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Medicine 2024-06-12

Few UK people likely to be suitable for new Alzheimer’s drugs when they come on stream

Few people in the UK with early stage Alzheimer’s disease are likely to be suitable for the latest drugs which aim to halt progress of the condition, yet many are nevertheless likely to be referred for these treatments, finds research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.   The disease-modifying drugs, lecanemab and donanemab, slow cognitive decline in people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease. And they have been granted ‘breakthrough therapy’ ...
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Science 2024-06-12

Retraction notice of previously press released research

The research “Acupuncture for low back and/or pelvic pain during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials,” published in the open access journal BMJ Open in 2022, has been retracted. This research was press released in November 2022 under the title of “Acupuncture can relieve lower back/pelvic pain often experienced during pregnancy.” Following publication of the research, various issues concerning its design and reporting methods came to light, none of which ...
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Medicine 2024-06-12

Preparing for a world where Alzheimer’s disease is treatable

Under strict embargo until Tuesday 11 June 2024 at 23.30 hours UK (BST) time    Preparing for a world where Alzheimer’s disease is treatable  Peer-reviewed | Observational study | People  Drugs with the potential to change the course of Alzheimer’s disease are expected to be approved by mid-year in the UK. Healthcare services may need to change to ensure that all patients have equitable access to these new modifying anti-amyloid therapies, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London and University College London (UCL).  Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Of the 944,000 people living ...
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Medicine 2024-06-12

Robot radiotherapy could improve treatments for eye disease

  Researchers from King’s, with doctors at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, have successfully used a new robot system to improve treatment for debilitating eye disease. The custom-built robot was used to treat wet neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), administering a one-off, minimally invasive dose of radiation, followed by patients’ routine treatment with injections into their eye. In the landmark trial, published today in The Lancet, it was found that patients then needed fewer injections to effectively control the disease, potentially saving around ...
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Millions of insects migrate through 30-metre Pyrenees pass
Social Science 2024-06-12

Millions of insects migrate through 30-metre Pyrenees pass

Over 17 million insects migrate each year through a single mountain pass on the border between France and Spain, new research shows. University of Exeter scientists studied migrating insects in the Pass of Bujaruelo, a 30-metre gap between two high peaks in the Pyrenees. The team visited the pass each autumn for four years, monitoring the vast number and variety of day-flying insects heading south. The findings for this single pass suggest that billions of insects cross the Pyrenees each year, making it a key location for many migrating species.  The migrating insects ...
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Social Science 2024-06-12

Should celebrities and influencers turn off their social media comments? A new study suggests they are less persuasive and likable when they do

Researchers from University of Alabama and Vanderbilt University published a new Journal of Marketing study that examines the negative consequences that celebrities and influences incur when they disable social media comments. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “No Comments (From You): Understanding the Interpersonal and Professional Consequences of Disabling Social Media Comments” and is authored by Michelle Daniels and Freeman Wu. Celebrities and influencers like Addison Rae, Hailey Bieber, ...
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Painful truth about knee osteoarthritis:  Why inactivity may be more complex than we think
Science 2024-06-12

Painful truth about knee osteoarthritis: Why inactivity may be more complex than we think

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of pain and joint stiffness. And while physical activity is known to ease symptoms, only one in 10 people regularly exercise.   Understanding what contributes to patients’ inactivity is the focus of a world first study from the University of South Australia. Here, researchers have found that people with knee OA unconsciously believe that activity may be dangerous to their condition, despite medical advice telling them otherwise.   The study found that of those surveyed, 69% of people with knee pain had stronger implicit (unconscious) beliefs that exercise ...
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New study finds human-caused nitrous oxide emissions grew 40 percent from 1980-2020, greatly accelerating climate change
Environment 2024-06-12

New study finds human-caused nitrous oxide emissions grew 40 percent from 1980-2020, greatly accelerating climate change

Chestnut Hill, Mass. (6/11/24) –  Emissions of nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide or methane – continued unabated between 1980 and 2020, a year when more than 10-million metric tons were released into the atmosphere primarily through farming practices, according to a new report by the Global Carbon Project. Agricultural production accounted for 74 percent of human-driven nitrous oxide emissions in the 2010s – attributed primarily to the use of chemical fertilizers and ...
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Environment 2024-06-12

Study reveals significant increasing nitrous-oxide emissions from human activities, jeopardizing climate goals

