Each year, 100,000 people visit their doctor with abdominal pain, with approximately 30,000 of them diagnosed with gallstones. The standard treatment for these patients is a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Since the 1990s, the number of surgeries has increased exponentially, despite the lack of clear international criteria. As a result, gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries in the Netherlands, yet it is not always effective against pain: about one-third of patients continue to experience abdominal pain after cholecystectomy. The procedure has long been an example of inappropriate care, but this is now changing. In a 2019 study conducted by Radboud university ...

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are potent greenhouse gases (GHGs). The most potent of these compounds is trifluoromethane, also known as HFC-23. One kilogram of HFC-23 in the atmosphere contributes as much to the greenhouse effect as 12,000 kilograms of CO₂. It takes around 200 years for the gas to break down in the atmosphere. For this reason, more than 150 countries have committed to significantly reducing their emissions of HFC-23 as part of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The main source of HFC-23 ...

Aug. 21, 2024--Researchers from the NIH’s RECOVER Initiative have determined what long COVID looks like in youths, based on the most common symptoms reported in a study of over 5,300 school-age children and adolescents. Using the findings, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers also created indices that contain prolonged symptoms—eight for school-age children and 10 for adolescents—that together most likely indicate long COVID. The indices are not intended to be used in making a clinical diagnosis of long COVID but will guide research to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the condition in youths.  “Many ...

NIH-funded study finds long COVID affects adolescents differently than younger children Adolescents were most likely to experience low energy/tiredness while children were most likely to report headache   Scientists investigating long COVID in youth found similar but distinguishable patterns between school-age children (ages 6-11 years) and adolescents (ages 12-17 years) and identified their most common symptoms. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in JAMA, comes from research conducted through the NIH’s Researching ...

About The Study: In this large-scale study, symptoms that characterized pediatric postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID, differed by age group, and several distinct phenotypic PASC presentations were described. The research indices developed here will help researchers identify children and adolescents with high likelihood of PASC. Although these indices will require further research and validation, this work provides an important step toward a clinically useful tool for diagnosis with the ultimate goal of supporting optimal care for youth with PASC.  Quote from corresponding author Rachel ...

The kids were correct all along.   In the most comprehensive national study since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of researchers that includes a Rutgers-organized consortium of pediatric sites has concluded that long COVID symptoms in children are tangible, pervasive, wide ranging and clinically distinct within specific age groups.   Results of the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.   “We have convincing evidence that COVID-19 is not just a mild, benign illness for children,” ...

A research team led by the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER Initiative and supported by its Clinical Science Core (CSC) at NYU Langone Health, has designed a new way to identify which school-age children and adolescents most likely have Long COVID. Solely for the purpose of further study and not for use in clinical diagnoses, the team’s new measure (index) identifies children and teens with the highest chances of having Long COVID. The research index is based on long-term symptoms ...

A new study from researchers with UCLA Health and collaborating organizations has found that asporin, a protein encoded by the ASPN gene, plays a protective role in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Their findings, published on August 21 in the peer-reviewed journal Circulation, offer new insights into this incurable, often-fatal disease and suggest potential new ways to treat it. “We were surprised to find that asporin, which previously had not been linked to PAH, gets upregulated to increased levels as a response to ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Targeting an enzyme as part of combination therapy disrupts gastric cancer progression Many patients with gastric cancer have metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, ...

In the realm of chronic inflammation, lipid abnormalities are well-recognized as pivotal contributors to the progression and clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. Particularly in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a systemic autoimmune disorder, the immune response leads to the generation of inflammatory cytokines that profoundly alter lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. This review article delves into the latest research exploring the impact of inflammation on proatherogenic disorders of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in RA patients, with a focus on proinflammatory cytokines. Role of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Lipid and Lipoprotein Dysregulation Inflammatory ...

New research has revealed factories globally are not properly destroying one of the most potent greenhouse gases emitted from the production of fluoropolymers like Teflon, and refrigerants. The study investigated a known disparity between real and reported emissions of this gas, prompting calls for more countries to sign up to official agreements to limit emissions and for their Teflon factories to be independently audited to ensure compliance. The study, published today in the journal Nature, scrutinised emissions of one of the most potent hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) greenhouse gases called trifluoromethane, also ...

Children who have persistently raised inflammation are at a higher risk of experiencing serious mental health disorders including psychosis and depression in early adulthood, according to a study published today in JAMA Psychiatry. The research lead by the University of Birmingham also found that those who had experienced inflammation at a young age were at a higher risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases such as insulin resistance - an early form of diabetes.  The study used data collected by the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) – also known as Children of the 90s – and included a total of 6,556 participants of whom 50.4% ...

Mass General Brigham researchers found that women had a lower risk of developing postoperative atrial fibrillation after surgery compared to men, but a higher risk of long-term mortality  New research suggests that women who develop postoperative atrial fibrillation (poAF) after cardiac surgery are at greater risk of death than men. A study led by Mass General Brigham researchers found that women may have protective factors against the development of poAF, but once it develops, they may be more vulnerable to its associated long-term morbidities. The researchers suggest that more vigilant monitoring and long-term ...

