Former Pennington Biomedical Research Center Executive Director Dr. Claude Bouchard and his wife, Monique Chagnon, were celebrated at a luncheon on Tuesday, May 30, for their generous gift to enhance the postdoctoral researcher experience at Pennington Biomedical. As one of the world’s foremost researchers in the genetics of obesity and related diseases, including type 2 diabetes and hypertension, the Bouchard laboratory has trained about 40 postdoctoral researchers throughout his career. “I became very conscious that postdocs are critical to the success of the scientific research enterprise. They work hard, they ...

Amsterdam, June 1, 2023 – Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) occurs in 30% of hospitalized cirrhosis patients, leading to over one million deaths worldwide each year. Currently the only potential treatment for this condition is liver transplantation, which is available to very few patients. A first-in-human randomized controlled clinical trial using DIALIVE, a novel liver dialysis device, demonstrated its potential as a disease-modifying therapy and resolved liver failure significantly faster and in a greater proportion of patients ...

The first successful in-patient trial of liver dialysis* has been completed by researchers from UCL, the Royal Free Hospital, UCL spin-out Yaqrit and their collaborators. The DIALIVE device, invented by researchers at UCL’s Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, was found to be safe and was associated with substantial improvement in the severity of symptoms and organ function in a greater proportion of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), when compared with patients receiving standard of care. The next step will be a larger clinical trial, which if successful could see DIALIVE approved for clinical use within the next three years. Worldwide, it is estimated that there ...

Researchers are shedding light on our ancient prehistoric world using state-of-the art Xray technology. This World Dinosaur Day, scientists are sharing the bones which lay beneath the Harbury Icthyosau – providing clues to dinosaur anatomy, physiology and evolution. The University's of Warwick’s Centre for Imaging, Metrology and Additive Technologies (CiMAT) group at WMG has employed its cutting-edge equipment to explore the anatomy and biology of the Harbury Icthyosaur, a large marine reptile which lived on the Earth hundreds of millions of years ...

DARIEN, IL – Wearing a phototherapy device that emits near-infrared light is associated with potential therapeutic benefits for sleep and daytime functioning, according to a new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2023 annual meeting. Results show that self-reported, sleep-related symptoms improved after three weeks of treatment. Participants in the active treatment group reported experiencing better sleep quality, feeling more refreshed and relaxed, and functioning better during the day. “This novel phototherapy device — while ...

Irvine, Calif., May 31, 2023 – As climate change increases the severity, frequency and duration of heat waves around the world, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions are sounding an alarm about what they consider to be an added threat to human health: humidity. Heat extremes increase the risk of illness and death, with the worst outcomes among people who are older, have chronic diseases, live in hot climates and are socioeconomically disadvantaged. In addition, humidity causes heat stress by making it harder for bodies to cool, but medical and public health experts still disagree about ...

Key takeaways As of June, 22 U.S. states and the District of Columbia will offer the opportunity for residents to select a gender-neutral marker on government-issued IDs. UCLA sociologist Abigail Saguy found that LGBTQ+ and feminist activists support both the addition of a gender-neutral option and the removal of gender identifiers on IDs. Conservative activists oppose both measures. As of June, 22 states and the District of Columbia will allow residents to select a gender-neutral “X” marker, rather than “male” or “female,” on their driver’s licenses, ...

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues have identified genomic variants that cause a rare and severe inflammatory skin disorder, known as disabling pansclerotic morphea, and have found a potential treatment. Scientists discovered that people with the disorder have an overactive version of a protein called STAT4, which regulates inflammation and wound healing. The work also identified a drug that targets an important feedback loop controlled by the STAT4 protein and significantly improves symptoms in these patients. The results were ...

Aerospace experts from across North America are coming to the University of Cincinnati this week for a conference on artificial intelligence. UC is playing host to the annual North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society's conference at UC's new Digital Futures building. It's an international research conference that will bring aerospace experts to Cincinnati to share the latest on artificial intelligence relating to drones, aviation, space exploration and other applications. One of the conference sponsors, Thales, a French-based international holding company that engages in the manufacture, ...

CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE FOR RELEASE: May 31, 2023 Rebecca Valli cell: 607-793-1025 rv234@cornell.edu $5M gift establishes Arts and Sciences outreach professorship ITHACA, N.Y. – Bolstering its commitment to broader engagement, the College of Arts and Sciences has established the Winokur Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science and Mathematics.  Distinguished mathematician, award-winning teacher and well-known science communicator Steven Strogatz has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the chair. ...

Imagine if the Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” opened Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” then Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” riff blended with Jackson. This mix isn’t an impossible fantasy, but a reality with Mixboard, a tablet application that lets users without musical or editing experience create the songs of their dreams. The app comes out of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Music Technology, whose director, Professor Gil ...

AUSTIN, Texas — Corporate tax breaks for innovation lead to two kinds of economic growth: in capital investment and highly compensated jobs, according to a new study from a researcher at The University of Texas at Austin. Because innovation is key to growth in high-tech economies, one strategy has been to give companies a tax break for it. As of 2022, 21 countries worldwide had reduced rates for income resulting from intellectual property (IP), such as patents, copyrights and trademarks. Prior research has shown that such policies, known as “innovation boxes,” ...

MINNEAPOLIS – Studies have shown that sleep apnea is related to an increased risk of dementia. A new study looks at the relationship between sleep apnea and brain volume. The study is published in the May 31, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study compared people who have the amyloid plaques in the brain that are an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease but do not have any memory problems to people with no amyloid plaques. “We found that people with amyloid plaques who had more severe sleep apneas also were more likely to have lower volumes in the medial temporal ...

