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New strategy to fight chronic kidney inflammation

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a drug-and-supplement combination therapy that is capable of reducing the harmful effects of senescent cells – also known as “zombie cells” – in diabetic kidney disease.

In eBioMedicine, a publication of The Lancet, the team reported that the combination of the cancer drug dasatanib and a naturally occurring substance known as quercetin decreased inflammation and boosted protective factors in the kidney.

Diabetic kidney disease affects more than 12 million people in the U.S. and is the leading cause of kidney failure. While newer treatments can delay loss of kidney function, there is currently no cure.

Abstract: Presenting a cutting-edge discovery on the mechanisms by which immune cells influence health and disease at the later stages of cerebral ischemic stroke

Here, Chuan Qin & team use complementary models in experimental ischemic stroke, showing early post-stroke stages in which microglia recruit B cells into ischemic lesions through MIF/CD74/CXCR4, while later stage post-stroke effects involve interferon signaling in B cells that drives neuroinflammation and brain injury:

The image shows B lymphocytes (Green) in mouse dura tissue colocalizing with CD31+ blood vessels (Red).


1Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases;

2Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College; and.

3Hubei Key Laboratory of Neural Injury and Functional Reconstruction, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Transhumanism: the future or the world’s most dangerous idea?

For centuries we treated technology as a tool, and now a new movement insists it is becoming the future of the human species itself.

Transhumanists like Harari and Kurzweil predict the merger of humans and machines, even the rise of a “digital God.” But critics fear this proposed future, calling transhumanism “the world’s most dangerous idea.”

Is the future one where technology is not merely a source of innovation but the basis for a new account of what it is to be human, or are claims of eternal life and new forms of intelligence just fanciful nonsense?

Joining the debate are transhumanist pioneer Zoltan Istvan, physicist and consciousness researcher Àlex Gómez-Marín, philosopher of mind Susan Schneider, and Softmax co-founder Adam Goldstein.

Tap the link now to watch the full debate.


We have for centuries sought technological progress. But now some are making the radical claim that technology is the future of the human race. ‘Effective accelerationists’ have won high-profile Silicon Valley support and claim we should accelerate technology to.

Why lungs age unevenly: Vulnerable cells may guide new therapies

Aging is associated with increased risk for nearly every lung disease, including acute conditions like pneumonia and chronic diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer. Now, one of the most comprehensive analyses of human lung aging has found that not all cells age equally.

The study, published in Nature Communications, has found that certain types of lung cells are especially vulnerable to aging. The findings could inform treatments that target the defective cells, say the researchers.

“This data allows us to start thinking about lung aging not as a passive state that we have to accept, but as something that we may be able to modify with therapies and interventions,” says senior author Naftali Kaminski, MD, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary) at Yale School of Medicine and chief of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Yale.

Why the “Immortal” Jellyfish Can Age Backwards — And What That Means for Human Aging

A tiny jellyfish found in the ocean possesses an extraordinary ability to reverse its life cycle. This creature can transform from an adult back to a polyp, essentially resetting its biological clock. Scientists are studying its DNA to understand this process. This discovery offers new insights into aging and regeneration, potentially impacting future medical research.

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