Arlington, Va. — June 27, 2024 — A new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) describes the outcome of a new approach to testing for Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) guided by the principles of diagnostic stewardship. At Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Fla., revised rules for when C. diff tests could be ordered helped to reduce inappropriate testing by 20%, which in turn can help rein in the overtreatment of patients. C. diff is a common and potentially dangerous gastrointestinal pathogen, often linked to healthcare-associated infections ...

Like the flutter of a butterfly's wings, sometimes small and minute changes can lead to big and unexpected results and changes in our lives. Recently, a team of researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) made a very small change to develop a material called “spin-orbit torque (SOT),” which is a hot topic in next-generation DRAM memory.   This research team, led by Professor Daesu Lee and Yongjoo Jo, a PhD candidate, from the Department of Physics and Professor Si-Young ...

Machines have evolved to meet the demands of daily life and industrial use, with molecular-scale devices often exhibiting improved functionalities and mechanical movements. However, mastering the control of mechanics within solid-state molecular structures remains a significant challenge. Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea have made a groundbreaking discovery that could pave the way for revolutionary advancements in data storage and beyond. Led by Professor Wonyoung Choe in the Department of Chemistry at UNIST), a team of scientists has developed zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) that mimic intricate machines. These molecular-scale ...

Despite high hopes, a drug that wipes out the namesake cell type associated with the disease eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) doesn’t make patients feel better and doesn’t reverse tissue damage in their throats. Meanwhile, data show that a different drug that had previously been approved for use in adults and teens with EoE is also safe and effective for children under 12 who weigh at least 15 kg (about 33 pounds). The results of these clinical trials—plus an accompanying editorial—appear in the June 17, 2024, edition of The New England Journal of Medicine. “Together, these ...

For a billion years, single-celled eukaryotes ruled the planet. Then around 700 million years ago during Snowball Earth — a geologic era when glaciers may have stretched as far as the Equator — a new creature burst into existence: the multicellular organism. Why did multicellularity arise? Solving that mystery may help pinpoint life on other planets and explain the vast diversity and complexity seen on Earth today, from sea sponges to redwoods to human society. Common wisdom holds that oxygen levels had to hit a certain threshold ...

NORMAN, OKLA. – Bin Wang, a professor in the School of Sustainable Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, has received a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Wang was selected for his contributions to computational catalysis and physical chemistry. The Bessel Award is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to foster collaborative relationships between international academics and German researchers. The award ...

Rates of coronary heart disease in the UK have declined by about 30% over the past two decades, but this has been offset by rising rates of other conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, finds a study in The BMJ today. What’s more, improvements in rates of coronary heart disease almost exclusively appeared to benefit the over 60s, with little or no improvement in younger or more deprived groups, the results show. As such, the researchers say future prevention strategies might need to consider a broader spectrum ...

One in six integrated care boards (ICBs) in England have stopped accepting new patients for specialist weight management services as their referral numbers spiral out of control, an investigation by The BMJ has found. ICBs are responsible for planning health services for their local population. At least seven out of 42 ICBs across the country - covering Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Leicester, Essex, and much of Yorkshire - have had to close a specialist (tier 3) weight management service list in their area, with many warning that demand is far exceeding capacity, reports Elisabeth Mahase. Experts have said the rise in obesity and the demand for weight-loss injections may be fuelling ...

Dementia risk factors associated with cardiovascular health may have increased over time compared to factors such as smoking and having less education, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, explored how the prevalence of dementia risk factors had changed over time and how this could impact rates of dementia in the future. It is estimated that there are currently 944,000 people living with dementia in the UK and 52% of the UK public – 34.5 million ...

June 26, 2024 (Toronto, Canada) – A new study conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Bordeaux University Hospital, France, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that individuals with alcohol dependence who undergo rehabilitation or maintain abstinence experience significantly lower risks of developing alcohol-associated cancers. The article, entitled Alcohol rehabilitation and cancer risk: a nationwide hospital cohort study in France was published today in Lancet Public Health. It is the largest of its kind to provide evidence linking reduced ...

University of Leeds news Children who are not considered “school ready” by their teachers are more than twice as likely to become persistently absent at some point in their education, according to a new study led by the University of Leeds. Researchers analysed data for 62,598 children aged 5-13 from across the Bradford district and compared it with school absence records between the academic years 2012/2013 and 2019/2020 to identify associations between early childhood problems and absenteeism. The team from the School of Psychology and the Born in Bradford Centre for Applied Education Research found ...

A new narrative review1 led by researchers at UCL and Birmingham Children’s Hospital has found there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate the effective use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in people not living with diabetes (PNLD).   In the study, published in Diabetic Medicine, researchers conclude there is currently little published evidence on how accurate CGMs are in measuring blood glucose levels in PNLD, nor sufficient evidence of what the health benefits or utility ...

Despite high hopes, a drug that wipes out the namesake cell type associated with the disease eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) doesn’t make patients feel better and doesn’t reverse tissue damage in their throats. Meanwhile, data show that a different drug that had previously been approved for use in adults and teens with EoE is also safe and effective for children under 12 who weigh at least 15 kg (about 33 pounds). The results of these clinical trials—plus an accompanying editorial—appear in the June 17, 2024, edition of The New England Journal of Medicine. “Together, these trials provide exciting advances in our understanding of, and treatment options for, ...

