Recurrent heart failure linked to accumulated stress in immunity-forming stem cells. The stress of heart failure is remembered by the body and appears to lead to recurrent failure, along with other related health issues, according to new research. Researchers have found that heart failure leaves a “stress memory” in the form of changes to the DNA modification of hematopoietic stem cells, which are involved in the production of blood and immune cells called macrophages. These immune cells play an important…

A new process for the mass production of erythro-isocitric acid from waste could make the substance interesting for industry in the future. The fungus Talaromyces verruculosus can produce the chemical erythro-isocitric acid, which has received little attention on the market to date, directly from cheap plant waste and thus make it interesting for industrial utilization. Using the natural abilities of the non-genetically modified fungus, a research team from Jena has discovered a method for the efficient conversion of cellulose into…

Using the example of the freshwater polyp Hydra, a CRC 1182 research team shows how even creatures with very simple nervous systems can regulate the complex coordination of satiety and related behaviours. Over the course of evolution, living organisms have gradually developed more complex nervous systems in order to coordinate increasingly complex sensory, motor and cognitive functions and to control the associated behaviour. Recently, different research projects have shown that even simple creatures with diffuse nervous systems can exhibit complex…

Repeated vaccination and infection leads T cells and B cells to build an “immunity wall”. New research from scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) suggests people who received COVID-19 vaccines and then experienced “breakthrough” infections are especially well armed against future SARS-CoV-2 infections. By analyzing blood samples from study volunteers, the LJI researchers discovered that people who experienced symptomatic breakthrough infections develop T cells that are better at recognizing and targeting SARS-CoV-2, including the Omicron and Delta variants….

This is where the Nottingham team, led by Dr Aditi Borkar, Assistant Professor in Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, has achieved a transformative feat. Dr Borkar developed a powerful method that combines a cutting-edge mass spectrometry technology called cryogenic OrbiSIMS – a unique imaging capability of the University, with advanced computational modelling and automation. This combination enabled the team to analyse attomole quantities of RNAs and determine their 3D structures at par with…

New fundamental research provides a better understanding of the origin of eosinophils and eosinophilia, and the effects of treatments targeting them. Eosinophils are specialized cells of our immune system. They are identified by their distinctive granules that stain red when treated with an acidic reagent, eosin, which gave them their name. Eosinophils are typically rare in our blood and tissues, accounting for about 3% of our white blood cells. Their biological roles are poorly understood, but recent studies suggest that…

… enables continuous, non-invasive monitoring of cerebral blood flow. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable ultrasound patch that can offer continuous, non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in the brain. The soft and stretchy patch can be comfortably worn on the temple to provide three-dimensional data on cerebral blood flow—a first in wearable technology. A team of researchers led by Sheng Xu, a professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano…

UArizona Health Sciences professor uses CT network to promote public access to open science. Researchers are meeting where the science of computed tomography intersects with policies and practices to ensure that publicly funded data collection can be made widely available and understandable by diverse communities. Reading about the latest scientific discovery – such as the unearthing of a fossil representing a new species of tiny dinosaur – can be fascinating. But what if it were possible to do more than…

A study from the University of Adelaide has discovered molecular pathways regulated by a gene traditionally used to control wheat-flowering behaviour could be altered to achieve greater yields. The gene is called Photoperiod-1 (Ppd-1) and it is used regularly by breeders to ensure wheat crops flower and set grain earlier in the season, avoiding the harsh conditions of summer. However, there are known drawbacks. “While this variation benefits wheat productivity by aligning pollination and grain development with more favourable environmental…

New Group Leader at LIKAT for the Application of Electrochemical Reactions. The Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, LIKAT, has established a new research group for “Continuous Electrochemical Processes” with a focus on industrial applications. It is headed by Dr. Wen Ju, who has been conducting research at LIKAT since the beginning of the year. One focus is on the conversion of CO2 from air and industrial waste gases into basic chemical substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) and ethylene….

– the molecular biomechanics of collagen. HITS researcher Frauke Gräter receives an HFSP Research Grant Award for a project on a novel form of mechanosensing. Together with colleagues from Israel and USA, she investigates the effects of physical force on the collagen protein in two different animal model systems. Their goal is to measure the effects of mechanoradicals on the integrity of the tissue and the well-being of the organism, with impact on health and aging. As we move around…

Improving the outcome of patients after a heart attack is one of the major challenges of cardiology. This includes a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology and early detection of those patients who have a high risk of an unfavorable outcome. Researchers at LMU University Hospital, Helmholtz Munich and other institutions have now used high-tech biomedical and bioinformatics methods to comprehensively map the immune response to myocardial infarction in humans and identify signatures that correlate with the clinical course of the…

New catalyst transforms carbon dioxide from industrial emissions into commonly used chemicals. A low-cost, tin-based catalyst can selectively convert carbon dioxide to three widely produced chemicals — ethanol, acetic acid and formic acid. Lurking within the emissions from many industrial operations is an untapped resource — carbon dioxide (CO2). A contributor of greenhouse gas and global warming, it could instead be captured and converted to value-added chemicals. In a collaborative project involving the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National…

A molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the basic unit of biochemical energy that fuels the activities of all cells. Now a team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus has developed and tested a high-resolution sensor for tracking the real-time dynamics of ATP levels in cells and within subcellular compartments. The new tool represents a major advance over prior ATP sensor technology, and the researchers expect it to accelerate…

The way cancer cells die from chemotherapy appears to be different than previously understood. Chemotherapy kills cancer cells. But the way these cells die appears to be different than previously understood. Researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, led by Thijn Brummelkamp, have uncovered a completely new way in which cancer cells die: due to the Schlafen11 gene. “This is a very unexpected finding. Cancer patients have been treated with chemotherapy for almost a century, but this route to cell death…

Viruses keep the most common marine bacteria in check. Marine microbes control the flux of matter and energy essential for life in the oceans. Among them, the bacterial group SAR11 accounts for about a third of all the bacteria found in surface ocean waters. A study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, now reveals that at times nearly 20% of SAR11 cells are infected by viruses, significantly reducing total cell numbers. The viruses…