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Science28 May 2024

Early vs late anticoagulation in minor, moderate, and major ischemic stroke with atrial fibrillation

About The Study: The treatment effect of early direct oral anticoagulant initiation did not differ in people with minor, moderate, or major stroke assessed by brain imaging. Early treatment was not associated with a higher rate of adverse events, especially symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, for any infarct size, including major stroke. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Urs Fischer, M.D., M.Sc., email urs.fischer@insel.ch. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.1450) Editor’s ...

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Medicine28 May 2024

Air and noise pollution exposure in early life and mental health from adolescence to young adulthood

About The Study: Early-life air and noise pollution exposure were prospectively associated with three common mental health problems (psychotic experiences, depression, and anxiety) from adolescence to young adulthood in this longitudinal cohort study. There was a degree of specificity in terms of pollutant-timing-outcome associations. Interventions to reduce air and noise pollution exposure (e.g., clean air zones) could potentially improve population mental health. Replication using quasi-experimental designs is now needed to shed further light on the underlying ...

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Environment28 May 2024

New research shows soil microorganisms could produce additional greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost

As the planet has warmed, scientists have long been concerned about the potential for harmful greenhouse gasses to seep out of thawing Arctic permafrost. Recent estimates suggest that by 2100 the amount of carbon dioxide and methane released from these perpetually frozen lands could be on par with emissions from large industrial countries. However, new research led by a team of Colorado State University microbiome scientists suggests those estimates might be too low. Microorganisms are responsible for the process that will generate greenhouse gasses from thawing northern peatlands, which contain about ...

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Science28 May 2024

Introducing peanut in infancy prevents peanut allergy into adolescence

Feeding children peanut products regularly from infancy to age 5 years reduced the rate of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71%, even when the children ate or avoided peanut products as desired for many years. These new findings, from a study sponsored and co-funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), provide conclusive evidence that achieving long-term prevention of peanut allergy is possible through early allergen consumption. The results were published today in the journal NEJM Evidence. “Today’s findings should reinforce parents’ and caregivers’ ...

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Medicine28 May 2024

Light-activated drugs targeting adenosine A2A receptors in the brain that induce sleep

Tsukuba, Japan—The nucleus accumbens plays a pivotal role in motivational behavior and sleep regulation, modulated by adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR). Hence, selective A2AR regulation within this brain region could control sleep and motivation. However, A2ARs are distributed across various organs, including the heart, posing challenges for precise brain-specific modulation without genetic interventions. A research team led by Professor Michael Lazarus and Associate Professor Tsuyoshi Saitoh (TRiSTAR Fellow) from the Institute of Medicine and the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) at the University ...

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Social Science28 May 2024

SwRI data fusion tool targets urban heat islands in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO — May 28, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute has created a comprehensive data analysis tool to help metropolitan areas curb urban heat islands (UHIs) and pursue mitigation methods for especially vulnerable populations. This internally funded project was a collaboration with the City of San Antonio. UHIs occur when dense concentrations of pavement and buildings absorb heat and raise surrounding temperatures. Without green spaces to provide a cooling effect, UHI temperatures can exceed other areas by as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit, which could be dangerous to residents during summer. “Tackling UHIs goes ...

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Science28 May 2024

Does the requirement to offer retirement plans help workers save for retirement?

A study published in Contemporary Economic Policy reveals significant benefits gained from the first implementation of the state-run retirement savings program in Oregon, known as OregonSaves, in 2017. OregonSaves is available to Oregon workers whose employers do not offer a workplace retirement plan, self-employed individuals, and others. Businesses that do not offer retirement plans are required to automatically enroll employees, but workers can opt out at any time. The analysis found that the program substantially boosted retirement savings among previously ...

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Physics28 May 2024

Apple versus donut: How the shape of a tokamak impacts the limits of the edge of the plasma

Harnessing energy from plasma requires a precise understanding of its behavior during fusion to keep it hot, dense and stable. A new theoretical model about a plasma’s edge, which can become unstable and bulge, brings the prospect of commercial fusion power closer to reality. “The model refines the thinking on stabilizing the edge of the plasma for different tokamak shapes,” said Jason Parisi, a staff research physicist at PPPL. Parisi is the lead author of three articles describing the model that were published in the journals Nuclear Fusion and Physics of Plasma. The primary paper focuses on a part of the plasma called ...

