Mark Herman
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markhermanmd.bsky.social
Mark Herman
@markhermanmd.bsky.social
470 followers 410 following 10 posts
Dad, scientist, physician, other. Endocrine Chief, Houston, TX. All views and opinions are my own.
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Reposted by Mark Herman
drugmonkey.bsky.social
Confirmation of the new triage line at 65-70% of proposals. Introduction of a new “competitive but ND” class to permit exception pay pickups.
Details on altered peer review including the new triage line for 65-70% of apps.
November 24, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
bensahralab.bsky.social
Excited to share our latest work out today in @cp-molcell.bsky.social, revealing a molecular link between succinate dehydrogenase and purine synthesis, connecting two fundamental metabolic pathways. Huge congratulations to the first author, Mushtaq Nengroo! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
!
Accumulation of succinate suppresses de novo purine synthesis through succinylation-mediated control of the mitochondrial folate cycle
The de novo purine synthesis pathway is fundamental for nucleotide production, yet the role of mitochondrial metabolism in modulating this process rem…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
stephenturner.us
redquack cran.r-project.org/web/packages... #Rstats pkg to transfer REDCap data to a database, specifically optimized for DuckDB
redquack: Transfer 'REDCap' Data to Database
Transfer 'REDCap' (Research Electronic Data Capture) data to a database, specifically optimized for 'DuckDB'. Processes data in chunks to handle large datasets without exceeding available memory.…
cran.r-project.org
October 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
erictopol.bsky.social
Exposure to sugar early in life: a natural experiment among >63,000 @uk_biobank participants: rationing of sugar was associated with less cardiovascular risk in adulthood www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Exposure to sugar rationing in first 1000 days after conception and long term cardiovascular outcomes: natural experiment study
Objective To examine whether exposure to sugar rationing during early life is associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular outcomes in adulthood. Design Natural experiment study. Settin...
www.bmj.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Reposted by Mark Herman
erictopol.bsky.social
The benefit of Ozempic (semaglutide) for protection from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) is independent of weight loss magnitude and baseline adiposity, likely related to the GLP-1 anti-inflammatory effect
thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes by baseline and changes in adiposity measurements: a prespecified analysis of the SELECT trial
The cardioprotective effects of semaglutide were independent of baseline adiposity and weight loss and had only a small association with waist circumference, suggesting some mechanisms for benefit bey...
thelancet.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
danieljdrucker.bsky.social
Sweetening the diet with artificial sweeteners reveals in a clinical trial that prolonged consumption of S&SEs in a healthy diet is a safe strategy for #obesity management #weightloss #microbiota www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Effect of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on weight management and gut microbiota composition in individuals with overweight or obesity: the SWEET study - Nature Metabolism
The SWEET project is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial that shows that long-term consumption of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers improves body weight control and elicits beneficial gut microbiota changes in adults with overweight or obesity.
www.nature.com
October 7, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Reposted by Mark Herman
bartdeplancke.bsky.social
🧵1/ Excited to share our new paper introducing a new #singlecell assay: scTF-seq, a high-throughput single-cell approach to explore how transcription factor (TF) dose shapes cell identity and reprogramming outcomes. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... Big congrats to the entire team @EPFL & @SIAT_China
Dissecting the impact of transcription factor dose on cell reprogramming heterogeneity using scTF-seq - Nature Genetics
This study introduces single-cell transcription factor (TF) sequencing, a single-cell barcoded and doxycycline-inducible TF overexpression approach that reveals dose-sensitive functional classes of TFs and cellular heterogeneity by mapping TF dose-dependent transcriptomic changes during the reprogramming of mouse embryonic multipotent stromal cells.
www.nature.com
October 6, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Reposted by Mark Herman
dukemedschool.bsky.social
A new study from Duke, led by Jonathan Campbell, PhD, reveals that pancreatic alpha cells do more than produce glucagon — they also generate GLP-1, a hormone that boosts insulin and regulates blood sugar.

🔗 Read more: https://medschool.duke.edu/news/alpha-cells-moonlight-secret-glp-1-factories
Two individuals, one in a lab coat and gloves, working together in a laboratory setting. Person standing by a window with arms crossed, reflecting on a glass surface next to them.
September 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
flscitriguy.bsky.social
Reminder starting in October NIH NOFOs won’t be posted in the Guide for grants and contracts.

Tips on how to search for opportunities & set up a subscription for custom searches here: grants.nih.gov/news-events/...
New Tool to Explore NIH Grant Opportunities | Grants & Funding
grants.nih.gov
September 26, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
bcmfromthelabs.bsky.social
Baylor @bcmhouston.bsky.social and associated institutions awarded grant to establish the Houston #Nutrition and #Obesity #Research Center @markhermanmd.bsky.social www.bcm.edu/news/baylor-...
September 23, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
ardemp.bskyverified.social
Apparently, chimpanzees consume equivalent of 1-2 standard alcoholic drinks per day in the wild via fermented fruit!! (h/t Nick Villarino)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ethanol ingestion via frugivory in wild chimpanzees
Natural daily consumption of dietary alcohol by chimpanzees suggests human attraction to alcohol may come from our ancestral diet.
www.science.org
September 18, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
natmetabolism.nature.com
RESEARCH | 🧪
@jessicab-felix.bsky.social , S Hartig et al
@bcmfromthelabs.bsky.social

N-acetylaspartate from fat cells regulates postprandial body temperature
N-acetylaspartate from fat cells regulates postprandial body temperature - Nature Metabolism
Aspartoacylase expression in white adipose tissue regulates circulating levels of N-acetylaspartate, which in turn modulates plasma pyrimidine levels and regulates postprandial body temperature.
bit.ly
September 16, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
aguirre404.bsky.social
Thrilled to share the second half of my PhD work here!

