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Science, Ahead of Print.

Wildfire smoke poses a growing global health risk, largely from fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) emissions. Prescribed fires, which are critical for maintaining resilient forests in many locations, can also reduce wildfire emissions in treated areas that later burn. However, prescribed fires also produce smoke, creating a tradeoff in their net impact on PM(2.5) emissions. We develop a mathematical framework showing that, under most current conditions globally, prescribed fire emissions are...

INTRODUCTION: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Over the past few years, miR-34a-5p and miR-126-3p have become some of the most characterized miRNA, the former being associated with cellular senescence and apoptosis and the latter with the maintenance of vascular endothelial function. The present study aimed to evaluate diagnostic performance of miR-34a-5p and miR-126-3p for cognitive dysfunction in CSVD patients. In...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with age-related alterations in neural oscillatory activity and cerebral hemodynamics, while mobility limitations often restrict participation in conventional exercise-based interventions. This study investigated exploratory, single-arm, within-subject short-term neurovascular and electrophysiological responses to a combined visual and vibration stimulation protocol in older adults with MCI. Cerebral blood flow was assessed using near-infrared...

Chronic pain affects more than half of older adults and has been increasingly linked to cognitive decline, a relationship with profound implications for healthy aging. Ramezani and colleagues examined this association in 1,343 Iranian older adults from the Birjand Longitudinal Aging Study, a well‑characterised cohort from an understudied population. The study has notable strengths: a large sample size, population‑based recruitment, and DAG‑guided covariate selection. However, three...

CONCLUSIONS: Structural and functional muscle indicators showed divergent age-related patterns among rural community-dwelling women. The performance-based 5×STS demonstrated substantially greater relative differences than structural indicators, supporting the inclusion of functional assessments alongside structural measures for age-stratified evaluation in rural settings.

Fish oil supplements successfully delivered omega-3s to the brain, but a two-year study found no meaningful benefits for memory, cognition, or Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. The results challenge the idea that fish oil pills can help prevent Alzheimer’s and shift attention toward overall diet and lifestyle instead.

Government shutdown, staff shortages have complicated effort to meet 30 September deadline to spend funds

Scientists have uncovered a surprising clue that may help explain why multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses rapidly in some people but not others. In brain tissue from patients with severe MS, researchers found large numbers of “foamy” immune cells packed with fat droplets after absorbing damaged myelin. These overloaded cells appear to switch from helping repair the brain to fueling ongoing damage and inflammation.

About 1 million insect species have been described, but a new analysis suggests tens of millions more may be out there

The unconscious brain appears to be far more capable than scientists once believed. Researchers found that patients under general anesthesia could still process language at a sophisticated level, distinguishing nouns, verbs, and adjectives while listening to stories. Even more remarkably, neural activity showed signs of predicting upcoming words before they were heard. The results challenge traditional ideas about consciousness and hint at new possibilities for brain-computer interfaces.

A six-month study of more than 120 adults in their 70s found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may offer a key advantage over other forms of exercise: it helped reduce body fat while preserving valuable muscle mass. While moderate and low-intensity workouts also led to some fat loss, only HIIT maintained lean muscle, which becomes increasingly important with age.

Scientists at UCLA have linked long-term exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos with a sharply increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. People exposed to the chemical near their homes were more than twice as likely to develop the condition. Laboratory studies showed that chlorpyrifos damages dopamine neurons and interferes with the brain’s ability to remove toxic protein buildup.