Functional measures and AD biomarkers among Hispanic and White non-Hispanic older adults.

Introduction: Poorer baseline functioning is associated with long-term cognitive decline among Hispanic older adults, but little is known about associations of these factors with Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuroimaging biomarkers.

Methods: A total of 461 Hispanic and White non-Hispanic (NHW) older adults who are cognitively normal ( = 76), had impaired cognition without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) ( = 41), or carried a diagnosis of MCI ( = 253) or dementia ( = 91) completed neuropsychological and functional assessment, genetic testing, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine predictive associations between functional and cognitive measures of AD neuroimaging biomarkers.

Sexually transmitted mutualist nematodes shape host growth across dung beetle species.

Many symbionts are sexually transmitted and impact their host's development, ecology, and evolution. While the significance of symbionts that cause sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is relatively well understood, the prevalence and potential significance of the sexual transmission of mutualists remain elusive. Here, we study the effects of sexually transmitted mutualist nematodes on their dung beetle hosts.

Vertically inherited microbiota and environment-modifying behaviors indirectly shape the exaggeration of secondary sexual traits in the gazelle dung beetle.

Many organisms actively manipulate the environment in ways that feed back on their own development, a process referred to as developmental niche construction. Yet, the role that constructed biotic and abiotic environments play in shaping phenotypic variation and its evolution is insufficiently understood. Here, we assess whether environmental modifications made by developing dung beetles impact the environment-sensitive expression of secondary sexual traits.

Our Hot Future Has Arrived-Are We Prepared?

Climate change has significantly enhanced dangerous heat events. Many of our institutions are ill-prepared to provide science-informed and rapid interventions to confront this. The GeoHealth community is working to bring science, public health, and medical professionals closer together to grapple with the challenges posed by extreme heat.

Just noticeable difference in sweetness perception of cola: Small changes in sugar are noticeable.

Unlabelled: Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption contributes to obesity and related diseases. Fortunately, beverages with reduced sweetness are a growing category in the beverage industry. These lower sweetness products could be useful for reducing the total dietary intake of sugar, but publicly available data are sparse on how much sweetness can be reduced without the change becoming noticeable to consumers.

From Lake to River: Documenting an Environmental Transition Across the Jura/Knockfarril Hill Members Boundary in the Glen Torridon Region of Gale Crater (Mars).

Between January 2019 and January 2021, the Mars Science Laboratory team explored the Glen Torridon (GT) region in Gale crater (Mars), known for its orbital detection of clay minerals. Mastcam, Mars Hand Lens Imager, and ChemCam data are used in an integrated sedimentological and geochemical study to characterize the Jura member of the upper Murray formation and the Knockfarril Hill member of the overlying Carolyn Shoemaker formation in northern GT. The studied strata show a progressive transition represented by interfingering beds of fine-grained, recessive mudstones of the Jura member and coarser-grained, cross-stratified sandstones attributed to the Knockfarril Hill member.

Using Community Science to Better Understand Lead Exposure Risks.

Lead (Pb) is a neurotoxicant that particularly harms young children. Urban environments are often plagued with elevated Pb in soils and dusts, posing a health exposure risk from inhalation and ingestion of these contaminated media. Thus, a better understanding of where to prioritize risk screening and intervention is paramount from a public health perspective.

The use of ICT during COVID-19.

ICTs are pivotal in the existing social order and especially during the COVID-19 global pandemic. This panel focuses on the use of ICTs by different actors, including individuals, nonprofit organizations, and governments around the globe in responding to this COVID crisis. We tackle three essential questions about ICTs and the global crisis.

Clinical applications of liquid biopsies for early lung cancer detection.

Over the past decade, the clinical utility of liquid biopsies in lung cancer has drawn increasing attention. Having been successfully applied in targeted therapy for late stage lung cancer, liquid biopsies are being further investigated regarding their potential role for early detection of lung cancer. Novel biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity are crucial for identifying patients at early stages as well as for monitoring high-risk populations.

Steps to Health in Cognitive Aging: Effects of Physical Activity on Spatial Attention and Executive Control in the Elderly.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physical activity (PA) habits may positively impact performance of the orienting and executive control networks in community-dwelling aging individuals and diabetics, who are at risk of cognitive dysfunction. To this aim, we tested cross-sectionally whether age, ranging from late middle-age to old adulthood, and PA level independently or interactively predict different facets of the attentional performance. Hundred and thirty female and male individuals and 22 adults with type 2 diabetes aged 55-84 years were recruited and their daily PA (steps) was objectively measured by means of armband monitors.

Physiological Roles of the Dual Phosphate Transporter Systems in Low and High Phosphate Conditions and in Capsule Maintenance of Streptococcus pneumoniae D39.

Unlike most bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) has two evolutionarily distinct ABC transporters (Pst1 and Pst2) for inorganic phosphate (Pi) uptake. The genes encoding a two-component regulator (PnpRS) are located immediately upstream of the pst1 operon. Both the pst1 and pst2 operons encode putative PhoU-family regulators (PhoU1 and PhoU2) at their ends.