Publisher Health

Mahsa Shoaran of the Integrated Neurotechnologies Laboratory in the School of Engineering collaborated with Stéphanie Lacour in the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces to develop NeuralTree: a closed-loop neuromodulation system-on-chip that can detect and alleviate disease symptoms. Thanks to a 256-channel high-resolution sensing array and an energy-efficient machine learning processor, the system can extract and classify a broad set of biomarkers from real patient data and animal models of disease in-vivo, leading to a high degree of accuracy in symptom prediction.
“NeuralTree benefits from the accuracy of a neural network and the hardware efficiency of a decision tree algorithm,” Shoaran says. “It’s the first time we’ve been able to integrate such a complex, yet energy-efficient neural interface for binary classification tasks, such as seizure or tremor detection, as well as multi-class tasks such as finger movement classification for neuroprosthetic applications.”
Their results were presented at the 2022 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference and published in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, the flagship journal of the integrated circuits community.
Efficiency, scalability, and versatility
NeuralTree functions by extracting neural biomarkers — patterns of electrical signals known to be associated with certain neurological disorders — from brain waves. It then classifies the signals and indicates whether they herald an impending epileptic seizure or Parkinsonian tremor, for example. If a symptom is detected, a neurostimulator — also located on the chip — is activated, sending an electrical pulse to block it.
Shoaran explains that NeuralTree’s unique design gives the system an unprecedented degree of efficiency and versatility compared to the state-of-the-art. The chip boasts 256 input channels, compared to 32 for previous machine-learning-embedded devices, allowing more high-resolution data to be processed on the implant. The chip’s area-efficient design means that it is also extremely small (3.48mm2), giving it great potential for scalability to more channels. The integration of an ‘energy-aware’ learning algorithm — which penalizes features that consume a lot of power — also makes NeuralTree highly energy efficient.

In addition to these advantages, the system can detect a broader range of symptoms than other devices, which until now have focused primarily on epileptic seizure detection. The chip’s machine learning algorithm was trained on datasets from both epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease patients, and accurately classified pre-recorded neural signals from both categories.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of Parkinsonian tremor detection with an on-chip classifier,” Shoaran says.
Self-updating algorithms
Shoaran is passionate about making neural interfaces more intelligent to enable more effective disease control, and she is already looking ahead to further innovations.
“Eventually, we can use neural interfaces for many different disorders, and we need algorithmic ideas and advances in chip design to make this happen. This work is very interdisciplinary, and so it also requires collaborating with labs like the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces, which can develop state-of-the-art neural electrodes, or labs with access to high-quality patient data.”
As a next step, she is interested in enabling on-chip algorithmic updates to keep up with the evolution of neural signals.
“Neural signals change, and so over time the performance of a neural interface will decline. We are always trying to make algorithms more accurate and reliable, and one way to do that would be to enable on-chip updates, or algorithms that can update themselves.”
ERC Starting Grant 2021, funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

Whether you call them comfort foods, highly processed foods, junk foods, empty calories or just some of Americans’ favorite foods and drinks, a sizable percentage of older Americans have an unhealthy relationship with them, according to a new poll.
In fact, about 13% of people aged 50 to 80 showed signs of addiction to such foods and beverages in the past year, the new data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging suggest.
The percentage is much higher among women than men — especially women in their 50s and early 60s. It was also higher in older adults who say they are overweight, lonely, or in fair or poor physical or mental health.
The poll is based at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and supported by AARP and Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center.
The poll team and U-M psychologist Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., used a set of 13 questions to measure whether, and how often, older adults experienced the core indicators of addiction in their relationship with highly processed foods such as sweets, salty snacks, sugary drinks and fast food. These addiction indicators include intense cravings, an inability to cut down on intake, and signs of withdrawal.
Based on their findings, Gearhardt suggests that the same set of standard questions should become part of screening at doctors’ offices. This could help identify older adults with addictive eating habits who could benefit from referrals to nutrition counseling or programs that help people address addictive eating or get affordable access to healthier foods.

