Fruit flies advance research on ACOX1-related neurodegenerative disorders

A study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reports that a hyperactive variant of enzyme ACOX1 produces elevated levels of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and causes a previously unidentified late-onset neurodegenerative disorder. The team named this new syndrome “Mitchell disease” in reference to the first patient to be diagnosed with this disorder.
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New strategies for managing bowel and bladder dysfunction after spinal cord injury

Among the many challenges to independence and quality of life after spinal cord injury, two complications have emerged as top priorities for researchers—neurogenic bowel and neurogenic bladder. With funding from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, researchers formulated a framework for planning and executing the research needed in these areas, and established recommendations for translating research findings into practical recommendations for community use by individuals with spinal cord injury.
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How the historically misunderstood amyloid helps to store memories

For the first time, scientists from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and collaborators have described the structure of an endogenously sourced, functioning neuronal amyloid at atomic resolution. The amyloid is composed of self-aggregated Orb2, the fruit fly version of the mRNA-binding cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding (CPEB) protein, which has been linked to long-term memory storage. The results of this work, published online March 13, 2020, in Science, have some very interesting implications.
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Study correlates consumption of contaminated water with the severity of malformations caused by the Zika virus

Between 2015 and 2016, Brazil suffered from an epidemic outbreak of the Zika virus, with infections throughout the country states. Despite the concentration of cases in other regions of Brazil, it was the Northeast that registered the highest incidence of microcephaly associated with the Zika virus. The concentration of this clinical outcome drew the attention of scientists, who raised the hypothesis that this aggravation could result from the association between the epidemic and some preventable environmental factors in the region. The research was a joint action of the D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).
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