Emissions of nitrous-oxide (N2O) - a potent greenhouse gas - have continued to rise unabated over the past four decades, according to an international team of scientists.  The new report 'Global nitrous oxide budget (1980–2020)' is published in the journal Earth System Science Data. It is the most comprehensive accounting to date of nitrous-oxide emissions from human activities and natural sources.  It was led by researchers from Boston College in the US and involved an international team of scientists including researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), UK, under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project. ...
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Technology 2024-06-11

Virtual reality as a reliable shooting performance-tracking tool

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Virtual reality technology can do more than teach weaponry skills in law enforcement and military personnel, a new study suggests: It can accurately record shooting performance and reliably track individuals’ progress over time. In the study of 30 people with a range of experience levels in handling a rifle, researchers at The Ohio State University found that a ballistic simulator captured data on the shooters’ accuracy, decision-making and reaction time – down to the millimeter in distance ...
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Science 2024-06-11

New study explores the sun’s effects on the skin microbiome – it can create a damaged skin barrier

The impact of solar radiation on skin has long been understood but what about UV’s effects on our skin's hidden world – its microbiome? An article from American Society for Photobiology’s journal delved into existing knowledge on solar radiation’s impact on the skin microbiome and proposed innovative sun protection methods that safeguard both skin integrity and microbiome balance. Experts offered insights into novel sun protection products designed to shield the skin and mitigate the effects of solar ...
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States declare May 17 as NEC Awareness Day
Science 2024-06-11

States declare May 17 as NEC Awareness Day

The NEC Society is leading the way toward a world without necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a complex and often deadly intestinal disease affecting the most vulnerable infants. By bringing together families and elected officials, the NEC Society is raising the profile of this devastating neonatal disease. States nationwide have championed NEC Awareness Day Resolutions to recognize May 17.  The NEC Society’s families have partnered with elected officials to declare May 17 NEC Awareness Day in California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, and Utah, bringing much-needed attention to this leading cause ...
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Medicine 2024-06-11

Precision medicine for sepsis in children within reach

Sepsis – the leading cause of mortality in children around the world – can present with a wide range of signs and symptoms, making a one-size-fits-all treatment strategy ineffective. Pursuing a precision medicine approach for pediatric sepsis, researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze a large set of clinical data and find a distinct group of patients who might respond better to targeted treatments. These children share clinical characteristics described as PHES, or persistent hypoxemia (abnormally low oxygen ...
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Medicine 2024-06-11

New ACAAI position paper examines safety of receiving live vaccines while on dupilumab

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (June 11, 2024) – A new position paper from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) addresses the safety of administering live vaccines to patients who are currently being treated with dupilumab, a biologic therapy for various allergic conditions. The paper, The Use of Vaccines in Patients Receiving Dupilumab: A Systematic Review and Expert Delphi Consensus Recommendation: A Position Paper of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, is published online in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, ACAAI’s scientific journal. The panel conducting ...
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Medicine 2024-06-11

St. Bernard Parish Hospital included among Becker’s 100 Great Community Hospitals

CHALMETTE, La. – St. Bernard Parish Hospital (SBPH) has been named one of the 100 Great Community Hospitals in 2024 by Becker’s Hospital Review. This marks the second consecutive year St. Bernard Parish Hospital has earned the honor of being named a Great Community Hospital. Many hospitals included on this year’s list have been recognized by rankings and rating organizations for their excellent clinical care, outstanding patient outcomes, and high performance in specialty services. Becker’s ...
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Texas A&M receives grant from Inflation Reduction Act
Science 2024-06-11

Texas A&M receives grant from Inflation Reduction Act

Texas A&M has been announced as a recipient of a $1.5 million grant from the Inflation Reduction Act to address climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons. The grant is among the five projects funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) totaling $15 million and includes three other universities: the University of Washington, Drexel University and the University of California- Riverside, along with the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. Dr. Faruque Hasan, associate ...
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Texas A&M researcher receives grant for work on phase separation
Science 2024-06-11

Texas A&M researcher receives grant for work on phase separation

Chemical engineering professor Dr. Jeetain Mittal has received a National Institutes of Health grant to support his work on phase separation. Mittal’s research focuses on developing a multiscale computational framework to investigate the role of phase separation in biology, particularly in the formation of heterochromatin. Heterochromatin condensates are membraneless organelles that help control gene expression. A key aspect of the proposal is the role of phase separation in chromatin organization, highlighting the need for new models in this area. Mittal’s ...
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Wind from black holes may influence development of surrounding galaxies
Space 2024-06-11