Gearhardt, an associate professor in the U-M Department of Psychology and member of IHPI, co-developed the standardized questionnaire used in the poll, called the Yale Food Addiction Scale.
“The word addiction may seem strong when it comes to food, but research has shown that our brains respond as strongly to highly processed foods, especially those highest in sugar, simple starches, and fat, as they do to tobacco, alcohol and other addictive substances,” says Gearhardt.
“Just as with smoking or drinking, we need to identify and reach out to those who have entered unhealthy patterns of use and support them in developing a healthier relationship with food.”
In order to meet the criteria for an addiction to highly processed food on the scale used in the poll, older adults had to report experiencing at least two of 11 symptoms of addiction in their intake of highly processed food, as well as report significant eating-related distress or life problems multiple times a week. These are the same criteria used to diagnose addiction-related problems with alcohol, tobacco and other addictive substances.
By these criteria, addiction to highly processed foods was seen in: 17% of adults age 50 to 64, and 8% of adults age 65-80 22% of women age 50 to 64 and 18% of women age 50 to 80, 32% of women who say their physical health is fair or poor, and 14% of men who say the same — more than twice as high as the percentages among those who say their physical health is excellent, very good or good 45% of women who say their mental health is fair or poor, and 23% of men who say the same — three times as high as the percentages among those who say their mental health is excellent, very good or good 17% of men who self-report they are overweight, compared with 1% of men who indicate they’re around the right weight 34% of women who self-report they are overweight, compared with 4% who indicate they’re around the right weight 51% of women who say they often feel isolated from others, and 26% of men who say the same — compared with 8% of women and 4% of men who say they rarely feel isolatedThe most commonly reported symptom of an addiction to highly processed foods in older adults was intense cravings. Almost 1 in 4 (24%) said that at least once a week they had such a strong urge to eat a highly processed food that they couldn’t think of anything else. And 19% said that at least 2 to 3 times a week they had tried and failed to cut down on, or stop eating, these kinds of foods.

Twelve percent said that their eating behavior caused them a lot of distress 2 to 3 times a week or more.
“Clinicians need a better understanding of how food addiction and problematic eating intertwines with their patients’ physical and mental health, including chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer,” says poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., an associate professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine and physician and researcher at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. “We need to understand that cravings and behaviors around food are rooted in brain chemistry and heredity, and that some people may need additional help just as they would to quit smoking or drinking.”
The poll report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for IHPI and administered online and via phone in July 2022 among 2,163 adults aged 50 to 80. The sample was subsequently weighted to reflect the U.S. population. Read past National Poll on Healthy Aging reports and about the poll methodology.
Further information: https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/reports-more/report/addiction-highly-processed-food-among-older-adults

Having levels of potassium that are too high or too low can be fatal. A new mathematical model sheds light on the often mysterious ways the body regulates this important electrolyte.
Potassium, a common mineral abundant in food like bananas and leafy greens, is essential to normal cellular function. It helps the cardiac muscle work correctly and aids in the transmission of electrical signals within cells.
Using existing biological data, researchers at the University of Waterloo built a mathematical model that simulates how an average person’s body regulates potassium, both in times of potassium depletion and during potassium intake. Because so many foods contain abundant potassium, our bodies constantly store, deploy, and dispose of potassium to maintain healthy levels — a process known as maintaining potassium homeostasis. Understanding potassium homeostasis is essential in helping diagnose the source of the problem when something goes wrong — for example, when kidney disease or medication leads to dysregulation.
“Too much potassium in the body, or hyperkalemia, can be just as dangerous as hypokalemia, or too little,” said Melissa M. Stadt, a PhD student in applied mathematics and the lead author of the study. “Dysregulation of potassium can lead to dangerous and potentially fatal consequences.”
The model could be used for a virtual patient trial, allowing researchers to generate dozens of patients and then predict which ones would have hyper- or hypokalemia based on different controls.
“A lot of our models are pieces of a bigger picture,” said Anita Layton, professor of applied mathematics and Canada 150 Research Chair in mathematical biology and medicine. “This model is one new and exciting piece in helping us understand how our incredibly complex internal systems work.”
The model is especially exciting because it allows scientists to test something called the muscle-kidney cross-talk signal hypothesis. Scientists have hypothesized that skeletal muscles, which are responsible for most of the potassium storage in the body, can directly signal to the kidneys that it’s time to excrete excess when too much potassium is stored, and vice versa. When the math researchers tested the hypothesis in their model, it more accurately reflected existing biological data regarding potassium homeostasis, suggesting that muscle-kidney cross talk might be an essential piece in the puzzle of potassium regulation.
The study was published in PLOS Computational Biology.

