Our biceps and our brain cells may have more in common than previously thought. New research led by the Lippincott-Schwartz Lab shows that a network of subcellular structures similar to those responsible for propagating molecular signals that make muscles contract are also responsible for transmitting signals in the brain that may facilitate learning and memory. “Einstein said that when he uses his brain, it is like he is using a muscle, and in that respect, there is some parallel here,” says Janelia Senior Group Leader Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz. “The same machinery is operating in both cases ...

Washington, D.C. – A new study, “Identifying Allosteric Hotspots in Mycobacterium tuberculosis cAMP Receptor Protein” published in Biochemistry, provides key insights into how bacterial cAMP receptor proteins (CRPs) respond differently to the ubiquitous signaling molecule, cyclic AMP (cAMP). By comparing the allosteric regulation of Escherichia coli CRP (CRPEcoli) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis CRP (CRPMTB), researchers challenge the assumption that structural similarity predicts functional behavior in allosteric proteins.   This ...

A type of aggressive, treatment-resistant brain tumor has a distinct population of immune cells that support its growth, according to new research led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Searching for subtypes of immune cells seen only in the most serious, grade 4 brain tumors, called glioblastomas, and using a recently developed technology called spatial genomics, ...

"The Epidemic of Loneliness: A Nine-Year Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Passive and Active Social Media Use on Loneliness" investigated how social media use impacts loneliness over time.  This eye-opening research suggests that the very platforms designed to bring us together contribute to an "epidemic of loneliness." The findings showed that both passive (PSMU) and active (ASMU) social media use were associated with increased feelings of loneliness over time. While passive social media use—like browsing without ...

Researchers at the University of Liège (Belgium) have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that regulates the immune response against parasites. During a parasitic infection, specific immune cells, known as virtual memory T cells (TVM), become activated and express a surface molecule called CD22, which prevents an excessive immune reaction. This discovery could help in better-controlling inflammation and improving immune responses to infections. Nearly a quarter of the world's population ...

Dinoflagellates play crucial roles in aquatic ecosystems, particularly as major contributors to harmful algal blooms. They can enter a dormant stage, known as the resting cyst stage, that allows them to survive for extended periods—up to 150 years—in marine sediments. This dormancy is essential for their annual population dynamics, blooming cycles, and geographic expansion. Despite the ecological importance of resting cysts, the molecular mechanisms governing their dormancy, viability maintenance, and germination in natural sediments remain largely unexplored. To better understand this process, researchers from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences ...

One of the eight key aims of the EU Mission Soil is to enhance soil literacy in society. As part of this effort, the PREPSOIL project is working to inspire teachers across Europe to integrate soil topics into their teaching. By identifying and promoting innovative examples of soil education, PREPSOIL aims to empower educators to engage students in exploring the vital role of soil in natural, urban, and agricultural environments. In 2023 and 2024, teachers were invited to submit their best practices in soil education targeting primary, secondary, and vocational students. The initiative received over 50 submissions, showcasing a variety of creative and interdisciplinary ...

East Hanover, NJ – February 7, 2024 – The latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report revealed a record-breaking Labor Force Participation Rate for people with disabilities, marking an all-time high. These gains build upon a steady upward trend, which exceeded those seen among people without disabilities. nTIDE is issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing December 2024 to January 2025) Based on data from the ...

Most of the information we have about planets beyond our solar system (exoplanets) comes from looking at dips in starlight as these planets pass in front of their host star. This technique can give clues about the planet’s size (by looking at how much starlight is blocked) and what its atmosphere is made of (by looking at how the planet changes the pattern of starlight that passes through it). But a new study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, concluded that fluctuations in ...

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science is pleased to announce that the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is now accepting applications for the 2025 solicitation 1 cycle. Applications are due on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. ET.   SCGSR application assistance workshops will be held on March 6, 2025, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. ET and April 10, 2025, 2:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. ET. The first workshop ...

While the restoration of natural areas is high on political agendas, a comprehensive new study from the University of Copenhagen shows that – after more than two decades – biodiversity growth has stalled in restored Danish wetlands. The results also suggest that time alone will not heal things because the areas are too small and dry, and nitrogen inputs from agriculture continue. According to the researchers, we need to learn from the past. The benefits are clear: natural areas with high biodiversity absorb ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Embedded counseling services are becoming increasingly common in veterinary medical programs, but their effectiveness has not historically been measured. A new study by University of Missouri researchers revealed that these programs may not only enhance access to mental health care but also lead to significant reductions in psychological distress among veterinary trainees. “It’s the first study, as far as we know, to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health counseling for veterinary trainees,” said Kerry Karaffa, PhD, a licensed psychologist at the ...

Collagen, the body’s most abundant protein, has long been viewed as a predictable structural component of tissues. However, a new study led by Rice University’s Jeffrey Hartgerink and Tracy Yu, in collaboration with Mark Kreutzberger and Edward Egelman at the University of Virginia (UVA), challenges that notion, revealing an unexpected confirmation in collagen structure that could reshape biomedical research.   The researchers used advanced cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine the atomic structure of a packed collagen assembly that deviates from the traditionally accepted right-handed superhelical twist. ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, over the time period including the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care practices reported a decline in access to care, while average practice capabilities improved. Integrated practice ownership and accountable care organization participation were both associated with better access and capability scores, suggesting that value-based payment and integrated care delivery support the development of higher-quality primary care. Variations across practices point to large opportunities for improvement overall and underscore the importance of incentives and structures as levers to improve primary care delivery. Corresponding Author: To contact the ...

