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Why is urine yellow? University of Maryland researchers discovered the answer – WTOP News

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Why is urine yellow? University of Maryland researchers discovered the answer – WTOP News


A long-standing scientific mystery related to why urine is yellow was solved by researchers at the University of Maryland.

It seems like an answer that the scientific community should have already had, but the exact reason as to why urine is yellow has been elusive until now.

Researchers at the University of Maryland have cracked the code, identifying an enzyme that’s responsible for giving urine its yellow hue.

“We’re elated,” said Brantley Hall, a professor in the department of cell biology and molecular genetics at the University of Maryland in College Park.

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Hall is the lead author of the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Nature Microbiology.

“It’s a really important fundamental discovery, and we’re so happy that people can engage with this because it’s something they’re familiar with,” said Hall.

For decades, researchers had identified the molecule “urobilin” as the thing that makes urine yellow. But Hall’s research went further, finding out where urobilin actually comes from and how the body produces it.

When red blood cells degrade after their six-month life span, a bright orange pigment called “bilirubin” is produced as a byproduct.

Bilirubin is typically secreted into the gut, where it is destined for excretion.

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Gut microbes encode the enzyme “bilirubin reductase” that converts bilirubin into a colorless byproduct called urobilinogen.

Urobilinogen then degrades into urobilin.

“We’re building on the shoulders of a lot of people who have studied this phenomenon before,” Hall said. “It’s remarkable that an everyday biological phenomenon went unexplained for so long.”

Aside from solving a scientific mystery, the study could have other health implications.

Hall’s team found that bilirubin reductase is present in almost all healthy adults but is often missing from newborns and people who have inflammatory bowel disease.

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Their theory is that the absence of bilirubin reductase may contribute to infant jaundice and the formation of pigmented gallstones.

“Now that we’ve identified this enzyme, we can start investigating how the bacteria in our gut impact circulating bilirubin levels and related health conditions like jaundice,” said study co-author Xiaofang Jiang. “This discovery lays the foundation for understanding the gut-liver axis.”

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Maryland mom of 2-month-old girl dies after golf cart accident

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Maryland mom of 2-month-old girl dies after golf cart accident


A Maryland mother of a newborn daughter died on Monday after suffering fatal injuries in an incident involving a golf cart over the weekend, authorities said.

Mary Beth Blasetti, 32, was a passenger in an E-Z-GO golf cart driving on the 600 block of Maid Marion Hill in Annapolis on Saturday when she was thrown from the cart, suffering life-threatening injuries, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said. 

Blasetti was airlifted to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where she died two days later, police said.

Blasetti appeared to have been ejected from the golf cart after hitting “some sort of a dip,” police spokesman Justin Mulcahy told WJZ-TV.

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TEXAS COUPLE ACCUSED OF MURDERING MAN THEY SHARED CONDO WITH, COVERING HIS BODY WITH RUGS

Mary Beth Blasetti, 32, died of fatal injuries after an incident involving a golf cart, police said. (Facebook/Mary Beth Blasetti)

“This is an extremely tragic, unfortunate situation,” Mulcahy told the station. “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted and we’re going to continue investigating it with the State’s Attorney’s Office just to determine what exactly happened here.” 

The driver of the golf cart was identified as a 32-year-old woman from Crownsville, Maryland. No further information about the driver was immediately provided.

WIFE OF MURDERED MINNESOTA PASTOR HIRED 3 MEN TO KILLS HUSBAND AFTER AFFAIR: POLICE

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Blasetti and her husband recently purchased their first home in Annapolis, and welcomed their 2-month-old daughter in September, friends wrote on an online donation page for the family. 

Friends remembered Blasetti as a “devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend, and her absence will be deeply felt by all who knew her.”

“Mary Beth brought joy to so many and had a wide community of friends and family who are devastated by her sudden passing,” the post read.

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Police said the incident remains under investigation.

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Rain chances on Thursday in Maryland

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Rain chances on Thursday in Maryland


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Bay Bridge renovations could limit traffic for Maryland drivers

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Bay Bridge renovations could limit traffic for Maryland drivers


The two spans that comprise the Bay Bridge are 50 and 70 years old. Now, FOX 5 is learning about some of the proposals for a fix or replacement.

For decades, families across the DMV headed to the beaches have loaded up for a journey to the beach. Part of that process is often some time in traffic at or near the Bay Bridge.

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The State of Maryland knows it doesn’t have to be that way and started the process a few years ago about a potential fix. After initial studies, they’ve determined the bridge should remain in the same general location it is now. There was earlier consideration of other spots along the bay.

In a 50-page document, the Maryland Transportation Authority lays out the options they’re recommending at this point, and ones that they’re not.

For example, due to cost and environmental impact, the MDTA is recommending a bridge instead of a tunnel.

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There are seven configurations that are being looked at most closely. Six of those options involve a new bridge and different numbers of lanes and configurations. The seventh option is a rehabilitation of the current bridge.

The MDTA is hosting three listening sessions to get feedback from drivers and stakeholders. Click here to see open house information.

“We’re hoping the public will come to provide input on the number of lanes—how big should we be building a bridge, how many lanes for the future, do we need to make it more affordable, do we need to just meet what we’re expecting or do we need to plan beyond that, and what kind of transit or shared use options,” said Bruce Gartner, the Executive Director of the Maryland Transportation Authority.

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The Authority plans to decide what to do by the end of 2026.

Jacqueline McLee crosses the Bay Bridge often to visit her son in Delaware. She thinks something needs to change, but 10 lanes might be too many for her.

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“I don’t know what to think. It’s good and bad. It makes me nervous, that’s a lot of lanes, it’s a lot of work. I don’t know about that one,” McLee said.

Jacqueline’s husband, Marny, welcomes some sort of expansion.

“There’s so much traffic flowing through here back and forth during the summer time and holidays, so it’ll definitely make a big difference and get across the bridge a little quicker,” he said.

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Open House Information

Virtual
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
(6-8 p.m.)
baycrossingstudy.com

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Submit a Question

Anne Arundel County
Monday, December 9, 2024
(6-8 p.m.)
Broadneck High School
1265 Green Holly Dr.
Annapolis, MD 21409

Queen Anne’s County
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
(6-8 p.m.)
Kent Island High School
900 Love Point Road
Stevensville, MD 21666

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