Background and Aims The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), calculated from serum albumin and lymphocyte count, reflects a patient’s immune-nutritional status and has been proposed as a prognostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its role in advanced HCC patients treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Ate/Bev) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of PNI in patients receiving first-line Ate/Bev therapy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 362 patients with unresectable HCC who received Ate/Bev between November 2020 ...

PULLMAN, Wash. — A new tool developed by Washington State University researchers could someday provide daily or weekly forecasts of water availability in the mountains similar to a weather forecast that agencies could use for important water management decisions. The researchers recently presented their forecast tool for snow-water equivalent, which predicts potential water availability, at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Conference on Artificial Intelligence in ...

Training the Next Generation of Translational Virologists: Reflections from the 2025 Global Virus Network Short Course Tampa, FL, USA – January 27, 2026 – The Global Virus Network’s (GVN) 2025 Short Course in Translational Virology brought together a remarkable international cohort in December 2025 for eight days of scientific immersion, mentorship, and hands-on learning at the intersection of virology, medicine, and global health. Representing more than 90 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates across 40+ countries, GVN brings together leading human and animal virologists to advance research collaboration ...

Last year, when The New York Times reported that Amazon’s robotics team’s ultimate goal was to automate 75% of the company’s operations, replacing more than half a million human jobs in an attempt to pass cost savings onto customers, it was a stark reminder of robots’ ever-expanding role in reshaping the American workplace. Meanwhile, at Hyundai’s auto plant in Georgia, more than 1,000 robots work alongside almost 1,500 human employees. But as ...

The paper “Prioritizing Sustainable Development of Ecologically Sensitive Regions” was published recently in Ecosystem Health and Sustainability – A Science Partner Journal. The innovative research calls for merging AI with indigenous knowledge and targeting “tipping point” ecosystems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. A groundbreaking new study urges a global priority shift toward sustainable development in four types of ecologically sensitive regions, warning they are at imminent risk of catastrophic “tipping points” due to climate change and human pressure. The research, ...

The risks of climate change to human wellbeing are serious. Appropriate mitigation and adaptation require structural changes that are only likely to occur as a result of collective climate action. Danielle Goldwert, Madalina Vlasceanu, and colleagues explored what causes people to take collective climate action in a megastudy capable of directly comparing 17 behavioral interventions. The 17 interventions were derived from an open call to behavioral scientists and advocacy experts and included various ...

BOSTON, Mass. and PORTLAND, Maine, January 27, 2026// Boston University (BU) today announced it has been awarded a $2 million research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). The funding will support a clinical study evaluating motor and cognitive factors associated with changes in walking for people with Parkinson’s disease who use MedRhythms’ MOVIVE (MR-005), a safe, use-at-home medical device that delivers rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) to support gait rehabilitation and motor function. This study was funded through The Michael ...

The advisor-advisee relationship is central to most doctoral education models. Yet not all students trust their advisors. Danfei Hu, Jonathan E. Cook, and colleagues sought to examine the importance of this relationship to success and wellbeing in graduate school. The authors focused on the first year of graduate school, a time in which PhD students adapt to their role as scholars and in which large numbers of students drop out. In a prospective longitudinal study of 558 incoming PhD students, primarily in STEM fields, at three US research universities, the authors found that PhD ...

Engineering can create weapons systems or systems for defense and wellbeing. But can engineering create peace? In a Perspective, Guru Madhavan and colleagues propose an expansive mode of engineering practice that seeks to reduce conflict. In a world where the technical choices about pumping stations for transboundary water conveyance projects can become tense diplomatic questions, engineering for peace requires the competence to build systems that work as intended, the capability to foresee how such systems might be used or misused, ...

Jan 27, 2026 -- Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative AI, and Qilu Pharmaceutical Group, a major comprehensive modern pharmaceutical enterprise in China, as well as its subsidiary Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research Center, today announced a strategic partnership on innovative drug development, leveraging Insilico’s proprietary Pharma.AI platform to jointly develop small molecule inhibitors, focusing on specific targets for cardiometabolic disease management. According to the agreement, Insilico Medicine will utilize its proprietary Pharma.AI platform to focus on the design and optimization ...

Across the physical world, many intricate structures form via symmetry breaking. When a system with inherent symmetry transitions into an ordered state, it can form stable imperfections known as topological defects. Such defects are found everywhere, from the large-scale structure of the universe to everyday materials, making them a powerful way to study how order emerges in complex systems. We have a tool to study these defects: nematic liquid crystals. In these materials, molecules can rotate freely while remaining roughly aligned, providing a clear and controllable ...

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a major mental disorder, affecting 1% of the global population. Patients suffering from BD frequently experience manic and depressive episodes, which disrupt interpersonal relationships and social confidence. While conventional therapies can mitigate the symptoms for some patients, they are also associated with adverse effects and treatment resistance in many, highlighting the urgent need for pathology-driven diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. The thalamus, especially the paraventricular ...

