Combining plant-based diet and healthy microbiome may protect against multiple sclerosis: Metabolism of isoflavone by gut bacteria protects mice from MS-like inflammation
A new University of Iowa study suggests that metabolism of plant-based dietary substances by specific gut bacteria, which are lacking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), may provide protection against the disease. The study led by Ashutosh Mangalam, PhD, UI associate professor of pathology, shows that a diet rich in isoflavone, a phytoestrogen or plant-based […]
Impulsiveness tied to faster eating in children, can lead to obesity: Research also suggests cravings after sight and/or smell of food linked to inability to self-soothe in kids
Children who eat slower are less likely to be extroverted and impulsive, according to a new study co-led by the University at Buffalo and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The research, which sought to uncover the relationship between temperament and eating behaviors in early childhood, also found that kids who were highly responsive to external food […]
Long-term urban emissions data show a decrease in high-income countries
A new study shows how urbanisation has influenced anthropogenic CO2 and air pollutant emissions across all world regions, by making use of the latest developments in the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research developed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The results show that by 2015 urban centres were the source of […]
Same dance, different species: How natural selection drives common behavior of lizards: A surprising study on the behavior of unrelated lizards demonstrates how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills
A surprising study by UNSW on the behaviour of unrelated lizards in very different parts of the world has demonstrated how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills. The study in Ecology Letters documents how the Anolis lizard species in the Caribbean, and the Draco lizard species in Southeast Asia, have solved […]
New study sheds light on evolution of photosynthesis
A Rutgers-led study sheds new light on the evolution of photosynthesis in plants and algae, which could help to improve crop production. The paper appears in the journal New Phytologist. The scientists reviewed research on the photosynthetic amoeba Paulinella, which is a model to explore a fundamental question about eukaryote evolution: why was there a […]
Differences in human, mouse brain cells have important implications for disease research
A UCLA-led study comparing brain cells known as astrocytes in humans and mice found that mouse astrocytes are more resilient to oxidative stress, a damaging imbalance that is a mechanism behind many neurological disorders. A lack of oxygen triggers molecular repair mechanisms in these mouse astrocytes but not in human astrocytes. In contrast, inflammation activates […]
Study confirms the low likelihood that SARS-CoV-2 on hospital surfaces is infectious
A new study by UC Davis researchers confirms the low likelihood that SARS-CoV-2 contamination on hospital surfaces is infectious. The study, published June 24 in PLOS ONE, is the original report on recovering near-complete SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences directly from surface swabs. “Our team was the first to demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 virus sequences could be identified […]
Abnormal response to cellular stress is associated with Huntington’s disease
A new University of California, Irvine-led study finds that the persistence of a marker of chronic cellular stress, previously associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also takes place in the brains of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients. Chronic cellular stress results in the abnormal accumulation of stress granules […]