Xylazine, a powerful animal tranquiliser linked to horrific side effects, is now widespread in the UK illicit drug market. In most cases xylazine is mixed with strong opioids, such as heroin or fentanyl, which is a common combination in the United States. However, xylazine was also detected in the absence of strong opioids alongside stimulant drugs such as cocaine, and found in items sold as counterfeit codeine and diazepam (Valium) tablets and even THC vapes. Researchers warn the wider population of people who use drugs beyond heroin users will ...

Drugs known as GLP-1 analogues have become increasingly popular to treat diabetes and obesity, but there have been concerns that they might increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Now an extensive Scandinavian study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet has found no evidence of such a link. The study is published in The BMJ. GLP-1 receptor agonists, also known as GLP-1 analogues, reduce blood sugar levels and appetite. They are widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, with their clinical use steadily increasing. Earlier studies and adverse event data have suggested that these drugs could be associated with an increased risk of thyroid ...

The evidence on the use of puberty blockers and hormones for children and young people experiencing gender related distress is wholly inadequate, making it impossible to gauge their effectiveness or their impact on mental and physical health, find two systematic reviews of the available research, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Of the 50 studies included in the review looking at the effectiveness of puberty blockers for gender questioning teens, only one was of high quality, leading the authors to conclude that although most of the studies suggested that treatment might affect bone health and height: “No conclusions can be drawn about the impact ...

You have your mother’s eyes and your father’s smile, but genetics is much more than just what’s on the surface. In a study that spans more than a decade, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have looked at generations of families in a specific population to reveal the role newly inherited DNA variants play on recessive disease traits, and in the process, they have created a population specific database revealing unique DNA information unseen in larger cohorts. The findings, now published in Genetics in Medicine OPEN, revealed a correlation between occurrences of complex genetic ...

Baylor College of Medicine is the champion of the 2024 STAT Madness competition! Similar to the March Madness bracket-style basketball competition, but focused on science, this national event pits research institutions against each other for the top innovation spot in science and medicine published in the previous year. This year, 50 institutions across the U.S. sent their candidate studies to STAT Madness, which selected 64 for the competition. The winner is elected by popular vote. After five weeks of voting that gathered nearly 270,000 votes, the Baylor team outdid the Stanford University competitor with 64.8% of the vote ...

ABSTRACTS CT037, CT038, CT042 SAN DIEGO – Three early-phase clinical studies presented by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 show promising initial data for patients with lymphoma, gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancers, and specific molecularly selected tumors. The studies were featured in a clinical trials minisymposium highlighting novel agents and emerging therapeutic strategies. Information on all MD Anderson AACR Annual Meeting content can be found at MDAnderson.org/AACR. Novel combination with evorpacept demonstrates promising results for ...

As millions of Americans approach age 66, they face the inevitable question, is it time to retire? The physician population is aging alongside the general population – more than 40% of physicians in the U.S. will be 65 years or older within the next decade. In the case of surgeons, there is little guidance on how to best ensure their competency throughout their career and at the same time maintain patient safety while preserving physician dignity. In a current study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) ...

A new article in JBMR Plus, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that patient survival rates after hip or other bone fractures can be very poor. While patients and their families may dismiss a fracture as a minor injury, survival rates can be lower than those for many types of cancer. Scientists have gathered a body of evidence about mortality outcomes in patients over 50, but survival rates following bone fractures are not often included in the statistics available to patients or caregivers. The aim of this ...

PHILADELPHIA (April 9, 2024) – The bitter taste of certain drugs is a barrier to taking some medications as prescribed, especially for people who are particularly sensitive to bitter taste. Published in Clinical Therapeutics, a team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that the diabetes drug rosiglitazone could partially block the bitter taste of some especially bad-tasting medications. Rosiglitazone could be added in small doses to other medicines, to make them less bitter and taste better.  This result provided new information. “To our knowledge, there are no previous reports on the bitter-blocking effect of this diabetes drug,” ...

04/09/2024  CONTACT: Deneen Wellik, wellik@wisc.edu Heart regeneration pioneer to join UW–Madison, Morgridge Institute  MADISON — A biologist who explores the potential life-saving mechanisms of how organisms regenerate damaged heart and spinal cord tissue will join the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research this fall. Kenneth Poss, presently the James B. Duke Professor of Regenerative Biology at Duke University, explores a research area that has grown ...

Algorithms were supposed to make our lives easier and fairer: help us find the best job applicants, help judges impartially assess the risks of bail and bond decisions, and ensure that healthcare is delivered to the patients with the greatest need. By now, though, we know that algorithms can be just as biased as the human decision-makers they inform and replace.  What if that weren’t a bad thing?  New research by Carey Morewedge, a Boston University Questrom School of Business professor of marketing and Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, found that people recognize more of their biases in algorithms’ decisions ...

Today wirelessly connected devices are performing an expanding array of applications, such as monitoring the condition of engines and machinery and remote sensing in agricultural settings. Systems known as the “Internet of Things” (IoT), hold much potential for improving the efficiency and safety of the equipment. Yet stumbling blocks remain for IoT, thwarting many potential applications. How do you power these devices in situations where and when reliable electrical sources are not practically available? Research from the University of Utah’s College of Engineering points to a possible solution in the form of a novel type of battery called ...

