Latest news with #ChalmersUniversityofTechnology
Scoop
6 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Study Offers Hope For Healing From Spinal Cord Injuries
Press Release – University of Auckland Spinal cord injuries are currently incurable with devastating effects on peoples lives, but now a trial at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland offers hope for an effective cord injuries shatter the signal between the brain … Spinal cord injuries are currently incurable, with devastating effects on people's lives, but now a trial at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland offers hope for an effective treatment. Spinal cord injuries are currently incurable with devastating effects on people's lives, but now a trial at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland offers hope for an effective treatment. Spinal cord injuries shatter the signal between the brain and body, often resulting in a loss of function. 'Unlike a cut on the skin, which typically heals on its own, the spinal cord does not regenerate effectively, making these injuries devastating and currently incurable,' says lead researcher Dr Bruce Harland, a senior research fellow in the School of Pharmacy at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. Before birth, and to a lesser extent afterwards, naturally occurring electric fields play a vital role in early nervous system development, encouraging and guiding the growth of nerve tissue along the spinal cord. Scientists are now harnessing this same electrical guidance system in the lab. An implantable electronic device has restored movement following spinal cord injury in an animal study, raising hopes for an effective treatment for humans and even their pets. 'We developed an ultra-thin implant designed to sit directly on the spinal cord, precisely positioned over the injury site in rats,' Dr Harland says. The device delivers a carefully controlled electrical current across the injury site. 'The aim is to stimulate healing so people can recover functions lost through spinal-cord injury,' Professor Darren Svirskis, director of the CatWalk Cure Programme at the University's School of Pharmacy says, 'Unlike humans, rats have a greater capacity for spontaneous recovery after spinal cord injury, which allowed researchers to compare natural healing with healing supported by electrical stimulation. After four weeks, animals that received daily electric field treatment showed improved movement compared with those who did not. Throughout the 12-week study, they responded more quickly to gentle touch. 'This indicates that the treatment supported recovery of both movement and sensation,' Harland says. 'Just as importantly, our analysis confirmed that the treatment did not cause inflammation or other damage to the spinal cord, demonstrating that it was not only effective but also safe.' This new study, published in a leading journal, has come out of a partnership between the University of Auckland and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. See Nature Communications [live 9pm 26 June]. 'Long term, the goal is to transform this technology into a medical device that could benefit people living with these life-changing spinal-cord injuries,' says Professor Maria Asplund of Chalmers University of Technology. 'This study offers an exciting proof of concept showing that electric field treatment can support recovery after spinal cord injury,' says doctoral student Lukas Matter, also from Chalmers University. The next step is to explore how different doses, including the strength, frequency, and duration of the treatment, affect recovery, to discover the most effective recipe for spinal-cord repair.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Study Offers Hope For Healing From Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are currently incurable, with devastating effects on people's lives, but now a trial at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland offers hope for an effective treatment. Spinal cord injuries are currently incurable with devastating effects on people's lives, but now a trial at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland offers hope for an effective treatment. Spinal cord injuries shatter the signal between the brain and body, often resulting in a loss of function. 'Unlike a cut on the skin, which typically heals on its own, the spinal cord does not regenerate effectively, making these injuries devastating and currently incurable,' says lead researcher Dr Bruce Harland, a senior research fellow in the School of Pharmacy at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. Before birth, and to a lesser extent afterwards, naturally occurring electric fields play a vital role in early nervous system development, encouraging and guiding the growth of nerve tissue along the spinal cord. Scientists are now harnessing this same electrical guidance system in the lab. An implantable electronic device has restored movement following spinal cord injury in an animal study, raising hopes for an effective treatment for humans and even their pets. 'We developed an ultra-thin implant designed to sit directly on the spinal cord, precisely positioned over the injury site in rats,' Dr Harland says. The device delivers a carefully controlled electrical current across the injury site. 'The aim is to stimulate healing so people can recover functions lost through spinal-cord injury,' Professor Darren Svirskis, director of the CatWalk Cure Programme at the University's School of Pharmacy says, "Unlike humans, rats have a greater capacity for spontaneous recovery after spinal cord injury, which allowed researchers to compare natural healing with healing supported by electrical stimulation. After four weeks, animals that received daily electric field treatment showed improved movement compared with those who did not. Throughout the 12-week study, they responded more quickly to gentle touch. 'This indicates that the treatment supported recovery of both movement and sensation,' Harland says. 'Just as importantly, our analysis confirmed that the treatment did not cause inflammation or other damage to the spinal cord, demonstrating that it was not only effective but also safe.' This new study, published in a leading journal, has come out of a partnership between the University of Auckland and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. See Nature Communications [live 9pm 26 June]. 'Long term, the goal is to transform this technology into a medical device that could benefit people living with these life-changing spinal-cord injuries,' says Professor Maria Asplund of Chalmers University of Technology. 'This study offers an exciting proof of concept showing that electric field treatment can support recovery after spinal cord injury,' says doctoral student Lukas Matter, also from Chalmers University. The next step is to explore how different doses, including the strength, frequency, and duration of the treatment, affect recovery, to discover the most effective recipe for spinal-cord repair.
