Cycling linked to lower dementia risk, better brain health; this light-based tool tracks bone healing without X-rays; new bioengineered skin doubles burn recovery – Morning Medical Update

Cycling linked to lower dementia risk, better brain health

A UK Biobank study tracking nearly 480,000 adults over the course of 13 years has found that cycling and mixed cycling travel modes are associated with significantly lower risks of dementia — including Alzheimer’s, young-onset and late-onset dementia — compared to nonactive travel.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, also linked cycling to greater hippocampal volume, a key brain region for memory. Researchers found the protective effect was stronger in people without a genetic predisposition to dementia.

This light-based tool tracks bone healing without X-rays

Researchers at Saarland University have developed a non-invasive technique that uses near-infrared light to monitor bone fracture healing through the skin — without X-ray radiation. By tracking blood flow and oxygen levels at the fracture site, the method provides early indicators of healing progress or complications. The approach was tested in 55 tibia fracture patients and could offer a safer, more accessible alternative in low-resource or remote settings. The findings were published in the journals Biosensors and Bioelectronics and Journals of Functional Biomaterials.

New bioengineered skin doubles burn recovery

Scientists at Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center have developed a new bioengineered skin graft — made from a patient’s own cells — that heals severe burns in half the time of current treatments. The breakthrough avoids animal products and doesn’t shrink like existing lab-grown skin. In animal studies, wounds closed in just four days, and early signs of hair follicle growth emerged.