Can something as simple as a cup of coffee with milk have an anti-inflammatory effect in humans? Apparently so, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen. A combination of proteins and antioxidants doubles the anti-inflammatory properties in immune cells. The researchers hope to be able to study the health effects on humans.
Whenever bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances enter the body, our immune systems react by deploying white blood cells and chemical substances to protect us. This reaction, commonly known as inflammation, also occurs whenever we overload tendons and muscles and is characteristic of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
Antioxidants known as polyphenols are found in humans, plants, fruits and vegetables. This group of antioxidants is also used by the food industry to slow the oxidation and deterioration of food quality and thereby avoid off flavors and rancidity. Polyphenols are also known to be healthy for humans, as they help reduce oxidative stress in the body that gives rise to inflammation.
But much remains unknown about polyphenols. Relatively few studies have investigated what happens when polyphenols react with other molecules, such as proteins mixed into foods that we then consume.
In a new study, researchers at the Department of Food Science, in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, at University of Copenhagen investigated how polyphenols behave when combined with amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The results have been promising.
“In the study, we show that as a polyphenol reacts with an amino acid, its inhibitory effect on inflammation in immune cells is enhanced. As such, it is clearly imaginable that this cocktail could also have a beneficial effect on inflammation in humans. We will now investigate further, initially in animals. After that, we hope to receive research funding which will allow us to study the effect in humans,” says Professor Marianne Nissen Lund from the Department of Food Science, who headed the study.

The study has just been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Twice as good at fighting inflammation
To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of combining polyphenols with proteins, the researchers applied artificial inflammation to immune cells. Some of the cells received various doses of polyphenols that had reacted with an amino acid, while others only received polyphenols in the same doses. A control group received nothing.
The researchers observed that immune cells treated with the combination of polyphenols and amino acids were twice as effective at fighting inflammation as the cells to which only polyphenols were added.
“It is interesting to have now observed the anti-inflammatory effect in cell experiments. And obviously, this has only made us more interested in understanding these health effects in greater detail. So, the next step will be to study the effects in animals,” says Associate Professor Andrew Williams of the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, who is also senior author of the study.

Found in coffee with milk Previous studies by the researchers demonstrated that polyphenols bind to proteins in meat products, milk and beer. In another new study they tested whether the molecules also bind to each other in a coffee drink with milk. Indeed, coffee beans are filled with polyphenols, while milk is rich in proteins.
“Our result demonstrates that the reaction between polyphenols and proteins also happens in some of the coffee drinks with milk that we studied. In fact, the reaction happens so quickly that it has been difficult to avoid in any of the foods that we’ve studied so far,” says Marianne Nissen Lund.
Therefore, the researcher does not find it difficult to imagine that the reaction and potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effect also occur when other foods consisting of proteins and fruits or vegetables are combined.
“I can imagine that something similar happens in, for example, a meat dish with vegetables or a smoothie, if you make sure to add some protein like milk or yogurt,” says Marianne Nissen Lund.
Industry and the research community have both taken note of the major advantages of polyphenols. As such, they are working on how to add the right quantities of polyphenols in foods to achieve the best quality. The new research results are promising in this context as well:
“Because humans do not absorb that much polyphenol, many researchers are studying how to encapsulate polyphenols in protein structures which improve their absorption in the body. This strategy has the added advantage of enhancing the anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols,” explains Marianne Nissen Lund.
The research is funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark and conducted in collaboration with the Technical University of Dresden in Germany.
Polyphenol Facts Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring antioxidants important for humans. They prevent and delay the oxidation of healthy chemical substances and organs in our bodies, thereby protecting them from damage or destruction. Polyphenols are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, tea, coffee, red wine and beer. Due to their antioxidant properties, polyphenols are used in the food industry to minimize the oxidation of fats in particular, as well as the quality deterioration of foods, to avoid off flavours and rancidity.

