Culture
A new study reveals how bacteria control the chemicals produced from consuming 'food.' The insight could lead to organisms that are more efficient at converting plants into biofuels.
The study, authored by scientists at UC Riverside and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
SPOKANE, Wash. - Scientists used human white blood cell membranes to carry two drugs, an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, directly to infected lungs in mice.
The nano-sized drug delivery method developed at Washington State University successfully treated both the bacterial growth and inflammation in the mice's lungs. The study, recently published in Communications Biology, shows a potential new strategy for treating infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Scientists have identified 3 bacteriophages, 47 bacterial species, and 50 fecal metabolites that were significantly more or less abundant in people with major depressive disorder (MDD) compared with healthy controls, according to a study in 311 individuals. The findings provide evidence that MDD may be characterized by gut microbiome disturbances. Jian Yang and colleagues also developed a marker panel based on the bacterial, viral, and metabolic MDD signatures they uncovered, which effectively differentiated between patients with MDD and controls.
Despite the increase in use of e-cigarettes among adolescents, cigarette and smokeless tobacco prevalence declined more rapidly between 2012 and 2019 than in previous periods, according to a new study.
The analysis by the University of Michigan and Georgetown University shows that past 30-day and daily use of both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco fell more rapidly since 2012, even as e-cigarette use began to increase--leading to historical low levels of both cigarette use and smokeless tobacco among teens in the United States.
Almost a decade of civil and military unrest has left Syrian children mentally scarred, angry and traumatised, according to new research.
In the largest such survey yet carried out, researchers questioned more than 1,300 secondary school children in the Syrian capital, Damascus, about the impact that nine years of exposure to the conflict has had.
They found negative impacts in more than half, with high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), problematic anger and other, significant mental health issues.
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 2, 2020 - A mutation in the gene regulating circadian rhythms increases self-administration of cocaine in mice, University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences researchers found in a paper published today in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study reveals a molecular basis for the deep and fundamental connection between the disruption in circadian rhythms and predisposition to substance abuse.
The origin of glass beads dates back to early ancient times. The chemical composition of the beads and their morphological and technical characteristics can reveal where they come from; this information can then be used to reconstruct the trade channels between glass production areas and the sites where the beads were used at different times.
Replacing red meat with high quality plant foods such as beans, nuts, or soy may be associated with a modestly reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), suggests a study published by The BMJ today.
Substituting whole grains and dairy products for total red meat, and eggs for processed red meat, might also reduce this risk.
A new research study from the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center led by investigators at the University of Chicago has identified new genetic markers associated with gestational length, providing new insights into potential risk factors for preterm birth.
In a collaboration between multiple labs and funded through March of Dimes, the investigators set out to map important gene regulatory regions and genetic markers relevant to preterm birth. Their first challenge was addressing the lack of functional genomics data in pregnancy-relevant tissue types.
A 2-month-old infant diagnosed with COVID-19 experienced reversible myocardial injury and heart failure, similar to COVID-19 related heart issues seen in adults, according to a case published in JACC: Case Reports. The infant recovered with normal heart function and was discharged with no heart failure medications.
Pathology reports on more than 50 killer whales stranded over nearly a decade in the northeast Pacific and Hawaii show that orcas face a variety of mortal threats--many stemming from human interactions.
A study analyzing the reports was published today in the journal PLOS ONE. The study findings indicate that understanding and being aware of each threat is critical for managing and conserving killer whale populations. It also presents a baseline understanding of orca health.
Nagoya University scientists have furthered understanding of how plants make a common pigment that might have medicinal applications. They published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
"We studied black soybeans and found a new biosynthetic precursor of the most common anthocyanin in plants," says Kumi Yoshida of Nagoya University, who led the study and specializes in natural products chemistry.
Non-invasive microscopic techniques such as optical coherence microscopy and two-photon microscopy are commonly used for in vivo imaging of living tissues. When light passes through turbid materials such as biological tissues, two types of light are generated: ballistic photons and multiply scattered photons. The ballistic photons travel straight through the object without experiencing any deflection and hence is used to reconstruct the object image.
New parents often expect their baby to start sleeping through the night around the time they reach six months of age. But according to a new study led by McGill Professor Marie-Helene Pennestri, parents should view sleep consolidation as a process, instead of a milestone to be achieved at a specific age. Tracking 44 infants over a period of two weeks, she found that sleeping patterns vary greatly - not only for different babies, but also night to night for the same baby.
A team of researchers led by members of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) has analyzed previously collected data to infer the true nature of a compact object--found to be a rotating magnetar, a type of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field--orbiting within LS 5039, the brightest gamma-ray binary system in the Galaxy.