Sci-Ed Update 312

Cell secretions in a bowl, course discomfort is good, 3D-printed brain, red-wine headaches, rest takes work, curing autoimmunity, dendrites shape neural response, and more!

Feb 03, 2024

A pink, bowl-shaped nanovial is lined with blue antibodies and contains a single purple cell. Nanovials, which are tiny bowl-like structures lined with gelatin and conjugated with antibodies specific to proteins of interest, could be the key to understanding why some cells secrete more protein than others. RENE CHENG, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Cells secrete a range of proteins such as antibodies and growth factors that affect human health, but even within a specific cell type, some cells secrete more protein than others.1 Scientists have struggled to establish links between the genomes, transcriptomes, and functional outputs of cells, which presents a key challenge for researchers developing cell therapies. How can they create an effective therapy if they can’t identify which cells will produce the most therapeutically relevant protein?
In a recent study published in Nature Communications, bioengineers and immunologists joined forces to develop microscale hydrogel particles with approximately 35-micrometer diameters and bowl-shaped subnanoliter cavities.2 These nanovials can be used to measure protein secretion, transcriptome data, and surface markers from individual cells. The team demonstrated that these nanovials can reveal molecular signatures associated with secretion of the antibody immunoglobulin G (IgG) from B cells. Using this approach, scientists can identify subpopulations of cells that secrete more beneficial proteins and leverage them for developing therapies.

Kevin Patton comment→ I love opportunities to briefly let students know how cells are studied—especially the latest techniques. I hope it will spark curiosity and appreciate the process of human science.

First functional human brain tissue produced through 3D printing

The first functional 3D-printed brain tissue has been developed to examine the human brain's function and study various neurological disorders.
According to experts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, printed tissue can "grow and function like typical brain tissue."
This 3D-printed brain model might be useful in studying various neurological and neurodevelopmental problems, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
"This could be a hugely powerful model to help us understand how brain cells and parts of the brain communicate in humans," said Su-Chun Zhang, professor of neuroscience and neurology at UW–Madison's Waisman Center.

Is it true that red wine causes headaches?

*(Linnea Bullion for The Washington Post)*

Many people complain of headaches after drinking red wine.
Possibly millions — many millions — of people suffer from these headaches, said Morris Levin, a neurology professor and the director of the Headache Center at the University of California at San Francisco.
Research supports anecdotal evidence that alcohol appears to trigger headaches for some people. In one meta-analysis, red wine was the most frequently reported culprit, followed by spirits, white wine, and beer or sparkling wine.
There seems to be an even stronger association among those with headache disorders such as migraine, said Chia-Chun Chiang, a headache specialist and assistant professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic. In a study of nearly 2,200 migraine sufferers, about 1 in 3 reported that alcohol triggered attacks and most — about 78 percent — said that wine, particularly red wine, led to migraine attacks, though, for most, the attacks were not consistent.

Rest Takes Hard Work

people, sky, road, bench, feet, wind, female, carefree, surfboard, fashion, extreme sport, toy, relaxing, shoes, happy, sports, limbs, legs, sneakers, body, resting, fashion model, crossed legs, atmosphere of earth, surfing equipment and supplies, kite sports — *Image: PxHere (CC0 Public Domain)*

There are few things better for us than regular rest. Whether it's breaks during the day, hobbies that take our mind off work, weekly sabbaths or annual vacations, routines that layer periods of work and rest help us be more productive, have more sustainable careers, and enjoy richer and more meaningful lives.
Too often, rest gets a bad rap in our always-on, work-obsessed world. It's also the case that learning to rest well is actually hard. Why is that? And how can we rest better?

Can autoimmune diseases be cured? Scientists see hope at last

File:Wire-loop lesion in SLE.png — Wire-loop lesions are thickened reddish pink staining capillary loops characteristically seen in nephritis associated with Systemic lupus erythematosus. This is due to massive subendothelial immune complex deposits. Multiple loops in the lower left qudrant are affected. [Micro Health Laboratories, Kozhikode, India; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International]

Researchers have been trying for more than 50 years to tame the cells that are responsible for autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes, lupus and multiple sclerosis. Most of the approved therapies for these conditions work by suppressing the entire immune response. This often alleviates symptoms but leaves people at elevated risk of infections and cancers.
But for decades, immunologists have hoped to restore what’s known as tolerance — the immune system’s ability to ignore antigens that belong in the body while appropriately attacking those that don’t. In some cases, that means administering the very antigens that the rogue cells are trained to attack, a strategy that can deprogram the cells and dampen the autoimmune response. Other researchers are trying to selectively wipe out the problematic cells, or to introduce suppressive immune cells that have been engineered to target them. One approach that relies on engineered immune cells was used to treat 15 people with lupus or other immune disorders with surprising success¹. One participant has been symptom-free for more than two and a half years.

Why Do A&P Students Hate Histology? And How Do We Fix That?

Host Kevin Patton discusses the fact that many students hate histology. And perhaps even some faculty. Are there any ways to fix that? Kevin thinks he may have found a breakthrough idea.

00:00 | Introduction
01:20 | Sponsored by AAA
02:25 | Why Do Students Hate Histology?
16:27 | Sponsored by HAPI
17:06 | Birding For Tissues
39:15 | Sponsored by HAPS
40:14 | A Breakthrough
51:25 | Staying Connected

To listen to this episode, click on the play button above ⏵ (if present) or this link→ theAPprofessor.org/podcast-episode-113.html

Learning to Accept Discomfort Could Help You Thrive

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It's important to first define the idea of turning toward discomfort. I'm not advocating for people to put themselves in dangerous or excruciating positions. But when we push ourselves into challenging or discomfiting situations, much like trainers who push athletes just past their comfort zone to make gains, learning often happens. Indeed, a 2022 study involving more than 2,000 people demonstrated that the participants who were explicitly encouraged to push themselves into awkward, uncomfortable situations across multiple domains—including taking improv classes to boost self-confidence and reading about opposing political viewpoints—later reported the greatest degree of personal growth.

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