Medicine Technology 🌱 Environment Space Energy Physics Engineering Social Science Earth Science Science
Medicine 2024-08-08

Increasing clinicians’ knowledge about climate change’s impact on health and healthcare sustainability

Physicians at an academic medical center completed surveys about climate change-focused educational modules related to health and sustainability in healthcare offered through an existing biannual quality incentive program. Most respondents thought that the modules were relevant or very relevant to their lives and clinical practices, and that their knowledge on these topics increased after completing the modules. Perceptions of the modules’ relevance varied by physicians’ demographics and specialties. An educational program emphasizing the relationship that climate change has with health and health care environmental sustainability was well-received by physicians, according ...
Read more →
Common antibiotics carry small but serious risks of life-threatening drug reactions, but some are safer than others
Medicine 2024-08-08

Common antibiotics carry small but serious risks of life-threatening drug reactions, but some are safer than others

Toronto, ON, May 15, 2024 – Two classes of commonly prescribed oral antibiotics are associated with the greatest risk for severe drug rashes that can lead to emergency department visits, hospitalizations and even death, according to a new study.  Researchers from ICES, Sunnybrook Research Institute and the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine suggest that prescribers should consider using lower-risk antibiotics for their patients when clinically appropriate.  Serious cutaneous adverse drug reactions (cADRs), or severe drug rash, are ...
Read more →
Medicine 2024-08-08

Oral antibiotics and risk of serious cutaneous adverse drug reactions

About The Study: Commonly prescribed oral antibiotics are associated with an increased risk of serious cutaneous adverse drug reactions compared with macrolides, with sulfonamides and cephalosporins carrying the highest risk. Prescribers should preferentially use lower-risk antibiotics when clinically appropriate. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, David N. Juurlink, M.D., Ph.D., email david.juurlink@ices.on.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.11437) Editor’s Note: Please ...
Read more →
Medicine 2024-08-08

Cannabis use and head and neck cancer

About The Study: This cohort study highlights an association between cannabis-related disorder and the development of head and neck cancer in adult patients. Given the limitations of the database, future research should examine the mechanism of this association and analyze dose response with strong controls to further support evidence of cannabis use as a risk factor for head and neck cancers.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Niels C. Kokot, MD, email niels.kokot@med.usc.edu. To ...
Read more →
Medicine 2024-08-08

Childhood and adolescent depression symptoms and young adult mental health and psychosocial outcomes

About The Study: In this cohort study of Canadian children and adolescents, childhood and adolescent depression symptoms were associated with impaired adult psychosocial functioning. Interventions should aim to screen and monitor children and adolescents for depression to inform policymaking regarding young adult mental health and psychosocial outcomes.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Marilyn N. Ahun, PhD, email marilyn.ahun@mcgill.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.25987) Editor’s ...
Read more →
Science 2024-08-08

Berkeley ordinance replaced junk food in store checkouts

Parents shopping with their children in Berkeley, California, can now breathe a sigh of relief when they get to the checkout lane. Likewise, Berkeley shoppers looking for an impulse snack purchase now have healthy options at the checkout. That is because in March 2021, Berkeley became the world’s first city to implement a healthy checkout policy, which sets nutritional standards for store checkouts. Berkeley, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been followed by Perris, a small city in Southern California, as well the United Kingdom.  According to Berkeley’s policy, only the following products can be placed at checkout: ...
Read more →
Cannabis use tied to head and neck cancer
Medicine 2024-08-08

Cannabis use tied to head and neck cancer

LOS ANGELES — A study from the USC Head and Neck Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC and the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, suggests that cannabis, the most commonly used illicit substance worldwide, is associated with an increased occurrence of head and neck cancer.   A large, multicenter study published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery revealed that adults with cannabis dependence, known as cannabis use disorder, are 3.5 to 5 times more likely to develop head and neck cancer than those who do not use the substance.  “This ...
Read more →
Kamikaze drones built at KTU in Lithuania are sent to Ukraine
Engineering 2024-08-08

Kamikaze drones built at KTU in Lithuania are sent to Ukraine

KTU M-Lab, the Centre of Experimental and Prototyping Laboratories at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, in cooperation with the company Nando Droid, is constructing first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones, which are being sent to Ukraine and used in the war field. These drones are fitted with explosives that are activated when they hit an obstacle. Kaunas University of Technology students assembling the drones say that they are built to have a long flight range and the ability to carry a large payload. “The war in Ukraine is already being called a drone war. Without them, this war would be unimaginable. It saves many lives,” says the representative ...
Read more →
Scalable production of next-generation high-performance printable solar cells
Medicine 2024-08-08