Vienna, Austria: An international team of researchers has identified specific bacteria in the gut that are associated with both mice and humans developing an addiction to food that can lead to obesity. They have also identified bacteria that play a beneficial role in preventing food addiction.   The research is presented today (Thursday) at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2024 and is published simultaneously in the journal Gut [1,2].   Professor Elena Martín-García, from the Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-NeuroPhar in the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universitat ...

Almost 4,500 healthy and symptom-free over-60s were examined, with 28pc found to have heart valve disease  Age was found to be strongly associated with an increased incidence of significant heart valve disease  Study lays the foundation for more research into the potential role of screening in the elderly population  Peer-reviewed – Prospective Cohort Study - People  The sheer scale of undiagnosed heart valve disease in our ageing population has been revealed for the first ...

BLOOD CANCER Sylvester Expert Endorses FDA’s Recent Cancer Drug Approval Mikkael Sekeres, M.D., chief of the Division of Hematology at Sylvester, who specializes in treating leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), expressed his support for the Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of the drug imetelstat. The drug, a telomerase inhibitor, treats cancer-related anemia in patients with lower-risk MDS. “With approval of imetelstat to treat myelodysplastic syndromes, we finally have another approach ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Adults who continuously played organized sports through their youth have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression than those who never played or those who dropped out, a new study finds.   And those who dropped out of sports had poorer mental health than those who never played at all.   But many more people drop out of youth sports than play continuously until they are 18, said Chris Knoester, senior author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University.   “If you play and stick with sports, it’s ...

We often think of species as separate and distinct, but sometimes they can interbreed and create hybrids. When this happens consistently in a specific area, it forms what’s known as a hybrid zone. These zones can be highly dynamic or remarkably stable, and studying them can reveal key insights into how species boundaries evolve—or sometimes blur. In a new study published in Evolution, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign describe a hybrid zone between two manakin species in Panama that ...

In its first special issue on Biosafety and Biosecurity Considerations of Synthetic Genomics, the first part of a two-part special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Applied Biosafety focuses on the growing availability of customizable nucleic acid sequences and genomes from commercial sources. The issue also describes the advancements in desktop synthesis devices that enable the creation of on-demand nucleic acids. Click here to read the special issue now. The rapid technological advancements described in part one of this two-part special issue are raising concerns among biosecurity experts and policymakers. The manuscripts in this issue explore the challenges, opportunities, and ...

By using a carbonated — rather than a still — water-based solution during the concrete manufacturing process, a Northwestern University-led team of engineers has discovered a new way to store carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ubiquitous construction material. Not only could the new process help sequester CO2 from the ever-warming atmosphere, it also results in concrete with uncompromised strength and durability. In laboratory experiments, the process achieved a CO2 sequestration efficiency of up to 45%, meaning that nearly ...

Disability studies has gained prominence in recent years, transforming fields ranging from design to literary studies with insurgent approaches to access and representation. The newest volume of Osiris, “Disability and the History of Science,” extends this movement to ask how disability has been a central, if unacknowledged, force in the scientific disciplines and the history of science. The volume examines the many roles that disability and disabled people have played throughout the history of science, calling attention to the shaping of scientific knowledge production by disability. Editors Jaipreet Virdi, Mara Mills, and Sarah F. Rose, in their introduction ...

AlphaFold is an outstanding example of artificial intelligence’s computational capabilities in accurately predicting intricate protein structures. A new Review article explores AlphaFold’s recent advancements and its potential impact on predictive medicine. The article is published in the peer-reviewed journal AI in Precision Oncology. Click to read the articles now. Vivek Subbiah, MD, from the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, and coauthors, describe a shift toward predictive medicine, in which AI, integrated with genomic data, ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The human body has sophisticated defenses against the deposition of calcium minerals that stiffen heart tissues, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at UCLA Health and the University of Texas at Austin found in a new study that provides the first detailed, step-by-step documentation of how calcification progresses. “Heart disease is the leading killer annually — about 18 million deaths per year — and that number is growing. A large proportion is the result of calcification,” said study leader Bruce Fouke, a U. of I. professor of earth ...

Quantum computers have the potential to be revolutionary tools for their ability to perform calculations that would take classical computers many years to resolve. But to make an effective quantum computer, you need a reliable quantum bit, or qubit, that can exist in a simultaneous 0 or 1 state for a sufficiently long period, known as its coherence time. One promising approach is trapping a single electron on a solid neon surface, called an electron-on-solid-neon qubit. A study led by FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Professor Wei Guo that was ...

(Boston) — AL (immunoglobulin light chain) amyloidosis is a rare disease that often results in progressive organ dysfunction, organ failure and eventual death. Clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow secrete free light chains into circulation. These light chains are part of immunoglobulins, also called antibodies. But in this disease, light chains misfold and aggregate into amyloid fibrils that deposit in organs and tissues. In a review article of AL amyloidosis “Systemic Light Chain Amyloidosis,” Vaishali Sanchorawala, MD, director of the Amyloidosis Center at the Chobanian & ...