Researchers have decoded the chromosome-level genome of Houttuynia cordata, an important East Asian medicinal plant known for its strong flavor and wide pharmacological use. This species was found to be decaploid, containing ten sets of chromosomes, and has undergone multiple genome duplications during evolution. The team identified significantly expanded gene families involved in the biosynthesis of medicinal alkaloids, including STR, DDC, 6OMT, and 4OMT. High expression of these genes in root and rhizome tissues supports their vital role in alkaloid accumulation. This study not only unveils ...

LA JOLLA, CA—In living organisms today, complex molecules like RNA and DNA are constructed with the help of enzymes. So how did these molecules form before life (and enzymes) existed? Why did some molecules end up as the building blocks of life and not others? A new study by Scripps Research scientists helps answer these longstanding questions. The results, published in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie on June 27, 2025, show how ribose may have become the sugar of choice for RNA development. They found that ribose binds to phosphate—another molecular ...

Patients prescribed drugs to help them lose weight may experience a rebound in weight gain after halting their prescription, finds a meta-analysis published in BMC Medicine. The study, which analyses data for patients receiving weight loss drugs across 11 randomised trials, suggests that while the amount of weight regain varies depending on the specific drug, there is a broad trend in associated weight regain after the course of medication concluded. Six anti-obesity medications (AOMs) have been approved by the US FDA for use in assisting with weight loss, including orlistat, ...

New York, NY (July 21, 2025) — Exposure to a class of synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—often called “forever chemicals”—may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study led by Mount Sinai researchers. The findings were published today in eBioMedicine. The team conducted a nested case-control study (an observational study that is conducted within a larger cohort study) within BioMe, a large, electronic health record-linked research database comprising ...

Poisonings and deaths linked to the use of the local anaesthetic lidocaine have nearly tripled in the US over the past decade, finds an analysis of National Poison Data System (NPDS) reports, published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine  This increase contrasts with the overall fall in reported poisonings and deaths from other types of local anaesthetics over the same period, the analysis shows. Local anaesthetics are widely used for pain control, but carry an inherent risk of systemic toxicity, referred to as LAST, prompting multiple professional societies to issue ...

A new study from McMaster University researchers has found that many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who believe they are sensitive to gluten or wheat may not actually react to these ingredients. IBS is an intestinal disorder that affects an estimated 10 per cent of Canadians – one of the highest prevalence rates globally, according to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation. It can be disruptive and debilitating, and its underlying cause is unclear. The study, published in The Lancet Gastroenetrology ...

A new subtype of diabetes has been identified in children and young people in sub-Saharan Africa and could mean many patients are not on the best treatment for them.   The new finding, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology and funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), challenges the global understanding of diabetes in young people. It raises concerns that many patients across the continent, and possibly beyond, may need their diagnosis updated to access the best treatment. The discovery was made through the largest study of its kind in the region. Researchers found that nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of young ...

An international team of researchers has made a key discovery: many children and young adults in Sub-Saharan Africa diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may have a different form of the disease - one not caused by the immune system, unlike classic T1D. This discovery could change how diabetes is diagnosed, treated and managed across the region, paving the way for more accurate care and better outcomes. The research was published today in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. “This is the first study across several Sub-Saharan African countries to use the same lab tests and genetic tools to learn more about type 1 diabetes. We've done similar research in the U.S. with different groups, ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Rare earth elements sustain the Information Age, and securing a supply of these metals has become a matter of national and economic security. They’re ubiquitous in our smart technologies, high performance materials and industrial catalysts. Yet reclaiming them is complex, dangerous and expensive. That’s why UC Santa Barbara’s Justin Wilson has partnered with the mineral recovery company REEGen. “We’ve developed a new approach to extract rare earth elements from end-of-life products like electronic waste from phones, batteries and discarded catalytic converters,” said Wilson, a professor in UCSB’s Department ...

Lunar dust is more than a mild irritant or hallmark of an untidy room like dust found on Earth. Lunar dust particles are sharp and abrasive due to the lack of atmosphere gradually dulling their surfaces, leading them to potentially damaging critical lunar equipment or causing respiratory issues for astronauts. Managing lunar dust (also known as regolith) and safeguarding astronauts or sensitive equipment on the moon isn’t as simple as sweeping it up with a broom and pan. That’s why a team of NASA-funded UCF researchers is pioneering a new nanocoating to passively mitigate the effects of lunar dust, ...

Imagine the concrete in our homes and bridges not only withstanding the ravages of time and natural disasters like the intense heat of wildfires, but actively self-healing or capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Now, researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have developed a revolutionary AI model that can simulate the behavior of billions of atoms simultaneously, opening new possibilities for materials design and discovery at unprecedented scales. The current state of the world’s climate is a dire one. Brutal droughts, evaporating glaciers, ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Akesis, Inc. (Akesis), a leader in cutting-edge radiation oncology technology, has formed a groundbreaking collaboration with University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, a nationally recognized cancer care institution. Through this alliance, UH Seidman Cancer Center becomes the first medical center in the United States to implement the innovative Akesis Galaxy RTi device for patient treatments, while also serving as the flagship site for research and clinical demonstration of this advanced technology. As part of the agreement, UH Seidman Cancer Center will incorporate the Galaxy RTi into the stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) program, aiming to set new benchmarks ...