Scalable production of next-generation high-performance printable solar cells

As climate change continues to advance, the need for low-carbon, clean energy alternatives has become more urgent than ever. A research team at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has developed a new generation of printable perovskite solar cells that offer higher efficiency and stability, lower cost and scalability, with a minimal carbon footprint. With funding support from the inaugural Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme (RAISe+ Scheme) of the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR government, the team aims to establish ...
Read more →
Tsinghua University Press and ResearchGate announce first Journal Home partnership from China
Medicine 2024-08-08

Tsinghua University Press and ResearchGate announce first Journal Home partnership from China

Beijing (China) and Berlin (Germany) August 8, 2024 – Tsinghua University Press (TUP), the leading university press in China, and ResearchGate, the professional network for researchers, are delighted to announce a new Journal Home partnership that aims to increase the readership and visibility of TUP’s open access research. The agreement is the first of its kind with a Chinese publisher.   The agreement covers five fully open-access journals published by TUP through their platform, SciOpen, including research published in Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Materials, and Construction. In ...
Read more →
Medicine 2024-08-08

Promoting healthy teen romantic relationships to reduce risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections

INDIANAPOLIS -- Romantic relationships play an important part in adolescent development. Most young people have had at least one romantic relationship by middle adolescence (ages 14 to17). However, successful promotion of healthy sexual behavior to reduce risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections in this teen population has proven difficult. Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Research Scientist Arthur Owora, PhD, MPH, a quantitative epidemiologist and applied biostatistician, is the first author of a new multi-site ...
Read more →
Recurrent wheezing in children linked to 'silent' viral infections
Medicine 2024-08-08

Recurrent wheezing in children linked to 'silent' viral infections

Nearly a quarter of children with recurrent wheezing have “silent” lung infections that would be better treated with antiviral medications than commonly prescribed steroids that can carry lifelong side effects, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals. Pediatric pulmonologist W. Gerald Teague, MD, was inspired to investigate after noting large numbers of children with stubborn wheezing cases referred from community providers and through the UVA Health Emergency Department.  Knowing that rhinoviruses – the main cause of the common cold – can trigger wheezing episodes, Teague wanted to see if there ...
Read more →
South Africa’s controversial lion farming industry is fueling the illegal international trade in big cat bones
Medicine 2024-08-08

South Africa’s controversial lion farming industry is fueling the illegal international trade in big cat bones

A new research paper published in the scientific journal Nature Conservation has uncovered concerning activities within South Africa's captive lion industry, shedding light on the urgent need for comprehensive governmental action. The study by World Animal Protection, conducted through direct interviews with workers at two closed-access lion facilities in South Africa’s North West Province, reveals disturbing practices. These include: The use of legal activities such as commercial captive lion breeding and canned hunting to mask involvement in the illegal international trade of lion and tiger bones. Animal welfare violations including ...
Read more →
Children can inherit early aging symptoms from parents who abuse alcohol, researchers find
Medicine 2024-08-08

Children can inherit early aging symptoms from parents who abuse alcohol, researchers find

Researchers at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) have discovered that parents who struggle with alcohol use disorders can pass along symptoms of early aging to their children, affecting them well into adulthood.  These accelerated aging effects — including high cholesterol, heart problems, arthritis, and early onset dementia — can be passed down from either mom or dad individually, but they become worse when both parents have an issue with alcohol abuse, especially in male offspring. “Scientists have wondered what causes children who grow up in homes where there is alcohol ...
Read more →
Medicine 2024-08-08

Distinct pattern in protein production can predict severe side effects from skin cancer treatment

An activity pattern in certain genes responsible for building proteins known as spleen tyrosine kinases can predict which melanoma patients are likely to have severe side effects from immunotherapy designed to treat the most deadly skin cancer, a new study shows. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, the latest experiments focused on checkpoint inhibitors, drugs that have in the last decade become a mainstay of treating melanoma. This form of skin cancer kills nearly 10,000 Americans annually. The drugs work by blocking molecules ...
Read more →
Lens-free fluorescence instrument detects deadly microorganisms in drinking water
Science 2024-08-08

Lens-free fluorescence instrument detects deadly microorganisms in drinking water

WASHINGTON — Researchers have shown that a fluorescence detection system that doesn’t contain any lenses can provide highly sensitive detection of deadly microorganisms in drinking water. With further development, the new approach could provide a low-cost and easy-to-use way to monitor water quality in resource-limited settings such as developing countries or areas affected by disasters. It could also be useful when water safety results are needed quickly, such as for swimming events, a concern highlighted during the Paris Olympics. “In developing countries, unsafe water sources ...
Read more →
Medicine 2024-08-08

