Astronauts in crewed missions to Mars could misread vital emotional cues

Scleritis is a vision-threatening inflammatory condition of the white portion of the eye, or the sclera, that is thought to be the result of an over-reaction of the body's immune system. A new study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology provides estimates of the incidence and prevalence of scleritis between 1997 and 2018 in the U.K. Investigators found that the U.K. incidence of new cases appears to have fallen by about one-third over the past 22 years, to 2.8 new cases per 100,000 people per year. This trend is likely due to improvements in the management of immune-related diseases. Individuals who developed scleritis often ...

Fractures in the vertebrae of the spine and calcification in a blood vessel called the abdominal aorta can both be visualized through the same spinal imaging test. A new study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research that included 5,365 older men indicates that each of these measures are linked with a higher risk of developing hip and other fractures. Investigators found that including both measures compared with including only abdominal aortic calcification or only vertebral fractures improved the ability to predict which men were most likely to experience a hip or other fracture in the future. "Both abdominal aortic calcification ...

While play and playfulness have been studied well in children, their structure and consequences are understudied in adults. A new article published in Social and Personality Psychology Compass highlights available research on this topic and also examines why playfulness is important in romantic relationships. The authors note that playfulness encourages the experience of positive emotions and might relate to potential biological processes--such as the activation of hormones and certain brain circuits. It also influences how people communicate and interact with each other, for example by helping to deal with stress, and solving interpersonal tension. These can all impact relationship ...

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which involves passing electricity through the brain, remains a controversial psychiatric treatment for depression and other conditions because it can cause side effects such as memory loss and is ineffective for many patients. A recent study published in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice has examined how ECT is currently administered and monitored throughout England. The study was based on data provided by 37 National Health Service Trusts' responses to requests under the Freedom of Information Act. The audit found that the dwindling use of ECT in England has levelled off at about 2,500 people per year. Most recipients are women and over 60 years old. Only one Trust could report ...

Scientists at UC San Francisco have detected 109 chemicals in a study of pregnant women, including 55 chemicals never before reported in people and 42 "mystery chemicals," whose sources and uses are unknown. The chemicals most likely come from consumer products or other industrial sources. They were found both in the blood of pregnant women, as well as their newborn children, suggesting they are traveling through the mother's placenta. The study will be published March 17, 2021, in Environmental Science & Technology. "These chemicals have probably been in people for quite some time, but our technology is ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio (March 17, 2021)--As women age, they are more likely to wake up in the middle of the night to pass urine. The loss of estrogen during the menopause transition accelerates this problem, which is known as nocturia. A new study evaluated the effectiveness of different hormone therapies in managing the frequency of nocturia. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The loss of estrogen during menopause has been shown to create bladder dysfunction, sleep disorders, hot flashes, and alterations ...

According to a study conducted at the University of Helsinki, a raw diet from the late stages of suckling to roughly two months of age may reduce the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs later in life. In addition, a raw diet administered subsequently up to six months was found to have a positive effect. At the same time, the study indicates that feeding dry food to puppies early on in their lives can increase the incidence of IBD later in life. In addition to the diet, the maternal history of IBD as well as the dog's gender and age were associated ...

A recent study, affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a novel system, capable of producing hydrogen and electricity quickly and effectively while eliminating carbon dioxide (CO?) emissions significantly. Published in the January 2021 issue of Nano Energy, this breakthrough has been carried out by Professor GunTae Kim and his research team in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST. In this study, the research team succeeded in developing a membrane-free aqueous metal-CO? battery. Unlike the existing aqueous metal-CO? systems, the new battery is not only easier to manufacture, but also allows continuous operation with one type of electrolyte. The research team designed ...

Philadelphia, March 17, 2021 - As high school athletes return to practice and games for a variety of sports, the threat of concussions remains. A new study from researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) used head impact sensors in four different sports and studied male and female athletes to determine which of these sports put students at the highest risk for head impacts that could lead to concussions. The findings were published online by the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. "Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to concussion because they frequently participate in sporting and recreational activities and have slower recovery periods compared to adults," said Kristy Arbogast, PhD, senior ...

It's a fact - humans love sugar. For those of us who also like to watch our calories, sugar substitutes can help. Some zero-calorie or low-calorie sweeteners have attracted bad reputations for containing unnatural ingredients. But there are also natural sweeteners derived from plants, like stevia. Stevia is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, and it has no calories. The global stevia market is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The sweetener is derived from the leaves of the plant Stevia rebaudiana, a native of Paraguay and Brazil. The leaves make chemicals similar enough to sugar to trick the tongue. ...