Singapore, 7 October 2024—Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the University of California, Santa Cruz, have discovered the secret to regulating our internal clock. They identified that this regulator sits right at the tail end of Casein Kinase 1 delta (CK1δ), a protein which acts as a pace setter for our internal biological clock or the natural 24-hour cycles that control sleep-wake patterns and other daily functions, known as circadian rhythm. Published in the journal PNAS, their findings could ...

The Kavli Foundation and the U.S. National Science Foundation are collaborating to accelerate research in the emerging field of neurobiology in changing ecosystems, stemming from the foundation’s efforts in this area first announced in 2023. A joint Kavli-NSF grantmaking program was launched in December of 2023.  Building on early success of this program, Kavli and NSF announce its continuation with a second call for proposals, open through February 10, 2025, for projects tackling hard problems in this understudied field.  Research ...

An estimated one in five Americans live with chronic pain and current treatment options leave much to be desired. Feixiong Cheng, PhD, Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Genome Center, and IBM are using artificial intelligence (AI) for drug discovery in advanced pain management. The team’s deep-learning framework identified multiple gut microbiome-derived metabolites and FDA-approved drugs that can be repurposed to select non-addictive, non-opioid options to treat chronic pain.   The findings, published in Cell Press, represent one of many ways the organizations' Discovery Accelerator partnership is helping ...

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has launched its Neutron Nexus pilot program with Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, or FAMU, and Florida State University, or FSU, through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The first program of its kind nationwide, it’s aimed at broadening and diversifying the scientific user community with outreach to universities and colleges to increase collaboration and, ultimately, scientific advancement.  Although a recently planned two-day “ORNL Days” event in Florida was cut ...

This article was published Early Release to coincide with a presentation at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care in Las Vegas, NV. Full text is now available on evidence.nejm.org. Email mediarelations@nejm.org for access. Original Article: Intact Fish Skin Graft to Treat Deep Diabetic Foot Ulcers Dured Dardari, M.D, Ph.D., From the Diabetology Department, Center Hopitalier Sud Francilien, Corbeil-Essonnes, France, and the LBEPS, Université d’Evry, IRBA, Université Paris Saclay, 91025 Evry, France. If you have any questions for our office, please contact our Media Relations ...

October 4, 2024   UMass Amherst Astronomer Leads Science Team Helping to Develop Billion-Dollar NASA Satellite Mission Concept Alexandra Pope, science lead for the PRIMA space telescope, is on team developing next-generation space probe that will explore evolution of the universe   AMHERST, Mass. – A University of Massachusetts astronomy professor is science lead on a $5 million proposal selected by NASA to develop new space satellite missions that bridge gaps in our understanding of the evolution of ...

International collaboration between the Bioengineering Department at Clemson University, South Carolina and Arusha Technical College in Tanzania will further enhance development of a workforce skilled in biomedical device design and innovation. A recent National Science Foundation grant awarded to Dr. Melinda Harman, an Associate Professor at Clemson, along with her team of collaborators will develop innovative approaches to problem-based learning in bioengineering while fostering breakthroughs that address global health ...

About 800 million years ago (mya), before the supercontinent Pangea formed, the Earth was more diverse than classical theory suggests. By reconstructing the tree of life from the evolutionary history of amoebas and the ancestors of algae, fungi, plants and animals, Brazilian researchers have created a scenario in which several different lineages of many species inhabited the planet during the period. An article reporting their findings is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).  According to the literature, several lineages of eukaryotes that first emerged 1.5 billion years ago diversified and ...

A multi-country, government-led initiative dedicated to advancing the global transition to a sustainable, bio-based economy, unveiled a new Global Biomass Resource Assessment, providing groundbreaking data on current and future sustainable biomass supplies around the world.  The results from this new global sustainable supply assessment will allow scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore potential sources of biomass as a foundation for a circular and sustainable global bioeconomy, supporting ...

Two new papers in Nature Medicine by a global research team highlight the economic value of reducing avoidable deaths.  The first paper "applies novel methods to estimate the economic value of reducing avoidable deaths worldwide, finding that in 2019, 40 million deaths were avoidable—i.e., could have been prevented or delayed if individuals in all countries had access to the best available healthcare. The economic value of reducing these avoidable deaths is equivalent to 23% of annual global income, suggesting that ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — From 2011 to 2020, the Veterans Health Administration spent $78 billion to care for U.S. military veterans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, raising questions about federal overpayments to those private plans. That’s according to an analysis by researchers from Brown University and the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Published in JAMA, the study notes that because Medicare Advantage plans receive fixed per-patient payments for health care services without having payments reduced when veterans receive care ...

A new study by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and the University of California Davis Health identified a new target for developing a therapy to treat atrial fibrillation, the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm. Atrial fibrillation, commonly called AFib or AF, causes about 1 in 7 strokes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is associated with a significant increase in the risk of morbidity and mortality. More than 12 million people are expected to have AFib by 2030, according to the American Heart Association, and current treatment ...

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 4, 2024 — A research team from the University of California, Irvine is the first to reveal that a molecule in the brain – ophthalmic acid – unexpectedly acts like a neurotransmitter similar to dopamine in regulating motor function, offering a new therapeutic target for Parkinson’s and other movement diseases.   In the study, published in the October issue of the journal Brain, researchers observed that ophthalmic acid binds to and activates calcium-sensing ...

TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 4, 2024) — A new study published in Cell Press reveals critical insights into the role of gamma-delta T cells across 33 cancer types, shedding light on their potential as clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer treatment. Led by a team of researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, this comprehensive analysis represents a significant advancement in the understanding of these unique immune cells and their implications for patient outcomes in cancer therapy. Despite their minority status within the T cell community, gamma-delta T cells are increasingly recognized for their dual capability to engage both ...

A new study from researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) shows environmental conditions in migratory birds’ winter homes carry over to affect their ability to survive spring migration and the breeding season.  While scientists have long known that the quality of winter, or non-breeding, habitat influences migratory birds’ migration timing and reproductive success, the study, published today in Current Biology, marks the first time researchers have linked winter ...

CHICAGO – The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is supporting 445 neuroscience trainees to attend Neuroscience 2024, SfN’s annual meeting and the world’s largest gathering of neuroscientists, through the Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) program. Over $560,000 in generous donations — the largest amount raised for this program — were contributed by individual donors to the Friends of SfN Fund, foundation and corporate supporters, and SfN Council. SfN Council leads this TPDA fundraising initiative and matched many of the donations. “SfN is delighted to support ...

RESEARCH SUMMARY Study Title: Nonpathogenic E. coli displaying decoy-resistant IL18 demonstrate potent anti-tumor responses and boost CAR-NK cell therapy Publication: Nature Biotechnology Dana-Farber Cancer Institute authors: Rizwan Romee, MD, Shaobo Yang, Michal Sheffer, PhD, David Barbie, MD, Catherine Wu, MD, Robert J. Soiffer, MD, Jerome Ritz, MD Summary: Recent research has shown that certain forms of E. coli bacteria tend to colonize hypoxic ...

Magic tricks make the impossible seem possible. Magicians have long captivated audiences with visual tricks, such as pulling a bunny from a hat or sawing someone in half, but tricks that rely on sound are scarce. A new article published in the Cell Press journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences on October 4 explores why creating a magical experience using only sound may be challenging and underscores the importance of making magic accessible to people with blindness. "Given that magic is about the conflict between perceptual processes and our beliefs, we should be able to experience magic in ...

For more information, contact: Nicole Fawcett, nfawcett@umich.edu   EMBARGOED for release at 11 a.m. ET Oct. 4, 2024   Research points to potential new treatment for aggressive prostate cancer subtype In two separate papers, U-M researchers describe how a gene alteration drives prostate cancer and a potential degrader that stops it   ANN ARBOR, Michigan — When researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center first identified a new subtype of aggressive prostate cancer, they knew they needed to understand how this genetic alteration was driving cancer and how to target it with treatment.   In two new papers, ...

A decade after the establishment of the certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) model, more than 60 percent of the US population has access to such facilities and the mental health and substance use disorder treatment services they provide, according to a new study led by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health. Moreover, these clinics are expanding the availability of crisis mental health services, including mobile crisis response teams and stabilization. “Certified community behavioral health clinics have become a cornerstone of bipartisan strategies to increase access to and improve the ...

About The Study: This cross-sectional study of U.S. adults suggests that social risk factor domains were associated with decreased odds of receiving preventive services; this association was cumulative. There is a need to address social risk factors to optimize receipt of recommended preventive services.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Leonard E. Egede, MD, MS, email legede@buffalo.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that online pharmacies play an increasingly critical role in direct-to-patient medication abortion provision, especially with virtual-only platforms. These findings suggest that barriers to accessing online pharmacies for abortion care should be removed.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Caila Brander, MSc, email cbrander@ibisreproductivehealth.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.34675) Editor’s ...

Injured adolescents from marginalized groups treated at pediatric trauma centers are more likely to be tested for drugs and alcohol than white adolescents, even when accounting for injury severity, a study led by researchers at UCLA and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles suggests. The findings, to be published October 4 in the peer-reviewed JAMA Network Open, suggest that clinician biases could influence the selection of adolescents for biochemical substance use screening at pediatric trauma centers, said Dr. Jordan Rook, a general surgery resident at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study’s lead author. ...

The evolutionary adaptations that allowed ancient pterosaurs to grow to enormous sizes have been pinpointed for the first time by palaeontologists in the Centre for Palaeobiology and Biosphere Evolution at the University of Leicester. The discovery revealed a surprising twist – the ability to walk efficiently on the ground played a crucial role in determining how large the biggest flying animals could grow, with some reaching wingspans of up to 10 metres. In a new study published today (4 October) in Current ...

University of Maryland biologists identified a hidden sensory talent in geckos that’s shaking up what we thought we knew about animal hearing. In a new study published in Current Biology on October 4, 2024, the researchers revealed that geckos use the saccule—a part of their inner ear traditionally associated with maintaining balance and body positioning—to detect low-frequency vibrations. According to the researchers, this special “sixth sense” also plays a complementary role to the geckos’ normal hearing and the way they sense ...