BOSTON – Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for approximately one in every three deaths, with more than 20 million deaths reported in 2021 according to a 2024 World Heart Federation report. Improvements in heart disease prevention, treatment and intervention have led to substantial declines in cardiovascular deaths in recent decades, but climate change caused by the continued combustion of fossil fuels may undermine this progress. Over the last century, NASA confirms the average global temperature has risen by more than two degrees Fahrenheit, leading to long-term shifts in average weather patterns, disturbance ...

Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) researchers harness long-read RNA sequencing to decode genetic intricacies and disease links. Tokyo, Japan – Alternative splicing, a process where a single gene can give rise to multiple different proteins via inclusion or exclusion of certain segments of the gene sequence, is known to occur in over 90% of human genes. This leads to the production of numerous transcript isoforms (splice variants of an expressed gene) crucial for protein function and cellular processes. Despite previous research on mechanisms underlying alternative splicing ...

Many modern bridges use orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSBD), the decks being the surface sections of the bridge. OSBDs were designed to be lightweight and economical. However, this design has shown increasing issues with pavement cracking and fatigue damage at the welds that connect the bridge deck to the bridge superstructure. Fatigue damage is damage that accrues over time with use.   To ameliorate these problems, a new bridge deck was designed. The composite bridge deck system (CBD) added a layer of concrete to decrease the probability of damage due to fatigue. More recently the use of high-performance materials, such as ultra-high-performance ...

In recent years, the high complexity of integrated devices has made heat accumulation increasingly critical and has resulted in higher heat dissipation requirements for substrates and packaging materials. In this study, boron nitride microribbon (BNMR)/Al2O3 composite ceramics are prepared using spark plasma sintering (SPS). This study examines the effect of varying the amount of toughened phase BNMR on the density, mechanical properties, dielectric constant, and thermal conductivity of BNMR/Al2O3 composite ceramics while also exploring the mechanisms behind the toughening and increased ...

With the escalating impacts of climate change and depletion of resources, dielectric capacitors are emerging as promising high-demanded candidates for high-performance energy storage devices. However, due to the shortcomings of various dielectric ceramics (e.g., paraelectrics, ferroelectrics, and antiferroelectrics), their low polarizability, low breakdown strength, and large hysteresis loss limit their standalone use in the advancing of energy storage ceramics. Therefore, synthesizing novel perovskite-based materials that exhibit high energy density, high energy efficiency, and low loss is crucial in achieving superior energy ...

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive lung disease marked by the thickening and scarring of lung tissue with unclear etiology. Affecting around five million people worldwide, IPF causes severe respiratory problems and greatly diminishes the quality of life. Despite ongoing medical research, the exact cause of IPF is still unknown, and treatment options are limited. The prognosis for IPF is grim, with only about 20% of patients surviving five years post-diagnosis, highlighting the critical need for better therapies and a deeper understanding ...

Thermoelectric technology, which enables the direct conversion of heat into electricity, has emerged as a promising alternative energy source. Notably, this technology can efficiently convert body heat into electrical energy, garnering significant attention in the field of wearable electronics. However, the dense structure of most thermoelectric materials results in ultra-low moisture permeability. In practical applications, insufficient moisture permeability can trap heat and humidity, fostering bacterial growth and potentially causing skin lesions. Hence, developing thermoelectric materials with superior moisture permeability is crucial.   A team led by ...

Artificial intelligence is poised to bring photovoltaic systems into a new era through revolutionary improvements in efficiency, reliability, and predictability of solar power generation.   In their paper published on May 8 in CAAI Artificial Intelligence Research, a research team from Chinese and Malaysian universities explored the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technology on photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems and their applications from a global perspective.   “The overall message is an optimistic outlook on how AI can lead to more sustainable and efficient energy solutions,” said Xiaoyun Tian from ...

PHILADELPHIA – Syphilis cases are on the rise around the globe, but many Americans don’t know the symptoms. In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that syphilis cases had risen 80 percent over the five years from 2018 to 2022, totaling more than 200,000 in 2022, the last year for which data are available. Yet just over half of U.S. adults (54%) know that a case of syphilis can be permanently cured and most either mistakenly think there is a vaccine to prevent it (16%) or are unsure (45%), according to the Annenberg Public Policy ...

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters today announced the 2024 Kavli Prize Laureates in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. The 2024 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience honors McGovern Investigator and MIT neuroscientist Nancy Kanwisher, UC Berkeley neurobiologist Doris Tsao, and Rockefeller University neuroscientist Winrich Freiwald for their discovery of a highly localized and specialized system for representation of faces in human and non-human primate neocortex. The neuroscience laureates ...

Eight scientists from three countries are honored for their research that has broadened our understanding of the big, the small and the complex. June 12, 2024 (Oslo, Norway) — The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters today announced the 2024 Kavli Prize Laureates in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. Eight scientists from three countries are honored for their research that has broadened our understanding of the big, the small and the complex. The laureates in each field will share $1 million USD.  The ...

Washington, D.C—The nasal microbiota of intensive care unit (ICU) patients effectively distinguishes sepsis from non-septic cases and outperforms analyzing the gut microbiota to predict sepsis, according to a new study published in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.   “These findings have implications for the development of diagnostic strategies and advancements in critical care medicine,” said corresponding study author Xiaolong He, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the Microbiome Medicine Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, ...