Arabian Post
7 days ago
- Science
- Arabian Post
Quantum Qubit Read‑out Takes Major Power‑Efficiency Leap
Researchers in Sweden have created a pulse‑activated microwave amplifier that reduces power usage by a factor of ten while preserving qubit data integrity—an advance that promises to accelerate the growth of scalable quantum computers. A team at Chalmers University of Technology reports that its new low‑noise amplifier only activates during qubit read‑out pulses, cutting average power consumption to roughly one‑tenth that of current systems. By shedding the burden of constant activation, the design keeps qubits cooler and more coherent—overcoming a vital hurdle for large‑scale quantum processors. Amplification lies at the heart of quantum computing. Qubits output extremely weak microwave signals requiring high‑sensitivity detectors to convert them into digital information. Conventional amplifiers, however, generate heat and electromagnetic noise even when inactive, leading to decoherence that degrades qubit states. The Chalmers design interrupts that cycle, powering up the amplifier only during precise measurement pulses. ADVERTISEMENT Lead author Yin Zeng, a doctoral researcher in terahertz and millimetre‑wave technologies, explains that this is 'the most sensitive amplifier that can be built today using transistors' and that the power reduction does not compromise performance. Measurements confirm that the device pulses into readiness within 35 nanoseconds—fast enough to match typical qubit read‑out schedules. Scaling quantum machines requires thousands of qubits, each with its own read‑out circuitry. The compounded thermal load from always‑on amplifiers intensifies the risk of qubit decoherence and forces designers to introduce bulky thermal isolation, complicating system architecture. 'This study offers a solution in future upscaling of quantum computers where the heat generated by these qubit amplifiers poses a major limiting factor,' says Jan Grahn, professor of microwave electronics and co‑author. Chalmers researchers point out that the amplifier operates off duty‑cycling principles. Instead of a sustained power draw, the design activates only during critical read‑out windows. Given that qubit pulses might be separated by milliseconds, the majority of operation falls outside measurement intervals—minimising power usage through efficient gating. The device hinges on a modified InP high‑electron‑mobility transistor low‑noise amplifier. Researchers altered the bias circuitry to permit rapid turn‑on/off cycling and employed genetic‑programming algorithms to optimise the bias profile, yielding ultra‑fast recovery and low transient noise. Detailed testing at cryogenic temperatures demonstrated a gain recovery within approximately 120 ns and stabilised noise levels under 2 K after around 200 ns—parameters within acceptable ranges for high‑fidelity qubit read‑out. Peak power efficiency scaled proportionately with duty cycle, validating the concept's practicality for systems with low measurement frequency. Chalmers' amplifier is poised to feed into national ambitions such as the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology, where developers seek the next generation of fault‑tolerant quantum machines. By reducing the thermal and spatial overhead of cryogenic electronics, these pulse‑driven amplifiers free engineers to pursue denser qubit arrays without compromising stability. Quantum industry stakeholders note strong implications for fields reliant on increased qubit capacities—especially error‑corrected logical qubit architectures, which require multiplexed read‑out across dozens or hundreds of physical qubits. The savings in cryogenic cooling load could enable system designs previously deemed unfeasible due to energy constraints. Remaining challenges include fine‑tuning the amplifier's bias circuitry to reduce drift and to scale the pulse‑operation into multi‑channel environments. Gaining reproducibility across batches and maintaining low‑noise performance during rapid cycling will be essential. The Chalmers team suggests further collaboration with hardware firms such as Low Noise Factory AB to translate the design into commercial cryogenic amplifier modules. This breakthrough aligns with broader quantum hardware trends aimed at minimising overhead and enhancing read‑out precision. While superconducting parametric amplifiers have shown ultra‑low noise, they remain complex and static in operation. The Chalmers approach offers simplicity—retaining transistor‑based electronics while dynamically managing power consumption.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This Is the Actual Best Way to Measure Risk of Heart Disease—And No, It's Not Cholesterol
Measuring cholesterol levels has always been the gold standard for figuring out who is at highest risk for heart disease. Until now. Researchers have discovered a brand-new way of predicting a person's risk of heart disease. Their findings claim to be more accurate and easier than the current cholesterol test. 🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Yet, most cases are preventable if people take better care of themselves. With one person dying of heart disease every 33 seconds, a better test for early detection could give people more time to change their lives around. Related: A European Heart Journalstudy suggests that measuring two lipoproteins via a simple blood test is a more accurate predictor of heart disease than cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is often measured for heart disease risk because too much of it can harden and form plaques in the walls of blood vessels. When a plaque ruptures, it can create a blood clot that blocks blood flow, leading to a heart attack or stroke. A cholesterol test is often used to understand how much "bad" cholesterol is present enough to cause serious harm. However, cholesterol cannot harm the heart if not carried there with round-shaped transporters called lipoproteins. Depending on the type of lipoprotein, it can carry either "bad" or "good cholesterol" through the blood.'It was previously unclear if two patients with the same total level of 'bad