Science & Tech

Scientists censused these cells to better understand the components of the human immune system. The researchers used measurements from past studies to estimate how many immune cells there were in different tissue types in the body. In their study, published in PNAS, they combined tissue samples from children, all 10 years old, as well as from several men and women of similar ages, with laboratory analyses. In their study, they combined tissue samples collected from children, all 10 years old, as well as from several men and women of similar ages, with laboratory analyses. None of the participants had any known health problems.

The team found that a 73-kilogram male between the ages of 20 and 30 had approximately 1.8 trillion immune cells, with a total weight of around 1.2 kg. They found that a 60 kg woman of the same age has 1.5 trillion immune cells per kg of body weight. The weight of the cells in a 10-year-old child with approximately 1 million immune cells was determined to be 0.6 kg. They found that in both sexes—regardless of whether the individual was a child or an adult—lymphocytes and another type of white blood cell, neutrophils, accounted for 40 percent of all immune cells and 15 percent of the entire mass of the immune system. Although they are commonly called white blood cells, most of these cells are found primarily in the bone marrow and lymphatic system, with only a small number circulating in the blood at any given time, Milo notes. Macrophages, which engulf pathogens, constitute 10% of the immune system cells and almost half of the total cell mass.

Researchers hope that by mapping the immune system, we can better understand how our bodies deal with infections and various health problems, making it easier to create quantitative infection models and advance effective clinical treatments.

MOTION SENSOR FABRICS APPLIED IN THE FORM OF SPREY

A newly developed elastic and conductive polymer can transform any piece of clothing onto which it is applied into a sensor that allows body movements to be monitored. Chi Hwan Lee and his team at Purdue University have designed a method that allows the conductive polymer they developed to be spray-applied to various fabrics. The researchers' spraying device has two chambers, each filled with a different substance. These substances mix and chemically react during spraying to form a polymer. The solid, elastic and electrically conductive polymer formed in this reaction then adheres to the fabric surface and forms the most important part of the sensor, which is aimed at detecting tension. Researchers can apply the polymer to fabric in any pattern they want with sub-millimeter precision.

When the fabric is stretched, the polymer motif, for example in the form of a wave or spiral, also stretches with the fabric, which creates a difference in the electrical resistance of the polymer. So, researchers can create a pattern with polymer, for example, on a glove or knee pad, then run a small electric current through the polymer and track changes in electrical resistance to track joint movements. The researchers showed that the method they developed can be applied to common fabrics such as cotton, wool and Lycra. When they applied a commercially available waterproof fabric coater over the polymer, they found that the polymer-treated fabric maintained its sensor function even after 30 washes.

It is thought that the new method could be used for purposes such as monitoring the treatment or the recovery process after treatment in physical therapy and other medical applications. The research team now aims to use different versions of the polymer's constituent substances to develop sensors that can detect not only stress but also pressure, temperature and chemicals in sweat.

 ***

DNA Disk:

The process that started with vinyl records in data storage; floppy disk, CD, hard disk, flash disk, cloud storage, and now it has come to storing data in DNA. A French startup called Biomemory has developed a practical system that allows digital data to be stored in DNA sequences. In this system, data primarily kept digitally (0 and 1) is converted into DNA code (A, C, G and T's). A DNA chain is then created using a special sequence. The chain is synthesized in solution and dried to increase its shelf life, then sealed in a chip inside a silver card. When users want to access the data, the cards are rehydrated and converted to digital form by being read by a DNA sequencing machine.

The downside of the system is that only 1 kilobyte of data can be held on a card, and this costs $1,000. The positive side is that data can be preserved for 150 years. Considering that hard drives have an average lifespan of 5-10 years, this is quite an impressive period. In addition, DNA's total data storage capacity is very high. 1 gram of DNA can store 215 petabytes, or 36 million films. In other words, 81 kg of DNA would be enough to store all the data in the world.

Companies such as Microsoft and Twist Bioscience are also working on similar solutions. Although current products are not very practical and economical, it seems that biological disks may become a part of our lives in the future.

 ***

Electronic Pill:

Smart watches and rings provide information that will allow us to closely monitor our health. However, since the areas these devices can reach in our bodies are limited, they have not yet been able to demonstrate their full potential. For a long time, studies have been conducted on the development of electronic devices that can be swallowed. An electronic pill developed by Celero Systems contains a large number of sensors, a wireless connection device, a battery and a mini computer. When you swallow the electronic pill, which looks like a vitamin pill, it transfers all the data it obtains during its journey through the digestive system to the central application via a wireless network. In this way, we can access a lot of information about our body that is normally very difficult to obtain. The electronic pill, which does not cause any harm to the body and is eliminated from the body within a few days, stands out from its counterparts on the market, especially because it can distinguish sounds that we are not aware of, such as the body's heartbeat, blood flow and breathing. The product, which has shown very successful results in clinical studies, can call the authorities in emergency situations. Researchers who developed the product aim to go beyond measurement in the future and, in some cases, enable life-saving interventions.