It’s not just how much, but also what and even when we eat that might affect our health and well-being, according to NIDDK deputy director Dr. Gregory Germino. “Questions remain as to what types of diets work best for weight loss and weight maintenance,” he explained during welcoming remarks.
The problems are not new. Some of the same culprits continue to threaten health around the world, from poverty to pollution. Some issues, such as maternal health and HIV/AIDS, are benefiting from increased global attention. But such infectious diseases as drug-resistant tuberculosis present new challenges.
Today, NSF-funded scientists continue to work across disciplines and partner with other federal agencies, including NIH, and the private sector to design new technologies, with exciting prospects for biomedical research, said NSF director Dr. France Anne-Dominic Córdova.
Full of arms, loops and ribbons that can tighten into a cage or open in welcome, ion channels govern each beat of the heart, in addition to being indispensable in myriad ways to all life forms as they channel sodium, potassium and calcium ions across cell membranes so that muscles can twitch, blood can flow and neurons can carry messages.
On the Cover
Ixodes Scapularis tick, adult and nymphal forms, used by NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories to study transmission of flaviviruses.