SAN DIEGO – As part of a comprehensive effort to improve cancer screenings among diverse communities, Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) Community Outreach and Engagement team developed a culturally sensitive educational video to address prostate cancer screening disparities. In findings shared today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 (Abstract LB371), the team showed that the video increased knowledge about prostate cancer and screening, and reduced uncertainty about obtaining prostate ...

SAN DIEGO – A video designed to educate Black men about prostate cancer resulted in 97% of surveyed participants acknowledging that Black men are at a higher risk of this disease and 93% saying they would get screened, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024, held April 5-10. Black men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the United States with 184.2 new cases per 100,000 people compared to white men with 111.5 new cases per 100,000 people, according to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – April 9, 2024) Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today announced the St. Jude survivorship portal — the first data portal for sharing, analyzing and visualizing pediatric cancer survivorship data. Details on the portal and its ability to facilitate breakthroughs in pediatric cancer survivorship research were published today in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.   The survivorship portal is a big-data platform that incorporates clinical and genomic information, creating an unprecedented research system. The portal integrates three dimensions ...

Just as in Brazil drivers can be warned of traffic congestion ahead or a vehicle parked on the hard shoulder, notifications may soon pop up on their smartphone or on their car’s computer screen to warn them in real time that an anteater, wolf or tapir is crossing the highway. No human will necessarily need to see the animal in question or press a control button to send the warning. For this to be possible, a key step is construction of a computer vision model that automatically detects Brazilian wild animals. Researchers ...

The prevalence of remote work since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed urban transportation patterns in the U.S., according to new study led by MIT researchers. The research finds significant variation between the effects of remote work on vehicle miles driven and on mass-transit ridership across the U.S. “A 1 percent decrease in onsite workers leads to a roughly 1 percent reduction in [automobile] vehicle miles driven, but a 2.3 percent reduction in mass transit ridership,” says Yunhan Zheng SM ’21, PhD ’24, an MIT postdoc who is co-author of the study.  “This is one of the first studies that identifies the causal effect ...

Irvine, Calif., April 9, 2024 — A University of California, Irvine-led team reveals a clear link between human-driven climate change and the years-long drought currently gripping southern Madagascar. Their study appears in the Nature journal Climate and Atmospheric Science. “Using remotely sensed observations and climate models, we could see evidence that climate change is affecting the hydrological cycle in southern Madagascar, and it’s likely going to have big implications for the people that live there and how they grow their food,” ...

“[...] CMS121 applicability could be expanded from a geroneuroprotector drug to a metabolic drug [...]” BUFFALO, NY- April 9, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 6, entitled, “CMS121: a novel approach to mitigate aging-related obesity and metabolic dysfunction.” Modulated by differences in genetic and environmental factors, laboratory mice often show progressive weight gain, eventually leading to obesity and metabolic dyshomeostasis. ...

About 90% of deaths from cancer are a result of metastasis — that is, from cancer’s ability to spread from an initial primary tumor to seed new tumors throughout the body, often in the lungs, liver, and brain. And metastasis relies on cancer cells’ ability to adapt to different tissue environments throughout the body by gaining improper access to a variety of playbooks stored in our genetic code — including gene programs that are generally available only during early stages of human development. Today, researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are using innovative approaches like single-cell sequencing technology ...

Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Neuromodulation Society and the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) are delighted to announce a public education event, "Understanding Neuromodulation of the Brain and Spinal Cord”.  This complimentary event is scheduled to take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre, East Building, on Saturday, May 11, from 13:30 to 18:00, during the 16th INS World Congress. Aimed at patients, their families, and friends dealing with conditions such as chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, and tremor, this event is ...

SAN ANTONIO — April 9, 2024 — Southwest Research Institute has invested in new space robotics capabilities to help the space industry pave the way for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities. SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division will demonstrate new ISAM-focused research at the 38th Space Symposium, April 8-11, in Colorado Springs. Visit SwRI at Booth #237. “SwRI is developing solutions to leverage Earth-based industrial robotics with advanced automation and simulation so we can help clients develop new capabilities for the complex conditions ...

April 9, 2024, Cleveland: New findings from Cleveland Clinic and Tufts University researchers show high blood levels of TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) predicts future risk of developing chronic kidney disease over time.   The findings build on more than a decade of research spearheaded by Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., and a team related to the gut microbiome’s role in cardiovascular health and disease, including the adverse effects of TMAO, a byproduct formed by the gut bacteria from nutrients abundant in red meat, eggs and other animal source foods.   The study, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, was a collaboration ...

New Orleans, LA – Ochsner Health is proud to bring an advancement in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders to the New Orleans and Gulf South region utilizing a new cardiac ablation procedure, the FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System. The innovative procedure was performed at the John Ochsner Heart & Vascular Institute, a frontrunner in cardiology that continues to set the standard for cardiovascular care through its commitment to pioneering breakthrough therapies. With the estimated number of individuals affected by atrial fibrillation predicted to rise to 12.1 million in the United States by 2030 according to the CDC, the introduction of this new treatment ...

Genetic studies of diseases map segments of the genome driving disease. But to understand how those changes contribute to disease progression, it is important to understand how they may alter gene regulation of disease genes in cell populations assumed to be driving disease. “Enhancer-gene maps” link genomic regulatory regions to genes and are essential for understanding disease. But constructing them poses challenges due to limitations in current experimental methods, that make it difficult to apply the technique to rare cell populations and genes that ...