The number of dams in the United States at risk of overtopping is increasing, threatening their structural integrity and downstream communities, according to new research from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The study, published in Nature Communications, examined data from 33 dams over 50 years to determine how overtopping probability changed since 1973. The research found an increasing trend in the number of dams exhibiting critical overtopping probabilities (low, moderate and high) and ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 21 July 2025    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin         Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.    ----------------------------     1. ...

Around 10 million people globally live with the life-threatening virus HTLV-1. Yet it remains a poorly understood disease that currently has no preventative treatments and no cure. But a landmark study co-led by Australian researchers could change this, after finding existing HIV drugs can suppress transmission of the HTLV-1 virus in mice. The study, published in Cell, could lead to the first treatments to prevent the spread of this virus that is endemic among many First Nations communities around the world, including in Central Australia. The research by WEHI and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity ...

Organic thermoelectric devices (OTEs) convert waste heat into useful electric power, but they are not yet efficient enough for practical use. KAUST researchers have now developed a tool that predicts the best solvent to use when processing the devices’ polymer films, significantly improving their power output[1]. “Waste heat is present everywhere: industrial processes, car engines, air conditioners, and even in your cup of coffee, so it would be useful to recover a portion of this energy into electricity,” says ...

People are diverse, and the environments they live in may influence them differently. This broad diversity increases the need for neuroimaging studies that collect data from large communities. In a new eNeuro paper, Tara Thiagarajan, from Sapiens Labs, and colleagues showcase the feasibility of going to low- and middle-income communities and collecting large-scale, high-quality data.  In their paper, the authors share the methods they used to create two ongoing data acquisition programs in India and Tanzania. These programs provide nonspecialist training, structured teams, and automated data ...

In a new JNeurosci paper, Julie Royo, from the Institute of Cerveau, and colleagues explored the neuroanatomy that underlies social dominance in nonhuman primates.  The researchers focused on brain tracts associated with human emotion, motivation, and memory as they assessed structural brain properties and behavioral measures of social dominance in 15 squirrel monkeys. These behavioral measures were related to hierarchy, aggression, and submission. Royo and colleagues found that one of the brain tracts they focused on—the uncinate fasciculus—highly correlated with their social dominance measures. This correlation was particularly true for the uncinate fasciculus ...

A near-complete genomic framework of wild Oryza species now provides insights into the evolution of the genus and offers new avenues for crop improvement and conservation efforts[1]. The Oryza genus, containing related species of plants in the grass family, provides the world with one of the most important domesticated grain crops: rice. Oryza includes the Asian and African cultivated rice species (O. sativa and O. glaberrima), as well as 26 species of wild rice, which offer a rich, untapped source ...

Wastewater surveillance became a popular choice among public health officials looking to track rapid virus mutations and spread patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. But what if there was a way to detect emerging viruses even faster — or to even sniff out new variants possibly before patients even realize they’re ill? A new UNLV-led study is moving that dream one step closer to reality by pairing wastewater sample surveillance with artificial intelligence. The results appear in the latest issue of the ...

The modulation of the surface structure of platinum-based single-atom alloys is crucial for improving the catalytic performance in propane dehydrogenation. The optimization of the surface structure of PtCu clusters was attained through regenerative treatment, which significantly improved the propylene yield and catalytic stability, thereby offering a viable strategy for the design of alloy catalysts applicable to various high-temperature dehydrogenation reactions.   A research team, directed by Prof. Guangxu Chen at South China University of Technology in Guangdong, China, recently published a study on the utilization of regenerative treatment ...

Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the night sky, and the closest red supergiant to Earth. It has an enormous volume, spanning a radius around 700 times that of the Sun. Despite only being ten million years old, which is considered young by astronomy standards, it’s late in its life. Located in the shoulder of the constellation Orion, people have observed Betelgeuse with the naked eye for millennia, noticing that the star changes in brightness over time. Astronomers established that Betelgeuse has a main period of variability of around 400 days and a more extended secondary period of around six years. In 2019 and 2020, ...

Hollow, pumpkin-shaped molecules can efficiently separate valuable hydrocarbons from crude oil, KAUST researchers have shown[1]. These ‘molecular sieves’, known as cucurbiturils, could enable a more sustainable approach to producing raw materials for the chemicals industry. Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons vital for almost every aspect of life, from fuels to plastics. Cyclohexane, for example, is used in nylon production, but isolating it at sufficient purity typically involves multiple energy-intensive fractional distillation steps. The KAUST team has now developed an alternative separation strategy based on cucurbiturils, named for their ...

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for probing molecular compositions and structures non-invasively. However, traditional NIR spectrometers are often bulky and expensive, limiting their applications in portable or resource-constrained settings. A team of researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) has addressed this challenge by developing a miniaturized NIR computational spectrometer using PbS quantum dots (QDs). Their work, published in Nano Research, demonstrates how finely-tuned QDs can achieve a spectral resolution of 1.5 nm, a significant improvement over previous works. Why is this study important? NIR ...

The efficacy of CAR-T cells in ablating solid tumors is significantly impeded by the densely packed tumor extracellular matrix (ECM). This physical barrier severely restricts CAR-T cell infiltration within the tumor, thereby inhibiting their immunogenicity and antitumor response. While combining CAR-T with hyaluronidase (HAase) to reduce ECM is apparent, the efficacy is limited because of low accumulation and penetration efficiency of HAase inside the tumor tissue.   A team of material scientists led by Xuesi Chen from Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry ...