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The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation and the Antioxidant Curcumin on the Longevity, Fertility, and Physical Structure of Drosophila melanogaster: Can We Defend Our DNA?

Lateef et al. | May 18, 2019

The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation and the Antioxidant Curcumin on the Longevity, Fertility, and Physical Structure of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>: Can We Defend Our DNA?

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is known to alter DNA structure and impair cellular function in all living organisms. In this study, Lateef et al examine the effects of UV radiation to determine whether antioxidant-enriched nutrition can combat the potential deleterious effects of UV radiation on Drosophila melanogaster. They found that UVB (320nm) radiation caused a 59% decrease in the Drosophila lifespan and mutagenic effects on flies' physical appearance, but did not significantly affect fertility. Curcumin significantly prolonged lifespan and enhanced fertility for both UV- and non-UV-exposed flies. The research demonstrates the positive potential of natural antioxidants as weapons against radiation-induced diseases including cancer.

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Tree-Based Learning Algorithms to Classify ECG with Arrhythmias

Sun et al. | Apr 23, 2025

Tree-Based Learning Algorithms to Classify ECG with Arrhythmias

Arrhythmias vary in type and treatment, and ECGs are used to detect them, though human interpretation can be inconsistent. The researchers tested four tree-based algorithms (gradient boosting, random forest, decision tree, and extra trees) on ECG data from over 10,000 patients.

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Validating DTAPs with large language models: A novel approach to drug repurposing

Curtis et al. | Mar 02, 2025

Validating DTAPs with large language models: A novel approach to drug repurposing
Image credit: Growtika

Here, the authors investigated the integration of large language models (LLMs) with drug target affinity predictors (DTAPs) to improve drug repurposing, demonstrating a significant increase in prediction accuracy, particularly with GPT-4, for psychotropic drugs and the sigma-1 receptor. This novel approach offers to potentially accelerate and reduce the cost of drug discovery by efficiently identifying new therapeutic uses for existing drugs.

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Enhanced brain arteries and aneurysms analysis using a CAE-CFD approach

Saravanan et al. | Mar 02, 2025

Enhanced brain arteries and aneurysms analysis using a CAE-CFD approach
Image credit: Vineet Saravanan

Here, recognizing that brain aneurysms pose a severe threat, often misdiagnosed and leading to high mortality, particularly in younger individuals, the authors explored a novel computer-aided engineering approach. They used magnetic resonance angiography images and computational fluid dynamics, to improve aneurysm detection and risk assessment, aiming for more personalized treatment.

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Substance Abuse Transmission-Impact of Parental Exposure to Nicotine/Alcohol on Regenerated Planaria Offspring

Bennet et al. | Jul 02, 2024

Substance Abuse Transmission-Impact of Parental Exposure to Nicotine/Alcohol on Regenerated Planaria Offspring

The global mental health crisis has led to increased substance abuse among youth. Prescription drug abuse causes approximately 115 American deaths daily. Understanding intergenerational transmission of substance abuse is complex due to lengthy human studies and socioeconomic variables. Recent FDA guidelines mandate abuse liability testing for neuro-active drugs but overlook intergenerational transfer. Brown planaria, due to their nervous system development similarities with mammals, offer a novel model.

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