cholesterol,' but who differ in their carrier characteristics (lipoprotein type, size, lipid content), have the same risk of heart disease. So, this study aimed to determine the importance of these different parameters,' says , a postdoctoral fellow in precision cardiovascular medicine at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and lead study author. The authors set their sights on three classes of lipoproteins that carry a special protein called apolipoprotein B (apoB). These carry the "bad cholesterol" to clog up arteries. A fourth lipoprotein class eliminates excess cholesterol in the blood and transports it back to the liver. Related: The study authors examined blood samples from 200,000 people in the United Kingdom who had no history of heart disease. They were specifically looking for the number and size of cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins in the bloodstream. "Bad" cholesterol carriers were defined as lipoproteins carrying the apoB protein. A 15-year follow-up showed that people with a high number of apoB lipoproteins were the ones more likely to experience a heart attack.'We found that apoB is the best marker when testing for risk of heart disease. Since apoB indicates the total number of 'bad' cholesterol particles, measuring it offers a more accurate test than standard cholesterol measures," explains Dr. Morze."The recent publication confirms what we as lipidologists have already believed for years," says , a co-director of the Center for Advanced Lipid Management at the Stony Brook Heart Institute in New York, and who was not involved in the study. "Measurement of the total number of apolipoprotein B (apoB) particles is a better prognostic marker for cardiovascular risk compared to low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) alone."The number of lipoproteins carrying the apoB protein was most important in estimating a person's risk of future heart disease. Additionally, the authors discovered lipoprotein(a), which is also linked to heart disease. It represents less than 1% of all lipoproteins carrying "bad" cholesterol, but their levels vary by to Dr. Rahman, previous guidelines considered an elevated apoB above 130mg/dL a factor for heart disease. "With the findings of this article, it should be measured more often and may now be the measurement we need to focus on targeting instead of just LDL-C alone." Curious about how to get your lipoprotein measurements? Ask your primary care doctor—they should be able to easily order it for you, or at least point you in the right Next:Heart Disease Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ApoB-containing lipoproteins: count, type, size, and risk of coronary artery disease. European Heart Journal. Dr. Jakub Morze is a postdoctoral fellow in precision cardiovascular medicine at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Tahmid Rahman, MD, is a co-director of the Center for Advanced Lipid Management at the Stony Brook Heart Institute in New York.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Discover a Simple Method to Reduce Mercury Levels in Tuna
The benefits of getting fish in your diet are well known (it's in the Mediterranean diet, for example), but mercury poisoning remains a concern. Now, scientists have figured out how to cut levels of mercury in fish by up to 35 percent with a tweak to how it's packaged. A team from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Chalmers University of Technology experimented with adding the amino acid cysteine to canned tuna – one of the types that can have the most mercury in it. When tuna is immersed in water containing cysteine, the novel solution removed 25 to 35 percent of the mercury from the fish, according to lab tests. The more fish flesh that was in contact with the solution, the more mercury was taken out into the liquid. Cysteine was picked for the solution because of the way mercury strongly binds to it – which is how it's able to build up in fish in the first place – and following on from a previous study into mercury removal by the same researchers. "We believed this would allow some of the mercury to be drawn out and instead bind to the solution and be discarded," says chemist Przemysław Strachowski, from Chalmers University of Technology. "Further research is needed to take care of the removed mercury." If you've been eating fish without any knowledge of any potential mercury contamination, don't worry: you're unlikely to be consuming enough of it for there to be a danger, though it's recommended that pregnant women and young children only eat a limited amount. In most cases, the health benefits of eating fish outweigh the potential health risks – though finding a way to reduce mercury levels in fish through the way the food is packaged would certainly reduce those risks even further. "The beauty of this type of packaging is that it is active while the product is on the shelf," says Strachowski. "No additional production steps would be needed if a method like this were used industrially." "The application of our results could increase the safety margin for fish consumption." There were no noticeable changes in the appearance or smell of the fish samples treated with cysteine in the study, and mercury removal continued for up to two weeks. No extra additives were required for the solution to work. It's going to take further research to turn this into a practical option for fish storage, but the early signs are promising – and the team thinks the methods outlined could be improved in the future. "Our study shows that there are alternative approaches to addressing mercury contamination in tuna, rather than just limiting consumption," says food scientist Mehdi Abdollahi, from Chalmers University of Technology. "Our goal is to improve food safety and contribute to enhanced human health, as well as to better utilize food that is currently under certain restrictions." The research has been published in Global Challenges. Dying Cells Play a Vital, Unexpected Role in Healing, Study Shows Does Added Protein Really Enhance The Nutrition of Your Food? A Week of Swimming in Cold Water Can Change You on a Cellular Level
