CAMBRIDGE, MA — Huge libraries of drug compounds may hold potential treatments for a variety of diseases, such as cancer or heart disease. Ideally, scientists would like to experimentally test each of these compounds against all possible targets, but doing that kind of screen is prohibitively time-consuming. In recent years, researchers have begun using computational methods to screen those libraries in hopes of speeding up drug discovery. However, many of those methods also take a long time, as most of them calculate each target protein’s ...

Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black female survivors of breast cancer experience higher death rates after being diagnosed with a second primary cancer than members of other ethnic and racial groups, according to recent research from investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. In a study of nearly 40,000 adult survivors of breast cancer, the risk of death from a second cancer was 12% higher among non-Hispanic Black survivors and 8% higher among Hispanic survivors compared with non-Hispanic white survivors. Survivors in racial and ethnic minorities were diagnosed with second cancers ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa — Heavy alcohol consumption may cause permanent dysregulation of neurons, or brain cells, in adolescents, according to a new study in mice. The findings suggest that exposure to binge-levels of alcohol during adolescence, when the brain is still developing, lead to long-lasting changes in the brain’s ability to signal and communicate — potentially setting the stage for long-term behavioral changes and hinting towards the mechanisms of alcohol-induced cognitive changes in humans. “What we’re seeing here,” said Nikki Crowley, assistant professor in biology and biomedical engineering ...

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is looking for children 5 years old and younger to participate in the Shape Up! Keiki research study. The purpose of the Shape Up! Keiki research study is to create a better way to measure and describe health from body shape. “Parents can learn more about their child’s health by joining the Shape Up! Keiki study, while also providing important information that will help us find quick ways to measure obesity status and health based on a child’s body ...

Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD, the Shui-Chin Lee Professor of Ophthalmology, will be appointed Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, effective July 1, 2023. He has been serving as Interim Chair since 2020.  Hariprasad is an internationally recognized vitreoretinal surgeon who originally joined the University of Chicago in 2005. Over the course of his career, he has developed a strong track record as a clinician, surgeon, researcher, educator, and leader in his department. He is a leading specialist in various vitreoretinal disorders, including macular degeneration, diabetic ...

Everyday materials such as paper and plastic could be transformed into electronic “smart devices” by using a simple new method to apply liquid metal to surfaces, according to scientists in Beijing, China. The study, published June 9 in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, demonstrates a technique for applying a liquid metal coating to surfaces that do not easily bond with liquid metal. The approach is designed to work at a large scale and may have applications in wearable testing platforms, flexible devices, and soft robotics. “Before, we thought that it was impossible for liquid metal ...

About The Study: In this decision analytical model study of the opioid epidemic in four U.S. states, sustained implementation of interventions, including increased delivery of medications for opioid use disorder and naloxone supply, was found to be needed to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths and prevent deaths from increasing again.  Authors: Jagpreet Chhatwal, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.14925) Editor’s Note: Please see ...

About The Study: In this study of monthly methadone-involved overdose deaths, the take-home policy may have helped reduce deaths for Black and Hispanic men but had no association with deaths of Black or Hispanic women or white men or women. The urgency of the overdose crisis requires that national methadone policy debates and decisions address the heterogeneity of people in treatment; relaxing methadone restrictions may help some particularly at-risk groups.  Authors: Rebecca Arden Harris, M.D., M.Sc., of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, is the corresponding author. To ...

Introducing "Graphene-based Carbocatalysts: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications (Volume 2)"—a concise yet comprehensive compendium for the scientific community, professors, and students alike. This authoritative volume - published by Bentham Science - delves into the forefront of Graphene-based carbocatalysis, providing a wealth of factual knowledge and exploration. The book opens with an in-depth analysis of electrocatalysis by Graphene materials, unraveling the intricate relationship between Graphene and electrochemical reactions. It sheds light on the catalytic prowess exhibited by Graphene-based materials, offering promising avenues for advancing energy ...

Aston University and local industry to develop technology to convert organic material into commercially valuable products Sawdust, diseased trees and dried chicken litter among what can be transformed into sustainable bioproducts West Midlands companies are invited to join a cluster to develop new low carbon products for growing markets. Aston University is to receive £1.8 million to transform the West Midlands into a powerhouse of low-carbon product development and commercialisation. The University will be building on its existing research facilities to lead the region’s Biochar CleanTech Accelerator as part of the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator. The project ...

Key Takeaways: When food consumers are properly incentivized, they will choose healthier options. When financial incentives are removed, consumers are more likely to choose less healthy options by comparison.   BALTIMORE, MD, June 9, 2023 – A new study of food consumer shopping behaviors has found that when faced with a choice – lower prices or healthier foods – they will likely choose lower prices. The study found that when you give food consumers temporary incentives to buy ...

Gas-insulated equipment (GIE) that utilizes the most potent greenhouse gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as insulation and arc-quenching medium has been widely used in the power industry. Seeking eco-friendly insulating gas with advanced performance for next-generation SF6-free GIE is significant for the “net-zero” goal and sustainable development.   A research team led by Xiaoxing Zhang of Hubei University of Technology in China and scientists from Wuhan University, Southeast University, North China Electric Power University, Université de ...

(Boston)—Jillian C. Shipherd, PhD, a clinical research psychologist at the Women’s Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System and a professor of psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, has been selected to receive a 2023 American Psychological Foundation (APF) Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology. The award recognizes the work of a psychologist or group of psychologists that is impactful, innovative and transformational. Additionally, Shipherd, along with Sarah E. Valentine, PhD, assistant professor psychiatry at the School, were honored with an Editor’s ...

HOBOKEN, NJ, USA and THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – June 9, 2023 – Wiley, one of the world’s largest publishers and a global leader in research and education, today announced that it will publish the open access journal HemaSphere on behalf of the European Hematology Association (EHA), the largest community of European hematologists, beginning in January 2024. “Wiley continues to prioritize open access publishing and EHA is a membership organization committed to promoting excellence in patient care through research, and education,” said Shawn Morton, ...

Washington, DC – A new study was recently published on-line in Beverages by Dr. Lynn L. Moore, a Professor of Medicine, at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. Moore and her colleagues found that pre-teen girls who drank 100% fruit juice had long term positive dietary benefits with no adverse effect on weight, throughout adolescence, regardless of race. “While total fruit intake and particularly whole fruit intake may have increased in recent years, among younger children, this is not the case for older children,” said Dr. Moore, “In fact, teens generally consume only about half the recommended ...

Visits with a 24/7, co-payment-free telemedicine program established by Penn Medicine for its employees were 23 percent less expensive than in-person visits for the same conditions, according to a new analysis published in the American Journal of Managed Care. Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that the per-visit costs for the telemedicine program, called Penn Medicine OnDemand, averaged $380 while in-person encounters in primary care offices, emergency departments, or urgent care clinics during the same timeframe cost $493 to conduct, a $113 difference per patient. “The conditions most often handled by OnDemand are ...

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (06/09/2023) — In a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, University of Minnesota researchers found that metformin, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, prevents the development of long COVID.  The study, called COVID-OUT, investigated if early outpatient COVID-19 treatment with metformin, ivermectin or fluvoxamine could prevent long COVID. Long COVID is a chronic illness that can affect up to 10% of people who have had COVID-19.  “The results of this study are important because long COVID can have ...

One of the most high-profile mysteries in physics today is what scientists refer to as the “Strong CP Problem.” Stemming from the puzzling phenomenon that neutrons do not interact with electric fields despite being made up of quarks—smaller, fundamental particles that carry electric charges—the Strong CP Problem puts into question the Standard Model of physics, or the set of theories scientists have been using to explain the laws of nature for years. A team led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities theoretical physicists has discovered a new way to search for axions, hypothetical particles that could help solve this mystery. Working ...

Cleveland: Researchers presenting preliminary data from a clinical trial aimed at discovering a cure for sickle cell disease reveal positive results among its first patients. Sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder, is a painful and debilitating condition for which there are few approved therapies. Researchers involved in the multicenter Ruby Trial presented an update on the safety and effectiveness of a single dose of EDIT-301, an experimental one-time gene editing cell therapy that modifies a patient’s own blood-forming stem cells to correct the mutation responsible for sickle ...

  The Campi Flegrei volcano in southern Italy has become weaker and more prone to rupturing, making an eruption more likely, according to a new study by researchers at UCL (University College London) and Italy’s National Research Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). The volcano, which last erupted in 1538, has been restless for more than 70 years, with two-year spikes of unrest in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s, and a slower phase of unrest over the last decade. Tens of thousands of small earthquakes have occurred during these periods ...

Although the prehistoric site of Eynan-Mallaha in northern Israel has been thoroughly examined since 1955, it still holds some surprises for scientists. Seven prehistoric wind instruments known as flutes, recently identified by a Franco-Israeli team1, are the subject of an article published on 9 June in Nature Scientific Reports. The discovery of these 12,000 -year-old aerophones is extremely rare – in fact, they are the first to be discovered in the Near East. The “flutes”, made from the bones of a small waterfowl, produce a sound similar to certain birds of prey (Eurasian sparrowhawk and common kestrel) when air is blown ...

New research has revealed there is a gap between how people imagine they’d act if sexually harassed and how those who experience it respond. The study by the University of Exeter, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, discovered that seeking justice by coming forward is just one of the needs people who experience sexual harassment consider after the event, with other needs, including those for safety, instead rated as more important. The research may explain why people who ...

Millions of people in the US are concussed every year playing sports. Players of games like American football are at particularly high risk for injuries that can have devastating long-term consequences. Stanford University scientists working with the company Savior Brain have now designed one potential way of protecting players: a helmet containing liquid shock absorbers that could reduce the impact of blows to the head by a third. “Most of the members of our team have a personal connection to traumatic brain injury and we care deeply about ensuring long-term ...

Candidate genes that could help fish to tolerate warmer and saltier water have been identified in new research from the Earlham Institute, potentially providing a vital resource to guide breeding programmes in freshwater aquaculture. As water quality and availability is reduced by higher global temperatures, these insights can be used to breed more resilient fish and safeguard a key source of food for millions of people. The Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, is widely farmed in freshwater aquaculture, providing essential nutrients and protein. Their use in aquaculture has risen dramatically, largely due to their adaptability to different water conditions and ...

Tokyo, Japan – 3D integrated circuits are a key part of improving the efficiency of electronics to meet the considerable demands of consumers. They are constantly being developed, but translating theoretical findings into actual devices is not easy. Now, a new design by a research team from Japan can turn these theories into reality. In a study recently published for the VLSI Symposium 2023, researchers from Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have reported a deposition process for nanosheet oxide semiconductor. The oxide semiconductor resulting from this process has high carrier mobility and reliability in transistors. 3D ...