A new study by researchers at Zhejiang University has highlighted the disproportionate health challenges faced by sexual and gender-diverse (SGD) individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. By analyzing over 471 million tweets using advanced natural language processing (NLP) techniques, the study reveals that SGD individuals were more likely to discuss concerns related to social connections, mask-wearing, and experienced higher rates of COVID-19 symptoms and mental health issues than non-SGD individuals. The study has been published in the journal Health Data ...

A new study1 has unveiled the Hispanic Thrifty Food Plan (H-TFP), a culturally adapted and affordable diet specifically designed to align with the eating habits of U.S. Hispanic households. The research, led by Adam Drewnowski, PhD, from the University of Washington, used advanced dietary modeling to create a version of the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) that respects the distinctive food patterns of Hispanic communities.  The USDA's Thrifty Food Plan is the foundation for setting benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but it has not traditionally accounted for the ...

An innovative study, to be published in Nature Communications on October 21, 2024, reveals the mechanism behind two seemingly contradictory effects of fear memories: the inability to forget yet the difficulty to recall. Led by researchers from Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, and the University of Tokyo, the study shows how fear experiences are initially remembered as broad, associative memories, but over time become integrated into episodic memories with a more specific timeline. The researchers conducted experiments using functional ...

Guideline Highlights: Each year in the U.S., over half a million people have a first stroke; however, up to 80% of strokes may be preventable. The new primary prevention of stroke guideline from the American Stroke Association urges health care professionals to screen people for stroke risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, high blood sugar and obesity. Increasing public awareness and knowledge about healthy lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation, increased physical activity, improved dietary habits and better sleep, may also help people reduce their stroke risk. The new guideline highlights the American Heart ...

It is one of the most fundamental questions in science: how can lifeless molecules come together to form a living cell? Bert Poolman, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Groningen, has been working on this problem for over twenty years. He aims to understand life by trying to reconstruct it; he is building simplified artificial versions of biological systems that can be used as components for a synthetic cell. Poolman recently published two papers in Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Communications. In the first paper, he describes a system for energy conversion ...

In one of the largest-ever studies of DNA and brain volume, researchers have identified 254 genetic variants that shape key structures in the “deep brain,” including those that control memory, motor skills, addictive behaviors and more. The findings were just published in the journal Nature Genetics. The study is powered by the Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium, an international effort based at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, which unites more than 1,000 research labs across 45 countries to hunt for genetic variations that affect the brain’s structure and function. “A lot of brain diseases are known to be partially ...

Food production is one of the pillars of human civilization and underlies many of the changes caused by humans on planet’s landscapes. Producing food and getting it to people’s plates entails a significant expenditure of energy and resources. Unfortunately, approximately one third of all food produced globally is not consumed and discarded. Hence, to build sustainable societies, it is essential to minimize food waste. In Japan, based on estimates reported by governmental institutions, an astonishing 2.47 megatons of food waste was generated in ...

Many women who receive chemotherapy experience a decreased ability to remember, concentrate, and/or think—commonly referred to as “chemo-brain” or “brain fog”—both short- and long-term. In a recent clinical trial of women initiating chemotherapy for breast cancer, those who simultaneously started an aerobic exercise program self-reported greater improvements in cognitive function and quality of life compared with those receiving standard care. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study, called the Aerobic exercise and ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Protein bars, shakes and powders are increasingly popular among adults – but many teens may be jumping on the bandwagon too. Two in five parents say their teen consumed protein supplements in the past year, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. The trend was more common among teen boys who were also more likely to take protein supplements every day or most days, parents reported. “Protein is part of a healthy diet but it can be hard for parents to tell if ...

SAN DIEGO, California, 21 October 2024. In an illuminating Genomic Press Interview published today, Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), unveils her groundbreaking work in eating disorder treatment and psychedelic research. The interview, featured in the journal Psychedelics, offers an intimate look at Dr. Knatz Peck's journey from personal struggle with an eating disorder to becoming a leading innovator in the field. Dr. Knatz Peck's research ...

In stalk-eyed flies, longer eyestalks attract the ladies. Females prefer males with longer eyestalks, and other males are less likely to fight them for access to females. But some males have a copy of the X chromosome which always causes short eyestalks. Scientists investigating why this mutation hasn’t died out, despite sexual selection, have discovered that the flies could be compensating for their shorter eyestalks with increased aggression.  “It's the first time I'm aware of that there's ...

A research team led by Dr. Ho Sang Jung of the Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science has developed an innovative sensor material that amplifies the optical signals of cancer metabolites in body fluids (saliva, mucus, urine, etc.) and analyzes them using artificial intelligence to diagnose cancer. This technology quickly and sensitively detects metabolites and changes in cancer patients' body fluids, providing a non-invasive way to diagnose cancer instead of traditional blood draws or biopsies. In collaboration with Professor Soo Woong ...

