ITHACA, N.Y. -- Nutritionists generally advise everyone to eat more dietary fiber, but a new Cornell University study suggests that its effects on health can vary from person to person. The findings indicate that recommendations should be tailored to each individual’s gut microbiome. The study, published in Gut Microbes, focused on resistant starch, a category of dietary fiber found in such foods as bread, cereals, green bananas, whole-grain pasta, brown rice and potatoes. The researchers identified ...

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers compared the efficacy of preventative therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) between two well-matched study groups, using either gene therapy (onasemnogene abeparvovec) alone or in combination with risdiplam (oral medication) or nusinersen (intrathecal injection) administered before apparent signs of disease emerged. The study included presymptomatic infants with two or three copies of SMN2 at risk for developing SMA type 1 or 2, respectively. SMA is a devastating ...

A study led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers estimates that infant deaths in Texas increased more than expected in the year following the state’s 2021 ban on abortion in early pregnancy, especially among infants with congenital anomalies.  The Texas law prohibiting abortions after a fetal heartbeat could be detected—as early as five or six weeks—went into effect September 1, 2021. At the time, the law—Senate Bill 8, or S.B. 8—was the most stringent state abortion law in the country. It did not allow exemptions for congenital ...

CLEVELAND - Led by a team of researchers at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health, a new study finds that collecting paper-based patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of pain, anxiety, and stress is feasible – and that provider, operational, and clinical-level factors impact successful completion more so than patient factors. Patients often seek integrative health and medicine (IHM) modalities such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage in the outpatient setting, most commonly for concerns of pain, anxiety, and stress. In contrast to ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Children who report being more empathetic are more likely to show signs of poorer health in the face of more interparental conflict than less empathetic children, according to a new study led by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development. The study, led by Hannah Schreier, associate professor of biobehavioral health and co-funded faculty member in the Social Science Research Institute, was recently published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. “For children this age, 7 to 9 years old, the family home and parents are important, so observing conflict ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — If liquid water exists today on Mars, it may be too deep underground to detect with traditional methods used on Earth. But listening to earthquakes that occur on Mars — or marsquakes — could offer a new tool in the search, according to a team led by Penn State scientists. When quakes rumble and move through aquifers deep underground, they produce electromagnetic signals. The researchers reported in the journal JGR Planets how those signals, if also produced on Mars, could identify water miles under the surface. The study may lay the groundwork for future analyses of data from Mars missions, according to ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Frogs have maintained a surprising diversity of light-sensing proteins over evolutionary time, according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher. Light-sensing proteins, called opsins, enable vision in sighted animals, and are responsible for many more biological functions like regulating circadian rhythms. The researchers explored the evolution of nonvisual opsins in frogs, finding that most modern species examined in this study retained a shocking number of these proteins. The findings were published in the June issue of the journal Molecular ...

HOUSTON, June 25, 2024 - The University of Houston, the energy university with multiple energy-focused research centers, last week signed two memorandums of understanding with industry partners Promethean Energy and Endeavor Management. The agreements formalize the partnership to address the challenges of repurposing offshore infrastructure for clean energy use. Both companies will work closely with UH Energy, the University’s interdisciplinary energy initiative, and members of UH’s Repurposing Offshore Infrastructure for Clean ...

Studies have shown that undergraduate students who participate in research activities under the guidance of a faculty member or mentor are more likely to finish college. That’s one of the reasons why The University of Texas at Arlington has tripled its investment in specific undergraduate research opportunities. “Engaging students in original scholarship is time-intensive and expensive, but the outcomes are overwhelmingly positive, leading to more student success and an increase in the number of students interested in pursuing graduate school, including medical school,” said Kayunta Johnson-Winters, interim director of undergraduate research at UTA and an associate ...

Researchers from the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have discovered a biomarker that could help identify which renal cancer patients have a higher risk of recurrence. The findings were published in JCO Precision Oncology. Kidney cancer accounts for about 3-5% of all cancers; clear cell renal cancer makes up about 75% of all kinds of kidney cancers. Currently, treatment for clear cell renal cancer is determined based on the size and grade of the tumor and stage of overall disease. But this “one-size-fits-all” approach isn’t always precise. “We ...

Leaving some weeds between crops can help to combat pests on agricultural land, according to a new study carried out by the University of Bonn. This step has particularly positive effects in combination with other measures: the cultivation of different types of crops and planting strips of wildflowers. The results have now been published in the Journal of Pest Science. Intercropping, i.e. planting different types of crops on the same field has a number of benefits: The crops have different requirements and the crops face less competition than when grown in monocultures. This means that they make better use of the water and nutrients ...

CHICAGO — June 25, 2024 — The American Ornithological Society (AOS) annually bestows research awards honoring early-career researchers for their ornithological research. This year’s early-career research awardees represent outstanding contributions to the scientific study and conservation of birds. The 2024 recipients will accept their awards at the 2024 AOS annual meeting (AOS 2024) this October in Estes Park, Colorado. The AOS’s James G. Cooper Early Professional Award and the Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award are presented annually to recognize outstanding and promising ...

A Surrey mathematician is the first ever UK-based winner of a prestigious international prize for his work to better understand patterns which contribute to a diverse range of phenomena, including stop-and-go traffic jams, weather fronts, sunspots and crime hotspots. The T Brooke Benjamin Prize is awarded every two years by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) – the world's largest applied mathematics society – for outstanding ...

