Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in aging women. While CVD etiology is multifactorial, mitochondrial dysfunction, characterized by reduced content, impaired energy…

Your cells build new mitochondria in response to exercise and stress through a coordinated molecular cascade centred on the master regulator protein PGC-1α.

Zhang et al. show that gut microbial inositol phosphate metabolism transduces feeding cues into intestinal diurnal rhythms through histone deacetylase 3. This pathway activates PGC-1α and enhances nut...

【Mol Neurobiol】This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of gut-derived urolithin D (Uro D) against neurodegenerative

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Neuropsychopharmacology - Norepinephrine regulates hippocampal mitochondrial biogenesis via β2-adrenergic receptor signaling and PGC-1α

Sept. 1, 2026, 3:04 p.m. ET The report suggests unifying law enforcement and reducing duplicated roles but does not call for a full merger. Agency leaders believe the recommendations need more analysis to be specific to Pennsylvania's unique needs. The executive directors of Pennsylvania’s two wildlife agencies believe a study on their operations that recommends combining law enforcement and removing duplicated roles needs more localized information. The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and the Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) contracted with Wildlife Management Institute, a non-profit organization that provides expert advice, research and advocacy for sound wildlife management policies, on a $49,000 study of their operations. The study evaluated opportunities for efficiencies and collaboration between the agencies for the long-term benefit of the agencies’ staff, customers and the resources the agencies are entrusted to serve. The report discussed ways to reduce duplicate efforts and share resources, but it did not recommend a merger of the two commissions. Pennsylvania is the only state that has separate agencies for fish and wildlife. Study highlights: Study reveals Pennsylvania wildlife agencies face future budget crisis Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more! Go Outdoors PA: 2 wildlife agencies note 858 species in need. Your input is now needed Steve Smith, executive director of the Game Commission, said his agency received the full report on Wednesday, Aug. 31 and released the information the following day. “We made it a priority, as we said from the beginning, to be as transparent as possible and get this out to those who’ve been looking for it. We provided it to the chairs of the committee, of course our board of commissioners and have posted it on our website,” Smith said. In looking over the 81-page report, Smith said, “overall the report seems pretty consistent with what we were anticipating. It recognized that there’s opportunities for our agencies to work together in furtherance of our mission. Now, we’re looking forward to digging down and getting into more detailed analysis of ways that we can do that,” Smith said. Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the PFBC, appreciates the work that went into the study to find efficiencies. “I’m glad that we asked for the report and, frankly, I’m glad we had the guts to ask for the report,” he said. He takes the work of his agency personally as he wants to serve the resource and those who enjoy it. “My goal is to make sure that we're using angler and boater dollars as wisely and as effectively and as efficiently as possible,” Schaeffer said. The agencies asked WMI to look for ways they could operate more efficiently while maintaining separate operations. Both agencies have their own boards of commissioners who set policies, seasons and bag limits and that will continue in the future. With WMI comparing the two agencies to what is happening in other parts of the country, Schaeffer said it’s time to dial in to Pennsylvania’s needs. “I think the priority would be to really make the analysis more Pennsylvania specific,” he said. Pennsylvania is different than many other states when it comes to fishing and boating. “We’ve got 86,000 miles of flowing water, second only to Alaska. And we’ve got the Delaware River, Lake Erie and the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh. The boating enforcement that we do here in Pennsylvania is pretty unique and is vital to what we do,” Schaeffer said. The study suggests law enforcement officers from both agencies form a unified law enforcement force that would be supervised by the Game Commission. With the Keystone State’s diverse waterways, Schaeffer said, “if that were to happen, how would you operationalize that in Pennsylvania?” The recommendation would need more Pennsylvania specific information, Schaeffer said. As of March, the report noted there are 337 sworn officer positions between the two agencies. “Based on comparison state information, a combined workforce of 222 people could meet existing needs,” the report recommended. Smith said that topic is a complex matter. “Something of that nature would be a significant undertaking by the commission. I think at this point, it’s too early to say exactly what that would look like,” Smith said. Smith said that discussion within the agencies would need to involve lawmakers, stakeholders, the governor’s office of administration and the Fraternal Order of Police who represent both game wardens and waterways conservation officers. “There are multiple aspects and levels of that conversation that would need to happen first now before we could develop an implementation plan on what this would look like," he said. If both boards of commissioners favored the idea, Smith said it would take several years to implement. One of the cost savings recommendations in the study has already been completed. The report recommended the elimination of the deputy law enforcement program for both agencies and that was approved effective Sept. 1. The PGC had 140 deputies and the PFBC had 36, to help wardens and waterways conservation