The therapeutic use of human calcitonin (CT) in humans is limited by rapid receptor desensitization (tachyphylaxis), which requires short-term dosing despite the need for long-term treatment. In contrast, fish CT-CT receptors (CTR) exhibit extraordinary resistance to desensitization, enabling lifelong calcium regulation in high-Ca²⁺ marine environments. Here, we analyze the evolutionary, structural, and functional distinctions between fish and human CT systems. We propose that the unique molecular structure of fish CT and CTR may provide templates for engineering durable therapeutic agents to overcome tachyphylaxis.

Study shows tooth loss, not low-protein intake, drives memory decline in aging mice, hinting that reduced chewing may influence brain health.

China has moved from patchy, post-crisis biosafety rules to a unified legal regime anchored by the 2020 Biosecurity Law, yet fragmentation, weak risk intelligence and poor inter-agency coordination still leave gaps that could be exploited by novel pathogens, synthetic biology or geopolitical tension.  Historical review shows three phases: 1949-2002 built basic disease reporting and plant-quarantine systems but relied on paper records; 2003-2019 introduced internet-based surveillance, BSL-3/4 laboratories and alignment with WHO’s International Health Regulations after the SARS shock; 2020-present elevated biosafety to national-security status, enacted the Biosecurity Law and poured funds into diagnostics, vaccines and bio-economic R&D during COVID-19.  These steps created the skeleton of a modern system, but four structural weaknesses persist: strategic plans lack operational road-maps and AI-enabled foresight; the legal framework offers no clear dispute-resolution or accountability mechanisms; organisational silos among health, agriculture, science and military agencies hamper horizontal coordination; and public awareness plus professional training remain patchy, weakening compliance culture.

China’s rapidly ageing society—487 million people ≥ 60 years by 2050—faces an escalating dementia crisis: 15 million patients already account for one-quarter of the global total, while combined dementia and mild cognitive impairment affect 54 million citizens. Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen 140% in two decades, making it a top-six cause of mortality, and annual care costs are projected to surge from US $168 billion in 2015 to US $1.9 trillion by 2050. Care-giver burden is equally stark: 84 % report sleep disturbance and 44% anxiety, while 77% of patients depend solely on unpaid family support. Current prevention and control systems, however, remain fragmented and under-resourced. Diagnosis is missed in 86% of community cases—well above the global 75%—and only 660 memory clinics operate nationwide against a need for > 3 500. Drug development lags behind the West; beyond the controversial anti-amyloid antibodies aducanumab, lecanemab and donanemab, China offers only the investigational TCM-derived GV-971. No national long-term care insurance equivalent to Japan’s or Germany’s exists, leaving families to shoulder more than half of total costs.

Congenital musculoskeletal and limb deformities (CMLD) remain one of the most visible yet under-prioritized birth defects, generating lifelong disability, stigma and economic loss; fresh GBD 2021 estimates now map incidence, prevalence, deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for children under five across 204 territories from 1990 to 2021, revealing both encouraging global declines and widening relative inequality. Worldwide incident cases fell modestly from 2.52 to 2.44 million, pushing incidence down from 407 to 370 per 100 000 (EAPC −0.2%), while prevalent cases decreased only marginally; sharper improvements were seen in health loss, with DALYs dropping 27% to 258 per 100 000 and mortality falling 37% to 168 per million, signalling better survival and functional care. These headline trends, however, mask striking heterogeneity linked to socio-demographic index (SDI): low-SDI settings still record the highest incidence (466 per 100 000) and DALYs (367), whereas high-SDI countries report less than half those rates, and middle-SDI regions achieved the steepest annual reductions (−0.5% incidence, −1.6% DALYs).

Advanced biliary tract cancer represents one of the most challenging gastrointestinal malignancies in China, with increasing incidence and extremely poor prognosis due to late-stage diagnosis and limited treatment options. The integration of precision medicine approaches has transformed the therapeutic landscape by enabling personalized treatment strategies based on molecular profiling, tumor characteristics, and patient-specific factors. Recent developments encompass novel chemotherapy combinations, targeted therapies for specific genetic alterations, immunotherapy approaches, and emerging biomarkers that guide treatment selection and predict therapeutic responses.

New research from Fujita Health University reveals that talking can subtly delay the eyes’ ability to detect and stabilize on visual information. In experiments comparing talking, listening, and control conditions, only talking caused slower reaction, movement, and fixation times during rapid eye-movement tasks. Because driving depends heavily on fast gaze shifts, these delays may impair hazard detection and slow physical responses. The findings highlight the hidden risks of engaging in conversation while driving.

Medical image segmentation is a fundamental component of many clinical applications such as computer-aided diagnosis, radiotherapy planning, and preoperative planning. Its accuracy and stability directly affect subsequent quantitative analysis and clinical decision-making. Based on a systematic analysis of feature utilization in U-shaped architectures, Prof. Zhao Qi’s team at Liaoning University of Science and Technology and Prof. Shuai Jianwei’s team at the Wenzhou Institute of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an E-shaped medical image segmentation framework that differs from conventional symmetric decoders.