A cutting-edge study has uncovered the complex hormonal and genetic interactions that dictate the seasonal flowering cycle of Cymbidium sinense, the Chinese orchid. This research sheds light on the enigmatic mechanisms of floral bud dormancy and its subsequent activation, offering new perspectives on the control of flowering times in plants. Flower development in plants is a complex process influenced by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Hormones like gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) play pivotal roles in regulating this process. In many orchids, including the Chinese Cymbidium, flower bud dormancy ...

EMBO awards the EMBO Gold Medal 2024 to Elvan Böke, group leader at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, Spain. The award recognizes researchers under the age of 40 for outstanding contributions to the life sciences in Europe. The awardee receives a gold medal and a bursary of 10,000 euros.  Early-stage oocytes are exposed to biological and environmental factors for decades, which can make them susceptible to cumulative damage. At the same time, the growth phases associated with oocyte maturation ...

A pivotal study has shed light on the intricate mechanisms of nonhost resistance (NHR) in plants, a critical defense against a broad spectrum of pathogens. By identifying and characterizing four novel core effectors from the pathogen Colletotrichum fructicola, researchers have unveiled key players in the plant Nicotiana benthamiana's immune response. This discovery is set to transform approaches to plant disease management, offering a pathway to bolster crops against devastating fungal infections. Plant diseases caused by pathogens like Colletotrichum ...

Researchers have found a way to bind engineered skin tissue to the complex forms of humanoid robots. This brings with it potential benefits to robotic platforms such as increased mobility, self-healing abilities, embedded sensing capabilities and an increasingly lifelike appearance. Taking inspiration from human skin ligaments, the team, led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, included special perforations in a robot face, which helped a layer of skin take hold. Their research could be useful in the cosmetics industry and to help train plastic surgeons. Takeuchi is a pioneer in the field of biohybrid ...

About The Study: In this survey study of adults in California, results showed that transgender and gender-diverse individuals, especially transgender men, are at higher risk of experiencing all forms of violence relative to cisgender women. Results highlight the need for gender-affirming violence prevention and intervention services as well as policies that protect transgender and gender-diverse individuals from discriminatory violence. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sabrina ...

About The Study: The combination of exercise and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) (liraglutide) was the most effective weight loss strategy while preserving bone health in this randomized clinical trial. Liraglutide treatment alone reduced bone mineral density at clinically relevant sites more than exercise alone despite similar weight loss. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Signe Sorensen Torekov, Ph.D., email torekov@sund.ku.dk. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.16775) Editor’s Note: Please ...

PHILADELPHIA— A new study by Penn researchers examined, for the first time, the differences in lung transplant graft outcomes from organs recovered from the two types of deceased organ donor care facilities operating in the United States. The research, published today in JAMA Network Open, offers insights that could improve the organ donation and transplantation process for patients across the nation.  In the U.S., deceased organ donors are traditionally cared for in hospitals, which provide intensive care and testing needed to rehabilitate organs, identify transplant ...

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2024 – Every so often, a food product is recalled because of some sort of contamination. For consumers of such products, a recall can trigger doubt in the safety and reliability of what they eat and drink. In many cases, a recall will come too late to keep some people from getting ill. In spite of the food industry’s efforts to fight pathogens, products are still contaminated and people still get sick. Much of the problem stems from the tools available to screen for harmful pathogens, which are often not effective enough at protecting the public. In AIP Advances, by AIP Publishing, researchers from Guangdong University of Technology and Pudong ...

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — In sciences, disruptive research that is breaking new ground often raises new and not-yet-explored ethical questions. Although new scientific breakthroughs can have the power to change how we understand and live in the world, the ethical implications of technologies that will emerge based on these new insights can affect an emerging field’s public acceptance and have moral implications for society at large. They can also impact the process of translating discoveries into real-world products, sometimes requiring new regulation. Historically, ethicists – who form the branch of philosophy that is concerned with morality and studies ...

How can artificial intelligence and machine learning be used for innovative research in the field of soft matter? Frauke Gräter, the current Head of the Molecular Biomechanics group at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) and Professor of Molecular Biomechanics at Heidelberg University, will research these and other topics as the new Director at the MPI for Polymer Research starting July 1, 2024. Frauke Gräter has made an international name for herself through her outstanding scientific contributions, particularly in the field of molecular biomechanics. Her academic ...

An international team of researchers, led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has documented a transoceanic flight of more than 4200 km by painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui), setting a record for an insect. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, involved researchers from the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (IBB), a joint center of the CSIC and the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona, as well as from the W. Szafer Botanical Institute (Poland), the University of Ottawa (Canada), the Institute of Evolutionary ...

Background and Aims Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive tumor with limited treatment options and high mortality. Senecavirus A (SVA) has shown potential in selectively targeting tumors while sparing healthy tissues. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SVA on HCC cells in vitro and in vivo and to elucidate its mechanisms of action.   Methods The cell counting kit-8 assay and colony formation assay were conducted to examine cell proliferation. Flow cytometry and nuclear staining were employed to analyze cell cycle distribution and apoptosis occurrence. ...