Researchers have uncovered evidence hinting that the most common bug spray ingredient, DEET, might cause reproductive problems by affecting the formation of egg cells during pregnancy. The findings come from a study in C. elegans — worms that don’t look like they have much in common with humans yet serve as surprisingly useful bellwethers of how toxins in the environment affect human reproduction. Get more HMS news here The research, published Jan. 4 in iScience, raises difficult questions. Chief among them is how to balance the possible reproductive harms ...

About The Study: The results of this study that included 573,000 persons suggest that hearing loss was associated with increased dementia risk, especially among people not using hearing aids, suggesting that hearing aids might prevent or delay the onset and progression of dementia. The risk estimates were lower than in previous studies, highlighting the need for more high-quality longitudinal studies.  Authors: Manuella Lech Cantuaria, Ph.D., of the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, is the corresponding author. (doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2023.3509) To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ Editor’s ...

About The Study: The findings of this study of 2,709 patients hospitalized with sepsis from 2016 to 2019 at an urban tertiary care center suggest a language-based inequity in outcomes. Further studies are needed to understand drivers of this inequity, how it may manifest in other diverse health systems, and to inform equitable care models for patients with limited English proficiency.  Authors: Neha P. Limaye, M.D., M.P.H., of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, is the corresponding author.   To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link ...

BOSTON – New research indicates that the eating disorder anorexia nervosa is associated with being an early riser, unlike many other disorders that tend to be evening-based such as depression, binge eating disorder and schizophrenia. The study, which is published in JAMA Network Open and led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in collaboration with University College London and the University of the Republic in Uruguay, also revealed a link between anorexia nervosa and insomnia risk. Previous research has suggested a possible connection between eating disorders and the body’s internal clock, or circadian clock, which controls a wide range of biological ...

Press release: Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology EMBARGO: JANUARY 4, 2024 AT 11:00 AM ET (US)   A detailed 'atlas' of neuroblastoma tumors points to a new target for immunotherapy. Scientists from the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology in the Netherlands mapped this childhood tumor at the level of individual cancer and immune cells. In doing so, they discovered a brake on the immune system that can be blocked with existing immunotherapy. The results in the lab are promising; preparations for a clinical study are underway. Every year, 25 children in the Netherlands ...

A new peer-reviewed study in the American Journal of Human Genetics highlights the work of the biobank at the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine (CCPM), a world-class site for precision medicine in research and clinical care created in partnership with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and UCHealth. The paper focuses on CCPM’s research and personalized medical care.   “We’re one of the only institutions in the world that has accomplished the dual-purpose of using genetic information to accelerate scientific discovery in research while providing actionable clinical results to patients that ...

In cooperation with research partners in Germany and France, the infectious disease specialist Dr Jan Rybniker and his team at University Hospital Cologne and the University of Cologne’s Faculty of Medicine have identified new, antibiotic molecules that target Mycobacterium tuberculosis and make it less pathogenic for humans. In addition, some of the discovered substances may allow for a renewed treatment of tuberculosis with available medications – including strains of the bacterium that have already developed drug resistance. The research has been published in the article ‘Discovery of dual-active ethionamide boosters ...

At EPFL's School of Engineering, Professor Li Tang's Laboratory of Biomaterials for Immunoengineering has made significant strides in cancer treatment research. In laboratory settings, this innovative CAR-T therapy has consistently eradicated cancerous tumors in mouse models. Separately, in on-going clinical trials, eleven patients seemed to achieve complete remission using this treatment, marking a success rate of 100% to date. Notably, evidence from the lab study, published in Nature Biotechnology, suggests the therapy's long-term effectiveness, and indicates that its fabrication may be both quicker and more cost-effective ...

MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL JAN. 4, 2024, at 10 AM EST) – Recent advances in treating multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer, and other blood malignancies are providing improved outcomes – and hope – to patients worldwide. But treatment breakthroughs such as the immunotherapy drug teclistamab can lead to potentially lethal side effects, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). These potential side effects have necessitated giving immunotherapy drugs in the hospital setting, where patients remain for five to seven days and receive other drugs ...

A team of researchers from UC San Francisco has found that Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) did not reduce the risk of developing long COVID for vaccinated, non-hospitalized individuals during their first COVID-19 infection. They also found a higher proportion of individuals with acute symptoms rebound and test-positivity than previously reported. The study appears Jan. 4, 2024, in the Journal of Medical Virology. Paxlovid treatment for acute COVID-19 has been shown to be effective for high-risk unvaccinated individuals. But the effect of the treatment on long COVID risk, including whether it protects vaccinated people from getting long COVID, has been less clear. The ...

● KAT6 is an emerging target in hormone sensitive breast tumors and other cancers. Overexpression of KAT6A/B correlates with poor clinical outcomes in patients with ER+/HER2- breast cancer – the most common subtype. ● The molecule has demonstrated strong preclinical activity. Insilico Medicine presented data on the novel molecule at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in early December. ● This agreement includes upfront and milestone payments with a combined potential value of over $500m and sales royalties. FLORENCE, Italy and NEW YORK: The Menarini Group ("Menarini"), a leading international pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, and Stemline Therapeutics, ...

INDIANAPOLIS – A significant obstacle to improving care and outcomes for intensive care unit (ICU) patients is the unexpected nature of becoming seriously ill. Which groups of patients are likely to become severely ill and will they survive their ICU stay? In a first step in creating infrastructure for further studies to identify and follow cohorts of patients who may become critically ill, researchers including Sikandar Khan, D.O, M.S., of Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine, have developed and conducted ...

