Seeing the signs earlier > Scientists have long connected the buildup of certain plaques in the brain to Alzheimer’s disease. Today, University of Minnesota researchers believe they have identified a new type of plaque that appears before the better-known beta-amyloid plaques typically associated with the disease. The researchers found that their “mitochondrial plaques” contain high levels of amyloid precursor protein, which gives rise to beta-amyloid. “By understanding how these plaques form and contribute to disease progression, we may be able to develop new strategies to slow or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease,” Paul Robbins, PhD, associate director of the Medical School’s Masonic Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism, told Newsweek in August.

Birthing care hits the road > How far is too far for an expectant mother to travel to find a maternity ward while she’s in labor? With 20 Minnesota hospital-based obstetrics units having closed in the past dozen years, largely due to budget challenges, more women are forced to drive farther to access care — leading to worse outcomes for mothers and babies and more emergency deliveries at rural hospitals by less-trained staff. Highlighted in the Minnesota Star Tribune in September, the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Keri Bergeson, MD, is using a lifelike mannequin to help those medical staff better prepare for complex birth scenarios.