Inuit children in Nunavut, Canada, are being overdiagnosed for macrocephaly and underdiagnosed for microcephaly, two neurological conditions measured by head size, because of reliance on World Health Organization (WHO) growth curves, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230905. “Clinicians must be able to identify children with potential medical issues appropriately, without underdiagnosis or overdiagnosis at the extremes of head circumference measurements,” writes Dr. Kristina Joyal, a pediatric neurologist, University of Manitoba and University of Saskatchewan, ...

New poll shows nearly two-thirds of adults (61%) expect global research universities, such as the University of Cambridge, to come up with new innovations that will help to reduce the effects of climate change. Alternative fuels for cars and planes, improved batteries and capturing more carbon will have the greatest impact on climate change, the UK public believe. Respondents want the government to listen to universities when making climate policy, ahead of all other interest groups tested. Cambridge University is playing a leading role in ...

PHILADELPHIA — While recovering from major surgery, Black patients may be less likely to receive certain multimodal analgesia options and more likely to receive oral opioids than white patients, according to research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. Multimodal analgesia, which uses multiple types of pain medication to reduce pain, has been shown to be more effective at treating postsurgical pain than a single medication alone, particularly after complex surgeries such ...

PHILADELPHIA — People who experience poor sleep in the month before surgery may be more likely to develop postoperative delirium, according to new research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. Postoperative delirium is a change in mental function that can cause confusion and occurs in up to 15% of surgical patients. In certain high-risk patients, such as those with hip fractures, the incidence can be even higher. It is a significant complication in older adults. Pain, age, stress, anxiety and insomnia are known to contribute to the risk for postoperative delirium. The researchers believe this study is the first to assess sleep quality ...

PHILADELPHIA — A new, computerized, mental health assessment tool may allow doctors to quickly identify children experiencing anxiety or depression before surgery, suggests new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. In the small, single-center study, researchers found more than half of the children screened had anxiety before having surgery and more than one-third had depression. “The use of the KCAT® tool in pediatric patients in the preoperative setting is very feasible and the results of our pilot study show a substantial prevalence of these mental ...

PHILADELPHIA— Severely injured Black, Asian and Hispanic children and adults are less likely than white patients to receive critical helicopter ambulance services, which can make the difference between life and death, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. It is the first to highlight disparities in the use of helicopter ambulance transport after severe trauma. “Severely injured patients are more likely to survive if they get the right care within the ‘golden hour,’ the critical first hour after the trauma,” said Christian Mpody, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study and anesthesiology resident at Montefiore ...

PHILADELPHIA — Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may help reduce patients’ risk of postoperative delirium, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. “Postoperative delirium is a serious complication associated with a risk for health problems and even death after surgery,” said Steven M. Frank, M.D., co-author of the study and a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. ...

PHILADELPHIA — A simple blood test could help doctors identify women in labor who are at risk for preeclampsia — a leading cause of maternal death — and take precautions to prevent it, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. Between 5% and 10% of pregnant women develop preeclampsia (sudden high blood pressure and protein in the urine), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Black women are 60% more likely to develop preeclampsia than white women, ...

PHILADELPHIA — People who have multiple orthopedic surgeries during the same hospital stay are more likely to suffer malnutrition due to repeated or prolonged fasting, which can slow recovery and increase the risk of death, according to a study of more than 28 million patients presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. Because food or liquid retained in the stomach increases the risk of regurgitation and aspiration in the airway and lungs during general anesthesia and deep sedation, most patients are directed to fast for ...

About The Article: This article presents the 2024 revision of the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki, a set of principles to guide the ethical treatment of participants in medical research. Corresponding Author: World Medical Association (wma@wma.net). To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.21972) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...

About The Study: This article examines ethical oversight of clinical research in the U.S. and offers practical recommendations that are consistent with current regulations and that could help to make research oversight better fit for purpose for different types of studies. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Nancy E. Kass, ScD, email nkass@jhu.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.0269) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, ...

Long-term, low-dose antiviral treatment reduces the risk for potentially vision-damaging bouts of inflammation and infection, as well as pain, which occur when shingles affects the eye, according to new research presented October 19 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) in Chicago. Shingles occurs when the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox in children, lies dormant for decades in nerve cells and then starts multiplying again for reasons unknown. It commonly affects people 50 and older, and ...

Taking an antiviral medication for a year may prevent vision damage associated with shingles that affects the eye, according to new research led by faculty from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the NYU Grossman School of Medicine at NYU Langone Health. “Up until now, there has been no proven long-term treatment for new, worsening, or repeated episodes of this disease, so the results of this study provide convincing evidence for using long-term, low-dose antiviral treatment,” said Bennie Jeng, MD, chair of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania ...