The recent publication of a groundbreaking international study has shed new light on the often-overlooked connection between our sleep schedules and the risk of various diseases. The research, led by teams from Peking University and Army Medical University, analyzed objective sleep data from an impressive 88,461 adults in the UK Biobank, revealing significant associations between sleep traits and a staggering 172 diseases.

One of the key findings is that poor sleep regularity – including inconsistent bedtimes and irregular circadian rhythms – is a critical factor in disease risk. The study used actigraphy data to monitor participants’ sleep patterns over an average of 6.8 years, identifying that 92 diseases had more than 20% of their risk attributed to subpar sleep behavior.

Perhaps most concerning are the links between certain sleep habits and specific diseases. For instance, going to bed after 00:30 was found to increase the risk of liver cirrhosis by an alarming 2.57 times, while low interdaily stability (a measure of consistency in daily sleep patterns) raised the risk of gangrene by a staggering 2.61 times.

Interestingly, the study also challenged previous claims that “long sleep” (more than 9 hours) is inherently bad for our health. While subjective reports have suggested links between long sleep and stroke or heart disease, the objective data revealed only one such association – in this case, with an increased risk of certain diseases.

It’s possible that misclassification may be to blame for these previous findings: a shocking 21.67% of participants who reported sleeping more than 9 hours actually slept less than 6 hours, highlighting how often actual sleep time is confused with time spent in bed.

The lead author of the study, Prof. Shengfeng Wang, emphasized that the results underscore the importance of considering sleep regularity beyond just duration. As we strive to maintain good health, it’s essential to prioritize a consistent and predictable sleep schedule – a crucial factor often overlooked until now.

Future research will delve deeper into the causality of these associations and explore the impact of sleep interventions on chronic disease outcomes. By shedding more light on this critical aspect of our overall well-being, we can work towards developing targeted strategies for promoting healthy sleep habits and reducing disease risk.

The researchers at Columbia Engineering have achieved a groundbreaking feat in regenerative medicine. By leveraging milk-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from yogurt, they’ve created an injectable hydrogel that not only mimics human tissue but also actively promotes healing and tissue regeneration without additional chemical additives. This innovative approach marks a significant milestone in addressing longstanding barriers in biomaterial development for regenerative medicine.

Led by Santiago Correa, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, the team designed a hydrogel system where EVs play a dual role: they serve as bioactive cargo, carrying hundreds of biological signals, and also act as essential structural building blocks, crosslinking biocompatible polymers to form an injectable material. This design space allows for the generation of hydrogels that incorporate EVs as both structural and biological elements.

The team’s unconventional approach using yogurt EVs overcame yield constraints that hindered the development of EV-based biomaterials. The resulting hydrogel was found to be biocompatible, drive potent angiogenic activity within one week in immunocompetent mice, and promote tissue repair processes without adverse reactions.

“The project started as a basic question about how to build EV-based hydrogels,” said Correa. “Yogurt EVs gave us a practical tool for that, but they turned out to be more than a model. We found that they have inherent regenerative potential, which opens the door to new, accessible therapeutic materials.”

This study demonstrates the power of cross-disciplinary, global partnerships in advancing biomaterials innovation. The team’s collaboration with researchers from the University of Padova and Kam Leong, a fellow Columbia Engineering faculty member, further strengthened their findings.

As Correa’s team explores the therapeutic potential of this hydrogel, they are also examining how it creates a unique immune environment enriched in anti-inflammatory cell types, which may contribute to observed tissue repair processes. This research opens new possibilities for regenerative medicine and highlights the exciting advancements in biomedical engineering.

The scientific community has been working towards developing safer alternatives to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of chemicals commonly used in non-stick coatings. Researchers at the University of Toronto Engineering have made significant progress in this area by creating a new material that repels both water and grease about as well as standard PFAS-based coatings, but with much lower amounts of these chemicals.

Professor Kevin Golovin and his team have been working on developing alternative materials to replace Teflon, which has been used for decades due to its non-stick properties. However, the chemical inertness that makes Teflon so effective also causes it to persist in the environment and accumulate in biological tissues, leading to health concerns.

The researchers’ solution is a material called polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), often sold as silicone. They have developed a new chemistry technique called nanoscale fletching, which bonds short chains of PDMS to a base material, resembling bristles on a brush. To improve the oil-repelling ability, they added the shortest possible PFAS molecule, consisting of a single carbon with three fluorines on it.

When coated on a piece of fabric and tested with various oils, the new coating achieved a grade of 6, placing it on par with many standard PFAS-based coatings. While this may seem like a small improvement, it’s a crucial step towards creating safer alternatives to Teflon and other PFAS-based materials.

The team is now working on further improving their material, aiming to create a substance that outperforms Teflon without using any PFAS at all. This would be a significant breakthrough in the field, paving the way for the development of even safer non-stick coatings for consumer products.

In conclusion, scientists have made significant progress in developing a safer alternative to Teflon and other PFAS-based materials. The new material has shown promising results, and further research is needed to improve its performance and scalability. As we move forward, it’s essential to prioritize the development of safe and sustainable technologies that minimize harm to both humans and the environment.