MyBlueDots

Study: In interorganizational health care collaborations, stability of representation is key

Interorganizational collaborations are increasingly used to tackle some of society’s most complex challenges. In health care, this takes many forms, such as strategic alliances, interorganizational networks, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships. The effectiveness of these collaborations hinges on participants pooling expertise toward the joint goal, but also on whether participants leverage each other’s expertise for their own organizations’ independent goals. The spillover of progress on those independent goals can sustain participation in the collaboration itself.
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How early brain structure primes itself to learn efficiently

Vision happens when patterns of light entering the eye are converted into reliable patterns of brain activity. This reliability allows the brain to recognize the same object each time it is seen. Our brains, however, are not born with this ability; instead, we develop it through visual experience. Collaborating scientists at MPFI and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies have recently discovered key circuit changes that lead to the maturation of reliable brain activity patterns.
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How small cell lung cancer hijacks neuronal synapses

An international research team has shown that lung cancer cells can form functional synapses with neurons, effectively hijacking the body’s neural circuits to grow faster. The finding reveals a startling new dimension of cancer biology and opens promising new avenues for therapies against this disease. The study titled “Functional synapses between neurons and small-cell lung cancer” is published in Nature.
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Microplastic exposure linked to Alzheimer’s disease in mice with APOE4 gene

Micro- and nanoplastics prevalent in the environment routinely enter the human body through the water we drink, foods we eat, and even the air we breathe. Those plastic particles infiltrate all systems of the body, including the brain, where they can accumulate and trigger Alzheimer’s-like conditions, according to a new study by researchers in the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy.
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Chronic alcohol use halts liver cell regeneration, new study finds

Excessive alcohol consumption can disrupt the liver’s unique regenerative abilities by trapping cells in limbo between their functional and regenerative states, even after a patient stops drinking, researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at Duke University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago describe in a new study.
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A ‘universal’ therapy against the seasonal flu? Antibody cocktail targets virus weak spot

An unusual therapy developed at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) could change the way the world fights influenza, one of the deadliest infectious diseases. In a new study in Science Advances, researchers report that a cocktail of antibodies protected mice—including those with weakened immune systems—from nearly every strain of influenza tested, including avian and swine variants that pose pandemic threats.
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