Tag Archives: restores

Gel That Restores Tooth Enamel Could Help Prevent Decay

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Enamel shields teeth from harm, yet can be easily compromised

Agrobacter/Getty Images

The gel incorporates compounds found in saliva to aid in the repair and regeneration of tooth enamel while preventing cavity formation that necessitates fillings.

Enamel, the tough and glossy outer layer of teeth, safeguards the sensitive inner part from wear, acids, and bacteria. “Enamel serves as your initial defense; when it starts to deteriorate, tooth decay accelerates,” explains Dr. Alvaro Mata from the University of Nottingham, UK. Since enamel does not self-repair, methods like fluoride varnishes and remineralizing treatments merely prevent further deterioration.

In search of a solution, Mata and his team engineered a gel that contains a modified protein designed to mimic amelogenin, which is vital for enamel growth in early development.

Tests revealed that applying the gel to human teeth under a microscope in a calcium and phosphate solution—the essential components of enamel—yielded a thin, robust layer that persisted for weeks, even during brushing.

This gel establishes a framework that utilizes calcium and phosphate to fill imperfections and encourage the organized development of new crystals in the enamel beneath the gel layer, even if a significant portion of the dentin is exposed.

“The gel successfully grew crystals epitaxially, meaning it mirrored the crystal orientation of the existing enamel,” Mata states.

This alignment allows the new growth, achieving thicknesses of up to 10 micrometers, to integrate with the underlying natural tissue, reconstructing both the structure and functionality of the enamel. “Growth occurs within a week,” remarks Mata. The method proved effective not only with the specific solution employed but also with donated saliva, which naturally contains calcium and phosphate.

Electron microscopy images of a demineralized tooth showcasing eroded crystals (left) and a similar tooth after two weeks of gel treatment that reveals epitaxially regenerated enamel crystals (right)

Professor Alvaro Mata, University of Nottingham

A comparable approach was noted in 2019, but it resulted in a thinner coating, only partially restoring the inner enamel structure.

Clinical trials on humans are set to commence early next year. Mata is also establishing a company named Mintech-Bio, hoping to launch its first product by late 2026 for use by dentists.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Experimental Brain Computer Implant Restores Speech for Stroke Survivors

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A device has been created by scientists that can translate speech ideas into spoken words in real time.

Although still in the experimental stage, the goal is to develop a Brain Computer Interface that can give voice to individuals unable to speak.

In a recent study, the device was tested on a 47-year-old woman with quadriplegia who had been speech-impaired for 18 years since experiencing a stroke. The device was implanted in her brain during surgery as part of a clinical trial.

According to Gopala Anumanchipalli, co-author of the study published in Nature Neuroscience, the device “translates the intent to speak into fluent text.”

Most brain computer interfaces for speech experience a delay between thought and speech, which can disrupt conversations and cause misunderstandings. However, this new device is considered a significant advancement in the field.

The device works by recording brain activity using electrodes and generating speech based on this activity. An AI model is then trained to translate this neural activity into spoken words.

The UCSF Clinical Research Coordinator will connect a neural data port to the head of the ANN, a participant in El Cerrito, California, on May 22, 2023.Noah Berger/UCSF, via AP files via UC Berkeley

Anumanchipalli of the University of California, Berkeley, explains that the device operates similarly to existing systems used for transcribing meetings and phone calls in real time.

Located in the brain’s speech center, the implant translates signals into spoken sentences as they are heard. This “streaming approach” ensures a constant flow of audio to the recorder without waiting for the sentence to finish.

Rapid speech decoding enables the device to keep up with natural speech pace, enhancing language naturalness according to Brumberg.

Funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, further research is necessary before the technology can be widely available. Anumanchipalli suggests that with sustained investment, the device could potentially be accessible to patients within the next decade.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NASA successfully restores Voyager 1 spacecraft to regular scientific operations

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Voyager 1 Due to technical issues, scientific observations are being carried out for the first time. Happened November 2023.

Voyager 1 launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 5, 1977, 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. This artist's concept drawing depicts one of NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Voyager 1 stopped transmitting readable science and engineering data to Earth on November 14, 2023, even though mission controllers were able to confirm that the spacecraft was still receiving commands and was otherwise operating normally.

In April 2024, they prompted Voyager 1 to begin transmitting engineering data containing information about the spacecraft's health and condition, partially resolving the problem.

