News by Subject Biology

Patients with type-2 diabetes, taking metformin, should have their vitamin B12 levels assessed more regularly to avoid irreversible nerve damage, according to a new study presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Glasgow. The study findings suggest that earlier detection of vitamin B12 deficiency through routine screening of all metformin-treated, type-2 diabetes patients could reduce their risk of developing irreversible, painful and potentially disabling nerve damage.

Researchers are exploring how irregular filling mechanics may contribute to defects in developing fetal hearts because inefficient filling leads to energy losses that alter the heart's structure and performance, and studying how filling mechanics and flow structure change over the course of gestation. During the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics 71st Annual Meeting, Nov. 18-20, they will discuss the team's findings on human fetal cardiac flow measurements collected from normal and abnormal fetal echocardiogram exams.

Researchers and clinicians through a multicenter collaboration have identified a novel multisystem disorder caused by bi-allelic variants in the CCDC47 gene. Their findings are reported in the American Journal of Human Genetics. In this study, detailed clinical characterization and functional studies were performed on four unrelated individuals with a complex multisystem disorder characterized by woolly hair, liver dysfunction, itchy skin, unusual facial features, low muscle tone, and global developmental delay.

Taking typical daily annoyances such as a long wait at the doctor's office or a traffic jam on the freeway in stride may help preserve brain health in older adults.

Dr. SHENG Nengyin at the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Dr. SHI Yun's Lab at the Model Animal Research Center of Nanjing University, revealed a signal peptide function for glutamate receptor trafficking and uncovered a novel trafficking mechanism for glutamate receptors.

Good nutrition in early life may protect against stress-induced changes in brain development in young mice, according to data presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Glasgow. The study findings suggests that a nutrient-rich diet may have protective effects on brain development in young mice exposed to early-life stress, which reduces their risk of learning and memory issues in later life.

Women that underwent extreme physical training and completed a transantarctic expedition did not show any more negative health effects than would be expected in men, according to a study presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Glasgow. The study is the first to suggest that women are not more susceptible to the negative effects of physical exertion and, that with appropriate training and preparation, can be as resilient as men in undertaking arduous physical activity.

Marvel comics superheroes Ant-Man and the Wasp possess the ability to temporarily shrink down to the size of insects, while retaining the mass and strength of their normal human bodies. But a new study suggests that, when bug-sized, Ant-Man and the Wasp would face serious challenges, including oxygen deprivation. Those challenges, along with their solution-microfluidic technologies, will be described at the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics 71st Annual Meeting, Nov. 18-20.