Structural biology relies on advanced crystallographic platforms to obtain high-quality diffraction data from challenging samples. The BL18U1 microcrystallography beamline at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) demonstrates strong capability in beamline optics, microbeam delivery, multi-energy operation, integrated instrumentation, and anomalous diffraction experiments. Supporting protein crystals, small-molecule crystals, and other demanding samples, BL18U1 provides users with an efficient platform for high-quality data collection and has enabled the determination of a large number of high-quality crystal structures.

Strange “chimeric” RNA once thought to be the product of cancer is actually an important controller of women’s health, including influencing their susceptibility to infectious disease and autoimmune disorders, new research suggests. 

The study, conducted on the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, shows that macrophages detect nutritional stress caused by a high-sugar diet and send a signal to the endocrine system to delay development.

This mechanism delays metamorphosis, giving the larvae time to grow and reach a functional, well-proportioned adult stage.

Published in Current Biology, the study opens up new questions about how nutrition, immunity, and hormones coordinate during development.

Paneth cell metaplasia (PCM), long viewed as a consequence of chronic inflammation in ulcerative colitis, may also help protect and repair the intestine, according to researchers at Science Tokyo. The study found that inflammation increases IL-22 signaling, which promotes PCM and the production of REG3A, a protein that helps heal the intestinal lining. The findings suggest PCM may be a protective response but should be monitored because persistent PCM could increase cancer risk.

A 72-year-old man developed aggressive skin cancer on his left thumb 30 years after a burn injury, illustrating the decades-long latency of Marjolin ulcer. This rare but deadly cancer behaves far more aggressively than common skin cancers, underscoring the critical need for lifelong monitoring of old scars and immediate biopsy of any suspicious changes.