A new article in JBMR Plus, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that patient survival rates after hip or other bone fractures can be very poor. While patients and their families may dismiss a fracture as a minor injury, survival rates can be lower than those for many types of cancer. Scientists have gathered a body of evidence about mortality outcomes in patients over 50, but survival rates following bone fractures are not often included in the statistics available to patients or caregivers. The aim of this ...

PHILADELPHIA (April 9, 2024) – The bitter taste of certain drugs is a barrier to taking some medications as prescribed, especially for people who are particularly sensitive to bitter taste. Published in Clinical Therapeutics, a team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that the diabetes drug rosiglitazone could partially block the bitter taste of some especially bad-tasting medications. Rosiglitazone could be added in small doses to other medicines, to make them less bitter and taste better.  This result provided new information. “To our knowledge, there are no previous reports on the bitter-blocking effect of this diabetes drug,” ...

04/09/2024  CONTACT: Deneen Wellik, wellik@wisc.edu Heart regeneration pioneer to join UW–Madison, Morgridge Institute  MADISON — A biologist who explores the potential life-saving mechanisms of how organisms regenerate damaged heart and spinal cord tissue will join the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research this fall. Kenneth Poss, presently the James B. Duke Professor of Regenerative Biology at Duke University, explores a research area that has grown ...

Algorithms were supposed to make our lives easier and fairer: help us find the best job applicants, help judges impartially assess the risks of bail and bond decisions, and ensure that healthcare is delivered to the patients with the greatest need. By now, though, we know that algorithms can be just as biased as the human decision-makers they inform and replace.  What if that weren’t a bad thing?  New research by Carey Morewedge, a Boston University Questrom School of Business professor of marketing and Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, found that people recognize more of their biases in algorithms’ decisions ...

Today wirelessly connected devices are performing an expanding array of applications, such as monitoring the condition of engines and machinery and remote sensing in agricultural settings. Systems known as the “Internet of Things” (IoT), hold much potential for improving the efficiency and safety of the equipment. Yet stumbling blocks remain for IoT, thwarting many potential applications. How do you power these devices in situations where and when reliable electrical sources are not practically available? Research from the University of Utah’s College of Engineering points to a possible solution in the form of a novel type of battery called ...

SAN DIEGO – As part of a comprehensive effort to improve cancer screenings among diverse communities, Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) Community Outreach and Engagement team developed a culturally sensitive educational video to address prostate cancer screening disparities. In findings shared today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 (Abstract LB371), the team showed that the video increased knowledge about prostate cancer and screening, and reduced uncertainty about obtaining prostate ...

SAN DIEGO – A video designed to educate Black men about prostate cancer resulted in 97% of surveyed participants acknowledging that Black men are at a higher risk of this disease and 93% saying they would get screened, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024, held April 5-10. Black men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the United States with 184.2 new cases per 100,000 people compared to white men with 111.5 new cases per 100,000 people, according to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – April 9, 2024) Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today announced the St. Jude survivorship portal — the first data portal for sharing, analyzing and visualizing pediatric cancer survivorship data. Details on the portal and its ability to facilitate breakthroughs in pediatric cancer survivorship research were published today in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.   The survivorship portal is a big-data platform that incorporates clinical and genomic information, creating an unprecedented research system. The portal integrates three dimensions ...

Just as in Brazil drivers can be warned of traffic congestion ahead or a vehicle parked on the hard shoulder, notifications may soon pop up on their smartphone or on their car’s computer screen to warn them in real time that an anteater, wolf or tapir is crossing the highway. No human will necessarily need to see the animal in question or press a control button to send the warning. For this to be possible, a key step is construction of a computer vision model that automatically detects Brazilian wild animals. Researchers ...

The prevalence of remote work since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed urban transportation patterns in the U.S., according to new study led by MIT researchers. The research finds significant variation between the effects of remote work on vehicle miles driven and on mass-transit ridership across the U.S. “A 1 percent decrease in onsite workers leads to a roughly 1 percent reduction in [automobile] vehicle miles driven, but a 2.3 percent reduction in mass transit ridership,” says Yunhan Zheng SM ’21, PhD ’24, an MIT postdoc who is co-author of the study.  “This is one of the first studies that identifies the causal effect ...

Irvine, Calif., April 9, 2024 — A University of California, Irvine-led team reveals a clear link between human-driven climate change and the years-long drought currently gripping southern Madagascar. Their study appears in the Nature journal Climate and Atmospheric Science. “Using remotely sensed observations and climate models, we could see evidence that climate change is affecting the hydrological cycle in southern Madagascar, and it’s likely going to have big implications for the people that live there and how they grow their food,” ...

“[...] CMS121 applicability could be expanded from a geroneuroprotector drug to a metabolic drug [...]” BUFFALO, NY- April 9, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 6, entitled, “CMS121: a novel approach to mitigate aging-related obesity and metabolic dysfunction.” Modulated by differences in genetic and environmental factors, laboratory mice often show progressive weight gain, eventually leading to obesity and metabolic dyshomeostasis. ...

About 90% of deaths from cancer are a result of metastasis — that is, from cancer’s ability to spread from an initial primary tumor to seed new tumors throughout the body, often in the lungs, liver, and brain. And metastasis relies on cancer cells’ ability to adapt to different tissue environments throughout the body by gaining improper access to a variety of playbooks stored in our genetic code — including gene programs that are generally available only during early stages of human development. Today, researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are using innovative approaches like single-cell sequencing technology ...

Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Neuromodulation Society and the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) are delighted to announce a public education event, "Understanding Neuromodulation of the Brain and Spinal Cord”.  This complimentary event is scheduled to take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre, East Building, on Saturday, May 11, from 13:30 to 18:00, during the 16th INS World Congress. Aimed at patients, their families, and friends dealing with conditions such as chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, and tremor, this event is ...

SAN ANTONIO — April 9, 2024 — Southwest Research Institute has invested in new space robotics capabilities to help the space industry pave the way for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities. SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division will demonstrate new ISAM-focused research at the 38th Space Symposium, April 8-11, in Colorado Springs. Visit SwRI at Booth #237. “SwRI is developing solutions to leverage Earth-based industrial robotics with advanced automation and simulation so we can help clients develop new capabilities for the complex conditions ...

April 9, 2024, Cleveland: New findings from Cleveland Clinic and Tufts University researchers show high blood levels of TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) predicts future risk of developing chronic kidney disease over time.   The findings build on more than a decade of research spearheaded by Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., and a team related to the gut microbiome’s role in cardiovascular health and disease, including the adverse effects of TMAO, a byproduct formed by the gut bacteria from nutrients abundant in red meat, eggs and other animal source foods.   The study, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, was a collaboration ...

New Orleans, LA – Ochsner Health is proud to bring an advancement in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders to the New Orleans and Gulf South region utilizing a new cardiac ablation procedure, the FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System. The innovative procedure was performed at the John Ochsner Heart & Vascular Institute, a frontrunner in cardiology that continues to set the standard for cardiovascular care through its commitment to pioneering breakthrough therapies. With the estimated number of individuals affected by atrial fibrillation predicted to rise to 12.1 million in the United States by 2030 according to the CDC, the introduction of this new treatment ...

Genetic studies of diseases map segments of the genome driving disease. But to understand how those changes contribute to disease progression, it is important to understand how they may alter gene regulation of disease genes in cell populations assumed to be driving disease. “Enhancer-gene maps” link genomic regulatory regions to genes and are essential for understanding disease. But constructing them poses challenges due to limitations in current experimental methods, that make it difficult to apply the technique to rare cell populations and genes that ...

We all lose our car keys or our glasses from time to time. Most people would be correct to laugh it off as a normal part of aging. But for others, cognitive decline may start as a worrying but clinically unnoticeable step toward cognitive impairment, be it relatively mild or as severe as Alzheimer’s disease. The vast complexity of the human brain makes early diagnosis of cognitive decline difficult to achieve, which has potentially important implications for treatment and prevention. This is especially true ...

A clinical trial led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators showed that a nasal spray that patients administer at home, without a physician, successfully and safely treated recurrent episodes of a condition that causes rapid abnormal heart rhythms. The study, published March 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, provides real-world evidence that a wide range of patients can safely and effectively use the experimental drug, called etripamil, to treat recurrent paroxysmal supraventricular ...

In the last decade, the emergence of a massive expanse of Sargassum, the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, has wreaked havoc on ecosystems and economies throughout the Caribbean. Conversely, this stinky brown seaweed provides vital habitats for marine life including loggerhead sea turtles. One of the worst invasions of Sargassum in recent history, especially for Florida, occurred in 2022 and potential impacts this year are yet to be determined. Decomposing Sargassum produces hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which can result in potential human and environmental health impacts. Once Sargassum deluges beaches, removing, disposing and repurposing the seaweed presents many logistical ...

URBANA, Ill. — In the quest to optimize crop productivity across environments, soybean breeders test new cultivars in multiple locations each year. The best-performing cultivars across these locations are selected for further breeding and eventual commercialization. However, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests current soybean testing locations may not be delivering breeders the biggest bang for their buck.  “We met with most of the soybean breeders in public research universities across the Midwest and asked where they set up their trials over the last 30 to 40 years,” said Nicolas Martin, ...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Morphine and other opioids are vital to treat severe and chronic pain. However, they have two problems — prolonged use creates morphine tolerance, where ever-increasing doses are needed for the same pain relief, and paradoxically, prolonged use also can create an extreme sensitivity to pain, called hyperalgesia. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, now have shown that blocking the activity of an enzyme called Tiam1 in certain ...

Bedsores—also known as pressure injuries—are the fastest rising hospital-acquired condition, according to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research in Quality, and as a result have become the second most common reason for medical malpractice suits in the United States.  Although most hospital-acquired pressure injuries are reasonably preventable, approximately 2.5 million individuals in the United States develop a pressure injury in acute care facilities every year, and 60,000 die. The total annual cost for U.S. health systems to manage the acute needs of patients’ ...

Alexandria, VA, USA – The International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR) has announced three recipients of the 2024 IADR LION Dental Research Award. The recipients were recognized during the Opening Ceremonies of the 102nd General Session of the IADR, which was held in conjunction with the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and the 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, on March 13-16, 2024, in New Orleans, LA. The recipients are: Andrea Escalante Herrera University of ...