About The Study: In this study of older individuals, decline in body mass index, waist circumference, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) occurred up to a decade before dementia diagnosis. These findings provide insights into cardiometabolic changes preceding dementia and the potential for early monitoring and intervention. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Zimu Wu, PhD, email zimu.wu1@monash.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.58591) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

Background and objectives Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory arthritis characterized by chronic joint inflammation, cartilage degradation, and bone erosion. ELK3 is a transcriptional repressor that can affect cell proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and other cellular processes. The study aimed to clarify the effect of ELK3 in the biological activity and ferroptosis phenotype of RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), and to reveal its molecular mechanism in regulating ferroptosis in RA FLS. Methods We investigated the impact of ELK3 on the biological activity and ferroptosis phenotype of RA FLS using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, ...

Professor Woo Young Jang (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Korea University Anam Hospital) recently won the best paper award at the 2024 fall academic conference of the Korean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society held in November 22th, 2024. This award recognizes the outstanding results and academic value of the research led by Professor Jang.   Professor Woo Young Jang, in collaboration with Professor Jun Seok Lee from the Department of Pharmacology and Dr. Jang Sun Hwang from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Korea University College of Medicine, conducted the research ‘Disaggregation-Activated ...

Los Angeles, CA –  February 7, 2025 - The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Engineering (TIBI) is pleased to announce their selection of Dr. Liangfang Zhang - Irwin Jacobs Chancellor’s Endowed Chair Professor at the University of California San Diego, and Dr. Aydogan Ozcan – Chancellor’s Professor, UCLA & Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), as the recipients of the inaugural  Keith Terasaki Mid-Career Innovation Award. These awards will be presented at the 3rd Annual Terasaki Innovation Summit, to be held March ...

Background and Aims End-stage liver disease is associated with disruptions in gut microbiota composition and function, which may facilitate gut-to-liver bacterial translocation, impacting liver graft integrity and clinical outcomes following liver transplantation. This study aimed to assess the impact of two liver graft preservation methods on fecal microbiota and changes in fecal and breath organic acids following liver transplantation. Methods This single-center, non-randomized prospective pilot study enrolled liver transplant patients whose grafts were preserved using either static cold storage or ex situ normothermic machine perfusion (NMP). Fresh stool ...

DALLAS, Feb. 7, 2025 — The American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update  reports that while progress has been made in reducing cardiovascular and cerebral health disparities, Black communities in the United States still  face disproportionately higher risk of heart disease, stroke and hypertension. These gaps subsequently contribute to equally disproportionate high death rates, underscoring the urgent need for lifesaving intervention. As part of its nationwide Heart Month and Black History Month activations, the ...

Living in a disadvantaged community may decrease the length of time a person can survive with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, by over 30%, a Michigan Medicine-led study suggests. ALS is a progressive, incurable condition that causes muscle wasting and loss of muscle control. While most people survive with ALS around two to four years, some people can live significantly longer. In the study of more than 1,000 patients with ALS seen between 2012 and mid-2024, people from the most disadvantaged neighborhoods had up to a 37% ...

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from Nagoya University in Japan and the Slovak Academy of Sciences have unveiled new insights into the interplay between quantum theory and thermodynamics. The team demonstrated that while quantum theory does not inherently forbid violations of the second law of thermodynamics, quantum processes may be implemented without actually breaching the law. This discovery, published in npj Quantum Information, highlights a harmonious coexistence between the two fields, ...

Plants droop and shed their leaves when parched, but with a splash of water, their stems regain strength and their leaves unfurl. This dramatic transformation is a clear signal for us to reach for the watering can – and it demonstrates a delicate balance at the cellular level, which lies at the heart of plant’s rigidity.   The structural support of a plant depends on the unique balance between two elements: The strong, flexible cell wall provides structural support, while the vacuole, a large cellular compartment filled with water, acts like a water balloon, pressing against the cell wall. The delicate pressure balance between the inside and the ...

CHAPEL Hill, N.C.—People with metastatic cancer who regularly report their symptoms via a home-based electronic monitoring system experienced improved quality of life, clinical outcomes and well-being, as well as fewer emergency department visits than those who didn’t file reports. Both groups had similar overall survival rates, according to University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and their colleagues. The results from the national multicenter study appeared in Nature Medicine on Feb. 7. “Doctors and nurses are often ...

New CABI-led research using publicly-shared DNA barcodes and citizen science images have provided new evidence on the establishment and spread of a biological control agent used for the control of the major invasive shrub Lantana camara. Lantana camara was introduced as a garden and ornamental plant throughout the tropics and subtropics but is now pervasive throughout the Old World, invading woodlands, forestry, orchards, grasslands, and disturbed areas, where is displaces useful and indigenous plants. Dr Matthew Cock, CABI Emeritus Fellow, and colleagues took DNA barcodes from the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) and citizen ...