T-cell stimulating biomaterial that slowly biodegrades under the skin stimulates CAR-T cells in the body to improve therapeutic efficacy in an aggressive mouse tumor model. By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — CAR-T cell therapies are transforming the treatment of previously incurable blood cancers. Six approved CAR-T products have been administered to more than 20,000 people, and more than 500 clinical trials are underway. However, according to a recent study out of the Massachusetts General Hospital, ...

A research team in Korea Institute of Energy Research has successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of a green hydrogen system used to supplement the volatility of renewable energy. *Green hydrogen: Hydrogen obtained by electrolysis of water, in which electrical energy derived from renewable sources such as solar and wind power is applied to water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. This production method is an environmentally friendly hydrogen production process with no carbon dioxide emissions. Dr. Joungho Park and his research team at the Energy ...

Hormonally.org is a digital platform that provides free-to-access, evidence-based resources designed to empower women (and all those affected by hormones) to seek the appropriate care, treatment, and support they deserve. Hormonally’s mission is to make access to information on women’s hormonal health a more equitable experience for all. The new nonprofit organization offers accessible information and a safe place to discuss and discover everything from the first period to post-menopause. Hormonally ...

HOUSTON and MILAN ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Sibylla Biotech today announced a strategic collaboration agreement to discover and develop novel small-molecule cancer therapies known as folding interfering degraders (FIDs), which disrupt the proper folding of target proteins and lead to their degradation. Under the agreement, Sibylla and MD Anderson will jointly conduct discovery and development work from target identification through drug candidate nomination on selected proteins, with the potential ...

Magnetic monopoles are elementary particles with isolated magnetic charges in three dimensions. In other words, they behave as isolated north or south poles of a magnet.  Magnetic monopoles have attracted continuous research interest since physicist Paul Dirac’s first proposal in 1931. However, real magnetic monopoles have not yet been observed and their existence remains an open question. On the other hand, scientists have discovered quasi-particles that mathematically behave as magnetic monopoles in condensed ...

SAN DIEGO – June 12, 2024 -- Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a type of weight-loss surgery, kept type 2 diabetes in remission for up to 15 years and most of the weight off for up to 20 years in one of the largest long-term studies of patients undergoing the procedure. The study* was presented today at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting. Researchers from Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA analyzed diabetes remission rates and weight-loss outcomes of 2,045 patients who had a gastric bypass at their center between 2001 and 2008 ...

The NSF Center for Molecularly Optimized Networks team, of which Professor Jian Ping Gong of the Faculty of Advanced Life Science and the Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD) at Hokkaido University is a member, has won a Horizon Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry. The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)’s Prizes portfolio is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world, recognizing achievements by individuals, teams and organizations in advancing the chemical sciences. They reward those undertaking excellent work in the chemical sciences from across the world. The NSF Center for Molecularly Optimized Networks team, including Professor ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – In addition to its human consequences, cocaine trafficking harms the environment and threatens habitats important to dozens of species of migratory birds, according to a new study. Two-thirds of the areas that are most important to forest birds – including 67 species of migratory birds that breed in the U.S. and Canada and overwinter in Central America – are at increased risk from cocaine trafficking activities, according to the study,  “Intersection of Narco-Trafficking, Enforcement and Bird Conservation ...

Humans are outsized actors in the world’s wild places where there are struggles to preserve and protect vital natural resources and animals, birds and plants. Yet people and their plus-sized footprint are rarely discussed in models seeking to predict and plan for trajectories of endangered species. Sustainability scholars at Michigan State University in this week’s journal Nature Ecology and Evolution reveal the decades-long gaps in research and propose a new way of creating accurate visions for endangered species. To map and predict species ...

New Curtin University-led research has identified 100-million-year-old fossilised bones discovered in western Queensland as belonging to a newly identified species of pterosaur, which was a formidable flying reptile that lived among the dinosaurs. Unearthed in 2021 by Kronosaurus Korner museum curator Kevin Petersen, the fossilised remains have been found to belong to Haliskia peterseni, a new genus and species of anhanguerian pterosaur. Based on the shape of its skull, arrangement of teeth and shape of the shoulder bone, a research team led by ...

City of Hope CAR T cell therapy for advanced prostate cancer demonstrates positive results in phase 1 clinical trial •    Trial results published today in Nature Medicine •    A phase 1b trial using the same CAR T cell therapy has opened  LOS ANGELES — Treating prostate cancer with immunotherapy is currently difficult to do. But results from a first in-human phase 1 trial using a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy developed by researchers from City of Hope®, ...

Barcelona, 12 June 2024 (EMBARGOED) -. Brain scans of more than 2,000 preadolescents suggests that early life exposure to heat and cold may have lasting effects on the microstructure of white matter in the brain, especially when living in poorer neighbourhoods. The study, published in Nature Climate Change, highlights the vulnerability of foetuses and children to extreme temperatures. This research has been led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, and IDIBELL, in collaboration with the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam ...

An international research team undertook a study of plants in the Mongolian grasslands to evaluate the stability of these plant communities over time. They specifically looked at how the dryness of the climate impacted the plant communities and determined that the stability of the plant communities decreased more rapidly in more arid areas. This research helps in the development of effective management strategies that promote stable ecosystems in a time of changing climate. The research is published in the journal Global Change Biology on June 12, 2024. Scientists know that climate change affects the way biodiversity influences the stability of plant ...