Gut Microbial Pathway identified as Target for Improved Heart Disease Treatment

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Topological designation of the secondary structure of β2AR. The figure displays the overlap of the secondary structures of the 4 crystal structures of β2AR used in this study.

Cleveland Clinic researchers have made a significant discovery about how the gut microbiome interacts with cells to cause cardiovascular disease. The study published in Nature Communications found that phenylacetylglutamine (PAG), produced by gut bacteria as a waste product, then absorbed and formed in the liver, interacts with previously undiscovered locations on beta-2 adrenergic receptors on heart cells once it enters the circulation.

PAG was shown to interact with beta-2 adrenergic receptors to influence how forcefully the heart muscle cells contract—a process that investigators believe contributes to he...

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Australia Green Lights World’s ‘Largest’ Solar Hub

Australia solar hub
Map showing SunCable’s Australia-Asia PowerLink renewable energy project from Australia’s Northern Territory to Darwin and Singapore via a high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system.

Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar and battery farm that would export energy to Singapore, a project it calls the “largest solar precinct in the world”.

Authorities announced environmental approvals for SunCable’s US$24 billion project in Australia’s remote north that is slated to power 3million homes.

The project, which will include an array of panels, batteries and, eventually, a cable linking Australia with Singapore, is backed by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.

“It will be the largest solar precinct in the world –- and heralds Austral...

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New View of North Star Reveals Spotted Surface

Image captured by the CHARA Array showing Polaris
CHARA Array false-color image of Polaris from April 2021 that reveals large bright and dark spots on the surface. Polaris appears about 600,000 times smaller than the Full Moon in the sky.

High-resolution images show large spots on the surface of Polaris. Researchers using Georgia State University’s Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array have identified new details about the size and appearance of the North Star, also known as Polaris. The new research is published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Earth’s North Pole points to a direction in space marked by the North Star. Polaris is both a navigation aid and a remarkable star in its own right. It is the brightest member of a triple-star system and is a pulsating variable star...

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Improving Access to Heart-Failure Screening with Saliva

Spit to save lives: 15-minute saliva test detects heart failure at home
A new saliva-based test for heart failure measures two biomarkers from a drop of saliva in about 15 minutes and can be administered at home.

Heart failure is a leading cause of death worldwide and is especially deadly for people who don’t have access to medical facilities. A team of researchers aims to bring heart failure screening from the lab to the home with a point-of-care electrochemical biosensor prototype that measures levels of two biomarkers for heart failure in as little as 15 minutes from just a drop of saliva.

Trey Pittman, a graduate student at Colorado State University, will present his team’s research at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

“Our device would be ideal for people who are at high risk for heart failure but have limited access to a ...

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