Firms worldwide are increasingly adopting electronic voting, enabling shareholders to cast their votes online, instead of attending shareholder meetings in-person. Shareholders can enjoy superior accessibility to the meetings with electronic voting, compared to those with traditional and in-person setups. Despite the emerging popularity of electronic voting in recent years, however, there is limited evidence of its impact on governance. To address this gap in research, Associate Professor Wonsuk Ha from the School of Business Administration, Chung-Ang University, along ...

WASHINGTON—A new Journal of the Endocrine Society study among women attending a fertility center found that those with more stress before pregnancy had higher blood sugar levels during pregnancy, which is a sign of weaker cardiovascular health. People’s stress levels have continued to rise over the years, particularly in the last few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting them at risk for serious health issues such as heart disease. Research shows women may experience more stress than men, especially those going through infertility. Maintaining a healthy pregnancy ...

Stress during pregnancy is known to influence health outcomes, but a new study from Mass General Brigham researchers suggests that stress levels before pregnancy are also important to evaluate. Investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed the link between self-reported stress immediately before conception among women seeking fertility care and blood glucose levels, a marker of heart health. The team found that maternal stress during preconception ...

New York, NY [January 4, 2023]—In a milestone study, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the assessment of the heart’s right ventricle, which sends blood to the lungs.  Conducted by a team using AI-enabled electrocardiogram (AI-ECG) analysis, the research demonstrates that electrocardiograms can effectively predict right-side heart issues, offering a simpler alternative to complex imaging technologies and potentially enhancing patient outcomes. The findings were described in the December 29 online ...

SPOKANE, Wash. – Even small differences in the availability of urban green and blue spaces may be associated with better mental and physical health in older adults, according to a Washington State University study. The study’s findings showed that having just 10% more forest space in a person’s residential ZIP code was associated with reduced serious psychological distress, which covers mental health problems that require treatment and interfere with people’s social lives, work or school. Similarly, a 10% increase in green space, tree cover, water bodies ...

100 years of Science Changing Life: Scripps Research celebrates a century of transforming human health LA JOLLA, CA—Scripps Research, a nonprofit biomedical institute ranked one of the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation, will celebrate its 100-year history throughout 2024. This significant milestone marks a century of seminal discoveries in immunology, infectious diseases (such as COVID-19, flu, HIV), neuroscience, heart disease, cancer, and more. The institute has also made strides in groundbreaking chemistry advances, drug development and educational ...

Chicago, January 4, 2024 — The JAMA Network today announces a new class of seven academic physicians and nurses selected for a new program to provide junior faculty and current research fellows opportunities to learn about biomedical journals and scientific publication. This inaugural group of fellows will spend six months immersed as part of the JAMA editorial team to obtain direct exposure to the editorial review process and enhance their skills in scientific communication. Fellows will be assigned to a current JAMA editor for mentorship, attend manuscript meetings, participate in discussions about research design, data validity, potential clinical importance, and conduct ...

Chronic liver disease, a growing threat to global health, often progresses silently in its early stages. Detecting its precursor, steatotic liver disease (SLD), and advanced liver fibrosis before complications arise is crucial to prevent devastating outcomes. The newly developed Chronic Liver Disease (CLivD) score offers a promising non-invasive approach to this challenge. In a recent study involving a US general population sample, researchers explored the CLivD score’s ability to identify SLD and advanced fibrosis, assessed using liver stiffness measurement (LSM). The study also evaluated the potential ...

Tetraneutron is an elusive atomic nucleus consisting of four neutrons, whose existence has been highly debated by scientists. This stems primarily from our lack of knowledge about systems consisting of only neutrons, since most atomic nuclei are usually made of a combination of protons and neutrons. Scientists believe that the experimental observation of a tetraneutron could be the key to exploring new properties of atomic nuclei and answering the age-old question: Can a charge-neutral multineutron system ever exist? Two recent experimental studies reported the presence of tetraneutrons in bound state and resonant state (a state that decays ...

Over the past decades, scientists have made substantial progress unveiling the underlying mechanisms behind many psychiatric disorders. Every year, new genetic mutations or protein dysregulations are identified as potential culprits for the symptoms, and sometimes even the root causes of complex neurological diseases, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s. Despite these efforts, the precise roles of several proteins involved in brain function remain obscure. Such is the case for indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (IDO2), an enzyme expressed in the brain and metabolized by the ...

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a traditional method used to measure the electrical activity of muscles during physical activity. This method has remained unchanged for over 70 years and involves the use of two standard approaches. The first involves a pair of electrodes—metals that conduct electricity through non-metals—to record from a particular muscle, while the second employs a grid of electrodes arranged in a small rectangular layout in order to measure the potential distribution of intra-muscle activity. However, these approaches only provide a measurement of a single muscle at a time. Thus, limiting our understanding of how our muscles coordinate ...

Weather forecasting is important for various sectors, including agriculture, military operations, and aviation, as well as for predicting natural disasters like tornados and cyclones. It relies on predicting the movement of air in the atmosphere, which is characterized by turbulent flows resulting in chaotic eddies of air. However, accurately predicting this turbulence has remained significantly challenging owing to the lack of data on small-scale turbulent flows, which leads to the introduction of ...

How deeply someone can be hypnotized — known as hypnotizability — appears to be a stable trait that changes little throughout adulthood, much like personality and IQ. But now, for the first time, Stanford Medicine researchers have demonstrated a way to temporarily heighten hypnotizablity — potentially allowing more people to access the benefits of hypnosis-based therapy. In the new study, to be published Jan. 4 in Nature Mental Health, the researchers found that less than two minutes of electrical ...