SAN FRANCISCO — Virtual reality (VR) may be an effective and reliable tool to alleviate the anxiety experienced by most parents or caregivers when their child undergoes surgery, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 annual meeting. “When a child has a medical procedure, it is often emotionally unsettling for not just the patient, but the entire family,” said Thomas J. Caruso, M.D., Ph.D., FASA, senior author of the study and clinical professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at Stanford University, California. “By ...

SAN FRANCISCO — The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Stanley W. Stead, M.D., MBA, FASA, with its 2022 Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his enduring contributions to advancing patient-centered, physician-led health care, and his advocacy related to health care economics, including value-based care and equitable physician payment models. The award is the highest honor ASA bestows and is presented annually to a member who has transformed the specialty of anesthesiology. A nationally recognized thought leader in health care economics, information technology and quality of care, Dr. Stead ...

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have engineered a range of new single-walled transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanotubes with different compositions, chirality, and diameters by templating off boron-nitride nanotubes. They also realized ultra-thin nanotubes grown inside the template, and successfully tailored compositions to create a family of new nanotubes. The ability to synthesize a diverse range of structures offers unique insights into their growth mechanism ...

FINDINGS In a recent study led by Ravi Salgia, M.D., Ph.D., the Arthur & Rosalie Kaplan Chair in Medical Oncology, a team of researchers from City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, and other institutions found that nongenetic mechanisms are important in lung cancer patients who develop a resistance to one cancer therapy. Their findings were published in the October 13 issue of the journal Science Advances.  The team’s study explored resistance to the anti-cancer medication sotorasib in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Sotorasib inhibits a specific mutation ...

London, Ont.,: Worldwide, millions of stroke survivors undergo prolonged cardiac monitoring, leading to the discovery of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeats, in up to 1.5 million of these patients each year. A new study, published in The Lancet Neurology, describes the knowledge on atrial fibrillation detected in patients who had a recent stroke. The publication suggests that atrial fibrillation detected post-stroke is not quite the same as the irregular heartbeats already known before a stroke. The study, led by Western University professor Dr. Luciano Sposato, proposes that atrial fibrillation detected post-stroke exhibits distinct ...

New research has underscored how characteristics of “grit” and self-control are associated with better weight loss and weight maintenance outcomes in a study focusing on couples. And that these characteristics can change through behavioral interventions. This research led by Amy Gorin, professor of psychological sciences and  vice provost for health sciences and interdisciplinary initiatives; and Tricia Leahey, professor of allied health sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural ...

For the fourth time in five years, students at The University of Texas at Arlington have won a prestigious national award for noise control engineering. Ross Everett and Bret Johnson, mechanical engineering students who graduated in May 2023, earned the Leo Beranek Student Medal for Excellence in the Study of Noise Control from the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA for their work to decrease cabin noise in the autonomous rideshare cars owned by May Mobility that operate around UTA’s campus. The institute awards the medal annually to outstanding undergraduate and graduate ...

CHAPEL HILL, NC — A three-year clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) has shown that the sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, is safe in peanut-allergic children ages 1 to 4, with a greater likelihood of desensitization and remission the earlier the treatment began. Led by Edwin Kim, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine, this is the first randomized, controlled trial to investigate – in this young age group – the efficacy and feasibility of SLIT, which ...

A long-term study by UC Davis Health researchers sheds new light on the relationship between autism traits and mental health in middle childhood. The paper, published in the journal Autism, finds that changes in core autism characteristics are related to whether children develop additional mental health challenges during their elementary school years. “Our findings suggest that different aspects of a child’s development may affect each other over time,” explained Einat Waizbard-Bartov, a doctoral researcher in developmental psychology at the UC Davis MIND Institute and the lead author on the paper. “Core autism traits and ...

Professor Dan M. Frangopol is the winner of the EuroStruct2023 International Award of Merit presented by the EuroStruct Executive Committee in recognition of outstanding contributions to bridge and structural asset management and structural engineering. Frangopol, the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lehigh, was presented with the award during EuroStruct 2023, the second Conference of the European ...

NEW YORK, NY--Does this sound like you? You wake up at the same time each morning, get the kids out the door, and rush to catch the subway to work. But at night, maybe you stay up until midnight doing laundry or 1 a.m. to catch up on the bills. Lots of Americans—about one-third of us—are in the same situation and habitually get only five to six hours of sleep instead of the recommended seven to eight hours. But even a mild chronic sleep deficit may heighten the risk of developing heart disease later in life: Surveys of thousands of people ...

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers conducted a statewide survey of all patients on breathing machines in hospitals and long-term care facilities and found that a significant percentage of them harbored two pathogens known to be life-threatening in those with compromised immune systems. One pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, was identified in nearly 31 percent of all patients on ventilators to assist with their breathing; Candida auris was identified in nearly 7 percent of patients on ventilators, according to the study which was published this week in the Journal ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Oct. 13, 2023 CONTACT: NIAPressTeam@mail.nih.gov, 301-496-1752   Reducing overall calorie intake may rejuvenate your muscles and activate biological pathways important for good health, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues. Decreasing calories without depriving the body of essential vitamins and minerals, known as calorie restriction, has long been known to delay the progression of age-related diseases in animal models. This new study, published in Aging Cell, suggests the same ...

