Obesity-related metabolic liver disease affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. New research has identified a protein, EFHD1, that appears to drive the disease by triggering an out-of-place antiviral immune response. Blocking the protein can protect against liver injury in human cells and mouse models, even on a high-fat diet—paving the way for therapies to prevent liver damage.

A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), published by Elsevier, explored elementary school teachers' experiences before and after the end of the federal universal free school meals (UFSM) policy. Researchers found that teachers perceived the policy had helped reduce student hunger and family stress, while its expiration was associated with increased hunger, anxiety about meal costs, and decreased participation in school meal programs.

University of Missouri researchers are advancing a promising new approach to treating a serious heart condition that affects millions of older adults worldwide.

Doctors use samples of white blood cells taken in clinical settings in lab tests about immune function and for emerging therapies like CAR T cell for certain cancers. But, current tests are limited in scope and sometimes require the addition of molecular labels that make the samples unsuitable for further use or analysis. Investigators at the Morgridge Institute for Research have developed a method of using optical metabolic imaging to identify immune cells and their metabolic state without destroying the samples. The group is working to commercialize this technology and help clinicians get the most out of these commonly used blood samples.

A Rutgers-led international collaboration has identified 36 genes that substantially raise the risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and chronic tic disorders – providing what two researchers said is the most detailed biological understanding of how these conditions develop – and how they might eventually be treated.

Before this study, published in Nature Neuroscience, scientists had found a few genetic clues, each linked separately to OCD or chronic tic disorders.