Lactating mice pass along common antimicrobial to pups, initiating liver damage: Triclosan is used in everything from cleaners to pesticides to toys
In mouse studies, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that lactating mothers expose their feeding pups to triclosan, an antimicrobial commonly used in consumer products, resulting in early signs of liver damage that can eventually lead to more serious impairment and illness, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and […]
A novel COVID-19 vaccine using modified bacterial DNA: Experimental vaccine based on altered plasmid DNA produced antibody response in mice that effectively blocked cell infection across all variants of concern tested
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, describe a different way to build a COVID-19 vaccine, one that would, in theory, remain effective against new and emerging variants and could be taken as a pill, by inhalation or other delivery methods. Their findings publish in the July 21, 2022 […]
California’s trees are dying, and might not be coming back: Wildfires and climbing temperatures have caused a 6.7 percent decline since 1985
The State of California is banking on its forests to help reduce planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But that element of the state’s climate-change solution arsenal may be in jeopardy, as new research from the University of California, Irvine reports that trees in California’s mountain ranges and open spaces are dying from wildfires and […]
Opinion | ‘The FDA Is Rarely That Clear’: What We Heard This Week
“The FDA is rarely that clear, so this is refreshing.” — Paul Knoepfler, PhD, of the University of California Davis, on the FDA getting tougher on birth tissue injection companies, following a recent warning letter to one company in question. “Everyone is at risk.” — Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, of Washington University in St. Louis, on […]
‘You are what you eat,’ and now researchers know exactly what you’re eating: Matching blood or stool samples to a reference database of foods reveals how much of our body chemistry is traceable to what we consume
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California San Diego, report a new method called untargeted metabolomics to identify the vast number of molecules derived from food that were previously unidentified, but that appear in our blood and our stool. The method, described in the July 7, 2022 issue of Nature […]
Emissions tied to the international trade of agricultural goods are rising
Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have drawn the clearest line yet connecting consumers of agricultural produce in wealthier countries in Asia, Europe and North America with a growth in greenhouse gas emissions in less-developed nations, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. In a paper published today in Science, the […]
Genetic diversity of C. difficile, a particularly problematic pathogen
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Jacobs School of Engineering, with colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine, have used a systems biology approach to parse the genetic diversity of Clostridioides difficile, a particularly problematic pathogen in health care settings. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that the bacterium causes approximately […]
Deforestation drives climate change that harms remaining forest
In a paper published today in Nature Communications, a team led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, using climate models and satellite data, reveal for the first time how protecting tropical forests can yield climate benefits that enhance carbon storage in nearby areas. Many climate scientists use computer simulations to mimic the planet’s […]
How to rejuvenate the immune system of elderly people and reduce their risk of infectious disease: Study results identify reason for why older adults are significantly more susceptible to infectious diseases
A new study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, identifies a reason for why older adults are significantly more susceptible to infectious diseases than younger people, a critical societal issue most recently exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Study results also pave the way for new potential therapeutic targets to rejuvenate the immune […]
Key brain mechanisms for organizing memories in time: Convergence research project integrated neurobiology with data science techniques
In a scientific first, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered fundamental mechanisms by which the hippocampus region of the brain organizes memories into sequences and how this can be used to plan future behavior. The finding may be a critical early step toward understanding memory failures in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s […]