A recent study from the lab of Dr. Jianrong Tang, associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine and principal investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of a specific brain region results in a significant and sustained improvement of memory in Rett mice. Moreover, they found that this treatment promotes the generation of new healthy neurons in these mice. The study, ...

A study from the laboratory of Dr. Hugo J. Bellen, a distinguished service professor at Baylor College of Medicine and a principal investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital, has discovered that gain-of-function variants in the DOT1L gene cause a new disorder. Further studies revealed that the majority of the symptoms in the patients were surprisingly due to an increase in the enzymatic activity of a histone methylase encoded by this gene. This study was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. “This project originated when the Undiagnosed ...

Greensboro, N.C. (October 13, 2023) – Newly published research from UNC Greensboro’s Dr. Kevin Wilcox and colleagues will help scientists better predict how global changes – such as droughts, fires, and heat waves – will impact the health and sustainability of the Earth’s grassy ecosystems.  The article, published October 10, 2023, in Global Change Biology, provides key steps forward to improving mathematical models that forecast changes to our planet’s savannas, prairies, grasslands, and arctic tundras. “Forest ecosystems tend to get the lion’s share of public ...

A groundbreaking, easy-to-use 3D printable finger prosthesis created by a recent University of Houston graduate could offer amputees a low-cost solution to restore finger functionality. David Edquilang first designed Lunet, which doesn’t need metal fasteners, adhesives or special tools to assemble, as an undergraduate student at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. While standard prostheses can cost thousands of dollars, Edquilang aims to make his design open access on the internet, instead of selling it. “Not every good idea needs to be turned ...

Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell, published by the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), are introducing a new mechanism for publishing peer review reports on each journal’s website. A version of peer review reports has been published with the supplemental material of original research articles in The Plant Cell for some time. However, for the first time the ASPB Editorial Office is introducing a uniform process for formatting and publishing these reports with Plant Physiology original research articles, as well. The ...

An investigational drug, encaleret, restored calcium levels in people with autosomal dominant hypocalcemia type 1 (ADH1), a rare genetic disorder marked by an imbalance of calcium in the blood and urine, as well as abnormally low levels of parathyroid hormone, which regulates blood calcium levels. Led by clinician-scientists from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) at the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center, results from the clinical trial are published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the mid-phase clinical ...

Reston, VA—A novel therapeutic approach that combines human epidermal growth receptor factor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapies with the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin can reduce the number of cancer treatments required to prevent tumor growth. Monitored by immuno-PET scans, this combination therapy has the potential to personalize treatment for cancer patients and spare them from harmful side effects. This research was published in the October issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have become an eminent cancer treatment because of their ability to precisely target tumors with potent efficacy. HER2-ADC ...

It can be a relief to scratch the occasional itch, but when itch gets out of control, it can become a serious health problem. How does the body know when to stop?    Scientists at UC San Francisco are getting close to an answer. In a breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat conditions from eczema to allergies, they have discovered a feedback loop centered on a single immune protein called IL-31 that both causes the urge to itch and dials back nearby inflammation.    The findings, published on October 13th in Science Immunology, lay the groundwork ...

Newly published research on indoor air quality from Colorado State University shows wildfire smoke may linger in homes long after the initial blaze has been put out or winds have shifted.  The findings, published in Science Advances, show that wildfire smoke can attach to home surfaces like carpet, drapes or counters – extending the exposure for those inside and potentially causing health problems even after an initial cleaning activity by air purifiers. However, Professor Delphine Farmer said the research also shows that simple surface cleaning – like ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19. MIT chemists have now discovered the structure of the “open” state of this channel, which allows ions to flow through. This structure, combined with the “closed” state structure that was reported by the same lab in 2020, could help scientists ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 11, 2023) — On Tuesday, Oct. 10, a ribbon-cutting ceremony signified the official opening of Kentucky Children’s Richmond Road, the new home of four pediatric specialty clinics. This facility will offer a continuum of care to infants, children and adolescents with complex medical and behavioral needs. “The mission of Kentucky Children’s Hospital has always been to provide the most advanced, comprehensive care to our patients and their families without them having to travel far from home,” said Scottie B. Day, M.D., physician-in-chief ...

The second SELINA thematic workshop took place from 2-5 October 2023 in Madrid, Spain, hosted by SELINA’s partner Rey Juan Carlos University. This hybrid event with the theme "Advancing solutions" (for mapping, assessment and accounting of ecosystems and their services) brought together over 100 participants (15 of them online) from all 27 EU member states, Israel, Norway, the UK and Switzerland. Apart from the SELINA partners, the event was also attended by the SELINA Advisory Board members ...