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Splicing regulator U2AF1 promotes angiogenesis in cardiac injury

A study published in Engineering shows that a protein called U2 small nuclear RNA auxiliary factor 1 (U2AF1), released by immune cells known as macrophages, helps grow new blood vessels in the heart after a myocardial infarction (MI) by altering how the gene Yap1 is spliced.

22 Dec 2025

Study charts the escalating spread of resistant bacteria and fungi

The success of modern medicine rests on the ability to control infections. But decades of antibiotic overuse—in hospitals, communities, and farms—have fueled a global surge in resistant microbes.

22 Dec 2025

Getting a dog for the first time boosts walking and remote social ties

First-time dog owners in Japan showed significant increases in walking activity and non-face-to-face social contact over one year compared with non-dog owners. No significant changes were observed in vigorous activity or face-to-face social contact, highlighting specific behavioral associations rather than broad lifestyle shifts.

21 Dec 2025

Blood metabolite profiling outperforms BMI in predicting pregnancy complications

This study shows that a blood-based metabolomic signature linked to maternal BMI predicts gestational diabetes and preeclampsia more strongly than BMI alone, particularly in late pregnancy. A subset of 16 metabolites statistically mediates the BMI–gestational diabetes association, highlighting metabolic pathways that may improve prenatal risk stratification.

21 Dec 2025

Simple fruit granola intervention shows promising cardio-renal signals in CKD patients

A single-arm intervention study in Japanese adults with moderate chronic kidney disease found that replacing breakfast with fruit granola for two months lowered systolic blood pressure, reduced LDL-related lipid markers, and decreased a urinary marker of tubular injury. Renal function remained stable, bowel habits improved, and findings were exploratory due to the small, open-label design.

21 Dec 2025

Simple blood test maps hidden Alzheimer’s disease changes

This population-based study used plasma pTau217 to estimate how common Alzheimer’s disease neuropathological changes are across age and cognitive status in a Norwegian community cohort. Prevalence rose steeply with age and was strongly associated with APOE ε4 genotype, education level, and kidney function, with implications for future use of blood biomarkers in clinical practice.

21 Dec 2025

People with central vision loss can accurately judge approaching vehicles

People with central vision loss can judge the motion of vehicles almost as accurately as people with normal vision, a new international study shows.

19 Dec 2025

Skin and internal organs sense cold through different molecular pathways

A research team led by Félix Viana, co-director of the Sensory Transduction and Nociception laboratory at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), has demonstrated that the body uses different molecular mechanisms to detect cold in the skin and in internal organs.

19 Dec 2025

Declining religious participation linked to rising deaths of despair

A decline in religious participation among middle-aged, less educated white Americans may have played a role in the widely noted increases in "deaths of despair," a new study finds.

19 Dec 2025

Genes influence the gut microbiome beyond the individual

The gut microbiome - made up of trillions of microbes in the digestive tract - is vital for digestion and overall health. Diet and medication shape these microbial ecosystems, but the contribution of genetics has been more difficult to ascertain.

19 Dec 2025

New CPRIT awards expand cancer prevention and treatment research in South Texas

UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio), received nearly $3 million in new academic and prevention awards as part of the latest funding round announced by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

19 Dec 2025

New grant supports research into drug-induced brain toxicity

Important FDA-approved drugs to treat HIV and cancer can save lives, but they come with their own risks. Some drugs used clinically are known to cause neurological side effects in up to half of patients, ranging from confusion and memory problems to permanent nerve damage.

19 Dec 2025

Prenatal exposure to hot and humid conditions worsens child growth outcomes

The dangers of heat and humidity are so well known it's become cliche to mention them. But the impacts can extend farther than even scientists and doctors realized.

19 Dec 2025

New insights into how a molecular gatekeeper controls early protein modification

For years, ETH researchers have been investigating a molecular complex that plays a key role in protein synthesis. They have now discovered that this complex also contributes a crucial function in ensuring that our DNA is properly processed and “packaged”.

19 Dec 2025

Nanoplastics alter the gut barrier and metabolism depending on diet

A team of researchers from INRAE, CNRS, and the University of Lille studied how low dietary doses of nanoplastics affected mice.

19 Dec 2025

Long-approved drug shows promise in slowing neuron loss in Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz have discovered that while brain neuron changes, including cell loss, may begin in early life, a drug long-approved for other conditions might be repurposed to slow this damage, offering new hope for those with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other cognition issues.

19 Dec 2025

DNA twisting controls how cells respond to estrogen

Estrogens, the main female sex hormone, although they also perform some functions in men, are involved in a myriad of processes, which is why the body changes so much during menopause. This is because estrogens regulate hundreds of genes.

19 Dec 2025

Viral DNA elements help control early embryonic development

Transposable elements are stretches of DNA that can move around the genome. Many of these DNA sequences originate from long ago, when viruses inserted their genetic material into our ancestors' genomes during infection.

19 Dec 2025

Access barriers keep Black and low-income patients out of genetics clinics

Black patients and patients from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods are dramatically under-represented in genetics clinics-often at rates half or less than those of White patients or individuals from wealthier areas-according to researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts General Hospital.

19 Dec 2025

ACE2 protein may play a protective role against high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes

A collaborative study from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London has found that the protein ACE2 may play a protective role against two common conditions, high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes, which affect millions of people worldwide.

19 Dec 2025