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MICHOACÁN, MÉXICO - Endangerment of certain cacti species is caused by multiple factors, most notably illicit extraction. In an effort to curb this endangerment and plan for repopulation of threatened species, scientists have been researching the most efficient methods of cloning. Recently, tests on Turbinicarpus valdezianus (Möller) Glass & Foster (Cactaceae), a species of cactus endemic to Northern Mexico suffering from habitat loss, proved very successful at inducing shoot proliferation and roots through in vitro cloning.

ST. PAUL, MN - Consumer demand for organic heirloom dry beans is on the rise. According to the authors of a new study, the number of acres of land used for certified organic dry bean production has increased significantly in recent years, and a similar trend is occurring across the United States.

LOS ANGELES - In the first study of its kind, researchers found patients with S. aureus skin and soft tissue infections took, on average, just 57% of their prescribed antibiotic doses after leaving the hospital, resulting in nearly half of them getting a new infection or needing additional treatment for the existing skin infection.

BOSTON - Pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, is often diagnosed at a late stage, when curative treatment is no longer possible. A team led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has now identified and validated an accurate 5-gene classifier for discriminating early pancreatic cancer from non-malignant tissue. Described online in the journal Oncotarget, the finding is a promising advance in the fight against this typically fatal disease.

According to epigenetics -- the study of inheritable changes in gene expression not directly coded in our DNA -- our life experiences may be passed on to our children and our children's children. Studies on survivors of traumatic events have suggested that exposure to stress may indeed have lasting effects on subsequent generations. But how exactly are these genetic "memories" passed on?

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a way to significantly increase the sensitivity of a technique to identify and sequence DNA from cancer cells circulating in a person's blood.

The hope is that such "liquid biopsies" of easily obtained blood samples could one day replace the need to surgically obtain tumor tissue for study.

Viruses have proven to be wily foes. Attempts to fend off viruses causing even the common cold or flu have failed, and new viral outbreaks such as dengue, Ebola or Zika continue to elude drugs.

Physicists and engineers at Case Western Reserve University have developed an optical sensor, based on nanostructured metamaterials, that's 1 million times more sensitive than the current best available--one capable of identifying a single lightweight molecule in a highly dilute solution.

Their goal: to provide oncologists a way to detect a single molecule of an enzyme produced by circulating cancer cells. Such detection could allow doctors to diagnose patients with certain cancers far earlier than possible today, monitor treatment and resistance and more.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University, University of Minnesota School of Public Health and George Mason University applaud Oregon's new birth control law which allows women age 18 or older to obtain some methods of hormonal contraception directly from pharmacies, without having to visit a prescribing clinician, yet note how the law could go even further to improve access to all forms of contraception, according to a viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today.

DALLAS - March 28, 2016 - UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have discovered a mutation that causes a rare systemic disorder known as X-linked reticulate pigmentary disorder (XLPDR) and, significantly, the unexpected cellular mechanism by which the mutation causes the disease.

(Boston) -- Many biological and pathological processes are not strictly controlled by the presence, absence or function of biomolecules such as proteins or nucleic acids but rather by subtle changes in their numbers at specific locations within cells. However, despite the recent revolution of optical imaging technologies that has enabled the distinction of molecular targets residing less than 200 nm apart from each other, modern super-resolution techniques still face the challenge to accurately and precisely count the number of biomolecules at cellular locations.

PROVO, UT - As groundwater levels decline, identifying plants that can thrive in low water conditions is increasingly important. A new study focused on Agave, a species that has the ability to be highly water-use efficient in hot, drought-prone environments. The authors said that Agave, traditionally used as a source of food, beverages, and fiber, has the potential to be cultivated more widely to produce alternative sweeteners, bioenergy, and for other end uses.

SYRACUSE, NY - The American chestnut was once a mainstay in hardwood forests as far north as Maine and as far south as Georgia and Mississippi. A massive chestnut blight in the early part of the 20th century ended the mighty chestnut's domination, wiping out billions of mature trees. Scientists are now working to restore the American chestnut's place in U.S. forests. A study published in the February issue of HortScience provides new recommendations that can help increase the stock of blight-resistant trees.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 37 million people are living with HIV. Antiviral medications are used to control the disease and prevent its progression to AIDS. Although antivirals improve health and increase survival for people with HIV, their use also has been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have identified an enzyme that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease caused by HIV medications.

The cancer treatment drug Imatinib, otherwise known as Gleevec is approved to treat various forms of cancer, mostly notably chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, researchers have stumbled onto another possible use for it, curing type 2 diabetes.