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Exposure to copper in the environment and alpha-synuclein protein in the human brain may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. The researchers were able to show how the protein takes on an unusual shape when exposed to large amounts of copper ions. These findings could help develop new strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The causes of Parkinson’s disease are not fully understood. Long before the onset of characteristic muscle tremors, the appearance of faulty proteins in the brain can be the first sign. Researchers at Empa and the University of Limerick in Ireland have now taken a closer look at the abnormal shape of these alpha-synucleins in the form of a protein ring. By doing so, they were also able to visualize at the nanoscale the relationship with environmental pollution by copper. It highlights the development of neurodegenerative diseases and the role of biometals in the disease pro

Credit: Public Domain CC0 The increased incidence of potentially cancer-causing liver disease in children is associated with prenatal exposure to several endocrine-disrupting chemicals, report Mount Sinai researchers. This is the first comprehensive study of the association of prenatal exposure to these chemicals and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The researchers used cytokeratin-18 as a new marker of disease in children. The findings, reported in JAMA Network Open in July, underscoring the importance of understanding prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals as a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is a rapidly growing problem in children that can lead to severe chronic liver disease and liver cancer in adulthood. “These findings may inform more efficient early-life prevention and intervention strategies to address the current epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver dise