Objective This study aimed to determine the minimum toenail mass needed for reliable fluoride analysis, and to compare fluoride extraction efficiency (%FE) using two protocols. Methods Toenail samples (n = 98 from 11 participants) were grouped into masses ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 mg (± 0.5 mg). Fluoride content was analyzed using a hexamethyldisiloxane(HMDS)-facilitated diffusion method and a fluoride-ion selective electrode. P...

To assess the strength of the relationships between fluoride concentrations in tap water, toenails, and urine in a U.S. cohort of pregnant participants using private, unregulated water systems. We analyzed fluoride concentrations in residential tap water directly with a fluoride-specific electrode, and in toenail and spot urine samples using a micro-diffusion technique. We collected samples from 436 pregnant women in the New H...

Graphical Abstract

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in long-lived human populations have led to identification of variants associated with Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease, the latter being the most common cause of mortality in people worldwide. In contrast, naturally occurring cancer represents the leading cause of death in pet dogs, and specific breeds like the Golden Retriever (GR) carry up to a 65% cancer-related death ra...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)- and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-linked mutations in CCNF have been shown to cause dysregulation to protein homeostasis. CCNF encodes for cyclin F, which is part of the cyclin F-E3 ligase complex SCF cyclinF known to ubiquitylate substrates for proteasomal degradation. In this study, we identified a function of cyclin F to regulate substrate solubility and show how cyclin F mechanistically...

Modiolus modiolus (horse mussel) reefs are an example of marine biodiversity hotspots of high conservation importance. Due to historical destruction and slow rates of recovery, the habitat is considered threatened and/or declining under the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic 1992, and therefore incorporated into the conservation legislation of several countries. An analysis...

Population cycling is a widespread phenomenon, observed across a multitude of taxa in both laboratory and natural conditions. Historically, the theory associated with population cycles was tightly linked to pairwise consumer–resource interactions and studied via deterministic models, but current empirical and theoretical research reveals a much richer basis for ecological cycles. Stochasticity and seasonality can modulate or c...