WASHINGTON — Americans believe volunteering to help strangers contributes more to society than providing care for family or friends, even though they contribute billions of dollars’ worth of labor in unpaid caregiving every year, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. This perception could lead Americans of lower socioeconomic status to feel like they have less to contribute than people of higher socioeconomic status, because they often do not have the same amount of time or resources to devote to people outside of their communities. “Over ...

Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have used artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The team led by Adrian Egli, UZH professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, is the first to investigate how GPT-4, a powerful AI model developed by OpenAI, can be used to analyze antibiotic resistance. The researchers used AI to interpret a common laboratory test known as the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test, which helps doctors to determine which antibiotics can or can’t fight a particular bacterial infection. Based on GPT-4, the scientists created the “EUCAST-GPT-expert”, which follows strict EUCAST ...

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society, a global organization that promotes endocrinology research and clinical practice, and Keystone Symposia, a nonprofit host of conferences and symposia on a range of life science and biomedical topics, will jointly host a series of three conferences to advance endocrine research. The three conferences will focus on diabetes, oncology and cardiovascular disease—hormone-related conditions that have a major impact on public health. The conference series is slated to launch in late 2026 or early 2027 and will run ...

Quantum research breakthrough uses synthetic dimensions to efficiently process quantum information   The discovery, at INRS, of a synthetic photonic lattice capable of generating and manipulating quantum states of light, offers promising prospects for a variety of applications, from quantum computing to secure quantum communication protocols.   A study co-directed by Professor Roberto Morandotti of Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in collaboration with teams from Germany, Italy, and Japan opens the door to cutting-edge solutions ...

Imagine you wake up in a hospital without a single memory of the last month. Doctors say you had a series of violent episodes and paranoid delusions. You’d become convinced you were suffering from bipolar disorder. Then, after a special test, a neurologist diagnoses you with a rare autoimmune disease called anti-NMDAR encephalitis. This is what happened to Susannah Cahalan, a New York Post reporter who would go on to write the best-selling memoir Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis can lead to hallucinations, blackouts, and ...

Woods Hole, Mass.(Oct. 17, 2024)  — Scientists at the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have been working for years to find out what types of plastics have the shortest and longest lifespans in the ocean, and what types of plastic products, like straws and food wrappers, most commonly contribute to plastic pollution. With more biodegradable materials being developed , like cellulose diacetate (CDA)—a plastic-like polymer derived from wood pulp—researchers are racing to ensure they can replace traditional plastics without causing harm to ocean ...

(October 17, 2024) - Philadelphia, PA - Rapid advancements across industries from healthcare, technology, finance and beyond present novel opportunities as well as challenges. As part of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science’s (Penn Engineering) commitment to develop leading-edge solutions that provide a better future for all, the School is bringing together today renowned leaders in engineering, academia, industry and policy for a dialogue on responsibly shaping ...

With cardiovascular disease remaining a leading cause of death worldwide, a new study has highlighted strawberries as a natural and delicious way to support heart health and manage cholesterol. This research revealed significant health benefits associated with regular consumption of strawberries between (1 and 4 cups per day), particularly in improving cardiometabolic health. Conducted by researchers from the University of California, Davis and funded by the California Strawberry Commission, the literature review, published in the September 2024 issue of ...

Scientists have discovered toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ present in samples of drinking water from around the world, a new study reveals.  Researchers found 10 ‘target’ PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) – chemicals which do not break down in nature – in tap and bottled water available for consumption in major cities in the UK and China. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were detected in over 99% of samples of bottled water sourced from 15 countries around the world.  They observed significant differences in PFAS concentrations between tap water samples from Birmingham, UK, and Shenzhen, China, with Chinese tap ...

Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and debilitating fatigue define the daily lives of millions of people worldwide who suffer from chronic bowel disease. Most of these individuals are diagnosed in their youth, and the disease’s progression can vary significantly, leaving patients uncertain about what the future holds. For some, ulcerative colitis is a manageable condition, while for others, it leads to frequent hospitalizations, complex medication regimens, and multiple surgeries. Now, researchers from the Center for ...

Australia is taking proactive steps to enhance the resilience of its telecommunications sector, according to a world-first report from The Australian National University (ANU). Several recent high-profile outages, contrasted with the near seamless shift to remote work during the pandemic, have shown how telecommunications resilience significantly impacts all Australians with stakes that are higher than ever before. Telecommunications underpins our lives from global commerce and emergency services to healthcare and national security and energy and transportation. Despite its ...

Research Highlights: Within 90 days after having an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, about 5% of stroke survivors ages 65 and older were prescribed benzodiazepines (depressants that relieve anxiety, muscle spasms, produce sedation and reduce seizures) for the first time. More than half of the new prescriptions of benzodiazepines were written for a supply of 15 to 30 days, rather than the smaller number of pills for short-term, as-needed use.   The study also found that women were more likely than men to receive an initial prescription ...

Picture this: You’re shopping online for this week’s groceries. You try to pick healthy options based on the information provided by the online retailer. You can tell that the products you’re choosing are organic, non-GMO, or Fair Trade Certified. But in many cases, you can’t find the nutrition facts, ingredient list, or even a list of allergens. A new, comprehensive study of online grocery retailers shows this problem is pervasive, to the detriment of public health and safety in the ...

