A study of wild African herbivores offers new insight into how environmental conditions – not just diet and anatomy – can influence the evolution of gut microbes that play a critical role in animal health and well-being.

A new paper examines how close each state is to reaching the goal of cervical cancer elimination. While Massachusetts is close to elimination, the Southeast and Southwest regions have rates of cervical cancer that are double the elimination goal. 

Skeletal muscle stem cells in hibernating Syrian hamsters preserve their ability to function by suppressing their activation during the hibernation period, a research team led by Hiroshima University has shown. This insight may lead to a broader understanding of the maintenance of muscle tissue under prolonged low temperature conditions and may eventually lead to therapeutic applications.

City of Hope has opened a phase 2 clinical trial comparing three different strategies for protecting heart health in prostate cancer patients who receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a potentially lifesaving hormone therapy. Prostate cancer patients who receive ADT are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and other heart and blood vessel problems. This may be due to treatment-related metabolic changes that can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance and an increase in body fat. The trial will compare three approaches: intermittent fasting with a 16-hour fasting window, an anti-obesity medication targeting the body’s natural glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) signaling pathway and the American Heart Association’s  Life’s Essential 8 guidelines.