Wind from black holes may influence development of surrounding galaxies

Clouds of gas in a distant galaxy are being pushed faster and faster — at more than 10,000 miles per second — out among neighboring stars by blasts of radiation from the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s center. It’s a discovery that helps illuminate the way active black holes can continuously shape their galaxies by spurring on or snuffing out the development of new stars. A team of researchers led by University of Wisconsin–Madison astronomy professor Catherine Grier and recent graduate Robert Wheatley revealed the accelerating gas using years of data collected from a quasar, a particularly ...
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Impact Journals sponsors 2024 Ride for Roswell
Medicine 2024-06-11

Impact Journals sponsors 2024 Ride for Roswell

Impact Journals is thrilled to sponsor Team Open Access again in the annual cycling event to end cancer, The Ride for Roswell, on June 22, 2024.  BUFFALO, NY- June 11, 2024 – The Ride for Roswell is one of the nation’s largest cycling events—hosted by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center—to raise awareness and funds for cancer research and patient care. This charity bike ride, based out of Buffalo, New York, has brought people together for 28 years to celebrate cancer survivors, pay tribute to lives that have been lost, and to work together to support research and find a cure. THE ORIGIN OF THE RIDE The Ride for Roswell started ...
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Medicine 2024-06-11

Safer virus helps eliminate cancer

  · Weakened virus helps eliminate melanoma and colon cancer in mice · Therapy is effective in treating and even preventing cancer · Virus raises ‘red flag’ on tumors so immune cells know to attack it CHICAGO --- Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that an attenuated (weakened) virus can help eliminate cancer in mice. In addition, mice that were treated with this virus were more resistant to developing tumors later in life. The attenuated virus — lymphocytic ...
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Mizzou scientists spot more Milky Way-like galaxies in early universe
Space 2024-06-11

Mizzou scientists spot more Milky Way-like galaxies in early universe

University of Missouri scientists are peering into the past and uncovering new clues about the early universe. Since light takes a long time to travel through space, they are now able to see how galaxies looked billions of years ago.  In a new study, the Mizzou researchers have discovered that spiral galaxies were more common in the early universe than previously thought.  “Scientists formerly believed most spiral galaxies developed around 6 to 7 billion years after the universe formed,” said Yicheng Guo, an associate professor in Mizzou’s ...
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How do supermassive black holes get super massive?
Space 2024-06-11

How do supermassive black holes get super massive?

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — By combining forefront X-ray observations with state-of-the-art supercomputer simulations of the buildup of galaxies over cosmic history, researchers have provided the best modeling to date of the growth of the supermassive black holes found in the centers of galaxies. Using this hybrid approach, a research team led by Penn State astronomers derived a complete picture of black-hole growth over 12 billion years, from the Universe’s infancy at around 1.8 billion years old to now at 13.8 billion years old. The research comprises two papers, ...
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Pilot study in JNCCN explores new approach for reducing anxiety and improving quality of life after stem cell transplantation
Medicine 2024-06-11

Pilot study in JNCCN explores new approach for reducing anxiety and improving quality of life after stem cell transplantation

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [June 11, 2024] — New research in the June 2024 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network highlights a promising approach for alleviating distress, enhancing quality of life, improving physical function, and reducing fatigue in patients with blood cancers who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The study used a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the feasibility of a nine-week, phone-delivered, positive psychology program called Positive Affect for the Transplantation of ...
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Medicine 2024-06-11

Controlling the precise timing of electrical pulses may offer promise for treating mild traumatic brain injury

An awkward beat doesn't help on the dance floor, but it could help people who are recovering from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Publishing online today (June 11, 2024) in the Journal of Neurotrauma, Virginia Tech scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC show that specifying the timing pattern of neurostimulation – impulses used to activate the brain’s own electrical signaling mechanisms – can rebalance the strength of synaptic connections between nerve cells, selectively up- or down-regulating those connections. While the timing pattern of electrical signaling is important in the normal brain, ...
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Scientists engineer yellow-seeded camelina with high oil output
Engineering 2024-06-11

Scientists engineer yellow-seeded camelina with high oil output

UPTON, N.Y. — Efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from transportation fuels are increasing demand for oil produced by nonfood crops. These plants use sunlight to power the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into oil, which accumulates in seeds. Crop breeders interested in selecting plants that produce a lot of oil look for yellow seeds. In oilseed crops like canola, yellow-seeded varieties generally produce more oil than their brown-seeded counterparts. The reason: The protein responsible for brown seed color — which yellow-seeded plants lack — also plays a key role in oil production. Now, plant biochemists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven ...
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