�ٺ��Ƶ Advancing Health Worldwide News

Awareness of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Saves Lives

Katherine E Kerlin — March 06, 2025

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection spread by biting ticks to humans and dogs. Found on every continent except Antarctica, the infectious disease has been spreading since the early 2000s, most notably in Mexico and Brazil. Of the cases reported, more than half of infected people and dogs die.

A paper led by the University of California, Davis, highlights one of the most effective but often missing solutions to surviving this preventable, deadly disease: awareness. Most fatal cases stem from delays in diagnosis and treatment.

3D Genome Structure Guides Sperm Development

Andy Fell — March 03, 2025

How 3D folding of DNA inside germ cells sets them on the path to become sperm.

Restoring Voices and Identity with Neuroengineering

Andy Fell — February 27, 2025

Lee Miller vividly recalls the day in 2021 when he met a woman who had lost the function of her vocal cords. In hoarse, whispering tones she explained how her voice had been instrumental to her vocation. Losing it, she said, undercut her life’s purpose. Her words were faint, but the lesson was powerful.

Improving Indoor Air Quality for Better Public Health

Jocelyn C Anderson — February 24, 2025

Scientists are unraveling the complex factors that go into indoor air quality and how indoor air pollution and airborne pathogens are affecting public health.

Media Experts on Avian Influenza

Amy M Quinton — February 18, 2025

�ٺ��Ƶ media experts for avian influenza or bird flu.

Sweet Molasses Feed Key to Understanding Grazing Behavior in Cattle

Amy M Quinton — February 18, 2025

Researchers tempted grazing cattle with sweet molasses feed to discover whether cows would roam far to graze or stick close to the herd, water supplies and feed stations.

Killing H5N1 in Waste Milk — An Alternative To Pasteurization

Amy M Quinton — February 13, 2025

�ٺ��Ƶ researchers have found that acidification can kill H5N1 in waste milk, providing dairy farmers an affordable, easy-to-use alternative to pasteurization.

�ٺ��Ƶ Researchers Achieve Total Synthesis of Ibogaine

Andy Fell — February 06, 2025

Ibogaine — a psychoactive plant derivative — has attracted attention for its anti-addictive and anti-depressant properties. But ibogaine is a finite resource, extracted from plants native to Africa like the iboga shrub (Tabernanthe iboga) and the small-fruited voacanga tree (Voacanga africana). Further, its use can lead to irregular heartbeats, introducing safety risks and an overall need to better understand how its molecular structure leads to its biological effects.

Outside-In Signaling Shows a Route Into Cancer Cells

Andy Fell — February 04, 2025

A new study shows how an anticancer drug triggers an “outside in” signal that gets it sucked into a cancer cell. The work, published Jan. 29 in Nature Communications, reveals a new signaling mechanism that could be exploited for delivering other drugs.

Many malignant cancers overexpress a protein called P-cadherin, which is embedded in the cell membrane. Because cancer cells have a lot of P-cadherin sticking out of their surface, the protein has been targeted for drug development.

The Hunt Narrows for Ebolavirus Hosts

Katherine E Kerlin — January 15, 2025

Bats are widely recognized as the primary hosts of filoviruses, such as Ebola, yet the specific host species of ebolaviruses are not definitively known. In a study led by the University of California, Davis, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein), scientists have developed a new tool to narrow down potential host species of filoviruses and better prioritize wildlife surveillance. The research is part of global efforts to prevent viral spillover between animals and humans.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Why Zika Virus Hijacks a Protein Needed for Brain Growth

Andy Fell — January 13, 2025

The mosquito-borne Zika virus is known for causing microcephaly, a birth defect in which abnormal brain development results in a smaller-than-expected head. A new study published Jan. 13 in mBio shows that the Zika virus hijacks a host protein called ANKLE2, which happens to be important for brain development, to assist its own reproduction. Because Zika, unlike most related viruses, can cross the placenta, this can have disastrous consequences in pregnancy.

Nigeria Adopts Multiple Micronutrient-Fortified Bouillon Cube Standards to Reduce Malnutrition and Child Mortality

Andy Fell — December 17, 2024

The Nigerian government has enacted a new industrial standard for bouillon which includes a provision for adding vital micronutrients. The new standard specifies the inclusion of iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 on a voluntary basis in nationally produced and imported bouillon cubes to reduce malnutrition and child mortality.

Agricultural Workers Reduce Hours or Move Locations to Avoid Wildfire Smoke

Amy M Quinton — December 12, 2024

Wildfires forced farmworkers to move locations or reduce hours on smoky days when elevated levels of particulate matter were in the air.

A Chip to Measure Immunity

Andy Fell — December 04, 2024

Every winter, influenza returns with a new variant. People who have previously been infected with or vaccinated against flu may have some protection, but this depends on how well their immune system’s “memory” of the previous virus or vaccine cross-reacts with the new variant. At present, there is no good way to measure this. A new NIH-funded project by researchers at the University of California, Davis and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health aims to solve that problem with a new device to measure this immune system “memory” in the blood.

Transparent Worms with Glowing Proteins May Help Fertility Treatments

Andy Fell — November 21, 2024

The development of maternal egg cells is pivotal for survival – but also precarious. During meiosis, the DNA-containing chromosomes can easily be broken or lost, causing infertility, miscarriage or genetic disorders like Down syndrome. Scientists have struggled to study these crucial cellular events in humans and other mammals.

Probiotics and Prebiotics: Hype or Health?

Jocelyn C Anderson — November 19, 2024

The products often say they “support a healthy gut” or “boost your immune system” by providing good microbes that are often missing from people’s diets. But how can consumers know if these products are really good for them?

Anti-Anxiety and Hallucination-Like Effects of Psychedelics Mediated by Distinct Neural Circuits

Andy Fell — November 14, 2024

New research suggests that it could be possible to separate treatment from hallucinations when developing new drugs based on psychedelics. The anti-anxiety andhallucination-inducing qualities of psychedelic drugs work through different neural circuits, according to research using a mouse model. The work is published Nov. 15 in Science.

Asthma May Place Children at Risk of Memory Difficulties, New Research Finds

Andy Fell — November 12, 2024

Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study, the first of its kind to connect asthma to memory deficits in children, was published in Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Elephant Seal Colony Declines One Year After Avian Flu Outbreak

Katherine E Kerlin — November 11, 2024

A year after an outbreak of H5N1 killed thousands of elephant seals, only about a third of the seals normally expected here returned, �ٺ��Ƶ scientists and partners estimate. A study chronicles the 2023 outbreak.

La Colonia de Elefantes Marinos de Península Valdés Disminuye Un Año Después del Brote de Gripe Aviar