Latest News Releases 14 September

Predicting where anthropogenic debris accumulates in aquatic ecosystems is necessary for its control and environmental remediation, but plastic and fiber pollution in lakes is not well studied. A study published in PLOS Biology by Andrew Tanentzap at University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and colleagues suggests that microparticle concentrations in lakes are higher than previously reported, and that human activity and surrounding land use may be a strong predictor of microplastics and anthropogenic fiber pollution.

Amyloid protein made in the liver can cause neurodegeneration in the brain, according to a new study in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, by John Mamo of Curtin University in Bentley, Australia, and colleagues. Since the protein is thought to be a key contributor to development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the results suggest that the liver may play an important role in the onset or progression of the disease.

A study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in urine did not find an association between use of menstrual products and VOCs. The study, which measured VOCs in the urine of reproductive-aged women across the menstrual cycle

A new UCLA-led study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology involving faculty at UCLA Health’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) in the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering reveals that respiratory emissions produced during the labor and vaginal delivery process can increase the risk of respiratory disease transmission.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has released its new recommendations on supporting breastfeeding during maternal or child hospitalization. Whenever possible, the lactating mother and breastfeeding infant or child should be kept together

In future, agricultural crop production will have to manage with less and less nitrogen fertilisation. The goal must therefore be to increase nitrogen use efficiency so that yield levels can be kept stable. Plants respond to mild nitrogen deficiency by elongating their lateral roots. In this way, more nitrogen can be absorbed than before. Researchers at the IPK Leibniz Institute have now discovered a hormonal regulatory module that mediates the molecular processes of this adaptation. Brassinosteroids and auxins play a central role in this. The results were published in the journal “Nature Communications”.