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Trump executive order leads to pauses on U.S.-funded research into TB, influenza, COVID-19, and other diseases, dismaying some scientists

Cracking the main subtype of the Dhofari script could reveal “an entirely new page of the history of Arabia”

House spending committee has taken similar position on 2026 request

Synaptic loss strongly correlates with cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the mechanism linking its origin and pattern remain unclear. Given that connected brain regions share molecular and synaptic features, and pathological tau, a key driver of synaptic degeneration, propagates through brain networks, we hypothesize that network architecture may influence synaptic loss in AD. By combining synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 A (SV2A) PET in 91 AD patients and 54 controls with...

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Caregivers' decisions to retire from the labor force were mostly driven by their care recipients' care needs. These findings may suggest the need for flexible workplace policies that accommodate varied caregiving responsibilities to support caregivers. Increasing access to congregate residential and respite care may be another strategy that could reduce caregiver burden and retirement from the labor force.

Ovarian aging is a critical yet understudied driver of systemic aging in female bodies, with profound implications for female health and longevity. Despite its significance, we still know little about ovarian aging and its systemic effects on aging trajectories. With new efforts over the past few years, interest in the field has been growing and there is momentum to address these questions. This review highlights the importance of leveraging modern tools and approaches to better understand...

Memory T cells are a highly heterogeneous collection of antigen-experienced cells that undergo dynamic adaptations upon antigen re-encounter and environmental signals. This heterogeneity hinders studies on memory T cell durability and age-related dysfunction. Using chronic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and barcode-enabled antigen tracing, we assess the influence of age on memory states at the level of single antigen-specific CD8^(+) T cells. In young adults (<40 years), EBV-specific CD8^(+)...

Connections between the nervous and immune systems are increasingly recognized as central to brain-body physiology. In this Review, we examine how these systems collaborate to detect and respond to both internal and external stimuli - such as psychological stress, circadian cues, infection, and tissue injury. Rather than operating in isolation, the nervous and immune systems form an integrated network that is more than the sum of its parts. They share a common architecture and vocabulary,...

DNA is a promising medium for digital data storage due to its exceptional data density and longevity. Practical DNA-based storage systems require selective data retrieval to minimize decoding time and costs. In this work, we introduce CRISPR-Cas9 as a user-friendly tool for multiplexed, low-latency molecular data extraction. We first present a one-pot, multiplexed random access method in which specific data files are selectively cleaved using a CRISPR-Cas9 addressing system and then sequenced...

Cellular senescence represents a permanent state of cell cycle arrest, also observed in neurodegenerative disorders. As p300 has been identified as an epigenetic driver of replicative senescence, we aimed to investigate whether in vitro p300 inhibition could rescue the stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) phenotype. We exploited 2D and 3D (brain organoids) in vitro models of SIPS using two different stressor agents. In addition, we combined the treatment with a p300 inhibitor and validated...

L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a debilitating complication of dopamine replacement therapy in Parkinson's disease and the most common hyperkinetic disorder of basal ganglia origin. Abnormal activity of striatal D1 and D2 spiny projection neurons (SPNs) is critical for LID, yet the link between SPN activity patterns and specific dyskinetic movements remains unknown. To explore this, we implemented a data-driven method for clustering movements based on high-resolution motion sensors and video...

Thirteen years after the initial publication defining the glymphatic system, we critically reappraise the role of its dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our understanding of glymphatic function and its involvement in the pathogenesis of AD derives primarily from correlative clinical data and rodent studies. A causal role for glymphatic dysfunction in AD has not yet been established in humans. We review current approaches to assess glymphatic function clinically, which capture different...

Telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) synthesizes telomeric repeats at chromosome ends using a telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and a telomerase RNA (hTR in humans). Previous structural work showed that human telomerase is typically monomeric, containing a single copy of TERT and hTR. Evidence for dimeric complexes exists, although the composition, high-resolution structure, and function remain elusive. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of a human telomerase...

Telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA), transcribed from subtelomeric regions toward telomeric ends, poses challenges in deciphering its complete sequences. Utilizing TERRA-capture RNA-seq and Oxford Nanopore direct RNA sequencing to acquire full-length TERRA, we annotate TERRA transcription regions in the human T2T-CHM13 reference genome. TERRA transcripts encompass hundreds to over a thousand nucleotides of telomeric repeats, predominantly originating from 61-29-37 bp repeat promoters...

Telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA), transcribed from subtelomeric regions toward telomeric ends, poses challenges in deciphering its complete sequences. Utilizing TERRA-capture RNA-seq and Oxford Nanopore direct RNA sequencing to acquire full-length TERRA, we annotate TERRA transcription regions in the human T2T-CHM13 reference genome. TERRA transcripts encompass hundreds to over a thousand nucleotides of telomeric repeats, predominantly originating from 61-29-37 bp repeat promoters...

Aging in the context of obesity exacerbates the risk of morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular disease. However, the maladaptive responses in the heart that arise from prolonged obesity and the specific influence of biological age remain somewhat elusive. This study investigated the effects of diet-induced obesity (DIO) and aging on physical performance and cardiovascular function in mice. 22- and 76-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomized to 8 weeks of chow or high-fat diet. Body...

Chronic inflammatory pathway activation increases with age and is epidemiologically linked to multiple aging-related pathophysiological processes, phenotypes such as physical frailty and sarcopenia and early healthspan declines in aging organisms. Despite this, molecular mechanisms that directly connect chronic inflammation to these conditions remain poorly characterized. We hypothesize that chronic inflammation contributes to the development of age-related phenotypes by increasing the...

Accumulation of cytosolic DNA has emerged as a hallmark of aging, inducing sterile inflammation. Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein translates the sensing of cytosolic DNA by cyclic-GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) into an inflammatory response. However, the molecular mechanisms whereby cytosolic DNA-induced cGAS-STING pathway leads to aging remain poorly understood. We show that STING does not follow the canonical pathway of activation in human fibroblasts passaged (aging) in culture,...

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of cognitive impairment in the population is growing; however, there is substantial heterogeneity in the rate of decline across different cognitive domains. Harmonized factor scores measuring memory, executive function, and language domains have been created in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS).

NASA and India’s $1.5 billion NISAR mission promises global time lapses of the planet’s ever-changing land and ice