Microsatellites are valuable tools for studying inheritance, genetic diversity, and population dynamics across a wide range of organisms including bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi. These short, repeating sequence motifs are a common feature of both coding and non-coding DNA and have been observed in all genomes studied to date. Their repetitive nature leads to “slippage” in the DNA replication machinery, resulting in the addition or subtraction of repeats that causes microsatellites to grow or shrink in length. Because of this, there is considerable variability ...

LOS ANGELES  – Today, Michelson Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Human Immunome Project (HIP) opened the application period for the 2024 Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants. The annual prizes award $150,000 research grants to early-career scientists advancing human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research for major global diseases.  The international prize supports high-risk, high-reward research poised to tackle global health crises and address current roadblocks in human vaccine development and our understanding of key immune processes.  “Securing funding for innovative research is a significant hurdle for young scientists, ...

ATLANTA – Chemical Insights Research Institute (CIRI) of UL Research Institutes is examining what it means to support human health in the face of many environmental stressors, including extreme heat, extreme precipitation and wildfires through the upcoming webinar "Protecting Human Health While Adapting to Extreme Climate Conditions."   The webinar takes place on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. ET.   The webinar will begin with a brief overview of resilience for health in the built environment, followed by a discussion among expert panelists ...

Supercapacitors have the superb ability to capture and store energy. Researchers can use different materials and fabrication methods to make them flexible, thin and appropriate for use in wearable or implantable electronics, like smart watches or pacemakers, but those approaches tend to be intricate and costly. Now, however, a team from Jilin University in China has developed a kind of all-in-one adhesive electrode that solves one of the major issues facing advancing flexible 2D supercapacitors - making the ...

Trichoderma spp. are globally distributed and are considered significant fungal resources. They are widely studied and applied due to their economic and ecological importance, offering numerous benefits, such as producing enzymes and antibiotics, aiding in plant growth, and protecting them from pathogens.   This study led by Prof. Chu-Long Zhang (Fungal Resources Utilization and Plant Protection Research Group, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China) presents the discovery of eleven new species of Trichoderma. The team obtained a total of 618 Trichoderma ...

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2024 — Adding milk to an alcoholic drink and then curdling that milk is a 300-year-old preservation technique that was used by none other than Ben Franklin. Join George as he discovers the chemistry that makes this technique so useful, and learn how to make the best espresso martini you’ll ever taste. https://youtu.be/ef0heKtiuvQ?si=W5uDUccoh_bOWtZy Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios. Subscribe to Reactions at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions and follow us on Twitter @ACSReactions. The American ...

About The Study: In this quality improvement study of 35 health care facilities in Orange County, California, using quasi-experimental design, chlorhexidine bathing and nasal decolonization were associated with significantly lower multidrug-resistant organism prevalence and incident clinical cultures. Infection-related hospitalizations, associated costs, and deaths among nursing home residents also decreased.  Authors: Susan S. Huang, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of California Irvine School of Medicine in Irvine, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that smartphones could offer a feasible, reliable, valid, and scalable solution for remote evaluations of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, a neurodegenerative pathology causing early-onset dementia syndromes, and may improve early detection. Smartphone assessments should be considered as a complementary approach to traditional in-person trial designs. Future research should validate these results in diverse populations and evaluate the utility of these tests for longitudinal monitoring.  Authors: Adam ...

UCSF-led research shows smartphone cognitive testing is comparable to gold-standard methods; may detect FTD in gene carriers before symptoms start. A smartphone app could enable greater participation in clinical trials for people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a devastating neurological disorder that often manifests in midlife. Research into the condition has been hampered by problems with early diagnosis and difficulty tracking how people are responding to treatments that are only likely to be effective at the early stages ...

About The Study: In this nationally representative cohort study, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure was significantly associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality. Since the 1970s, PBDEs have been used as flame retardants in a wide array of consumer products, such as building materials, furnishings, and electronics. Further studies are needed to replicate the findings and determine the underlying mechanisms.  Authors: Wei Bao, M.D., Ph.D., and Buyun Liu, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, Anhui, China, ...

About The Study: In this survey study, binge drinking in both men and women was reported at greater frequency among sports wagering individuals compared with nongamblers and non–sports gamblers.   Authors: Joshua B. Grubbs, Ph.D., of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5473) Editor’s Note: Please see the ...

In the field of environmental and climate science, researchers have developed the Comprehensive Mechanistic Light Response (CMLR) gross primary production (GPP) dataset. Derived from the TROPOMI satellite's solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) observations, this global dataset offers unprecedented insights into Earth's GPP, the process through which plants convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into essential resources. Gross Primary Production (GPP), the process through which plants convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into glucose and oxygen, is the Earth's largest carbon flux. Accurate quantification ...

The great gray owl has long been thought of as a sentinel of the Alaska wilderness, keeping watch over snow-laden forests as far north as the Brooks Range, well away from human populations. In a study published last week with Nature Scientific Reports, a team of University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers upends the notion that the iconic bird — known as the phantom of the North — lives far from cities, towns and other markers of human density. “We like to think of our wildlife, especially in Alaska, as existing in pristine wilderness untouched by humans,” said Falk Huettmann, professor ...

