Sunburn. Credit: © jivimages / Fotolia

High doses of vitamin D taken 1 hour after sunburn significantly reduce skin redness, swelling, and inflammation, according to double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. The trial results were recently published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

In the study, 20 participants were randomized to receive a placebo pill or 50,000, 100,000, or 200,000 IU of vitamin D one hour after a small UV lamp “sunburn” on their inner arm. Researchers followed up with the participants 24, 48, 72 hours and 1 week after the experiment and collected skin biopsies for further testing...

Single molecule-high sheets of graphene oxide mix in solution with synthetic tandem repeat proteins patterned on squid ring teeth. The two separate materials self assemble so that the tandem repeat proteins attach to the edges of the graphene oxide sheets — one end on a sheet — to bring the graphene into stacks and uniformly space the sheets. The amount of spacing between graphene oxide sheets is determined by the length of the tandem repeat protein. Credit: Penn State

Squid-inspired proteins can act as programmable assemblers of 2D materials, like graphene oxide, to form hybrid materials with minute spacing between layers suitable for high-efficiency devices including flexible electronics, energy storage systems and mechanical actuators, according to an interdisciplinary team of Penn Stat...

1. Mechanisms and time-resolved dynamics for trihydrogen cation (H3 ) formation from organic molecules in strong laser fields. Scientific Reports, 2017; 7 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04666-w
2. MSU’s Marcos Dantus has recreated interstellar ions with lasers.
Credit: Courtesy of MSU

Trihydrogen, H3+, is called the molecule that made the universe, where it plays a greater role in astrochemistry than any other molecule. While H3+ is astronomically abundant, no scientist understood the mechanisms that form it from organic molecules. Until now. Using lasers, Michigan State University scientists have unlocked the secret and published their results in the current issue of Scientific Reports...