The link between severe headache disorders headaches and the body’s circadian clock in pain timing and thresholds will be studied with a $2.4 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to UTHealth Houston researchers. The research is led by two faculty members of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston: Mark Burish, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, and Seung-Hee Yoo, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The study builds on earlier research by Burish and Yoo, funded by the Will Erwin Headache Research Foundation and published ...

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and international collaborators have led a worldwide, advanced study demonstrating the potential of tirzepatide, known to manage type 2 diabetes, as the first effective drug therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep-related disorder characterized by repeated episodes of irregular breathing due to complete or partial blockage of the upper airway. The results, published in the June 21, 2024 online edition of New England Journal of Medicine, highlight the treatment’s potential to improve the quality of life for millions around the world affected by OSA. “This study marks a significant ...

Our bone marrow—the fatty, jelly-like substance inside our bones—is an unseen powerhouse quietly producing 500 billion new blood cells every day. That process is driven by hematopoietic stem cells that generate all of the various types of blood cells in our bodies and regenerating themselves to keep the entire assembly line of blood production operating smoothly. As with any complex system, hematopoietic stem cells lose functionality as they age—and, in the process, contribute to the risk of serious diseases, including blood cancers. We know that the risk of developing aging-associated diseases is different among different individuals. ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- Protected areas, like nature reserves, can conserve biodiversity without harming local economic growth, countering a common belief that conservation restricts development. A new study outlines what is needed for conservation to benefit both nature and people.  Conservation zones aim to preserve biodiversity, protect endangered species, and maintain natural habitats. “There’s long been uncertainty about the economic tradeoffs,” said Binbin Li, associate professor of environmental science at Duke Kunshan University, and lead author ...

While seeking research internships last year, University of Washington graduate student Kate Glazko noticed recruiters posting online that they’d used OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools to summarize resumes and rank candidates. Automated screening has been commonplace in hiring for decades. Yet Glazko, a doctoral student in the UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, studies how generative AI can replicate and amplify real-world biases — such as those against disabled people. How might such a system, she wondered, rank resumes that implied someone had a disability? In ...

Fewer than one percent of people who get the flu every year get tested, in part because most tests require trained personnel and expensive equipment. Now researchers have developed a low-cost paper strip test that could allow more patients to find out which type of flu they have and get the right treatment.  The test, developed by a team from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Princeton University, and supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, uses CRISPR to distinguish between the two main types of seasonal flu, influenza A and B, as well as seasonal ...

SAN ANTONIO, June 21, 2024 – Liver transplants associated with alcohol-related disease are growing at a rapid pace, shifting research to address pathologies behind the ailments in light of a limited supply of organ donors. At the forefront is Mengwei Zang, MD, PhD, an internationally recognized leader in chronic liver disease research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) who was just awarded a groundbreaking five-year, $2.53 million grant from the National ...

A group of pre-medical students received valuable hands-on clinical training during a workshop in the new Smart Hospital at The University of Texas at Arlington. The Clinical Experience Workshop allowed 10 pre-med students to participate in experiential activities and to interact one-on-one with “patients” portrayed by students from the UTA Department of Theatre Arts. “This was a clinical opportunity for pre-med students with no clinical background to be immersed in clinical medicine, learn basic skills, and experience actual patient encounters with simulated patients ...

A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), entitled Mental Health Service Use Before First Diagnosis of a Psychotic Disorder and published in JAMA Psychiatry, found that nearly 75 per cent of young Ontarians with a psychotic disorder had at least one mental health service visit within the three years prior to their first diagnosis of the disorder. The retrospective cohort study—one of the largest of its kind—suggests that youth with a psychotic disorder are nearly four times as likely to have a previous mental health-related hospital ...

Scientists at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Australia have produced a first of its kind integrated map of heart cells which unlocks the process of cardiac fibrosis – a major cause of heart failure.  The discovery opens new avenues to develop targeted drugs to prevent scarring damage caused after a heart attack.  During and after a heart attack, the heart’s muscles are damaged leading to the formation of scar tissue which lacks the elasticity and contractility of healthy heart muscle. This damage is permanent and can affect ...

Some 1,000 years ago, a small band of Polynesians sailed thousands of miles across the Pacific to settle one of the world’s most isolated places—a small, previously uninhabited island they named Rapa Nui. There, they erected hundreds of “moai,” or gigantic stone statues that now famously stand as emblems of a vanished civilization. Eventually, their numbers ballooned to unsustainable levels; they chopped down all the trees, killed off the seabirds, exhausted the soils and in the end, ruined their environment. Their population and civilization collapsed, with just a few thousand people remaining when ...

Chronic pain affects millions worldwide, and current treatments often rely on opioids, which carry risks of addiction and overdose.  Non-addictive alternatives could revolutionize pain management, and new research targeting the human protein which regulates cold sensations, brings scientists closer to developing pain medications that don't affect body temperature and don't carry the risks of addiction.  Research published in Science Advances on June 21, led by Wade Van Horn, professor in Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences and Biodesign ...

Elena Beccalli will be rector of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore on 1st July for the four-year term 2024–2028. After being appointed by the University's Board of Directors, which convened today, Thursday 20 June 2024, Professor Beccalli succeeds Professor Franco Anelli. She is the first woman appointed to this role in the history of our university.   The decision of the Board of Directors follows the appointment of Professor Elena Beccalli, Dean of the School of Banking, Finance, and Insurance ...

Seattle, WA — June 21, 2024 — Researchers at the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI) and collaborating institutions have made a groundbreaking discovery that could significantly advance our understanding of genomic disorders. Their latest study, funded by the National Institutes of Health[1] and published in the journal Cell Genomics, reveals how specific DNA rearrangements called inverted triplications contribute to the development of various genetic diseases. Understanding the Study Genomic disorders occur when there are changes or mutations in DNA that disrupt normal biological functions. These can lead ...

(Toronto, June 20, 2024) A new review in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, published by JMIR Publications, found that community-dwelling older adults are more likely to continue using wearable monitoring devices (WMDs), like trackers, pedometers, and smartwatches, if they receive support from health care professionals or peers. The research team from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, led by Dr. Arkers Kwan Ching Wong, reviewed data from 3 randomized controlled trials involving over 150 older adults. The evaluation showed that the interventions that focused on increasing awareness of being monitored and used collaborative goal-setting and feedback tools, such as the SystemCHANGE ...

Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, is serving as a co-principal investigator on the Pathobiology in RECOVER of Metabolic and Immune Systems, or PROMIS, study. The study has been awarded more than $802,000 by the National Institutes of Health to identify potential causes of Long COVID. “The PROMIS study will help us better understand what is driving Long COVID,” Dr. Kirwan said. “In the early days of the pandemic, Pennington Biomedical directed its resources to address the urgent health needs of our population. Now with estimates that more than 25 percent of people in the U.S. who had COVID have experienced ...

An orange teeming with antioxidants and other health benefits may be a shot in the arm for consumers and citrus growers, if the fruit is stored at cool temperatures, a new University of Florida study shows.   But it’s too soon to know if the so-called “blood oranges” are a viable crop for the Florida citrus industry, says Ali Sarkhosh, a UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences. Sarkhosh’s post-doctoral associate Fariborz Habibi explains further. “Although blood oranges typically command higher prices than other common varieties, such as navel or ...

According to a National Poll on Healthy Aging, 93% of people in the U.S. between 50-80 years old report experiencing at least one form of ageism from other people. Internalized ageism is when a person believes ageist ideas about themselves, such as thinking they had a “senior moment” or thinking they are too old to learn new technology. Internalizing ageist stereotypes can impact older people’s mental and physical health, including sexual health. Various aspects of older adults’ sexual ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a new technique to better understand and test treatments for a group of extremely rare muscle disorders called dysferlinopathy or limb girdle muscular dystrophies 2B (LGMD2B). The approach grows complex, functional 3D muscle tissue from stem cells in the laboratory, creating a platform that replicates patient symptoms and treatment responses. In its debut study, researchers reveal some of the biological mechanisms underlying the characteristic loss of mobility caused by LGMD2B. They also demonstrate that a combination of existing treatments may be able to alleviate some ...

“[...] PHA is a rare yet aggressive mesenchymal tumor of the liver, which requires a multi-disciplinary approach to achieve the best patient outcomes.” BUFFALO, NY- June 21, 2024 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncoscience (Volume 11) on May 20, 2024, entitled, “Primary hepatic angiosarcoma: Treatment options for a rare tumor.” In this new editorial, researchers Gregory L. Guzik and Ankit Mangla from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer ...

SAN ANTONIO, June 21, 2024 – Research led by in part by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) finds that the most common cerebral small-vessel disease feature seen in brain magnetic resonance imaging is a primary vascular factor associated with dementia risk. Results of the major international study emphasize the significance of that feature, known as white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden, in preventive strategies for dementia. “Our findings provide converging evidence that WMH is a major vascular factor ...

As wildfires become more intense and the fire season grows longer across parts of the world, humans will need to adapt. In this collection of papers from Cell Press journals One Earth and Cell Reports Sustainability, an intersection of fire management researchers comment on what needs to change to ensure we can collaborate across stakeholders in a more fire-resistant future. The papers are publishing in advance of a Cell Press 50th Anniversary sustainabiltiy forum on the topic of “Navigating the Pyrocene: Managing fire risk in a warming world.” The virtual event, free to register, takes place Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 11:00 am ET. This ...

Inland seas around the world are drying up due to increasing human water use and accelerating climate change, and their desiccation is releasing harmful dust that pollutes the surrounding areas during acute dust storms. Using the Great Salt Lake in Utah as a case study, researchers show that dust exposure was highest among Pacific Islanders and Hispanic people and lower in white people compared to all other racial/ethnic groups, and higher for individuals without a high school diploma. Restoring the lake ...

About The Study: The findings of this cohort study suggest that cannabis use may be an independent risk factor for COVID-19–related complications, even after considering cigarette smoking, vaccination status, comorbidities, and other risk factors.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Li-Shiun Chen, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.D., email li-shiun@wustl.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.17977) Editor’s ...

About The Study: This randomized clinical trial of Chinese adults with overweight or obesity and with early type 2 diabetes found that an intermittent fasting plan consisting of two nonconsecutive fasting days and five days of habitual intake per week and meal replacement diet (5:2 MR) could improve glycemic outcomes and weight loss in the short term compared with metformin or empagliflozin, making it a promising initial intervention and early management for type 2 diabetes. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Lixin Guo, M.D., email glx1218@163.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit ...