Contents
12 December 2018
Vol 10, Issue 471
Vol 10, Issue 471
Focus
- Big data and black-box medical algorithms
New machine-learning techniques entering medicine present challenges in validation, regulation, and integration into practice.
Research Articles
- Cognitive impairments induced by necrotizing enterocolitis can be prevented by inhibiting microglial activation in mouse brain
Necrotizing enterocolitis–induced brain injury in mice can be prevented with an oral nanotherapeutic that targets microglia.
- A point-of-care diagnostic for differentiating Ebola from endemic febrile diseases
A multiplexed point-of-care diagnostic using surface-enhanced Raman scattering detects Ebola, Lassa, and malaria in blood and serum samples.
- MEK inhibition enhances oncolytic virus immunotherapy through increased tumor cell killing and T cell activation
Combining oncolytic virus and a MEK inhibitor augments immune-mediated therapeutic responses in melanoma and enhances sensitivity to PD-1 blockade in mice.
Technical Comment
- Comment on “ALK is a therapeutic target for lethal sepsis”
ALK is not highly expressed on monocytes and macrophages, and the effects of bioactive compounds on STING activation may not depend on ALK.
Technical Response
- Response to comment on “ALK is a therapeutic target for lethal sepsis”
ALK inhibitors may exhibit STING-independent anti-inflammatory activity in macrophages and monocytes.
Editors' Choice
- T cell receptors communicate by movement
Dynamic structural changes in the α chain transmembrane region convey T cell receptor signals.
- Drug delivery in stealth mode
Zwitterionic polypeptides with high chemical specificity and “stealth”-like behavior have superior pharmacokinetics compared with uncharged polypeptides in mice.
- The brain carries a lot of weight
Researchers used neuroimaging to show that the best predictor of successful weight loss was greater brain activity in prefrontal areas in the brain involved in self-control.
Retraction
About The Cover
ONLINE COVER The Gut-Brain ConNECtion. This image shows the expression of myelin basic protein (green) and reactive oxygen species (red) in the brain of a mouse with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Patients with NEC, a gastrointestinal disorder affecting premature infants, often develop neurocognitive impairments. Niño et al. now show that the cognitive impairments exhibited by a mouse model of NEC were mediated by activation of immune cells called microglia and accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the brain. Antioxidant treatment prevented cognitive impairments and reduced brain inflammation in mice with NEC. Reducing oxidative stress may help to prevent NEC-associated neurocognitive impairments. [CREDIT: NINO ET AL./SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE]