Biopsies guided by high resolution ultrasound are as effective as those using MRI in diagnosing prostate cancer, an international clinical trial has shown. The technology, called micro-ultrasound, is cheaper and easier to use than MRI. It could significantly speed up diagnosis, reduce the need for multiple hospital visits and free up MRI for other uses, researchers say. The results of the OPTIMUM trial are presented today [Sunday 23 March 2025] at the European Association of Urology Congress in Madrid and published in JAMA. OPTIMUM is the first randomised trial to compare micro-ultrasound (microUS) guided biopsy with ...

SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2025 — Dogs have many jobs but one you may not expect is identifying grapevines coated in a destructive and highly contagious fungus. Although dogs can detect serious vine infections by smell, scientists don’t know exactly what odor molecules are triggering the response. Researchers are now analyzing volatile chemicals emanating from grape leaves infected by a fungus called powdery mildew with the goal of improving training for vineyard canines. Nayelly Rangel, a graduate student at Texas Tech University, will present the team’s results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2025 is being held ...

SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2025 — Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are peptide-based therapeutics for treating diabetes and for weight loss. Unfortunately, shortages and high costs have made it difficult for people to start and maintain treatment. Now, researchers report a drug delivery system that “paints” these peptides directly on the antibodies they target. In studies with mice, the system led to sustained weight loss and prolonged blood sugar management with a GLP-1 injection one fourth that of the standard dose. Bradley Pentelute, professor of chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will present his team’s results at the spring ...

Two doses of a simple tuberculosis vaccination after surgery helps the immune system fight cancer cells and could greatly improve patient outcomes for the most common type of bladder cancer, according to a pilot study of 40 patients. Initial results from the RUTIVAC-1 Trial are presented today [Sunday 23 March 2025] at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid. In the randomised controlled trial, administering the vaccine alongside standard treatment led to an elevated immune response, which is known to improve the body’s ability to suppress future tumours. Patients who received the vaccine had no discernible ...

New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) shows that a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is linked to a subsequent increase in the risk of developing some, but not all, obesity related cancers. The study is by Owen Tipping, University of Manchester, UK, and Professor Andrew Renehan, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester, UK, and colleagues. Previous research has described associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and higher risk of several obesity-related cancers ...

Body size and excess weight, conventionally assessed using body mass index (BMI), are well-established risk factors for many types of cancer. However, new research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) and published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that waist circumference (WC) is a stronger risk marker than BMI for developing obesity-related cancers in men, but not women. The study was conducted by Dr Ming Sun, Dr Josef Fritz and Dr Tanja Stocks, Lund University, ...

Women with ongoing urinary incontinence could avoid invasive bladder pressure tests, as new research shows that a range of non-invasive assessments work just as well in guiding treatment. Led by researchers at the University of Aberdeen, the findings of the FUTURE Trial are presented today (Saturday 22 March 2025) at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid and published in The Lancet. The UK study is the world’s first randomised controlled trial of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of invasive urodynamics testing. It focuses on a group of women with ...

Using a high-pressure water jet to operate on an enlarged prostate can better preserve the ability to ejaculate, compared with standard laser surgery, finds research. The technique has similar outcomes to laser surgery and can be performed with robot assistance, so could reduce waiting times for men with urinary problems caused by an enlarged prostate. Initial findings of the WATER III trial are presented today [Saturday 22 March] at the 2025 European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid. The WATER III trial involved a water-based surgical procedure, called Aquablation, currently used for small- and medium-sized prostates. The trial ...

New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) shows that having an overweight or obesity trajectory during childhood is associated with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adulthood. The study is by Frida Richter and Professor Jennifer Lyn Baker of The Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, The Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues. Attention towards risk factors for COPD other than smoking is increasingly ...

Researchers at Indiana University and Wuhan University in China have unveiled a groundbreaking chemical process that could streamline the development of pharmaceutical compounds, chemical building blocks that influence how drugs interact with the body. Their study, published in Chem, describes a novel light-driven reaction that efficiently produces tetrahydroisoquinolines, a group of chemicals that play a crucial role in medicinal chemistry. Tetrahydroisoquinolines serve as the foundation for treatments targeting Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders. These compounds are commonly found in medications such ...

Ten years ago, nobody knew that Asgard archaea even existed. In 2015, however, researchers examining deep-sea sediments discovered gene fragments that indicated a new and previously undiscovered form of microbes. With computer assistance, the researchers assembled these fragments like puzzle pieces to compile the entire genome. It was only then that they realised they were dealing with a previously unknown group of archaea. Like bacteria, archaea are single-celled organisms. Genetically, however, there are significant differences between the two domains, especially regarding their cell envelopes and metabolic processes. After ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – If you’ve ever noticed how memories from the same day seem connected while events from weeks apart feel separate, a new study reveals the reason: Our brains physically link memories that occur close in time not in the cell bodies of neurons, but rather in their spiny extensions called dendrites. This discovery stems from studies in mice, in which researchers observed memory formation using advanced imaging techniques, including miniature microscopes that captured single-cell resolution in live animals. The study shows that memories are stored in dendritic compartments: When one memory forms, the affected ...

In a new case study, researchers from North Carolina State University found Bartonella henselae, Babesia odocoilei and Babesia divergens-like MO-1 DNA in brain tissue samples from a young child with seizures and suspected Rasmussen’s encephalitis. The findings further support the idea that these pathogens can be a cofactor in complex neurological illnesses. Bartonella are a group of vector-borne bacteria transmitted primarily via arthropods like fleas, lice and potentially ticks, but also by the animals that harbor them. Of the (at least) 45 currently known Bartonella species, ...

Patients hoping for a kidney transplant must first undergo a battery of medical tests to determine whether they are suitable candidates for the procedure and healthy enough to take post-transplant immunosuppressant drugs to prevent organ rejection. In most transplant centers, the burden falls on the patient to arrange tests like cardiac catheterization, CT scans, mammograms or colonoscopies, which can year or more to complete, meaning some people never complete the process, while others get sicker or die. But a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine led by a University of New Mexico Health Sciences researcher demonstrates that a “concierge” ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Key Takeaways: Bacteria get invaded by viruses called phages. Scientists are studying how bacteria use CRISPR to defend themselves from phages, which will inform new phage-based treatments for bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria seize genetic material from weakened, dormant phages and use it to form a biological “memory” of the invader that their offspring inherit and use for anti-phage defense. Like people, bacteria get invaded by viruses. In bacteria, the viral invaders are called bacteriophages, ...

As of early 2025, tuberculosis cases are increasing in the U.S. This disease, often shortened to TB, causes significant lung damage and, if not treated, is almost always lethal. World TB Day on March 24 raises awareness about the disease and commemorates Robert Koch’s discovery of the source bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. More than a century later, scientists continue refining TB diagnosis methods and treatment strategies, some of which are in these four ACS journal articles. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing newsroom@acs.org.  Fluorescence ...

 March 19, 2025 — Today, the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) and The Obesity Society (TOS) sent a letter to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), along with more than 20 leading organizations and providers across the healthcare continuum, urging the agency to enforce federal regulations around compounding following the recent resolution of GLP-1 medicine shortages. Among the signatories include: the Alliance for Women’s Health & Prevention, the Association of Black Cardiologists, the National Hispanic Medical Association and the National Consumers League.  The letter follows recent announcements from the FDA that Eli Lilly’s ...

AMR occurs when disease-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites (pathogens) are no longer affected by the medicines that have been developed to target them. Drug-resistant pathogens can cause infections that are difficult or impossible to treat; they increase the risk of disease spread and can lead to severe illness, disability and death. Wastewater is commonly contaminated with antimicrobial resistant micro-organisms and antimicrobial compounds. Upon entering our environment, such as rivers and seas, contaminated wastewater therefore serves as a pathway for, and major contributor to, the spread of AMR in the UK and ...

The end of a romantic relationship usually does not come out of the blue but is indicated one or two years before the breakup. As the results of a psychological study have demonstrated, the terminal stage of a relationship consists of two phases. First, there is a gradual decline in relationship satisfaction, reaching a transition point one to two years before the dissolution of the relationship. "From this transition point onwards, there is a rapid deterioration in relationship satisfaction. Couples in question then move towards separation," said Professor ...

In a groundbreaking study on the synthesis of cellulose – a major constituent of all plant cell walls – a team of Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers has captured images of the microscopic process of cell-wall building continuously over 24 hours with living plant cells, providing critical insights that may lead to the development of more robust plants for increased food and lower-cost biofuels production. The discovery, published in the journal Science Advances, reveals a dynamic process never seen before and may provide practical applications for everyday products derived from plants including ...

A research team led by Mount Sinai has uncovered mechanisms of abnormal immune cell function that may lead to Crohn’s disease, according to findings published in Science Immunology on March 21. The researchers said their discovery provides better understanding of disease development and could inform the development and design of new therapies to prevent inflammation before it starts in the chronic disorder. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and symptoms can include abdominal ...

A liquid robot capable of transforming, separating, and fusing freely like living cells has been developed. Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a joint research team led by Professor Ho-Young Kim from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Jeong-Yun Sun from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor Keunhwan Park from the Department of Mechanical, Smart, and Industrial Engineering at Gachon University has successfully developed a next-generation ...

Freshwater ecosystems require adequate oxygen levels to sustain aerobic life and maintain healthy biological communities. However, both long-term climate warming and the increasing frequency and intensity of short-term heatwaves are significantly reducing surface dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in lakes worldwide, according to a new study published in Science Advances. Led by Prof. SHI Kun and Prof. ZHANG Yunlin from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from the Nanjing University and the UK’s ...

Peking University, March 19, 2025: The research group led by Prof. Wang Chu from the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University published a research article entitled “Quantitative Chemoproteomics Reveals Dopamine’s Protective Modification of Tau” in Nature Chemical Biology (DOI:10.1038/s41589-025-01849-9). Using a novel quantitative chemoproteomic strategy, the team uncovered a protective role of dopamine (DA) in regulating the function of the microtubule-associated protein Tau. This discovery deepens our understanding of dopamine’s physiological and pathological roles in the human brain. Why it matters: 1. Dopamine, ...

A federally funded research team led by Sheri Holmen, PhD, investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah (the U), is testing a new combination drug therapy that could both treat and prevent melanoma metastasis, or spreading from its original site, to the brain.   “Once melanoma has spread to the brain, it’s very hard to treat. Metastasis to the brain is one of the main causes of death from melanoma,” says Holmen. “We wanted to find a solution to an unmet clinical need for those patients who had no other treatment options ...