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Medicine28 May 2024

Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, receives prestigious award from World Heart Federation

The World Heart Federation (WHF) is honoring Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, President of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, with its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024. This top honor recognizes his remarkable contributions to the WHF mission, and to the entire cardiovascular disease community for his dedication to combating this disease worldwide. The WHF will present Dr. Fuster with this award on Saturday, May 25, during the World Heart Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. “I am proud of this award, particularly because it represents Mount Sinai’s worldwide scientific contributions and dedication to advancements in the cardiovascular ...

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Science28 May 2024

Nonlinear photochromic properties in a perylene-substituted rhodamine spirolactam

Photochromic compounds, which change their color when exposed to light, have been widely used as photoswitches to control different properties of materials. Nonlinear photochromic compounds, characterized by a nonlinear response to the intensity of incident light, have attracted special attention among researchers as the nonlinearity leads to enhanced contrast and improved spatial resolution in photochromic reactions. It also allows for multiple photochromic properties in a single molecule with a single light source. These qualities have made them valuable in nonlinear optical and holographic elements, super-resolution microscopy, and biomedical applications. The simplest ...

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Science28 May 2024

Binge-eating disorder not as transient as previously thought

BELMONT, Mass. (May 28, 2024) Binge-eating disorder is the most prevalent eating disorder in the United States, but previous studies have presented conflicting views of the disorder’s duration and the likelihood of relapse. A new five-year study led by investigators from McLean Hospital, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, showed that 61 percent and 45 percent of individuals still experienced binge-eating disorder 2.5 and 5 years after their initial diagnoses, respectively. These results contradict previous ...

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Medicine28 May 2024

Pharmacists prove effective, less costly care option for minor illnesses

SPOKANE, Wash. – Greater use of pharmacists to treat minor illnesses could potentially save millions of dollars in health care costs, according to new research led by Washington State University. The findings also indicate a way to improve healthcare access by expanding availability of pharmacists’ clinical services including prescribing medications, amid an ongoing shortage of primary care providers. The study found that care for a range of minor health issues – including urinary tract infections, shingles, animal bites and headaches – costs an average of about $278 less when treated in pharmacies compared to patients with similar ...

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Technology28 May 2024

Inexpensive microplastic monitoring through porous materials and machine learning

Optical analysis and machine learning techniques can now readily detect microplastics in marine and freshwater environments using inexpensive porous metal substrates. Details of the method, developed by researchers at Nagoya University with collaborators at the National Institute for Materials Sciences in Japan and others, are published in the journal Nature Communications. Detecting and identifying microplastics in water samples is essential for environmental monitoring but is challenging due in part to the structural similarity of microplastics with natural organic compounds derived from biofilms, algae, and decaying organic matter. Existing detection methods ...

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Environment28 May 2024

Mystery of ‘slow’ solar wind unveiled by Solar Orbiter mission

Scientists have come a step closer to identifying the mysterious origins of the ‘slow’ solar wind, using data collected during the Solar Orbiter spacecraft’s first close journey to the Sun. Solar wind, which can travel at hundreds of kilometres per second, has fascinated scientists for years, and new research published in Nature Astronomy, is finally shedding light on how it forms. Solar wind describes the continuous outflow of charged plasma particles from the Sun into space – with wind travelling at over 500km ...

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Environment28 May 2024

Study suggests ‘biodegradable’ teabags don’t readily deteriorate in the environment and can adversely affect terrestrial species

Some teabags manufactured using plastic alternatives do not degrade in soil and have the potential to harm terrestrial species, a new study has shown. The research looked at commonly available teabags made using three different compositions of polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from sources such as corn starch or sugar cane. The teabags were buried in soil for seven months, and a range of techniques were then used to assess whether – and to what extent – they had deteriorated. The results showed that teabags made solely from PLA remained completely intact. However, the ...

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Technology28 May 2024

Algorithms could help improve judicial decisions

A new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, published by Oxford University Press, finds that replacing certain judicial decision-making functions with algorithms could improve outcomes for defendants by eliminating some of the systemic biases of judges. Decision makers make consequential choices based on predictions of unknown outcomes. Judges, in particular, make decisions about whether to grant bail to defendants or how to sentence those convicted. Companies now use machine learning based models increasingly in high-stakes decisions. There are various assumptions about human behavior underlying the deployment of ...