officers. The report believes there could be cost savings by reducing staffing where there are overlaps in the executive offices, chief counsel, human resources, bureau of administration, bureau of information, education, marketing, outreach and engineering. Schaeffer pointed out that along the Susquehanna River, both agencies have separate boat launch areas to maintain for hunting and fishing. Combining those maintenance tasks may allow a staff member to work on something else like habitat improvement. “It’s two separate maintenance departments, two separate funding streams,” Schaeffer said about the current system. “Could you deliver that boating access amenity more efficiently and perhaps put another officer on the water or hire another habitat biologist,” Schaeffer pondered. The report discusses how the agencies could share resources to inform people about their operations. For example, they both have their own websites. The report suggests having one website. The Game Commission is presently upgrading its web app to be part of the huntfish.pa.gov website that’s already used by the PFBC. Both agencies already use huntfish.pa.gov to provide licenses and permits to hunters and anglers. It also discussed merging the PGC’s Game News magazine and the PFBC’s Pennsylvania Angler and Boater Magazine. “The report calls for several recommendations along those lines. We want to analyze them, think about what makes sense for Pennsylvania, what makes sense for our agencies and our ability to communicate with our customers," Schaeffer said, "and then decide a path forward on implementation.” While some staff and building needs would be shared, the report did not recommend the two agencies become one. “What the report called for is essentially a pathway to developing and realizing efficiencies between the two agencies, but keeping the agencies two separate, independent agencies with separate missions,” Smith said. With hunting licenses, he said it’s been about 27 years since the cost of a general hunting license has been increased. “We have currently the most affordable hunting license in the country. And one thing we made a point of emphasis in recent years as our revenues have gone up, is managing our finances in a way that can keep that license at an affordable rate for years to come,” Smith said. Funding wildlife conservation When it comes to maintaining fund balances, the Game Commission has a unique situation as it has been able to maintain roughly $500 million in its Game Fund for several years. “We received essentially a one-time windfall back in the 2021-22 time period where there was about 18 months in which our revenues from natural gas significantly increased,” he said. The agency has oil, gas and timber leases on some of its game land properties. “We used that windfall to make some significant long term investments here at the agency, particularly in the area of capital improvement. And in addition to what we’ve been able to deliver on the ground as far as habitat improvements and investing in our staff,” Smith said. With the report projecting the agency keeping its expenditure rate at the same time as now, the study said the PGC would deplete about 95% of its reserves by 2034. The PFBC's reserve fund would be exhausted at that same interval. However, recent spending years included unique expenses that won’t reoccur. “Those expenditures include a lot of one-time investments that have been made in recent years. Moving forward, if we were to see our revenues and our expenditures getting at a point where it was unsustainable, we would have the ability to adjust our expenditures accordingly to keep that fund balance at a healthy level and so that we can keep our hunting licenses as affordable for as long as possible,” Smith said. This past year has been a financially successful one for the PGC. “One thing about our revenues and that I'll make the final point on is for the last fiscal year, which just ended last month, our revenues came in $10 million higher than our expenditures due to, again, an increase in the price of natural gas," Smith said. "So, I think that shows the extent to which we are monitoring and having those expenditures under control, but also how difficult it is to make long term projections, even the volatility of our revenue sources." With sharing building space, Smith said that was done at a high level and a more in-depth study would be required based on the locations and needs of the employees. For example, they need to look at how close they are to waterways or large parcels of state game lands. “We also have to ensure that we are not going beyond what the game and wildlife code currently allows the game commission to use its money on. The law provides very strict guidelines that we can only use our finances in the administration of the Pennsylvania Game Commission,” Smith said. Schaeffer said his ongoing goal in leading the PFBC is “how genuinely the best interests of anglers, boaters and aquatic resources, how genuinely that motivates everything I do.” He realizes there are changing demographics with anglers. “One of the things in the report is that 20% of our licensed anglers are now in the senior lifetime license category. As an agency that doesn’t receive any general fund revenues, we have to figure out a way to be more efficient, more effective with the dollars that we have,” Schaeffer said. “It’s really about operational efficiency that at the same time maintains independent and specialized board governance." Overall, as Smith digests the report, he said, “I’m optimistic that our two agencies are going to continue to look for ways that we can work together in furtherance of our mission.” He also added, “I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge WMI. We appreciate the work that went into giving up these documents that we can continue to have these discussions.” Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@usatodayco.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name.Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors.