We show how data on expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) relates to the structure of gene regulatory networks (GRN). Much of the GRN / eQTL picture is unmapped, but what we do have says a lot… (1/)

doi.org/10.1101/2025...
August 22, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
mitocarriers.bsky.social
Our review on the peculiar properties of mitochondrial carriers of the SLC25 family out: portlandpress.com/biochemj/art...
Characterised members of the human SLC25 mitochondrial family. Members of the mitochondrial carriers are shown in rainbow (blue to red) cartoon and surface representations with their primary substrates shown in sphere representations to scale. Only one paralogue is shown.
July 25, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted by Mark Herman
peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social
www.tmc.edu/press-releas...
TMC Broadens Support of Houston Start-Ups with the Launch of Innovation Labs @ TMC - Texas Medical Center
(Houston) – Texas Medical Center (TMC), the largest medical complex in the world, today announced the launch of Innovation Labs @ TMC – a state-of-the-art 34,000 square feet laboratory and life scienc...
www.tmc.edu
July 23, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
rmfifthcircuit.bsky.social
An underrated form of social media is European travel bloggers coming inexplicably to Houston and then attempting to walk across 12 lane highways only to discover that there are no sidewalks or any other ways to get to any destination on foot once you get outside the city center.
July 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
thewilliamslab.bsky.social
New #DiabetesBio

Featuring!

1. Adipose fibrosis

2. GCKR & PNPLA3 in liver metabolism

3. Spotlight on Dr. Barbara Kahn (2025 Renold Award)

🎙️Libsyn: shorturl.at/DPEs3

▶️ YouTube: shorturl.at/K40c1

🎧 Spotify: shorturl.at/slyKl

🍏 Apple Podcasts: shorturl.at/wT3j0
DiabetesBio
DiabetesBio co-hosts Darleen Sandoval (University of Colorado), Kirk Habegger (University of Alabama-Birmingham), and Kevin Williams (UT Southwestern) interview authors of editor-selected biomedical r...
shorturl.at
July 18, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
nejm.org
In 15 patients with primary aldosteronism, baxdrostat (a second-generation, nonimidazole aldosterone synthase inhibitor) resolved or reduced the severity of hypertension, excessive aldosterone production, and hypokalemia. Full SPARK study results: nej.md/40Js1kz

#ENDO2025
A figure showing the changes from baseline in systolic blood pressure (SBP), plasma aldosterone–renin ratio (ARR), and serum potassium level for each patient.
July 13, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
natrevgastrohep.nature.com
#gastrosky #medsky #immunology
cincykidsallergyim.bsky.social Cincinnati Children's Allergy and Immunology @cincykidsallergyim.bsky.social · Jul 2
The esophagus has been viewed as a simple tube for food. We present evidence that the esophagus is an immune organ with extensive sensing properties designed to tolerate and mount defenses against antigenic and biophysical challenges.
rdcu.be/eueRE
@natrevgastrohep.nature.com
The oesophagus as an immune organ
Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology - This Perspective article provides a detailed overview of the oesophagus as an immune organ, highlighting its innate immune components and sensing...
rdcu.be
July 2, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
the-asci.org
Understanding the predictors of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease—

ASCI member Peter Crawford & team suggest ketogenesis serves a protective role in MASLD-MASH progression via processes other than fat oxidation: buff.ly/f26w63M
June 26, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
christlet.bsky.social
Great nod to the photography work of Bernd and Hilla Becher
June 22, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Reposted by Mark Herman
nejm.org
In the ACHIEVE-1 phase 3 trial, the oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist orforglipron significantly reduced the glycated hemoglobin level over a period of 40 weeks in adults with early type 2 diabetes. Full trial results: nej.md/4ngEZ36 #ADASciSessions
June 21, 2025 at 1:05 PM
markhermanmd.bsky.social
Thousands gather at Houston City Hall for No Kings protest as nationwide movement takes center stage www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Thousands gather at Houston City Hall for nationwide No Kings protest movement
The Houston demonstration is one of several planned in the region throughout the day in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies.
www.houstonchronicle.com
June 14, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
tanyaofmars.bsky.social
If you are a researcher whose federal funding has been terminated, the Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response grants to close the gaps. Application deadline is June 13:

(h/t to @agu.org's Planetary Sciences Section newsletter for the info!)

www.spencer.org/research-gra...
Research Grants
Our research grants are not designed for applicants to respond to a specific request – they are what you, scholars in the field, think we need to know more about. The goal of all of our research...
www.spencer.org
June 9, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by Mark Herman
markgongloff.bsky.social
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have left Houston, Tampa, New York and other major cities without head meteorologists just ahead of what will be another busy hurricane season

This is straight-up life-threatening malpractice

(h/t @lisamjarvis.bsky.social )

www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/w...
A map of the contiguous 48 states titled: Thirty National Weather Service offices are without a chief meteorologist Some of these offices issue forecasts for major population centers such as New York City, Houston and Cleveland. Several are prone to hurricanes and tornadoes. Callouts include: Upton, NY - Covers New York City and southern Connecticut Tampa, FL - Hard hit by Hurricane Milton in 2024 Houston, TX - All management positions vacant Paducah/Louisville/Jackson, KY - Nearly the whole state of Kentucky is covered by forecast areas without leadership
May 2, 2025 at 2:38 PM