Here at ADInstruments, we're lucky to be a part of a large and thriving research community. Join us in celebrating some of the incredible work that has been published by that community in October 2024.
Persistence of post-stress blood pressure elevation requires activation of astrocytes
Published in Scientific Reports
Do astrocytes play a role in maintaining elevated blood pressure from psychological stress? Hasebe et al. found that while psychological stress activates both neurons and astrocytes in cardiovascular brain regions, the activation of astrocytes is crucial for sustaining the post-stress elevation of blood pressure. Using arundic acid, an astrocytic inhibitor, they demonstrated that inhibiting astrocytic activity suppressed the stress-induced blood pressure rise, although it had little effect on heart rate.
An astrocyte stained with GFAP and vimentin. Imaged by GerryShaw.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-73345-4
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Human olfactory perception embeds fine temporal resolution within a single sniff
Published in Nature Human Behaviour
This article explores the fine temporal resolution of human olfactory perception. Wu et al. devised a sniff-triggered apparatus that can control the delivery of odorants with millisecond precision. Through testing 229 participants, the researchers found that humans can discriminate between two odorants presented in different temporal orders within a single sniff, with a stimulus onset asynchrony as small as 60 milliseconds. This finding challenges the belief that olfaction is a slow sense and provides evidence for the existence of a temporal code for odor identity.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01984-8
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Using “Wordle” to assess the effects of goal gradients and near-misses
Published in Scientific Reports
A near-miss can be highly motivating
What does Wordle tell us about the role of feedback in gambling behavior?
Dixon et al. investigate how goal gradients and near-miss outcomes affect player motivation, affect, and frustration using the popular game Wordle. The team found that when players receive feedback indicating they are approaching the goal, their motivation and positive affect increase, while being thwarted leads to frustration. Near-misses, where players are one letter away from the target word, were highly arousing and motivating. These findings offer insights into how near-miss experiences in games, like Wordle and slot machines, influence player behavior and emotion, suggesting parallels between gaming and gambling contexts.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74450-0
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Systemically injected oxygen within rapidly dissolving microbubbles improves the outcomes of severe hypoxaemia in swine
Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering
Mancebo et al. explore a novel therapeutic approach for treating severe hypoxemia, a critical condition caused by low oxygen levels in the blood. They describe the development and use of polymeric microbubbles capable of carrying and delivering high volumes of oxygen intravenously. These microbubbles dissolve rapidly in the bloodstream, allowing for fast oxygen delivery without causing microvascular obstruction. In a swine model of acute respiratory failure, this approach successfully maintained oxygenation, reduced the incidence of cardiac arrest, improved survival rates, and minimized organ injury, particularly in the brain and kidneys.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-024-01266-8
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Spatiotemporal control of neutrophil fate to tune inflammation and repair for myocardial infarction therapy
Published in Nature Communications
Neutrophils play a dual role in inflammation and healing post-myocardial infarction, and overactivation can lead to excessive tissue damage. Kim et al. designed nanoparticles that target neutrophils and release a drug called roscovitine in response to reactive oxygen species produced at the injury site. This promotes timely neutrophil apoptosis, limits inflammation, and encourages reparative macrophage activity, ultimately protecting heart function and reducing damage post-myocardial infarction.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52812-6
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