Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a novel pathway to wake up dormant neural stem cells, offering potential new therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy. In the mammalian adult brain, most neural stem cells, which originate from the nervous system and can grow into various types of brain cells, stay dormant until they receive specific signals that activate them. Once woken up, they produce new neurons, aiding in brain repair and growth. Defects in neural stem cell activation ...

An unchartered area in the foothills of the Southern Pyrenees in Spain is providing insights into a poorly known period of Neanderthal history, offering clues that could help archaeologists uncover the mystery of their downfall, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU).   Abric Pizarro is one of only a few sites worldwide dating from 100,000 to 65,000 years ago during a period called MIS 4. The researchers have gathered hundreds of thousands of artefacts, including stone tools, animal bones and other evidence, providing significant data about the Neanderthal way of life during that time -- largely unknown in human history until now. The findings ...

Quick decisions are more likely influenced by initial biases, resulting in faulty conclusions, while decisions that take time are more likely the result in better information, according to new research led by applied mathematicians at the University of Utah. A team that included Sean Lawley, an associate professor of mathematics, and three former or current Utah graduate students used the power of numbers to test a decision-making model long used in psychology. They developed a framework to study the decision-making processes in groups of people holding various levels of bias. “In large populations, what we see is that slow deciders are making more accurate ...

A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, found that an episode of shingles is associated with about a 20 percent higher long-term risk of subjective cognitive decline. The study’s findings provide additional support for getting the shingles vaccine to decrease risk of developing shingles, according to the researchers. Their results are published in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. "Our findings show long-term implications of shingles and highlight the importance of public health efforts to prevent and promote uptake of the shingles vaccine," said ...

Australians outlive their peers in 5 high income English speaking countries, including the UK and the US, by between 1 to 4 years, finds an analysis of international longevity data, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Most of this advantage accrues between the ages of 45 and 84, with death rates from drug and alcohol misuse, screenable/treatable cancers, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases all lower, the analysis shows. While high income countries achieved good life expectancy gains during the 20th century, the trends have been much less favourable in the 21st century, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, note ...

Feeling that your life lacks purpose and that there are few opportunities for personal growth in older age may precede the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a frequent precursor of dementia, suggests research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. These aspects of psychological wellbeing noticeably decline 2 to 6 years before MCI is diagnosed, even in the absence of evident signs, and irrespective of whether those affected go on to develop dementia, the findings ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Despite being home to some of the world’s most dangerous animals, Australia has led the English-speaking world in life expectancy for the last three decades. As for other high-income Anglophone countries, the Irish saw the largest gains in life expectancy, while Americans have finished dead last since the early 1990s, according to a team of social scientists led by a Penn State researcher.   The team published their findings today (August 13) in the journal BMJ Open.  “One lesson ...

SMC Labels – Peer reviewed observational study on humans  Childhood maltreatment is associated with greater cognitive difficulties than previously thought   New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and City University of New York suggests that the cognitive difficulties associated with childhood maltreatment, and particularly neglect, have been grossly underestimated in previous studies.   The research, published in Lancet ...

Scientists from Macquarie University working with Bunuba Indigenous rangers and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in Western Australia have trialled a new way to protect freshwater crocodiles from deadly invasive cane toads spreading across northern Australia. Freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) are a culturally significant animal and part of traditional owners’ Dreamtime stories in the region. The loss of these predators also upsets the delicate balance of local ecosystems. The group’s research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society: B on August 14, shows a method to significantly reduce freshwater ...

Orlando, FL (Aug. 13, 2024) – Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) is the first hospital in the world to use a new, groundbreaking blood test to help assess patients with suspected mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or concussions. The rapid TBI blood test provides results in just 15 minutes and was developed by Abbott, in collaboration with the Department of Defense, and built upon innovative research that Orlando Health’s Dr. Linda Papa and others helped pioneer over 20 years ago. According to the National Institutes of Health, traumatic brain injury from accidents or sports is a leading cause of death and disability in ...

In a new study, researchers synthesised data from 206,873 people across 47 studies, finding that digital health tools – like mobile apps, websites, and text messages – can significantly improve health and wellbeing by keeping you active, boosting steps, and improving your diet and sleep.   Specifically, electronic and mobile health interventions can help people achieve:   1329 more steps / day 55 minutes more moderate-to-vigorous exercise / week 45 minutes more overall physical activity / week 7 hours less sedentary behaviour / week 103 fewer calories consumed / day 20% more fruits and vegetables consumed / day 5.5 grams less saturated fat consumed / day 1.9 ...

Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the first edition of a new systematic annual review. The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events ...

A new technique developed by McGill researchers for mechanically manipulating stem cells could lead to new stem cell treatments, which have yet to fulfill their therapeutic potential.  Stem cell therapy has been heralded as a new way to treat many diseases, ranging from multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and glaucoma to Type 1 diabetes. The anticipated advances have yet to materialize in part because it has proved much more difficult than originally thought to control the types of cells that develop from stem cells.  “The great strength of stem cells is their ability to adapt to the body, replicate and transform themselves into other kinds of cells, whether ...

