Microplastics, the persistent pollutants already known to threaten ecosystems and human health, have a previously unrecognized dark side inside the world's urban sewer networks.

Genomic surveillance — the process of monitoring and sequencing pathogens — is one of the most important tools for detecting emerging viral threats. But global surveillance systems remain costly, unevenly distributed and often are too slow to identify dangerous variants before they spread internationally,  amplifying future threats of disease outbreaks.

A recently published research paper in Nature Communications, co-authored by Dr. Patricia Ning, assistant statistics professor, and Jifan Li, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Statistics, along with collaborators from multiple international institutions, introduces a new framework to rectify these issues while using fewer resources, making genomic surveillance rapid and cost-effective in preparation for new strains of COVID-19.

A recent study led by Professor Zhao Lichun（赵立春）from the Research Center of Trace Elements and Health Development at Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was published in the World Journal of Integrated traditional and western Medicine (WJIM), entitled “Theoretical Framework and Hypothesis on the Association Between Rubidium Ion Metabolic Dysregulation and Parkinson’s Disease.” This work, grounded in ionic homeostasis imbalance as a fundamental biophysical process, proposes an integrated theoretical model spanning “ion regulation-cellular dysfunction-neurodegeneration,” thereby providing a novel interpretative dimension and potential intervention perspective for the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Researchers led by Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt and Goethe University Frankfurt have identified how particularly aggressive forms of lymphoma can be recognized. By combining genetic and proteomic analyses, the scientists were able to identify biological characteristics of tumors, particularly in high-risk patients for whom standard therapy offers little chance of cure. In the future, such patients could receive alternative, more effective therapies directly. In addition, experimental laboratory research provided initial clues to potential therapeutic targets.