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(Philadelphia, PA) - Like a failing fuel pump that causes a loss of engine power in a car, a diseased heart can take a serious toll on the body s performance. For some patients, tasks like walking up a flight of stairs or walking across a room eventually turn into exhausting endeavors. This is because, over time, regardless of the underlying cause, heart damage typically progresses, owing to a constant barrage of oxidative stress and toxic lipids that alter heart cell energetics and, ultimately, the ability of the heart to function normally.
Oxidative stress occurs when harmful oxygen-containing molecules outnumber helpful antioxidants, leading to damaging reactions with proteins, DNA, and other cell components. Now, in two new studies, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) show that in the heart, one molecule in particular, Kruppel-like factor (KLF)-5, single-handedly fuels both the generation of oxidizing molecules and the accumul
Cultivate the Perfect Evening Routine to Avoid Insomnia
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The bacterium
Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin that can paralyze muscles and halt breathing. Eye of Science/Science Source
New strategy to fight world’s most potent poison passes first tests in animals
Jan. 6, 2021 , 2:00 PM
A new strategy to fight the world’s most potent poison has passed its first tests in animals. Two research teams have developed neutered forms of botulinum toxin that chase their deadly counterpart into nerves and disarm it. The treatment, if it works in people, would be the first to reverse the paralyzing effects of the toxin inside cells and might spare patients long periods on a ventilator. “In a life-threatening situation, this will be very, very helpful,” says Brenda Anne Wilson, a toxin microbiologist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
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Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler has said a new rule will improve scientific transparency, but critics disagree. Al Drago/Pool via AP
Trump’s new rule restricting EPA’s use of certain science could have short life
Jan. 6, 2021 , 12:45 PM
President Donald Trump’s administration yesterday finalized a controversial rule that would make it more difficult for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use major health studies to guide pollution regulations. But the new rule which has been fiercely opposed by the scientific community could have a short life. The apparent victory by Democrats yesterday in two Senate races in Georgia is expected to give the party control of the U.S. Senate, and lawmakers could use a rarely invoked law to revoke the rule by a simple majority vote.