On May 19, they carried out the second stage of the repair process and sent commands to the spacecraft to begin transmitting science data.

Two of the four scientific instruments immediately returned to normal operating mode.

The other two instruments required additional work, but all four are now returning usable science data.

The four instruments will study plasma waves, magnetic fields and particles.

This infographic highlights major milestones of NASA's Voyager missions, including visiting four outer planets and escaping the heliosphere, a protective bubble of magnetic fields and particles generated by the Sun. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

The twin Voyager probes are NASA's longest-serving missions and the only spacecraft to have explored interstellar space.

Launched in 1977, both probes traveled to Jupiter and Saturn, with Voyager 1 traveling faster and reaching Jupiter and Saturn first.

Together, they have revealed a lot about the solar system's two largest planets and their moons.

Voyager 1 is more than 24 billion km (15 billion miles) from Earth, and Voyager 2 is more than 20 billion km (12 billion miles) from Earth.

The probe will celebrate its 47th anniversary of operation later this year.

“Voyager 1 and 2 are the only spacecraft to directly sample interstellar space, the region outside the heliosphere – the protective bubble of magnetic fields and solar wind created by the Sun,” NASA engineers said.

“Voyager 1 has resumed science, but additional minor operations are required to remove the effects of the problem.”

“Among other tasks, we will resynchronize the timing software in the spacecraft's three onboard computers to ensure commands are executed at the right time.”

“We will also be maintaining the digital tape recorder that records the plasma wave instrument data that is sent back to Earth twice a year.”

Source: www.sci.news

Antibody treatment restores immune function in elderly mice

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Antibodies are proteins that can target and attack specific cells.

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An experimental treatment rejuvenates the immune systems of older mice and improves the animals’ ability to fight infections. If this treatment is effective in humans, it could reverse the age-related decline in immunity that makes older people more susceptible to illness.

These reductions may be due to changes in blood stem cells, which can develop into all types of blood cells, including important components of the immune system. As we age, a greater proportion of these stem cells tend to produce some immune cells than others. Jason Ross at Stanford University in California. This imbalance impairs the immune system’s ability to fight infection. It also promotes chronic inflammation, which accelerates aging and increases the risk of age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Ross and his colleagues have developed a treatment that uses antibodies, proteins that recognize and attack specific cells, to target these biased stem cells. Next, they tested the treatment on six mice aged 18 to 24 months. This is roughly equivalent to a human being between 56 and 70 years old.

One week after receiving the antibody injection, these abnormal stem cells in the mice had decreased by about 38 percent compared to six rodents of the same age who did not receive treatment. They also had significantly higher amounts of two types of white blood cells important for recognizing and fighting pathogens, and lower levels of inflammation.

“You can think of this as turning back the clock,” says Ross. “We are adjusting these percentages [immune] more similar cells [those of] A young adult mouse. ”

To test whether these changes result in a stronger immune system, the researchers vaccinated 17 older mice with a mouse virus. Nine of these mice had received antibody treatment eight weeks earlier. The researchers then infected rodents with the virus. After two weeks, the number of infected cells in the animals was measured and it was found that almost half of the treated mice (4 out of 9) had completely cleared the infection, compared to 1 out of 8 of the untreated mice. It turned out that there was only one.

Taken together, these findings demonstrate that antibody treatment rejuvenates the immune system of aged mice. Humans, like rodents, have more abnormal blood stem cells as they age, so a similar antibody treatment could also boost their immune systems, Ross said.

Such a possibility is still far away, robert signer at the University of California, San Diego. First, we need a better understanding of the potential side effects of treatments. In an accompanying article, Signer and his colleagues write: Yasar al-Fat KassResearchers, also at the University of California, San Diego, suggest that depletion of stem cells, even abnormal stem cells, may increase cancer risk. On the other hand, “if you have a better immune system, you’ll be better at investigating cancer, so we don’t know exactly what will happen yet,” Signer says.

Still, Ross says these findings are a promising advance in understanding age-related immune decline and how to reduce it.

Aging is the biggest risk factor for various diseases. “Rejuvenating or improving immune function in older adults could really help fight infectious diseases,” Signer says. “It may also have an impact on different types of chronic inflammatory diseases. That’s what’s so exciting here.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com