Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liana Shvachiy, Vera Geraldes, Tiago Fleming Outeiro
Summary: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions worldwide. The cause of PD is unknown, but exposure to heavy metals like lead may contribute to its onset and severity. Studies suggest that higher levels of lead in the bone and blood are associated with an increased risk of PD. Low levels of lead exposure in early life also lead to increased production of alpha-synuclein protein in animal models. The mechanisms behind this association are not fully understood, but oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may play a role.
ANTIOXIDANTS & REDOX SIGNALING
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Phoebe A. Cohen, Robin B. Kodner
Summary: This article examines the origin and diversification of eukaryotes in the Proterozoic Era. Through the integration of fossils, organic biomarkers, molecular clocks, phylogenies, and redox proxies, the study suggests that eukaryotes likely emerged in aerobic environments in the Proterozoic Era. The article emphasizes the importance of integrating biological and geological evidence and analyzing points of agreement and contention to gain new insights into the origin and early evolutionary history of this important group.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Georg Meisl, Catherine K. Xu, Jonathan D. Taylor, Thomas C. T. Michaels, Aviad Levin, Daniel Otzen, David Klenerman, Steve Matthews, Sara Linse, Maria Andreasen, Tuomas P. J. Knowles
Summary: The study reveals that both disease-related proteins and proteins with functional roles in biology are capable of self-replication. However, the rate of self-replication is insignificant on the biologically relevant time scale for proteins fulfilling structural roles, while disease-related proteins can self-replicate quickly within the associated disease's time scale.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nilufa Sultana, Felicity A. Roddick, Biplob Kumar Pramanik
Summary: Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) in wastewater from commercial food establishments can cause environmental damage. A laboratory study found that dishwashers have a significant impact on the transformation of fatty acids (FA), particularly producing very long chain saturated FAs. Dishwashers were able to break down FOG particles into smaller sizes, while handwashing sinks produced larger particles. These findings can be used to update grease interceptor designs and control FOG disposal to prevent solidification and blockages.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Immunology
Hannah N. Agnew, John M. Atack, Ann R. D. Fernando, Sophie N. Waters, Mark van der Linden, Erin Smith, Andrew D. Abell, Erin B. Brazel, James C. Paton, Claudia Trappetti
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae can switch their genomic DNA methylation pattern between six bacterial subpopulations, which affects phenotype and disease development. The spnIIIB allele is associated with increased nasopharyngeal carriage and downregulation of the luxS gene. In this study, two clinical isolates from a pediatric meningitis patient were analyzed, showing different virulence profiles in mice. Analysis of the spnIII system in strains recovered from infected mice showed switch to different alleles consistent with isolate source, with the blood strain demonstrating high expression of spnIIIB allele. Deletion of luxS gene resulted in phenotypic profiles similar to strains recovered from nasopharynx. This study highlights the important role of the regulatory network between luxS and the type 1 restriction-modification system in S. pneumoniae infections and adaptation to specific host niches.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Sezin Oener, Sami Guelgoez
Summary: Social interactions play a crucial role in organizing early experiences in memory system. This study examined the influence of parental reminiscing on the relationship between parental attachment and recollection of earliest memories. The results showed that parental elaboration mediated the association between parental avoidance and recollection of earliest memories. However, parental elaboration did not act as a mediator for the relationship between parental anxiety and recollection of earliest memories. These findings highlight the importance of early relational and communicative input on adults' recollections of early events.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Urology & Nephrology
Samuel A. A. Gold, Vitaly Margulis
Summary: The cellular action of SARS-CoV-2 relies on specific receptors and cofactors. These proteins are found in normal kidney tubule tissue and renal cell carcinoma cells, suggesting potential targets for therapies.