Injuries to the nerves can blind or paralyze because adult nerve cells don’t regenerate their connections. Now, a team of UConn School of Medicine researchers report in Development that at least a small population of nerve cells exist in everyone that could be coaxed to regrow, potentially restoring sight and movement.   Glaucoma. Optic neuritis. Trauma or stroke of the optic nerve. All of these conditions can irreversibly damage the optic nerve, leading to blindness. Glaucoma alone affects more that 3 million people in the US. Nerve damage leading to paralysis is similarly common, with around 5 million people in the US living with some form of it, according to the Christopher ...

Since the interaction between the abrasive grain, workpiece and nanofluids on the minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) grinding interface are difficult to observe directly, there is still lack of direct evidence to reveal the internal mechanism of carbon group nanoparticles on the abrasive grain/workpiece grinding interface. Concerning this issue, the professor Changhe Li team, from department of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering of Qingdao University of Technology, China, using molecular dynamics simulation to study the tribological mechanism of friction-reducing and anti-wear of three kinds of carbon group nanoparticles, i.e., ...

Zap Energy was selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) today for support of the conceptual design of a fusion pilot plant (FPP) through the DOE’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. The award of $5 million in federal funding will contribute to the development of a pilot plant using Zap’s sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion technology. The company also committed to targets including a community benefits plan to engage with neighbors and stakeholders while planning and building a clean-energy fusion power station. “Zap’s ...

Workplace ostracism refers to an employee’s perception of being excluded, ignored, or rejected in the workplace. A study published in PLOS ONE by Jun Qiu at School of Nanchang, Institute of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China and colleagues suggests that romantic relationships between coworkers are associated with perceived ostracism and knowledge sabotage by other colleagues. Workplace romance can impact employees’ work-related attitudes and behaviors, such as performance outcomes and job satisfaction. However, the relationship between workplace romance and workplace ostracism is unclear. To better understand whether romantic relationships between ...

Full-time hospital facility dogs can provide valuable support during terminal illness and help gain patients’ cooperation, according to a new study that surveyed the medical staff at a large, public children’s hospital about their experiences working with these animals. The study, by Natsuko Murata-Kobayashi of Shine On! Kids, Japan, and colleagues, will be published on May 31, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Hospital facility dogs (HFDs) are professionally-trained dogs that differ from volunteer therapy ...

X-ray examination has enabled the classification of a previously-unidentified marine reptile fossil from Edgeøya, Svalbard, and the technique could provide future unique insights into ancient life here, according to a study published May 31, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Victoria S. Engelschiøn of the University of Oslo and colleagues. X-ray techniques can be very effective for investigating well-preserved fossil remains, but the utility of these techniques often depends on how fossils ...

Researchers describe the life cycle of four species of the world's most venomous caterpillars, genus Lonomia Walker, and discover new parasitoids and host plants ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0285010 Article Title: Characterization of morphological and biological aspects of venomous caterpillars of the genus Lonomia Walker (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) in Colombia Author Countries: Colombia, France Funding: This study was financially supported by The Universidad de Los Andes, Faculty of Sciences, ...

A new study published in Science Advances today provides evidence that large-scale, offshore, and fully-protected marine areas (MPAs) protect biodiversity without negatively impacting fishing and food security.  In the first-ever “before and after” assessment of the impact of establishing Mexico’s Revillagigedo National Park on the fishing industry, a team of US and Mexican researchers found that Mexico’s industrial fishing sector did not incur economic losses five years after the park’s creation despite a full ban on fishing activity within the MPA.  Established in 2017, ...

Acting as a team, twin stem cells activate the immune system to suppress tumor growth and prolong survival in representative preclinical models Overall survival for patients with melanoma that has spread to the brain is only four to six months. Immunotherapies, which harness the power of the immune system to attack cancer cells, have garnered excitement in recent years for their potential to revolutionize the treatment of metastatic melanomas, but results from early clinical studies indicate that the prognosis for most patients remains poor. Now, scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, have ...

Embargoed until Wednesday 31 May at 2.00pm EST  //  7.00pm UK BST The ground beneath Antarctica’s most vulnerable glacier has been mapped for the first time, helping scientists to better understand how it is being affected by climate change. Analysis of the geology below the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica shows there is less sedimentary rock than expected – a finding that could affect how the ice slides and melts in the coming decades. “Sediments allow faster flow, like sliding on mud,” says Dr Tom Jordan, a geophysicist with the British ...

PHILADELPHIA—New research has unlocked insights into how “good fat” tissue could potentially be harnessed to combat obesity and remove glucose from the blood, helping to control diabetes. Published today in Science Advances, the work is a collaboration between researchers with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Cambridge, Free University of Brussels and University of East Anglia. Human bodies consist of two types of fat: brown and white. Brown fat breaks down blood sugar (glucose) and fat molecules, generating heat in response to ...

Fresh insights into a protein that causes damage in kidneys and hearts could open up new treatment options for chronic kidney disease, research shows.   In a study in mice, scientists found that scarring in kidneys and hearts was driven by a protein called Indian Hedgehog (IHH), which is produced and released by a subset of cells in aged and injured kidneys.   Experts say further studies are needed to explore IHH as a potential target for therapies to treat chronic kidney disease (CKD) – a condition that affects 10 per cent of the world’s ...