A new study that examined health data on 18 million people reveals higher incidence of mental illnesses for up to a year following severe COVID-19 in unvaccinated people. Vaccination appeared to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on mental illnesses. The University of Bristol-led study, published in JAMA Psychiatry today [21 August], investigated associations of COVID-19 with mental illnesses according to time since diagnosis and vaccination status. COVID-19 is associated with mental illnesses in both hospital and population-based studies. However, until now, there was limited evidence about the association of COVID-19 with ...

The COVID-19 pandemic brought an increase in crime to New York City’s subways and buses. The transit system’s employees—especially female workers—have frequently been on the receiving end of attacks, according to a new study published in the Journal of Urban Health. The study, led by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health, found that 89 percent of public-facing transit workers in New York City experienced harassment or violence on the job during the pandemic (2020-2023). “Transit workers are our city’s unsung heroes—they kept New York City functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic, ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, depression, serious mental illness, general anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, addiction, self-harm, and suicide were elevated during weeks 1 through 4 after COVID-19 diagnosis compared with before or without COVID-19. Incidence was lower in people who were vaccinated when they had COVID-19 and incidence was higher, and persisted longer, after hospitalization for COVID-19. The findings support recommendation of COVID-19 vaccination in the general population and ...

UPTON, N.Y. — Scientists studying the tracks of particles streaming from six billion collisions of atomic nuclei at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) — an “atom smasher” that recreates the conditions of the early universe — have discovered a new kind of antimatter nucleus, the heaviest ever detected. Composed of four antimatter particles — an antiproton, two antineutrons, and one antihyperon — these exotic antinuclei are known as antihyperhydrogen-4. Members of RHIC’s STAR Collaboration made the discovery by using their house-sized particle detector ...

About The Study: Chronic absenteeism rates were substantially higher in school districts that used virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with in person in this cross-sectional study. Understanding how to reduce chronic absenteeism and use virtual learning without potentially negative consequences are key policy questions moving forward.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, William N. Evans, PhD, email wevans1@nd.edu. To access the embargoed study: ...

Mitochondria, the so-called “powerhouse of the cell,” depend on a newly discovered recycling mechanism identified by scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).  Mitochondria are tiny structures inside of cells that carry out a wide range of critical functions, including generating energy to help keep cells healthy. Every mitochondrion has two layers of membranes: the outer membrane and the inner membrane. On the inner membrane, folds called cristae contain proteins and molecules needed for energy production. ...

A groundbreaking study conducted across 30 field sites in the southwest UK has revealed the importance of incorporating varied habitats into the landscape at large. The research, published today in Nature and led by ecologists at the University of Bristol, addresses critical questions in conservation and land management, shedding new light on species interactions and how food chains operate across multiple habitats. The study found significant differences in food web structures among landscapes with one, two, or three habitats, including a more evenly distributed abundance of species. Multi-habitat landscapes host a higher number ...

Physicists from the STAR Collaboration have observed a new antimatter hypernucleus, antihyperhydrogen-4, for the first time. This is the heaviest antimatter hypernucleus discovered in experiments to date. This study, led by researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published in Nature on Aug. 21. Current physics assumes that the properties of matter and antimatter are symmetrical and that equal amounts of matter and antimatter existed at the birth of the universe. However, some mysterious physical mechanism caused the annihilation of most matter and antimatter, with only about one in ten billion matter particles ...

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs), also known as disorders of gut-brain interaction, encompass a wide range of conditions that cannot be attributed to structural, biochemical, or organic abnormalities. These disorders vary significantly from infancy to adulthood, with distinct manifestations in neonates/toddlers and children/adolescents. The ROME criteria, updated periodically, currently in use is ROME IV, which facilitates early and accurate diagnosis of FGIDs. Despite their prevalence, pediatric FGIDs pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to children's inability to articulate symptoms and the influence ...

The interaction between humans and their environment, mediated by nutrition, plays a crucial role in regulating inflammatory responses. Chronic inflammatory diseases have been on the rise, and the scientific community has been actively exploring pro-inflammatory nutrients as potential therapeutic targets. Gluten, a major component of wheat, barley, and rye, has been implicated in numerous health issues, particularly celiac disease (CD). This review essay summarizes the key findings of a recent study published in the Journal of Translational Gastroenterology, focusing on the proinflammatory effects of gluten and its implications in autoimmunity. Gluten and ...

While animals in drylands hone their natural senses to find vegetation, humans have developed “external eyes” to track these vital resources.   Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have created an advanced method that integrates high-frequency near-surface camera data with broader satellite imagery to better monitor and assess dryland ecosystems. Their approach could aid in taking timely action to prevent land degradation, contributing to improved environmental management and conservation strategies.   Their results were published in the Journal of Remote Sensing on July 8.   Drylands, including ...

Data published today in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst reported that MedPearl, a Providence-developed clinician-built clinical decision platform, improves primary care clinician productivity, decreases time waste on administrative tasks and improves the quality of referrals sent to specialists. The paper details operational outcomes from MedPearl’s use among more than 4,000 active monthly clinician users and shows statistically significant improvement in total productivity, after-hours time spent in the EMR and incremental margin per referral ...