Sept. 1, 2026, 10:35 a.m. ET The report recommends the two agencies share services, such as law enforcement, to reduce overlapping functions and save money. Both commissions stated they will review the report's non-mandatory recommendations but have not committed to immediate action. An independent study of the operations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) revealed Tuesday, Sept. 1 that both agencies may exhaust all of their reserve funds by 2034 if changes are not made. The two agencies contracted with Wildlife Management Institute, a non-profit organization that provides expert advice, research and advocacy for sound wildlife management policies, on a $49,000 study of their operations. The study evaluated opportunities for efficiencies and collaboration between the agencies for the long-term benefit of the agencies’ staff, customers and the resources the agencies are entrusted to serve. With Pennsylvania being the only state to have independent, separate agencies for fish and wildlife, the study revealed most administrative functions exist in both commissions and are candidates for shared services. Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more! With a combined workforce of about 1,298, the study determined the two agencies have roughly 221 more positions when benchmarked against agencies of a similar size. The study did not recommend a merger into one agency, but sharing responsibilities and removing their duplicate services. “After careful agency analysis and evaluation, it is possible that the combined workforce could potentially be reduced by about 17% through unified law enforcement and reductions in overlapping executive, legal and engineering functions, generating on the order of $34 million a year savings,” the report said. For recommendations, the report suggests the two agencies unify their law enforcement into a single structure. Other recommendations include consolidating overlapping bureaus and administrative functions and study roles to flatten the structure. The agency may also reduce and co-locate field offices. “Comparable state wildlife agencies contain less than half the number of field offices that Pennsylvania currently has,” the report states. Other recommendations address putting finances on a sustainable footing and clearing the legal path on certain fund use restrictions and asking the General Assembly to authorize a joint, shared services framework. In response to the report, the PFBC released a statement saying “WMI’s assessment included a review of PFBC and PGC operational structures, physical assets, fiscal and demographic realities, and input submitted by hundreds of employees. This data was also broadly compared to a subset of other state fish and wildlife agencies and used to generate a list of recommendations for consideration. “It is important to note that the recommendations presented are not mandates. Moving forward, consideration of any recommendations will require detailed analysis of additional factors that are unique to Pennsylvania, as well as potential action by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. "While no timeline has been established for additional action, the PFBC remains committed to working toward a sustainable path to implement our mission to protect, conserve and enhance Pennsylvania’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities." The Game Commission also released a statement on the study's findings. “The Pennsylvania Game Commission takes its fiscal responsibility seriously, and that includes being good stewards of every dollar entrusted to us. In part, that is why we chose to do this study now, when the Commission is in solid financial standing. Our focus will always be on making thoughtful decisions and investments that will protect the interests of Pennsylvania hunters,” PGC executive director Steve Smith said in the statement. “It is of the utmost importance to note that the recommendations within this study do not reflect any imminent or immediate action from the Game Commission. "This robust report warrants meticulous review and in-depth communication with our constituents, our board of commissioners, legislators, stakeholders and the Fish and Boat Commission. "We appreciate the extensive amount of effort that WMI put into this study to locate potential areas of improvement that could ultimately benefit the Game Commission, the Fish and Boat Commission and Pennsylvania’s hunters, anglers and wildlife resources," Smith said in the statement. One of the cost savings recommendations in the study has already been completed. The report recommended the elimination of the deputy law enforcement program for both agencies and that was approved effective Sept. 1. The PGC had 140 deputies and the PFBC had 36 to help wardens and waterways conservation officers. The full report can be found here.Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@usatodayco.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors