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Science28 May 2024

Scientists uncover a multibillion-year epic written into the chemistry of life

The origin of life on Earth has long been a mystery that has eluded scientists. A key question is how much of the history of life on Earth is lost to time. It is quite common for a single species to "phase out" using a biochemical reaction, and if this happens across enough species, such reactions could effectively be "forgotten" by life on Earth. But if the history of biochemistry is rife with forgotten reactions, would there be any way to tell? This question inspired researchers from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) ...

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Medicine28 May 2024

Monitoring diseases through sweat becomes accessible to everyone

Sweat contains biomarkers that can monitor various health conditions, from diabetes to genetic disorders. Sweat sampling, unlike blood collection, is preferred by users due to its painless nature. However, to obtain sufficient nutrients or hormones from sweat for testing, intense physical activity was previously required to induce sweat. This method posed challenges for individuals with limited mobility. Dr. Kim Joohee from the Bionics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, Director Oh Sangrok) and Professor John A. Rogers from Northwestern University jointly announced the development ...

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Medicine28 May 2024

Mathematical model driven evolutionary therapy dosing exploiting cancer cell plasticity

Cancer poses significant challenges due to the development of resistance and the likelihood of relapse. Resistance may arise from permanent genetic changes in cancer cells or non-genetic alterations in cancer cell behavior induced by treatment. Standard of care in cancer treatments typically involves administering the maximum tolerated dose of a drug to eradicate drug-sensitive cells effectively. However, this approach often fails in the long term because drug-resistant cancer cells can grow more rapidly when all drug-sensitive cancer ...

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Environment28 May 2024

Biodiversity in the margins: Merging farmlands affects natural pest control

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology demonstrates how the diversity and abundance of arthropods decrease when hedgerows and field margins covered by wild grass and flowers are removed. Researchers from the UK, Netherlands and China studied 20 rice fields in China for six years to see how the changing agricultural landscape affects the diversity and abundance of rice pests and their natural enemies, as well as the effect on rice yield. Traditional Chinese smallholder fields are irregularly shaped and separated by areas of hedgerows, wild grass, and flowers. Using large-scale machinery in these farmlands is difficult, so there is low agricultural ...

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Science28 May 2024

1 in 8 pregnant people have a disability, but significant gaps exist in the provision of accessible care

Toronto, ON, May 28, 2024 – People with disabilities account for 13% of all pregnancies in Ontario, but a new report shows that this population was more likely to experience pregnancy complications such as emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and preterm birth. Researchers from ICES, the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have released a landmark report detailing findings from one of the largest studies to date on disability and pregnancy. Funded by the US National Institutes of Health, the Disability and Pregnancy Study used healthcare ...

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Science27 May 2024

Statins associated with decreased risk for CVD and death, even in very old adults

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 27 May 2024 Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet @Annalsofim Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent. ---------------------------- 1. Statins associated with ...

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Environment27 May 2024

Climate change is moving tree populations away from the soil fungi that sustain them

As our planet warms, many species are shifting to different locations as their historical habitats become inhospitable. Trees are no exception – many species’ normal ranges are no longer conducive to their health, but their shift to new areas that could better sustain them has been lagging behind those of other plants and animals. Now, scientists show that the reason for this lag might be found belowground. A study published in PNAS on May X, shows that trees, especially those in the far ...

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Science27 May 2024

Secrets of sargassum: Scientists advance knowledge of seaweed causing chaos in the Caribbean and West Africa

Researchers have been working to track and study floating sargassum, a prolific seaweed swamping Caribbean and West African shorelines, and causing environmental and economic harm. The stranded seaweed blocks fishing boats; threatens tourism; disrupts turtle nesting sites, reefs and mangroves, and releases toxic gas, which impacts human health and damages electrical equipment. First reported by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century, floating mats of sargassum have long been present in the North Atlantic. However, since 2011, a floating population has established ...

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Science27 May 2024

Bioinformatics approach could help optimize soldiers’ training for improved readiness and recovery

Of the many perils facing members of the military, injuries incurred in training or on deployment repeatedly sideline elite operators. “It’s a pervasive problem,” says Dhruv Seshadri, an assistant professor of bioengineering in Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. “We’re looking at how we can integrate physiological data, biomechanical data, and subjective assessments to help reduce the risk of these injuries happening in the first place, and when they do happen, how we can use those data to accelerate the soldier’s return to operation.” Seshadri ...

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