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NIH, NASA grantees are confused and concerned amid agencies’ piecemeal communication

Low vitamin D levels could be quietly making breast cancer surgery recovery far more painful. In a new study, patients deficient in vitamin D were three times more likely to experience moderate to severe pain after mastectomy surgery and ended up using significantly more opioid medication to cope. Researchers say vitamin D may help regulate how the body processes pain through its effects on inflammation and the immune system.

Jasmine Clark is set to become the first Black congresswoman with a science Ph.D.

Scientists have discovered that a topical anti-aging drug called ABT-263 can dramatically improve wound healing in older skin. The treatment works by removing damaged “senescent” cells that accumulate with age and slow the body’s repair process. In aged mice, wounds healed much faster after treatment, while the drug also activated genes tied to collagen production and tissue regeneration.

Scientists have identified a protein that appears to put the brakes on the chronic inflammation linked to aging. Older mice with boosted levels of the protein were stronger, more energetic, and had healthier bones than untreated mice. Researchers say the findings could eventually lead to therapies that help people stay healthier and more independent later in life.

People who lost significant weight while taking Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Saxenda had sharply lower risks of major obesity-related health problems, including sleep apnea and kidney disease. Those who gained weight instead faced higher risks — especially for heart failure — even though many patients discontinued the medications within a year.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by abnormal beta oscillations (13-30 Hz) within the basal ganglia, which contribute not only to motor symptoms but also to sleep disturbances. In this study, we developed a computational model of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical (BGTC) network that includes the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN), to investigate the mechanism by which the abnormal oscillations disrupt sleep. The model incorporates key nuclei, neurotransmitter systems, and neural pathways to...

Differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative parkinsonian syndromes is complicated by overlapping clinical features and frequent co-pathology that challenges the interpretation of single-protein biomarkers. We evaluated a multimodal, minimally invasive biomarker strategy integrating dermal α-synuclein and 4-repeat tau seed amplification assays (SAAs) with serum neurofilament light chain. In a prospective cohort of 166 participants (Parkinson's disease, n = 40; multiple system atrophy, n = 29;...

Macrophage fate decisions during infection are commonly framed as receptor-proximal transcriptional choices. We propose that the functional outcome results from a "kinetic race," a dynamic proteostatic competition among protein synthesis, post-translational modifications (PTMs), and degradation. Building on experimental evidence of infection-induced proteostasis, we outline a conceptual "turnover-first" framework. In this model, we hypothesize that the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS),...