Sept. 1, 2026, 5:13 a.m. ET EHD is transmitted to deer by biting midges, and infected animals are often found near water sources. The disease can be fatal, but some deer survive with lingering effects like hoof deformities. The threat of new EHD infections for the year ends with the first frost, which kills the midges. The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has confirmed one incident of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) this summer. EHD is an often fatal disease to deer caused by viruses spread during summer months by midges. The wildlife agency received confirmation at the end of July that seven deer died from the disease in Chester County. As of Wednesday, Aug. 31, that was the only confirmation the agency had received this year, PGC wildlife biologist Jeannine Fleegle said. When multiple dead deer are found where there isn’t an apparent cause of death, like from a vehicle, the agency can test the animals for EHD. Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more! The agency tested dead deer found in Butler, Somerset and Fulton counties, but those tests have all been negative, she said. “There’s no way to know unless you get the deer tested. And that’s the other thing. To test for hemorrhagic disease, you need a pretty fresh sample,” she said. “If someone comes across a recently dead deer, they need to call it in immediately if they want to get it tested,” Fleegle said. Time is of the essence because deer decay quickly. “They usually don’t last very long on the landscape,” she said. The Game Commission reports the viruses for epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and bluetongue (BT) virus are transmitted by biting midges in the summer months. Female midges pick up the viruses by ingesting the blood of an infected animal and they transmit the viruses when they feed on an uninfected animal. EHD deer are often found near ponds and other wet areas, but that’s not always the case. “Sick deer are often found near water sources. And this is because they are losing fluid because of leaky blood vessels and they’re running a fever because they are infected with a virus,” Fleegle said. Last year, the agency confirmed 14 EHD incidents, including in Chester, Erie, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Washington, Westmoreland, Crawford, Clarion, Lawrence and Mercer counties. “We had it in pretty much the western part of the state and then Chester County (eastern Pennsylvania),” she said. The agency had 25 detections of EHD/Blue Tongue in 2024. The first was on August 12 and the last case was found on October 19. The counties where it was detected and the number of deer included Adams (2), Berks (2), Chester (6), Erie (8), Fayette (1), Franklin (1), Greene (2), Lancaster (1), Washington (1), York (1). “HD has been around for a long time, 70 years,” Fleegle said. The weather has a role in the prevalence of the disease with the amount of rain and temperatures over summer. “It’s not just one thing or another. It’s a pretty complex system. There are environmental factors like weather or climate change that affect the disease. There’s also the vector itself, which is the midge,” she said. Sometimes the midges have a low competence level of being able to transmit the virus to deer. There are also different strains of the virus that causes HD. “There’s a lot of factors that go into what can cause an HD outbreak,” she said. “That’s what makes it hard to predict." HD can be fatal, but some deer do survive. Some have lingering effects that cause its death months later. The disease damages the deer’s rumen, their ability to digest food. Some deer that survive have deformities in their hooves. If the deer doesn’t receive blood flow to its hooves, it interrupts the growing process. “You see lines in their hooves because the growth has been interrupted,” Fleegle said. Deer are susceptible to the disease until the first frost of the year that kills the midges. “We just have to wait for a frost. The frost is what does it,” she said about ending new infections for the year. People who find multiple dead deer where the cause of death isn’t apparent should call the Game Commission at 833-PGC-HUNT (833-742-9453) or1-833-PGC-WILD to have the animals tested. Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@usatodayco.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors

1/ We have a new research target been confirmed from previous analyses on #MECFS using #machinelearning and #networkanalysis methods named PGC-1α / PPARGC1A (see below - arrow). It was identified in 2...

Read the full paper: Muscle-specific expression of Atg2 and high-fat diet influence age-related deterioration of skeletal muscle in aged drosophila via the ATGL/Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway