Researchers hone in on the best software for detecting microRNAs in plants

Sophia Antipolis - 1 July 2021: Heart failure patients aged 80 and above are less likely to receive recommended therapies and dosages compared to their younger counterparts, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 "Guidelines recommend the same treatments for all heart failure patients regardless of age," said study author Dr. Davide Stolfo of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.2 "Our analysis adjusted for other conditions that might justify withholding ...

As the COVID-19 pandemic exploded across the globe in early 2020, the world's leaders were faced with a flurry of tough moral dilemmas. Should schools and businesses shut down, and if so, for how long? Who should receive scarce resources, such as ventilators, when there wouldn't be enough for everyone? Should people be required to practice contact tracing to control the spread of infection? Should life-saving medicine be held for a country's own citizens or shared with those in greater need? Some global leaders advocated for a utilitarian approach to these dilemmas: impartially maximizing the greatest good for the greatest number of people, even if that would come at the cost of harming a minority of the population. Utilitarianism, however, is a controversial ...

1 July 2021: Despite only limited evidence that fertility add-ons increase the odds of having a baby, the majority of women (82%) have used one or more of these treatments as part of their IVF. This is the conclusion of a retrospective study of 1,590 Australian patients which also found more than seven in 10 (72%) had incurred additional costs for these unproven additional therapies and techniques which range from Chinese herbal medicine to endometrial scratching. The results based on an online survey into prevalence of these optional extras will be presented today by principal investigator Dr Sarah Lensen, a researcher from the University of Melbourne, Australia, at the 37th virtual Annual Meeting of ESHRE. The findings, says Lensen, suggest ...

Bottom Line: For women diagnosed with breast cancer in Florida, breast cancer-specific mortality rates have decreased more among Black and Hispanic women than white women since 1990. Despite these advances, Black women still have double the five- and 10-year mortality rates of non-Hispanic white women. Journal in Which the Study was Published: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Author: Robert Hines, PhD, MPH, associate professor of population health sciences at the University of ...

Evidence shows significant reduction in indicators of potential harm over 6-months for smokers switching to exclusive use of glo compared with continuing to smoke cigarettes Gold-standardi indicator supports scientific substantiation of glo's potential as a reduced risk product* First ever long-term study showing sustained reduction in exposure to certain toxicants and indicators of potential harm in smokers switching completely to glo Supports BAT's delivery of A Better TomorrowTM by reducing the health impact of its global business by encouraging ...

New research from marine biologists offers answers to a fundamental puzzle that had until now remained unsolved: why are some fish warm-blooded when most are not? It turns out that while (warm-blooded) fish able to regulate their own body temperatures can swim faster, they do not live in waters spanning a broader range of temperatures. The research therefore provides some of the first direct evidence as to the evolutionary advantage of being warm-blooded as well as underlining that species in this demographic - such as the infamous white shark and the speedy bluefin tuna - are likely just as vulnerable to changing ...

Nanosized molecules of a particular chemical element can inhibit the formation of plaque in the brain tissues. This new discovery by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, in collaboration with researchers in Croatia and Lithuania, provides renewed hope for novel treatments of, for instance, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease in the long run. "This is indeed a very important step that may form the basis of new and efficient treatments of neurodegenerative diseases in the future," says Professor Ludmilla Morozova-Roche at Umeå University. When proteins misfold they form insoluble fibrils called amyloids, which are involved in several serious diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, Corino de Andrade's and the mad cow ...

SAN ANTONIO (June 30, 2021) -- In a U.S. and Swiss study, nearly all patients with cancer developed good immune response to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines three to four weeks after receiving their second dose, but the fact that a small group of the patients exhibited no response raised questions about how their protection against the virus will be addressed moving forward. Among the 131 patients studied, 94% developed antibodies to the coronavirus. Seven high-risk patients did not. "We could not find any antibodies against the virus in those patients," said Dimpy P. Shah, MD, PhD, of the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson. "That has implications for the future. Should we provide a third dose of vaccine after cancer therapy has completed ...

Expanding symptom list in line with other countries could improve the UK's pandemic response The UK should expand its official list of symptoms for defining covid-19 to prevent cases being missed and help improve the UK's pandemic response, say experts in The BMJ today. They argue that limiting symptomatic testing to those with these official symptoms "will miss or delay identification of many covid-19 cases, hampering efforts to interrupt transmission." During the covid-19 pandemic the British public has been told to self-isolate and get a test if they have a high fever, a new continuous cough, or ...

Eating a diet rich in omega 3 (n-3) fatty acids reduces the frequency of headaches compared with a diet with normal intake of omega 3 and omega 6 (n-6) fatty acids, finds a study published by The BMJ today. Modern industrialised diets tend to be low in omega 3 fatty acids and high in omega 6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are precursors to oxylipins - molecules involved in regulating pain and inflammation. Oxylipins derived from omega 3 fatty acids are associated with pain-reducing effects, while oxylipins derived from omega 6 fatty acids worsen pain and can provoke migraine. But previous studies evaluating omega 3 fatty acid supplements for migraine have been inconclusive. So a team of US researchers wanted to find out whether diets ...