expected that this study will facilitate the sharing and analysis of healthcare-related global data including DDI information.

As we age, our muscles atrophy. Earlier this year, researchers at Kyushu University found that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a protein critical in skeletal muscle development loses its functionality due to nitration as we age. Now, the same team has developed a monoclonal antibody that blocks the nitration sites of HGF, effectively preventing the protein’s age induced loss of function. Their findings were validated utilizing rat muscles cell culture.

Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a new bio-inspired approach to building complex 3D microfluidic networks by utilizing plant roots and fungal hyphae as molds. The team grew plants and fungi in nanoparticles of silica, then baked out the plants and solidified the glass. What remains is glass with micrometer-sized networks where the roots used to be.

Cell-to-cell communication through nanosized particles, working as messengers and carriers, can now be analyzed in a whole new way, thanks to a new method involving CRISPR gene-editing technology. The particles, known as small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), play an important role in the spread of disease and as potential drug carriers. The newly developed system, named CIBER, enables thousands of genes to be studied at once, by labeling sEVs with a kind of RNA “barcode.” With this, researchers hope to find what factors are involved in sEV release from host cells. This will help advance our understanding of basic sEV biology and may aid in the development of new treatments for diseases, such as cancer.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers examined the Senboku Hottokenai Network Project through a combination of case study and action research methodologies. The results of this study shed new light on the importance of community-led co-creation in transdisciplinary projects.

A research team led by NARO has successfully developed an immortalized red river hog blood-derived macrophage cell line. Since red river hogs are natural hosts of African swine fever viruses (ASFV), this cell line is a promising tool to advance ASFV research.