For people living with serious mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, standard treatment with antipsychotic medications can be a double-edged sword. While these drugs help regulate brain chemistry, they often cause metabolic side effects such as insulin resistance and obesity, which are distressing enough that many patients stop taking the medications. Now, a pilot study led by Stanford Medicine researchers has found that a ketogenic diet not only restores metabolic health in these patients as they continue their medications, but it further improves their psychiatric conditions. The results, published March 27 in Psychiatry Research, suggest that a dietary intervention ...

Tokyo, Japan – From lithium-ion batteries to next-generation superconductors, the functionality of many modern, advanced technologies depends on the physical property known as intercalation. Unfortunately, it's difficult to identify in advance which of the many possible intercalated materials are stable, which necessitates a lot of trial-and-error lab work in product development. Now, in a study recently published in ACS Physical Chemistry Au, researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, ...

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a gene on the Y chromosome that contributes to the greater incidence of heart failure in men.  Y chromosome loss in men occurs progressively throughout life and can be detected in approximately 40% of 70-year-old men. UVA’s Kenneth Walsh, PhD, discovered in 2022 that this loss can contribute to heart muscle scarring and lead to deadly heart failure. (That finding was the first to directly link Y chromosome loss to a specific harm to men’s health; Y chromosome loss is increasingly thought ...

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society selected Ana Canton, M.D., Ph.D., as the recipient of its 2024 C. Wayne Bardin, MD, International Travel Award for her outstanding ENDO abstract and her research contributions to the care of patients with pediatric endocrine disorders. The C. Wayne Bardin, MD, International Travel Award was created in honor of Past President Wayne Bardin, who made remarkable research contributions to both reproductive physiology and contraception throughout his long career. As the winner, ...

Physicians and scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) will join oncology experts and members of the global cancer research community to present the latest advances in cancer discovery during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting on April 5-10 in San Diego, California. MSK experts will present significant research and will be available to comment on topics including cancer metastasis, immunology, molecular biology and genetics, and early drug development. Vinod Balachandran, MD, will present updates on personalized RNA neoantigen vaccines in pancreatic cancer ...

BALTIMORE, April 1, 2024— Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute are sharing their expertise on autism spectrum disorder in a medical journal reaching thousands of pediatric professionals worldwide. The journal, Pediatric Clinics, provides the latest clinical information on health and related issues for children and adolescents. The newly released volume is titled "Pediatric Management of Autism." This issue features five original articles written by 10 faculty members from the Institute. Each contribution investigates crucial aspects of caring for children with autism, offering actionable insights. Dr. Paul ...

PULLMAN, Wash. – A broader past could mean a brighter future for Canada lynx in the U.S., according to recent research. The study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, indicates that lynx might do well in the future in parts of Utah, central Idaho and the Yellowstone National Park region, even considering climate change and the lack of lynx in those areas now. Using a model validated by historic records, researchers first found that in 1900, Canada lynx had more suitable habitat in the U.S. than the few northern corners of the country where they are found currently. The study showed ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A Mayo Clinic study shows stem cells derived from patients' own fat are safe and may improve sensation and movement after traumatic spinal cord injuries. The findings from the phase 1 clinical trial appear in Nature Communications. The results of this early research offer insights on the potential of cell therapy for people living with spinal cord injuries and paralysis for whom options to improve function are extremely limited. In the study of 10 adults, the research team noted seven participants demonstrated ...

New analysis based on simple equations has reduced uncertainty about how clouds will affect future climate change. Clouds have two main effects on global temperature – cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight, and warming it by acting as insulation for Earth’s radiation.  The impact of clouds is the largest area of uncertainty in global warming predictions. In the new study, researchers from the University of Exeter and the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique in Paris created a model that predicts how ...

A new electrical power converter design achieves a much higher efficiency at lower cost and maintenance than before. The direct current voltage boost converter developed by Kobe University is poised to be a significant contribution to the further development of electric and electronic components across power generation, health care, mobility and information technology. Devices that harvest energy from sunlight or vibrations, or power medical devices or hydrogen-fueled cars have one key component in common. This so-called “boost converter” converts low-voltage direct current input into high-voltage direct current output. Because it is such a ubiquitous ...

Study suggests high blood pressure may originate early in life and that preventing overweight and obesity during the developmental years could help reduce the substantial disease burden associated with high blood pressure in later life. *This is an early press release from the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2024) Venice 12-15 May. Please credit the Congress if using this material* Children and teenagers living with overweight or obesity are more likely to have high blood pressure as adults (aged 50-64 years), suggesting the processes behind the condition could begin as early as childhood, suggests new research being ...

**Note: the release below is a special early release from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, Spain, 27-30 April). Please credit the congress if you use this story** A population-wide observational study to be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) shows an association between tuberculosis (TB) and cancer, with those with current or previous TB more likely ...