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PRISM reanalyzes 4,400 tumors, reshaping the debate over tumor microbiomes

When scientists sequence tumor DNA, they typically find small amounts of genetic code from bacteria, viruses and fungi—microorganisms that—if actually present in tumor tissues—could influence how they grow, evade immunity or respond to treatment. But do microorganisms truly reside in tumors, or do the samples become contaminated before sequencing occurs?

Independent analyses of the same genomic data have reached wildly different conclusions. Now, researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute have developed a computational tool that settles the controversy by distinguishing genuine microbial signals from artifacts. Their findings are published in Cancer Cell.

“There are microbes all over the environment, on our skin and in our breath,” said Subhajyoti De, a member of the Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute and the senior author of the study. “There could be DNA particles floating in the air. How do you know whether you’re finding came from the tissue you were interested in, or whether something was introduced along the way?”

Ultrastructural and Histological Cryopreservation of Mammalian Brains by Vitrification

Studies of whole brain cryopreservation are rare but are potentially important for a variety of applications. It has been demonstrated that ultrastructure in whole rabbit and pig brains can be cryopreserved by vitrification (ice-free cryopreservation) after prior aldehyde fixation, but fixation limits the range of studies that can be done by neurobiologists, including studies that depend upon general molecular integrity, signal transduction, macromolecular synthesis, and other physiological processes. We now show that whole brain ultrastructure can be preserved by vitrification without prior aldehyde fixation. Rabbit brain perfusion with the M22 vitrification solution followed by vitrification, warming, and fixation showed an absence of visible ice damage and overall structural preservation, but osmotic brain shrinkage sufficient to distort and obscure neuroanatomical detail. Neuroanatomical preservation in the presence of M22 was also investigated in human cerebral cortical biopsies taken after whole brain perfusion with M22. These biopsies did not form ice upon cooling or warming, and high power electron microscopy showed dehydrated and electron-dense but predominantly intact cells, neuropil, and synapses with no signs of ice crystal damage, and partial dilution of these samples restored normal cortical pyramidal cell shapes. To further evaluate ultrastructural preservation within the severely dehydrated brain, rabbit brains were perfused with M22 and then partially washed free of M22 before fixation. Perfusion dilution of the brain to 3-5M M22 resulted in brain re-expansion and the re-appearance of well-defined neuroanatomical features, but rehydration of the brain to 1M M22 resulted in ultrastructural damage suggestive of preventable osmotic injury caused by incomplete removal of M22. We conclude that both animal and human brains can be cryopreserved by vitrification with predominant retention of ultrastructural integrity without the need for prior aldehyde fixation. This observation has direct relevance to the feasibility of human cryopreservation, for which direct evidence has been lacking until this report. It also provides a starting point for perfecting brain cryopreservation, which may be necessary for lengthy space travel and could allow future medical time travel.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

What to watch as fungal infections rise: Species that can quickly ‘translate’ fat-use proteins

A new study by researchers at Kiel University and MPI-EvolBio describes how more efficient protein production drives the adaptation of fungi to the human body, potentially turning previously harmless species into emerging pathogens. In the wake of global change and the associated rise in temperatures, fungal infections are on the increase worldwide, threatening crops, wildlife and, also, human health. Many fungal species are completely harmless and fulfill important ecological functions, such as decomposing organic matter and releasing nutrients into the soil.

As symbionts of multicellular organisms, they perform useful functions for their host. On the other hand, some species are so-called opportunistic human pathogens: particularly in a weakened immune system, such fungi can colonize the body and cause serious and even life-threatening infections.

While fungi are often studied as pathogens of crops at institutions such as Kiel University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön (MPI-EvolBio), researchers are increasingly turning their attention to their harmful effects on humans. A research team led by Professor Eva Stukenbrock, head of the Environmental Genomics group at Kiel University and MPI-EvolBio, has conducted a new study to investigate why certain fungi might become human pathogens in the course of global change. To this end, the researchers analyzed various fungal species of the order Trichosporonales, which includes both harmless and dangerous species for humans.

⏱️ The Brilliant Laziness of Being Human: Why Your Brain Refuses to Plan Ahead (And That’s Actually Perfect)

“Useless blocks” that you’d bump into 95% of the time but didn’t affect the outcome at all.

New MIT research reveals how humans navigate complex environments: not through exhaustive mental mapping, but through ‘just-in-time’ processing—building simplified models only as needed. This challenges decades of cognitive theory and has profound implications for AI, robotics, and understanding everyday human behaviour and memory.

Quantum defects in carbon nanotubes as single-photon sources

This Review surveys progress in the development of carbon nanotubes as single-photon sources for emerging quantum technologies, with a focus on chemical synthesis and quantum defect engineering, computational studies of structure-property relationships, and experimental investigations of quantum optical properties.

GeSn alloys emerge as a new semiconductor class that could reshape optoelectronics

Scientists have created a new type of material that could enable common electronic devices to work faster and use less energy, a study suggests. The findings indicate the material, which was until now thought near-impossible to make, can act as a highly effective semiconductor—a key component of modern electrical devices.

Using the new semiconductor in electronics such as computer processors or medical imaging devices could help them run more efficiently, the team says.

Lactobacillus delbrueckii surface protein P4430 attenuates intestinal inflammation by modulating macrophage polarization via Mincle

Zhang et al. reveal that Lactobacillus del brueckii ameliorates ulcerative colitis by suppressing proinflammatory macrophages via its surface protein, P4430. This mechanism, which involves targeting the host Mincle receptor, defines a microbial strategy for combating intestinal inflammation and suggests a potential therapeutic path.

Indigenous Food Is Medicine Program Feasibility for Navajo Patients

In this nonrandomized clinical trial, the MUTTON-HF intervention incorporating Indigenous recipes and locally sourced Native food was feasible and acceptable for patients with heart failure in rural Navajo Nation.

Question Among Navajo patients with heart failure living rurally on the reservation, is a medically tailored meal delivery program incorporating Indigenous foods and recipes feasible and acceptable?

Findings This nonrandomized clinical trial included 20 American Indian patients with heart failure receiving care at 2 Indian Health Service sites in rural Navajo Nation. A community-designed, Indigenous, medically tailored meal program was implemented; the intervention was deemed both feasible (90% of weekly meal boxes received by patients) and acceptable (mean Acceptability of Intervention Measure score, 17 of 20).

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Programs in Health Care Institutions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

In this systematic review and meta-analysis of EDI initiatives in health care institutions, programs were associated with an increased workforce diversity.

This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives in health care institutions that aimed to promote a more inclusive and equitable health care culture for individuals who beloing to racial and ethnic minority groups.

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