Individualized cancer therapy demonstrates safety and sustained immune responses

For decades, researchers have worked to develop therapies that can prime the immune system to recognize and attack proteins on the surface of tumor cells. However, success has been limited due to the technological challenge of engineering therapies that provide specific enough “training” to the immune system to identify a given patient’s neoantigens. Now, investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, have evaluated an ...
Read more →
Science 2024-08-08

Eating disorder risks elevated among women with PCOS

WASHINGTON—Women with the common reproductive and metabolic condition polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) face a greater risk of developing bulimia, binge eating disorder and disordered eating, according to new research published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. PCOS affects roughly one in eight women. Women who have the condition face an increased risk of developing metabolic problems such as diabetes, reproductive issues such as infertility, and psychological issues including anxiety and depression. Women are diagnosed when they have at least two of the three ...
Read more →
The first universal principles for designing solid-state batteries developed by Korean researchers
Science 2024-08-08

The first universal principles for designing solid-state batteries developed by Korean researchers

A Korean research team has presented the first universal design principles for solid-state batteries, signaling a paradigm shift in battery design research that previously lacked standard benchmarks. Dr. Jinsoo Kim from the Ulsan Advanced Energy Technology R&D Center of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and Professor Sung-Kyun Jung's research team from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have jointly developed a design principles and a versatile design toolkit for implementing high-energy-density solid-state batteries and have completed performance verification. With ...
Read more →
Alcohol use in older adults doubles risk of brain bleeds from falls
Medicine 2024-08-08

Alcohol use in older adults doubles risk of brain bleeds from falls

Nationally, falls remain the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults and are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury. In 2021, falls led to the deaths of 36,500 older adults in the United States and 3,805 older Floridians. While some studies have hypothesized that alcohol use contributed to these outcomes, there are few studies which have examined this issue.  As such, little is known about the association between the frequency of alcohol use and the severity of injuries sustained after a fall in older adults. A study by Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine and collaborators, is one of the first to examine the relationship ...
Read more →
Insilico Medicine received IND approval and orphan drug designation from FDA for ISM6331, an AI-designed TEAD inhibitor targeting solid tumors and mesothelioma
Medicine 2024-08-08

Insilico Medicine received IND approval and orphan drug designation from FDA for ISM6331, an AI-designed TEAD inhibitor targeting solid tumors and mesothelioma

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug 8, 2024 --- Insilico Medicine ("Insilico"), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology company, today announced ISM6331, potential best-in-class pan-TEAD inhibitor, has received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance for the treatment of mesothelioma, following the grant of Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) in June 2024. It brings the total number of IND-approved molecules of Insilico to nine. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelium, a thin layer of tissue that covers most of the ...
Read more →
Are birds flying atoms?
Physics 2024-08-08

Are birds flying atoms?

A crowd or a flock of birds have different characteristics from those of atoms in a material, but when it comes to collective movement, the differences matter less than we might think. We can try to predict the behavior of humans, birds, or cells based on the same principles we use for particles. This is the finding of a new study published in the Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment, JSTAT, conducted by an international team that includes the collaboration of MIT in Boston and CNRS in France. The study, based on the physics ...
Read more →
Environment 2024-08-08

New study is helping to understand and achieve species elements in the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Experts provide clarity on key terms for urgent species recovery actions to support the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) is a landmark agreement ratified in 2022 by Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity that outlines ambitious goals to combat biodiversity decline. The Framework states outcomes for species to be achieved by 2050 in Goal A and establishes a range of targets to reduce pressures on biodiversity and halt biodiversity loss ...
Read more →
Science 2024-08-08

Unlocking the secrets of salt stress tolerance in wild tomatoes

As our climate changes and soil salinity increases in many agricultural areas, finding crops that can thrive in these challenging conditions is crucial. Cultivated tomatoes, while delicious, often struggle in salty soils. Their wild cousins, however, have evolved to survive in diverse and often harsh environments. A recent study delved into the genetic treasure trove of wild tomatoes to uncover secrets of salt tolerance that could be used to develop resilient crop varieties. A team of researchers focused on Solanum pimpinellifolium, the closest wild relative of our beloved cultivated tomato. These tiny, ...
Read more →
Detecting climate change using aerosols
Environment 2024-08-08

Detecting climate change using aerosols

Climate change is one of the most significant environmental challenges of present times, leading to extreme weather events, including droughts, forest fires, and floods. The primary driver for climate change is the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere due to human activities, which trap heat and raise Earth’s temperature. Aerosols (such as particulate matter, PM2.5) not only affect public health but also influence the Earth's climate by absorbing and scattering sunlight and altering cloud properties. Although future climate change predictions are being reported, it is possible that the impacts of climate change could be more severe than predicted. ...
Read more →