British techbio innovator Etcembly is teaming up with researchers and clinicians from the University of Surrey to launch a groundbreaking new study that could transform the future of cancer treatment. By analysing the immune cells of cancer survivors, this research is set to reveal untapped targets that could deliver the next generation of immunotherapies.   In recent years, treatments that harness a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer have become a key pillar of oncology. However, these drugs don’t work for all, and a wider range of novel immunotherapies is urgently needed.   T ...

After the recent pandemic, our use of disinfectants has increased, but are our efforts to create sterile urban environments backfiring? A new study published in the journal Microbiome has identified novel strains of microbes that have adapted to use the limited resources available in cities and shown that our everyday behaviour is changing the makeup of microorganisms in indoor environments. “Built environments offer distinct conditions that set them apart from natural and engineered habitats,” says Dr Xinzhao Tong, an assistant professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China, and lead author ...

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTI) delivered during pregnancy significantly reduces postpartum depressive symptoms in mothers, new research from UBC shows. Researchers from the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses investigated whether treating insomnia during pregnancy could alleviate symptoms of postpartum depression, which affects many new mothers. “Early intervention is crucial for infant and maternal mental health,” says Dr. Elizabeth Keys, an Assistant Professor in UBCO’s School of Nursing and study co-author. “Our research explores how addressing sleep problems, like insomnia, can lead to ...

Move more, quit smoking, lose weight: great resolutions, hard to keep. But does it get easier if there is a financial incentive in return? According to research by Radboud University and others, it can be an effective tool, although there are still some obstacles. They presented their findings this week in Economisch Statistische Berichten (ESB). Some lifestyle interventions are more effective than others, but in general, financial incentives are a ‘powerful tool to help reduce health inequalities in the Netherlands’, says Koen van der Swaluw of Radboud University. Despite knowing more and more about the effectiveness of financial incentives to promote ...

In an Imperial College London study, humans displayed sympathy towards and protected AI bots who were excluded from playtime. The researchers say the study, which used a virtual ball game, highlights humans' tendency to treat AI agents as social beings – an inclination that should be considered when designing AI bots. The study is published in Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. Lead author Jianan Zhou, from Imperial’s Dyson School of Design Engineering, said: “This is a unique insight into how humans interact ...

Salmonella and E. coli are well-known bacteria that cause food poisoning, but less understood are species of Providencia, another causative agent of serious symptoms. Providencia rustigianii, isolated from pediatric gastroenteritis patients, has now undergone whole genome sequencing by a research team led by Osaka Metropolitan University Professor Shinji Yamasaki of the Graduate School of Veterinary Science and the Osaka International Research Center for Infectious Diseases. Members of the team had previously reported that P. rustigianii carries a cytolethal distending toxin virulence gene on its plasmid. Elimination of this gene did not ...

A new study published in the scientific journal Addiction has found that people with opioid or alcohol use disorder (OUD, AUD) who take Ozempic or similar medications to treat diabetic/weight-related conditions appear to have a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose and a 50% lower rate of alcohol intoxication than people with OUD and AUD who do not take Ozempic or similar medications.  Ozempic is one of several medications, called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or GLP-1 RAs, that are prescribed to treat diabetes, obesity, and other weight-related medical conditions. The medications interact with ...

Artificial nests can boost the breeding success of endangered African penguins, but different designs are more effective at different colonies according to a new study by an international team of researchers from South Africa and the UK. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society journal, Ecological Solutions and Evidence. A new study, led by researchers at Nelson Mandela University, which monitored the breeding success of African penguins for 12 years across South Africa has found that artificial ...

Arlington, Va. — October 17, 2024 — A new paper published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) describes efforts at a major children’s hospital to assess and fulfill its staffing needs for infection prevention and control, highlighting the challenges of allocating sufficient resources to this important role. Infection preventionists (IPs) at Boston Children’s Hospital found that conventional methods for calculating the number of staff for these roles do not accurately reflect the current needs of healthcare systems or the specific needs of a pediatric ...

A new study has raised questions about current approaches to predicting the risk of vessel strikes on whales.   Led by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, an international team of scientists compared eight models currently in place to assess and forecast the risk of ships colliding with whales. The study reveals notable inconsistencies in the results across the different models.  Most reports of vessel collisions involve large whales but all species can be affected. Globally, strikes are under-reported and can often go undetected, particularly when they involve large vessels. Collisions can result in animals being injured or killed, and vessels ...

New research has revealed that the connection between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and kidney damage may be tied to dysregulation of the gut microbiome, which is made up of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. PFAS are manufactured chemicals used in a wide range of products, including everything from furniture to food packaging. They are often called “forever chemicals” because once they accumulate in the environment or the human body, they take a very long ...

Soil is essential for life and plays a crucial role in Earth's ecosystem, providing support for plant roots and hosting countless microorganisms. In a warming world, it is important to understand how soil hydrothermal conditions, particularly dry-hot extremes, have changed already and how they will respond to further warming. In a study published in PNAS, researchers led by Prof. ZHANG Yunlin from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Bangor University, have quantified global soil compound drought-heatwave (SCDHW) ...