NATURE REVIEWS UROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Fangqing Song, Stephane Hess, Thijs Dekker
Summary: This paper investigates preferences heterogeneity across respondents and within respondents through a two-layer latent class modeling structure. The study finds that individuals seeking variety play a significant role in preference heterogeneity. Specifically, novelty seekers are more likely to adopt new modes of transportation, while alternation seekers are more likely to exhibit intra-respondent preference heterogeneity.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Masahiro Shimogishi, Takayasu Watanabe, Masaki Shibasaki, Takahiko Shiba, Keiji Komatsu, Takashi Nemoto, Kazuyuki Ishihara, Yoshio Nakano, Takanori Iwata, Shohei Kasugai, Ichiro Nakagawa
Summary: The study found that the bacterial composition in the peri-implant sulcus was similar among patients at 1 and 2 weeks post-uncovering, with predominance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. However, the composition became more diverse and significantly different at 4 and 6 weeks. This suggests that the peri-implant microbiota is established early after implant uncovering, but changes over time and varies between patients.
JOURNAL OF PERIODONTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Business, Finance
John W. Goodell, Shaen Corbet, Miklesh Prasad Yadav, Satish Kumar, Sudhi Sharma, Kunjana Malik
Summary: Green investment funds are strongly correlated with global stock market performance, emerging markets, commodity markets, and FinTech, while Bitcoin is found to be isolated. The results suggest that green investment indices can serve as diversifiers to Bitcoin and bring many potential benefits for investors and policymakers.
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Management
Minette Bellingan, Catherine Tilley, Mukesh Kumar, Luciano Batista, Steve Evans
Summary: The study aims to explore the relationship between employee well-being and performance in Chinese factories, and improve both through training interventions. The experiments demonstrate that training interventions focused on work relationships and individual skills can improve workers' well-being and certain aspects of performance, benefiting both the factory owners and client companies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Diego Ruiz-Sobremazas, Rocio Rodulfo-Cardenas, Mario Ruiz-Coca, Miguel Morales-Navas, Maria Teresa Colomina, Caridad Lopez-Granero, Fernando Sanchez-Santed, Cristian Perez-Fernandez
Summary: Air pollution has a significant impact on human health and the economy, and there has been an increase in neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in recent years. Studies have found a connection between prenatal or perinatal exposure to environmental pollutants and ASD. This systematic review analyzes current literature on the relationship between exposure to air pollutants and neurodevelopmental disorders in rodents, highlighting negative developmental outcomes related to ASD-like behaviors. However, more research is needed to establish a clear relationship in certain domains.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew S. Dodd, Wei Shi, Chao Li, Zihu Zhang, Meng Cheng, Haodong Gu, Dalton S. Hardisty, Sean J. Loyd, Malcolm W. Wallace, Ashleigh Vs. Hood, Kelsey Lamothe, Benjamin J. W. Mills, Simon W. Poulton, Timothy W. Lyons
Summary: Phosphorus as a limiting nutrient may control oceanic oxygen levels. During the Shuram excursion, there was a pulsed increase in oceanic phosphorus concentrations, possibly due to the release of carbon dioxide and phosphorus from marine organic-matter oxidation and weathering on land. This led to elevated organic-pyrite burial and ocean oxygenation. The observation of decoupled phosphorus and ocean anoxia cycles suggests that external factors such as sulfate weathering may play a role in controlling oceanic oxygenation.
Article
Biology
Joana C. Xavier, Rebecca E. Gerhards, Jessica L. E. Wimmer, Julia Brueckner, Fernando D. K. Tria, William F. Martin
Summary: Researchers reconstructed the habitat and lifestyle of the last bacterial common ancestor (LBCA) by analyzing 146 LCBA protein families, indicating that the LBCA was rod-shaped and the first lineage to diverge from the ancestral bacterial stem was most similar to modern Clostridia, followed by other autotrophs that harbor the acetyl-CoA pathway.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Anja Spang
Summary: The origin of complex cellular life is a puzzling topic in evolutionary research, with wide variations in perspectives depending on world views and contexts. This article shares a biological perspective on the origin of eukaryotic cells, specifically focusing on the question of whether an archaeon was the ancestor of eukaryotes.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