Despite birth control existing for decades, almost none of the options specifically target sperm cells. Researchers are now developing approaches that target testosterone or otherwise interrupt the sperm’s ability to fertilize an egg, yet these may not work for everyone. But now, researchers publishing in ACS’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry have identified a new candidate molecule that could become an effective non-hormonal contraceptive for many people who produce sperm.
Previously, Gunda I. Georg and colleagues investigated non-hormonal contraceptive options, as approaches targeting testosterone produced unwanted side effects. They developed a drug targeted at a specific vitamin A receptor and found that it worked as a highly effective contraceptive with no side effects. But numerous proteins are involved in forming sperm, and exploring multiple options would help increase the likelihood of one making it to human clinical trials and eventually onto the market.
Another set of proteins involved in the cell cycle are the cyclin-dependent kinases, or CDKs, which play a role in sperm cell production and tumor development. Mice without the CDK2 receptor are sterile, so a drug that targets this protein could serve as an effective contraceptive. It also has potential as a cancer therapeutic because inhibiting the enzyme slowed tumor growth in previous studies. However, CDK2 has a very similar shape to other enzymes in its family, and currently available inhibitors tend to produce undesirable off-target effects by accidentally binding the others as well. So, Georg and her team wanted to develop a drug that could selectively inhibit CDK2 to serve as another contraceptive option.
The team previously discovered an unknown binding site in CDK2 and a commercially available dye molecule that successfully bound to it. Using the dye as a starting point, the researched screened tens of thousands of different compounds in their current work to find ones that also bound the pocket well. They narrowed the list down to just three, picking one to further optimize. The best version, named EF-4-177, demonstrated a long half-life and good diffusion into the testes of mice. After a 28-day exposure, the animals’ sperm counts decreased by about 45%. Additionally, EF-4-117 bound much more strongly to the CDK2 pocket than the dye, making it the highest affinity inhibitor for this site reported to date. The researchers say that this work proves the potential of this inhibitor for future therapeutic applications.
The authors acknowledge funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National institute of Health, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Cancer Institute.

Published2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, EPABy Nicholas YongBBC NewsChinese health officials say the country’s current wave of Covid-19 infections is “coming to an end”.The number of severe Covid cases and deaths is trending downward, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report.It also said there had been “no obvious rebound” during Lunar New Year holidays last week, where millions reunited for family gatherings.There have long been questions raised about China’s Covid reporting.But experts say the decline reported now corresponds with the expected timing of an end to this major wave. The virus tore through Chinese cities and towns after authorities lifted zero-Covid restrictions in December. However fever clinic visit rates have dropped over 90% through January and hospitalisation rates are down over 85%.Fears that the virus could surge again during the festive period have also not yet been realised.In its report, the CDC said: “There has not been an obvious rebound in Covid cases during the Lunar New Year holidays. “In this time, no new variant has been discovered, and the country’s current wave is coming to an end.”China eyes life beyond Covid despite high infectionsChinese families reunite for a bittersweet New YearCovid losses mount in rural China: ‘There are just too many’It also reported a sharp decline in the daily Covid death toll reported by hospitals – from a peak of 4,300 deaths on 4 January to 896 deaths on 23 January.Infectious diseases expert Hsu Li Yang told the BBC: “This drop in deaths follows the decline in the first huge wave of cases after China relaxed its restrictions, which is understandable and has been seen in virtually every country experiencing a large Covid wave.”We will know soon if the Lunar New Year celebrations will trigger another surge in China cases, but it is unlikely to match what was experienced in December and the earlier part of January 2023.”One of China’s leading epidemiologists – and former head of the CDC Zeng Guang -had earlier this month warned that cases would surge in rural areas during the new year. The BBC has also found evidence of a considerable number of Covid-related deaths in China’s rural regions, as the virus spread from big cities to more remote areas with older populations.However the CDC said there had been no immediate spike following the festive period.It’s estimated that 226 million passenger trips were taken during the Lunar New Year festive season from 22-27 January – a 70% increase from last year when pandemic restrictions were still in place across many parts of China. According to CDC data, Covid deaths halved in consecutive weeks in January. A total of 12,658 deaths were recorded between 13-19 January, while 6,364 deaths were recorded the following week.In December, Beijing abruptly ended draconian Covid curbs that had seen millions of its citizens locked down over the past three years. That led to a severe spike in Covid infections and deaths, with some experts estimating a majority of the population contracted Covid in the weeks following.A Peking University study said that as of 11 January, some 900 million people in China had been infected with the coronavirus, amid multiple reports of overcrowded hospitals and crematoria. However, Chinese authorities initially maintained that there had only been seven deaths since the end of zero-Covid on 7 December, after narrowing its definition of what counts as a Covid death.The National Health Commission later reported almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths between 8 December and 12 January, after it began including deaths from underlying conditions as well as respiratory failure caused by Covid. China’s official Covid data is believed to be vastly underreported, and authorities stopped releasing daily caseload reports last month. Beijing has said it has been sharing Covid data in “a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law.”More on this storyCovid losses mount in rural China: ‘There are just too many’5 days agoChinese families reunite for a bittersweet New Year22 JanuaryNearly everyone in China province got Covid – official9 JanuaryYoung Chinese self-infect amid Covid fears for elderly6 January