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Scientists publish a how-to guide for creating mouse-human chimeric embryos

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
A year after University at Buffalo scientists demonstrated that it was possible to produce millions of mature human cells in a mouse embryo, they have published a detailed description of the method so that other laboratories can do it, too.
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Big data are no substitute for personal input in surveys

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
When the analysis of digital data reaches its limits, methods that focus on observations made by individuals can be useful. In contexts such as the coronavirus pandemic, a method called human social sensing can elicit information that is difficult to obtain from digital trace data. Prof. Frauke Kreuter at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich is now using this method with the global "Covid Trends & Impact Survey" to predict the course of the pandemic.
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Air pollution during pregnancy may affect growth of newborn babies

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy has often been linked to adverse effects on the health of the newborn. However, there are very few studies on the subject. A study conducted at the UPV/EHU has just concluded in a paper published in the journal Environmental Research that the stages most sensitive to air pollution are the early and late months of pregnancy.
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Changing consumption of certain fatty acids can lessen severity of headaches

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Migraine is one of the largest causes of disability in the world. Existing treatments are often not enough to offer full relief for patients. A new study published in The BMJ demonstrates an additional option patients can use in their effort to experience fewer migraines and headaches - a change in diet.
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Energy production at Mutriku remains constant even if the wave force increases

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
The EOLO research group of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country has confirmed the increase in the power flow of the waves in the Bay of Biscay from 1900 onwards. It has identified ten types of sea state and has used a statistical model to link them to the output of the Mutriku wave farm. So it has been possible to calculate the amount of electrical power that could have been produced during the 1979-2019 period if these facilities had been operational.
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Researchers reduce severity of sleep apnoea by at least 30 per cent

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
New research published in The Journal of Physiology shows that researchers have successfully repurposed two existing medications to reduce the severity of sleep apnoea in people by at least 30 per cent.
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Three-in-one approach boosts the silencing power of CRISPR

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
The CRISPR-Cas9-based gene editing system has dramatically advanced the field of bioengineering. However, while fusing transcription activator or repressor to dCas9 protein allows targeted alteration of gene expression, the effect is short-term. Now, in a new study, scientists from the USA have developed a dCas9-based epigenetic editing tool that performs robust and long-term silencing of target genes.
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The missing ocean plastic sink: Gone with the rivers

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Plastics are a growing problem for natural ecosystems around the globe, and in particular for marine and freshwater environments. Rivers are the leading source of plastic pollution, as it has been estimated that they deliver several million metric tons of plastic annually to oceans from poor land-based waste management. The estimates made for plastics flowing from the rivers are tens to hundreds of times higher than the quantity of plastics floating on the ocean's surface.
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At what temperature the weather becomes a problem

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
When extreme heat becomes more frequent and temperatures remain high for extended periods of time, as it is currently in Canada and in the American Northwest, physiological stress increases in humans, animals and crops. Prof. Senthold Asseng, director of the World Agricultural Systems Center at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), provides an overview of thresholds and adaptation strategies.
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How ethane-consuming archaea pick up their favorite dish

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Hot vents in the deep sea are home to microbes that feed on ethane. They were discovered recently from scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology. Now the researchers from Bremen succeeded in finding an important component in the microbial conversion of the gas. They were able to decode the structure of the enzyme responsible for the ethane fixation. The results have now been published in the renowned journal Science.
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Medical journal articles written by women are cited less than those written by men

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Articles published by women in high-impact medical journals also have fewer citations than those written by men, especially when women are primary and senior authors, according to new research.
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Identifying hospitals with a high proportion of patients with social risk factors

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
What The Study Did: This study investigates whether different risk factors identify the same hospitals caring for a high proportion of disadvantaged patients using seven definitions of social risk.
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Surprise bills for childbirth

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
What The Study Did: Researchers estimated the frequency and magnitude of surprise bills for deliveries and newborn hospitalizations, which are the leading reasons for hospitalization in the United States, to illustrate the  potential benefits of federal legislation that will protect families from most surprise bills.
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Women's use of preventive health services during COVID-19

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
What The Study Did: Changes in the use of women's preventive health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, including screening for sexually transmitted infections, breast and cervical cancer, and obtaining contraceptives from pharmacies are described by researchers in this study.
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Evaluation of health equity in COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans in US

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Researchers in this study aimed to determine how each state and the District of Columbia planned to ensure equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
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Potential drug target for difficult-to-treat breast cancer: RNA-binding proteins

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
UC San Diego studies using human cell lines and tumors grown in mice provide early evidence that inhibiting RNA-binding proteins, a previously overlooked family of molecules, might provide a new approach for treating some cancers.
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Methylglyoxal detoxification deficits causes schizophrenia-like behavioral abnormalities

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
We generated a mouse model for a subgroup of schizophrenia patients by feeding Glo1 knockout mice VB6-deficent diets (KO/VB6(-)). We found that the KO/VB6(-) mice accumulated methylglyoxal (MG) in the brain and showed schizophrenia-like behavioral impairments. Furthermore, we found aberrant gene expression related to mitochondria function in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the KO/VB6(-) mice. Finally, we demonstrated abnormal mitochondrial respiratory function and enhanced oxidative stress in the PFC of KO/VB6(-) mice.
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Novel strategy for natural product biosynthesis

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Researchers discover enzyme prototype for formation of ecologically and pharmaceutically important tropone compounds.
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Observation, simulation, and AI join forces to reveal a clear universe

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Japanese astronomers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technique to remove noise in astronomical data due to random variations in galaxy shapes. After extensive training and testing on large mock data created by supercomputer simulations, they then applied this new tool to actual data from Japan's Subaru Telescope and found that the mass distribution derived from using this method is consistent with the currently accepted models of the Universe.
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Uncovering the genetic mechanism behind Rett syndrome

Eurekalert - Jul 02 2021 - 00:07
Kyushu University researchers found that the main gene that causes Rett syndrome, MeCP2, controls the differentiation pattern of neural stem cells through the microRNA miR-199a. Dysfunction in MeCP2 or miR-199a cause neural stem cells to produce more astrocytes than neurons. Furthermore, the researchers found that miR-199a mediates the production of Smad1, a downstream transcription factor of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling.
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