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana University School of Medicine physician scientist is making strides in understanding the molecular origins of fatty liver disease, a leading cause of liver failure in the United States. By identifying the critical role the urea cycle plays in its development, his findings could pave the way for new medications to treat this currently incurable disease. In a study recently published in Cell Metabolism, Brian DeBosch, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, uncovered ...

Two studies published in the latest issue of the journal Cell by University of Pittsburgh researchers uncover how immunotherapies targeting the immune checkpoints PD1 and LAG3 work together to activate immune responses. The findings shed light on why combination therapies targeting both checkpoints can improve outcomes for melanoma patients compared to monotherapies targeting only PD1. Using data from a human clinical trial and animal models, the researchers investigated responses of tumor-killing CD8+ T cells. During extended battles with cancer, immune checkpoints accumulate on the surface of T cells, acting like brakes on ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A good night’s sleep is essential for children’s health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence. The team published their findings in Annals of Epidemiology. “The study suggests that there might be some critical ages when sleep can be a target for intervention,” said Anne-Marie Chang, associate professor of ...

TUCSON, Ariz. August 13, 2024– Critical Path Institute’s (C-Path) Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRxA) announced today that Kenneth Keiler, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a research grant for his innovative project titled “Inhibitors of the Gram-negative Cell Envelope Stress Response as Anti-Infectives and Antibiotics.” This funding will support Dr. Keiler’s original approach to addressing the critical issue ...

A new study published in eLIFE by researchers from the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reports the initial results of a first-in-kind clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of a JAK inhibitor to decrease the burden of autoimmune conditions in people with Down syndrome. The clinical trial, which is funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, is part of a portfolio of new clinical trials supported by the National Institutes of Health INCLUDE Project. Drawing upon their 2016 discovery that the interferon ...

A new study provides important insights into the pharmacokinetics and safety of intravenous remdesivir in treating the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in pregnant women. Remdesivir is an antiviral medication and is used to treat certain patients with COVID-19 who are either hospitalized or have mild-to-moderate symptoms in the outpatient setting and are at high risk of severe disease. The study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, is the first pharmacokinetic study to be published on a COVID-19 therapy in pregnant women. Pharmacokinetic studies ...

By Josh Stowe Toxic pollution is the single largest cause of death and poor health, killing up to 9 million people each year — about 100 times more than war and terrorism combined. Business produces the bulk of this deadly pollution, but can also play a critical role in addressing it and mitigating its effects, according to new research by University of Notre Dame expert Richard (Drew) Marcantonio. Marcantonio, whose study was recently published in Business Horizons, is assistant professor of environment, peace and global affairs in Notre Dame’s Keough ...

SAN ANTONIO — August 13, 2024 —Using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a Southwest Research Institute-led team has confirmed hydroxyl molecules on the surface of the metallic asteroid Psyche. The presence of hydrated minerals suggests a complex history for Psyche, important context for the NASA spacecraft en route to this interesting asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. At about 140 miles in diameter, Psyche is one of the most massive objects in the main asteroid belt. Previous observations indicate that Psyche is a dense, largely metallic object that could be a leftover core from a planet that experienced ...

A Rice University-led multi-institutional research collaboration has won an award of up to $18 million over five years from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop and validate a new system for improving tumor removal accuracy for two types of cancer: breast, and head and neck cancer. Called AccessPath, the novel, affordable, slide-free cancer pathology system will help surgeons know whether they have completely removed tumors during surgery by enabling rapid, automatic tumor margin classification of resected tumors. AccessPath is one of several projects funded through the ARPA-H Precision Surgical Interventions program announced today ...

By Courtney Price, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Researchers at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) have discovered that phenylbutazone, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly prescribed in horses, can affect the ability of a mare’s egg cells — called “oocytes” — to become viable embryos, which is a crucial step in assisted reproduction in horses. This discovery, recently published in the journal Theriogenology, is significant because of the time and money that horse owners ...

Light technology is at the heart of many cutting-edge innovations, from high-speed internet to advanced medical imaging. However, transmitting light through challenging environments, such as turbulent atmospheres or deformed optical systems, has always posed a significant hurdle. These complexities can distort and disrupt the light field, making it difficult to achieve clear and reliable results. Scientists have long sought ways to overcome these limitations, and a new breakthrough may hold the key to advance practical applications. As reported in Advanced Photonics, researchers at Soochow ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri scientists are battling against an emerging enemy of human health: nanoplastics. Much smaller in size than the diameter of an average human hair, nanoplastics are invisible to the naked eye.  Linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in people, nanoplastics continue to build up, largely unnoticed, in the world’s bodies of water. The challenge remains to develop a cost-effective solution to get rid of nanoplastics while leaving clean water behind.  That’s where Mizzou comes in. Recently, researchers at the university created a new liquid-based solution that eliminates more than 98% of these microscopic ...