The field of nanomaterials is witnessing a transformative shift at the intersection of organic chemistry and molecular engineering. Among the most promising molecular structures are carbon nanohoops, of which [n]cycloparaphenylenes ([n]CPPs) are a representative example. These ring-shaped structures represent the smallest possible slices of carbon nanotubes, which themselves are a widely renowned material of the 21st century. Given that their structures can, in principle, be precisely tuned at the atomic level, nanohoops hold great potential as molecular components for next-generation optoelectronic ...

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness among people who are unable to monitor and manage their intraocular pressure (IOP) daily. The current tools for IOP measurement are not portable, convenient, easily accessible, or capable of continuous (24/7) monitoring. These limitations in existing IOP devices are a major contributor to inadequate ocular health management in glaucoma patients. This mismanagement could result in severe and irreparable problems for patients. This problem is particularly concerning, considering that one of the factors behind increased IOP is age. As the global population ...

EMBARGOED by Alzheimer’s & Dementia until 7 a.m., ET, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu     New Boston University Study Identifies CTE as Cause of Dementia   Researchers found those with advanced CTE had four times increased odds for having dementia   Boston–The largest study of its kind from the Boston University CTE Center reveals that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) should be recognized as a new cause of dementia.   The research, published online today in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s ...

New York, NY — Researchers at AppliedPhysics.org have published an exploratory study in Biosystems examining whether mathematical acoustic signal structure can influence cellular response independent of intensity. The work investigates Bioacoustics Signaling, focusing on quasiperiodic acoustic signals derived from Fibonacci sequences with potential relevance to cancer research. It reports preliminary evidence that cells respond most strongly at different wavelength regimes, suggesting that acoustic selectivity may be achievable through signal design rather ...

A new study into how different parts of memory work in the brain has shown that the same brain areas are involved in retrieving different types of information, the findings could redefine how memory is understood and studied. Researchers from the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham and the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge have examined episodic and semantic memory, combining task based and fMRI data and have shown that there is no difference in neural activity between successful semantic and episodic retrieval. The findings have been published today in Nature Human ...

Embargoed until Tuesday (27 January) at 11:00 (Israel time) Study: The most prominent trend in Holocaust commemoration worldwide is a growing focus on the rescuers of Jews. • The report also addresses a decision made this year by France to designate the day Captain Alfred Dreyfus was exonerated as an annual national day. It notes that the Dreyfus Affair continues to generate significant public interest in France, as it reflects the ongoing conflict over the identity and direction of the Republic. Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry ...

The prenatal period is a critical window for brain development, yet few studies have examined the impact of air pollution exposure during pregnancy on child cognition. A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Barcelona (UB), shows that prenatal exposure to pollution is associated with lower cognitive performance in newborns. These findings highlight the importance of reducing air pollution exposure, especially during pregnancy, to protect neurodevelopment. The study, published in Environmental Pollution, included data from 168 mother-child ...

Talking to oneself is a trait which feels inherently human. Our inner monologues help us organize our thoughts, make decisions, and understand our emotions. But it’s not just humans who can reap the benefits of such self-talk. Published in Neural Computation, scientists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have demonstrated the potential of inner speech to improve AI learning, showing how AI models can generalize across different tasks more easily when supported by both inner speech and short-term ...

It might be less visible than dwindling lion populations or vanishing pandas, but the quiet crisis of small mammal extinction is arguably worse for biodiversity. These species are crucial indicators of environmental health, but they can be very hard to monitor, and many species with very different ecological niches look almost identical. But now scientists have developed a new way of identifying and monitoring these tiny mammals using their footprints, ...

From subarctic to subtropical, Japan’s varied climates present a challenge for energy-saving housing design. Adding the projected effects of climate change, with temperatures estimated to rise from 1.5 to 3.5°C by the close of the century, there currently is not a standard, one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, climate-based building design solutions that consider regional differences, thermal comfort, and net-zero carbon goals are urgently needed. In ...

Gifu University scientists have uncovered how a brain-specific enzyme reshapes protein-linked sugar chains to facilitate the formation of complex glycans essential for normal brain function. These insights could inform future research into glycan-related brain disorders and open new avenues for therapeutic investigation. The study was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on Jan. 7. Proteins in the brain are modified by O-mannose glycans, specialized sugar chains that play key roles in neural structure ...

“Why can’t plasmons achieve quality factors as high as dielectrics?” “Because metals heat up easily—they’re inherently lossy.” This exchange is almost inevitable whenever plasmonic nanostructures come up in a discussion. Now, researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and international collaborators have shown that this long-held limitation is not as fundamental as once believed. The research team has demonstrated a powerful new ...

Research Background Toad venom (Chansu), first documented in the "Yaoxing Lun" (Treatise on the Properties of Medicines), is a treasured traditional Chinese medicinal material. The "Bencao Gangmu" (Compendium of Materia Medica) records its efficacy in "treating boils, carbuncles, and all malignant swellings," with the effects of "opening orifices to awaken the spirit, detoxifying and reducing swelling." Zhang Jingye, a physician of the Ming Dynasty, noted in the "Jingyue Quanshu" that Chansu "excels at opening stagnation and breaking hard accumulations," emphasizing its unique role in promoting qi circulation and resolving ...