Automated next generation sequencing platform can accurately screen thousands for COVID-19

Wild pigs are often maligned as ecosystem destroyers, but a University of Queensland study has found they also cultivate biodiverse rainforests in their native habitats. Dr Matthew Luskin has been researching the effect of native pigs in Malaysian rainforests and found their nests may be critical to maintaining diverse and balanced tree communities. "We've shown that wild pigs can support higher diversity ecosystems and are not just nuisances and pests, thanks to a beneficial effect of their nesting practices," Dr Luskin said. "Prior to giving birth, pigs build birthing nests made up of hundreds of tree seedlings, usually on flat, dry sites in the forest. "As they build their nests, the pigs ...

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a drug that works against depression by a completely different mechanism than existing treatments. Their study showed that ezogabine (also known as retigabine), a drug that opens KCNQ2/3 type of potassium channels in the brain, is associated with significant improvements in depressive symptoms and anhedonia in patients with depression. Anhedonia is the reduced ability to experience pleasure or lack of reactivity to pleasurable stimuli; it is a core symptom of depression and associated with worse outcomes, poor response to antidepressant medication, and increased risk of suicide. Ezogabine was ...

In an analysis of nationwide data from the Veterans Health Administration, approximately one-quarter of individuals with kidney stones had a diagnosis of osteoporosis or bone fracture around the time of their kidney stone diagnosis. The findings are published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Investigators identified 531,431 patients with kidney stone disease between 2007 and 2015, and they found that 23.6% of patients had a diagnosis of osteoporosis or fracture around the time of their kidney stone diagnosis. In patients with no prior history of osteoporosis or bone analyses before their kidney stone diagnosis, 9.1% ...

Patients with dementia may benefit from being referred to specialist palliative care--a branch of medicine that focuses on optimizing quality of life and providing relief from symptoms--but who should be referred, and when? A recent analysis of published studies on the topic found a lack of consensus regarding referral criteria for palliative care in patients with dementia. The results are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The analysis identified a wide array of reasons for referring patients with dementia to specialist palliative care, broadly classified under 13 themes. The ...

Individuals with cancer face a higher risk of suicide than people in the general population, but little is known about the characteristics of patients with cancer who have died by suicide. A new study published in Psycho-Oncology compared the characteristics of suicide cases with and without cancer. Among 14,446 suicide cases between 2003 and 2017 in Hong Kong, 10% had a history of cancer. Compared with non-cancer cases, patients with cancer were generally older and less likely to live alone; more likely to use violent methods; less likely to have histories of physical and psychiatric problems; and more likely to communicate about their suicidal intent before death. "Patients with cancer ...

The impact of eating disorders in the United States was nearly $400 billion in 2018-19 when considering both economic costs and reduced wellbeing, according to a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. Investigators estimated that the total economic cost associated with eating disorders in 2018-19 was $64.7billion, equivalent to $11,808 per affected person, and the substantial reduction in wellbeing associated with eating disorders was valued at $326.5 billion. "Our study lays bare the devastating economic impact that eating disorders have in the United States, a country where the majority of people affected suffer alone and never receive ...

Students have diverse reasons for dropping out of colleges and universities without obtaining a degree. A new study published in the European Journal of Education provides a detailed analysis of these reasons. The study found that the most important reasons for leaving university without a degree are mainly related to students' lack of interest in their field of study, as well as wrong expectations concerning the content of their studies. Problems related to students' academic performance also appear to be important. The study suggests potential counter measures that higher education institutions might use to help students at risk of dropping out as they strive to finish their ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented economic disruption and unemployment worldwide, and it may be challenging for career counselors to determine how best to provide effective career counseling to unemployed people in the post-COVID-19 world. In an article published in the Journal of Employment Counseling, experts suggest applying a holistic model of career counseling that addresses the multifaceted needs of long-term unemployed people. The model was developed to address similar problems occurring in Greece in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The authors note that career counselors should work on multiple levels--with individuals, with employers, with policy makers, and within the wider social ...

A seven-year study of California's soupfin sharks sheds light on their migration and reproductive cycles, laying the groundwork for potential management strategies amid conservation concerns. The findings were published March 3 in the Journal of Applied Ecology by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the University of San Diego (USD). Analyzing the tracking data from 34 female soupfin sharks (Galeorhinus galeus) tagged with acoustic transmitters, Scripps Oceanography researcher and USD professor Andrew Nosal discovered these sharks exhibit a triennial migratory cycle, returning to the tagging site off La Jolla, Calif. every three years. This is the first conclusive evidence in any animal of triennial philopatry, a term meaning 'home-loving,' ...

How have travel restrictions and reduced tourism in response to the COVID-19 pandemic affected mammals in different tourist destinations? Researchers recently reviewed published studies and news stories to consider this question. Their findings are published in Mammal Review. The authors noted that whether the pandemic has affected mammals positively or negatively is difficult to determine--their findings showed that effects of reduced tourism varied by species and the contexts that they are in. For example, some mammals in zoos thrived in the absence of visitors while others appeared to be deprived of ...