Scientists have identified a group of genes controlling shape and color patterns on abalone shells, which mirror the localized expression of these genes in the mantle. The study reveals a complex secretome that enables diversification of shell strength and design.
Physicians reported being actively involved in community participation, political involvement, and collective advocacy, with over two-thirds participating in at least one role. Factors related to civic-mindedness, such as age, sex, and medical specialty, influenced the perceived importance of public roles.
Four adults received highly concentrated, unlicensed botulinum preparation for cosmetic injections, resulting in toxin levels up to 40 times the estimated human lethal dose. Botulism can cause respiratory failure and death if left untreated.
A new study finds that employers who use criminal background checks tend to hire more black applicants, particularly black men, due to implicit biases. The study suggests that curtailing access to criminal history records may worsen racial disparities in labor market outcomes and affect other stigmatized groups.
The University of Minnesota's Maryam Valapour has received a grant to analyze the ethical and policy issues surrounding living-donor lung transplants. She aims to identify factors that encourage and discourage wider use of this procedure, which is currently less common than deceased donor transplants.
Researchers have successfully tested a gene therapy to combat alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a common hereditary disorder that causes lung and liver disease. The treatment showed no adverse effects and introduced the corrective gene into patients' blood, with some evidence of protein production.
SUNY Downstate researchers develop a substance that inhibits the progress of multiple sclerosis in an animal model. The agent, a novel calpain inhibitor, can be administered orally and has shown promise in treating both acute and chronic phases of MS.
A survey of US physicians found that over 90% believe participation in health-focused community activities and political involvement are important. Two-thirds of respondents reported actively engaging in such activities, with key areas of focus including healthcare coverage, tobacco control, and reducing air pollution.
A recent study found that Iceland's Laki volcanic event significantly changed atmospheric circulations, causing unusual temperature and precipitation patterns that peaked in the summer of 1783. This resulted in record low river levels on the Nile River for up to a year due to reduced evaporation and increased temperatures.
Researchers found that Minnesotans in the Twin Cities metro area are expending a significantly greater amount of energy participating in moderately intense physical activities than they were five years ago. The majority of this energy expenditure came from leisure-time physical activities such as walking, running, or biking.
A multi-center study with Stanford University found that regular exercise can improve a person's score on a standardized test of physical mobility, balance, walking speed, and ability to rise from a chair. The study showed that seniors who exercised regularly performed better on the fitness test than those who received health education.
A Rutgers-based team found a connection between the 1783 Icelandic volcanic eruption and a famine in Egypt, which reduced the Nile valley population by a sixth. The study used computer models to trace atmospheric changes from the eruption to their impact on North Africa.
Researchers at the University of Illinois developed a rapid diagnostic test for cocaine detection using tiny gold spheres and aptamers. The test strip, which can be used with just a sample dip, accurately identifies cocaine presence and has broad practical application potential.
A University of Utah study suggests that proteins serve as anchors, holding other proteins in place to strengthen synapses and contribute to forming and retaining memories. The research is relevant not only to how memory and learning work but also to Alzheimer's disease, which involves a breakdown in protein movement within synapses.
Patients with lumbar disk herniation showed similar improvement in pain reduction with surgical and nonoperative treatments over a 2-year period. Surgical treatment slightly outperformed nonoperative care, but results were not statistically significant, indicating equivalence of the two approaches.
The US joins an international collaboration to build ITER, a project aiming to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of clean fusion energy. Fusion energy could provide significant amounts of electricity and generate hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles.
Scientists have discovered that autoimmunity can be triggered in the thymus if T cells fail to recognize a single protein as self. This finding suggests that effective strategies to treat autoimmune disease should target not only peripheral sites but also the thymus.
Researchers analyzed data on consecutive earthquakes to find that seismic activity may affect a larger area than previously believed, potentially supporting long-range earthquake triggering. This phenomenon challenges the traditional view of earthquakes influencing only their immediate rupture zone.