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Taking antibiotics? Sugar may be making the damage worse
Eating more sugar while taking antibiotics was linked to greater disruption of the gut microbiome and increased growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Researchers say temporarily cutting back on sweets during and after antibiotic treatment could be a simple way to reduce this damage, though clinical trials are still needed.
Drug target could block brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Blocking a receptor called P2X7 significantly reduced inflammation in human brain tissue, revealing a potential new treatment strategy for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The discovery could help researchers repurpose existing drugs for conditions including traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, and schizophrenia.
Scientists reprogram immune cells inside the body to fight cancer
Scientists at UC San Francisco have developed a way to create cancer-fighting CAR-T cells directly inside the body, potentially avoiding the slow and extremely expensive process of removing, engineering, and reinfusing a patient’s immune cells. Using a two-particle delivery system, the researchers sent CRISPR gene-editing tools and new cancer-targeting DNA specifically into T cells, where the DNA was inserted at a precise location in the genome.
Chemistry Nobel for solving mystery of how ‘handed’ organic molecules can emerge
Why we must advocate for proper care on the frontlines of the Ebola outbreak
Can your brain grow new neurons? How researchers are solving a century-old puzzle
‘When prevention disappears, infections rise’: can the world still end AIDS?
Why sound, strong science alone isn’t enough in pandemic preparedness
Blend
A guide to Nature Index tables
Nobel Prize honors researchers who solved chemistry's asymmetry mystery
Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai win award for reactions leading to one-handed molecules
A new way to fight gum disease without wiping out good bacteria
Scientists discovered that disrupting the chemical messages bacteria use to communicate can push dental plaque toward a healthier microbial balance. The approach could lead to new treatments for gum disease that control harmful bacteria without destroying beneficial species.
What happens in the brain when cannabis makes you anxious?
Cannabinoids may intensify anxiety by removing a natural brake on specific neurons in the brain’s fear center, particularly during stressful situations. In mice, shutting down those neurons sharply reduced cannabinoid-related anxious behavior.
Colorectal cancer is rising in young people and often found too late
Colorectal cancer in young people is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, with researchers finding most patients age 21 or younger already had Stage III or IV disease. Because symptoms like rectal bleeding, weight loss, abdominal pain, and bowel changes may be overlooked, researchers are calling for greater vigilance.
Goodbye joint replacements? Stanford scientists found a way to regrow cartilage and stop arthritis
Scientists have found a surprising way to regrow damaged knee cartilage by blocking a protein that becomes more abundant with age. In old mice, the treatment restored naturally lost cartilage and also helped prevent osteoarthritis after ACL-like knee injuries, while human cartilage taken from knee replacement patients began producing new, functional joint cartilage after exposure to the same inhibitor.
Scientists say this simple habit could strengthen your marriage
Couples who exercise together report better communication, healthier conflict resolution, and lower marital stress than those who work out alone. Even something as simple as taking a walk together may create valuable opportunities to talk, listen, and feel more connected.
One simple addition to postpartum care made a major difference
New mothers paired with patient navigators were much more likely to receive postpartum care, depression screening, preventive testing, and ongoing primary care. By helping with barriers such as transportation, childcare, scheduling, and confusing medical information, navigators may provide a powerful way to improve women’s long-term health.
L-Arginine inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Nutritional status and metabolic homeostasis are intricately associated with the inflammatory response. However, the direct mechanistic link between nutrition, metabolism and inflammation remains unclear. Here, we show that the amino acid L-arginine (L-Arg) is a potent endogenous inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, a central component of the inflammatory signalling pathway. We show that L-Arg binds directly to the Asp31 site of the NLRP3 protein, blocking its interaction with the adaptor ASC...
Design and model choices shape inference of age-varying genetic effects on complex traits
Understanding how genetic influences on complex traits change with age is a fundamental question in genetic epidemiology. Both cross-sectional (between-subject) and longitudinal (within-subject) approaches can contribute to answering this question but come with distinct strengths and limitations. Here we show that age-varying genetic effects obtained from the two designs were highly concordant in direction (84.21% of the 57 identified variants) but showed only moderate agreement in effect-size...
Longer lipids mark aging and constrain lifespan
Aging drives molecular changes that impair cellular and tissue function. Lipids are central to membrane structure, signaling and energy storage, yet their remodeling during aging remains unclear. Here, using cross-species, multi-tissue lipidomics, we identify elongation of lipid acyl chains as a conserved hallmark of aging across mice, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila and humans. Similar lengthening occurs during the progression of human heart disease, whereas dietary restriction shortens...