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Call for scientific community to increase diversity and inclusivity in medical research
Scientists from Sydney and New York, inspired by Black Lives Matter, describe the critical worldwide need to improve the diversity of cells used in medical research. Currently, 95% of all human cell lines used in research are of European descent. The authors provide actionable steps, in this publication in Cell, that researchers and the biomedical community can take to promote more inclusivity in preclinical and basic science research.
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Molecular alteration may be cause -- not consequence -- of heart failure
Clinicians and scientists have long observed that cells in overstressed hearts have high levels of the simple sugar O-GlcNAc modifying thousands of proteins within cells. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have found evidence in mouse experiments that these excess sugars could well be a cause, not merely a consequence or marker of heart failure.
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Man's best friend in life and death: Pet dog brain banking supports aging research
The relevance of pet dog biobanking in molecular research and the initiative to make pioneering steps in this field. The Hungarian Canine Brain and Tissue Bank (CBTB) was established by the research team of the Senior Family Dog Project in 2017, following the examples of human tissue banks. In a recent paper, the team reports findings, which would not have been possible without the CBTB, and may augment further progress in dog aging and biomarker research.
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How widespread is lemur and fossa meat consumption?
A new WCS study looks at the prevalence of human consumption of lemur and fossa (Madagascar's largest predator) in villages within and around Makira Natural Park, northeastern Madagascar, providing up-to-date estimates of the percentage of households who eat meat from these protected species.
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Study finds mechanism leading to herceptin resistance and Rx approach to reverse it
Research conducted by an international team of scientists discovered a mechanism that leads to Herceptin resistance, representing a significant clinical obstacle to successfully treating HER2-positive breast cancer. They also identified a new approach to potentially overcome it.
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Urban traffic noise causes song learning deficits in birds
Zebra finches also suffer from a suppressed immune function due to the chronic stress.
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A new polarized fluorescent probe for revealing architectural dynamics of living cells
Researchers from TMDU, collaborating with scientists from MBL and RIKEN, developed a new probe, POLArIS, for real-time live-cell imaging that reveals the orientation of molecules and is expected to be applicable to a wide range of cell types and specimens. They tested POLArIS in starfish early embryos and discovered the existence of a new F-actin cellular architecture, FLARE, extending alongside the astral microtubules to the cell cortex. This may provide answers to some of the most fundamental questions regarding cell division.
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Can the diffraction limit overcome in the linear imaging system?
Spatial-frequency-shift microscopy with evanescent wave illumination shows intriguing advantages, including a large field of view, high speed, and good modularity. However, a missing band in the spatial frequency domain hampers the spatial-frequency-shift superresolution microscopy from achieving resolution better than 3 folds of the Abbe diffraction limit. Recently researchers at Zhejiang University have proposed chip-compatible wide-field 3D nanoscopy through tunable spatial frequency shift effect, making the diffraction limit overcome in the linear optical imaging system.
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Study: Obesity slows progress against cancer deaths
Study by UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health suggests that heart disease and obesity-associated cancer mortality rates have continued to improve, but at a slowing pace.
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Novel nanotech improves cystic fibrosis antibiotic by 100,000-fold
World-first nanotechnology developed by the University of South Australia could change the lives of thousands of people living with cystic fibrosis (CF) as groundbreaking research shows it can improve the effectiveness of the CF antibiotic Tobramycin, increasing its efficacy by up to 100,000-fold.
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Pandemic stigma: Foreigners, doctors wrongly targeted for COVID-19 spread in India
Accurate and focused information about COVID-19 from credible sources reduces stigmatisation and stress, according to a world-first study led by Monash University. Foreigners, minorities, police and frontline workers were blamed for spreading the virus in India. The study was conducted during the first wave of the virus. Researchers say elements of stigmatisation are still valid as India battles a tragic second wave.
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Scientists show how to attack the 'fortress' surrounding pancreatic cancer tumors
Tackling the scar tissue that shields pancreatic tumours from effective drug access is a promising advance in a notoriously hard-to-treat cancer.
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Non-linear optics meets X-rays
The recent advent of femtosecond X-ray sources offers unprecedented opportunities for structural and dynamical studies. It requires, however, manipulating spectral properties, as commonly done by non-linear optics at visible/infrared wavelengths. Here we show the first evidence for Self-Phase Modulation, a key non-linear effect in ultrafast laser science, in the soft X-Rays. Building on such effect, we demonstrate how to tune spectral properties in this wavelength region critical for core electrons pump-probe spectroscopy and nanoimaging.
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Freeform imaging systems: Fermat's principle unlocks 'first time right' design
Researchers at Brussels Photonics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, have developed a 'first time right' design method that eliminates the "step-and-repeat" and "trial-and-error" approach in optical system design. They demonstrated the systematic, deterministic, scalable, and holistic character of their disruptive technique with various freeform lens- and mirror-based high-end examples and invite optical designers to experience their new method hands-on via an open-access trial web application.
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Snakes alive? We're totally fine with them -- just not at our house
The first study to analyze snake removals in a social-ecological context was recently published by an Arizona State University conservation biologist working with a local rattlesnake removal company."I think one of the surprises was that people don't hate snakes," said researcher Heather Bateman of the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. "A lot of them responded that the snakes are important to the desert ecosystem and the snake belongs in the desert, just not in my garage."
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Eating more fruit and vegetables linked to less stress - study
Eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with less stress, according to new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU). The findings revealed people who ate at least 470 grams of fruit and vegetables daily had 10 per cent lower stress levels than those who consumed less than 230 grams.
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Ion-selective smart porous membranes
A research group has developed an ion-selective smart porous membrane that can respond to outer stimuli, potentially paving the way for new applications in molecular separation and sensing applications.
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New study reveals where memories of familiar places are stored in the brain
As we move through the world, what we see is seamlessly integrated with our memory of the broader spatial environment. How does the brain accomplish this feat? A new study from Dartmouth College reveals that three regions of the brain in the posterior cerebral cortex, which the researchers call "place-memory areas," form a link between the brain's perceptual and memory systems. The findings are published in Nature Communications.
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Ankle and foot bone evolution gave prehistoric mammals a leg up
The evolution of ankle and foot bones into different shapes and sizes helped mammals adapt and thrive after the extinction of the dinosaurs, a study suggests.
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CDEX listens to the sound of cosmology from a laboratory deep underground
China Dark Matter Experiment (CDEX) collaboration presents weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) search results performed using two approaches of effective field theory, based on the data from both CDEX-1B and CDEX-10 stages. In the non-relativistic effective field theory and chiral effective field theory approach, analyses were applied to CDEX data to set new limits for the couplings of WIMP-nucleon effective operators and WIMP-pion scattering cross section.
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