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Medicine13 May 2024

Mail-order pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone for medication abortion after in-person screening

About The Study: The findings of this cohort study indicate that mail-order pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone for medication abortion was effective, acceptable to patients, and feasible, with a low prevalence of serious adverse events. This care model should be expanded to improve access to medication abortion services. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Daniel Grossman, M.D., email daniel.grossman@ucsf.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.1476) Editor’s Note: Please ...

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Science13 May 2024

SHINE trial sheds light on deadly stroke complication

An ambitious, nationwide clinical trial led by UVA Health’s Karen Johnston, MD, has provided doctors with long-needed insights into the importance of managing stroke patients’ blood sugar after treatment with clot-busting therapy. The findings will help improve stroke care and save lives. The SHINE trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (grant U01 NS069498), was conducted at UVA Health and 69 other hospitals around ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

SEQUOIA-HCM trial meets primary endpoint in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Lisbon, Portugal – 13 May 2024: Even though mortality and hospitalisation rates have improved, the quality of life for those living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can be compromised with limiting symptoms such as exertional dyspnoea and decreased exercise capacity. A major cause of this in HCM patients is left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, which results in elevated intracardiac pressures. This study demonstrated that aficamten enhanced HCM patients’ exercise capacity with significant improvement in peak oxygen uptake (pVO2), improvement in limiting symptoms, and decreases in LVOT pressure gradients. The late breaking research ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

Exploring the effect of H2O2 eustress on individual cancer cells using hopping probe scanning ion conductance microscopy (HPICM)

In a recent study published in the multidisciplinary academic journal Science Bulletin, a semi-monthly high-caliber peer-reviewed research outlet covering a broad range of natural sciences and high-tech fields, researchers from the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University utilized hopping probe scanning ion conductance microscopy (HPICM) and highly sensitive platinum-functionalized nanoelectrodes to conduct an in-depth investigation of the dynamic response of individual living colorectal cancer Caco-2 cells to changes ...

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Science13 May 2024

European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society publish Joint Guideline on glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency (GC-AI)

European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society publish Joint Guideline on Glucocorticoid-induced Adrenal Insufficiency (GC-AI) As focal points for endocrinology and hormone research, both the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the Endocrine Society (ES) regularly produce clinical guidelines with recommendations for patient care, either in collaboration with other Societies or independently. Guideline development at each society is overseen by a Clinical Committee, and all guidelines are subject to a rigorous review process before ...

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Science13 May 2024

Endocrine Society and European Society of Endocrinology publish joint guideline on glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency

WASHINGTON—The joint guideline is designed to help clinicians manage patients who have, or are at risk of developing, glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency. At least 1% of the global population uses chronic glucocorticoid therapy as anti-inflammatory or immune-suppressive agents. The guideline, titled “Diagnosis and Therapy of Glucocorticoid-induced Adrenal Insufficiency,” will appear in the May 2024 issues of the Societies’ respective journals, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and the European Journal of Endocrinology. ...

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Science13 May 2024

Some varieties of annual flowers have a place in pollinator-friendly gardens

Annapolis, MD; May 13, 2024—While wildflowers and perennials are a must for supporting pollinators, there's no denying the popularity of many annual flowers for their colorful, visual appeal. Annuals are often thought of as pollinator "deserts," but a new study suggests choosing the right varieties can give annual flowers a role in nourishing bees and other pollinating insects in home gardens. In a two-year study, researchers at Michigan State University observed pollinators visiting 25 different varieties, or cultivars, of the six most popular annual ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

Plant virus treatment shows promise in fighting metastatic cancers in mice

An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study from the University of California San Diego. The treatment, composed of nanoparticles fashioned from the cowpea mosaic virus—a virus that infects black-eyed pea plants—showed remarkable success in improving survival rates and suppressing the growth of metastatic tumors across various cancer models, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer. Similar outcomes were also observed when the treatment was administered to mice whose tumors were surgically removed. The findings were published recently in Advanced Science. The ...

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Science13 May 2024

SwRI studies boiling processes in partial gravity aboard parabolic flights

SAN ANTONIO — May 13, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute is studying the process of boiling liquids under partial gravity conditions in a series of parabolic flights. The internally funded project, conducted in collaboration with Texas A&M University, aims to better understand how liquids boil on different surfaces in partial gravity. Boiling liquids will likely be required during future extended space missions to the Moon or Mars to support surface power, life support systems, cryogenic fuel production and in situ resource utilization. “We ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

Prostate cancer study: More health benefits from plant-based diet

Men with prostate cancer could significantly reduce the chances of the disease worsening by eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil, according to new research by UC San Francisco. A study of more than 2,000 men with localized prostate cancer found that eating a primarily plant-based diet was associated with a 47% lower risk that their cancer would progress, compared with those who consumed the most animal products. This amounted to eating just one or two more servings per day of healthy foods, particularly vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, while eating fewer animal products, like dairy and meat. The study followed ...

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Science13 May 2024

When consumers would prefer a chatbot over a person

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Actually, sometimes consumers don’t want to talk to a real person when they’re shopping online, a new study suggests. In fact, what they really want is a chatbot that makes it clear that it is not human at all. In a new study, researchers at The Ohio State University found that people preferred interacting with chatbots when they felt embarrassed about what they were buying online – items like antidiarrheal medicine or, for some people, skin care products. “In general, research shows people would rather interact with a human customer ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

Intense ultrasound extracts genetic info for less invasive cancer biopsies #ASA186

OTTAWA, Ontario, May 13, 2024 – Ultrasound imaging offers a valuable and noninvasive way to find and monitor cancerous tumors. However, much of the most crucial information about a cancer, such as specific cell types and mutations, cannot be learned from imaging and requires invasive and damaging biopsies. One research group developed a way to employ ultrasound to extract this genetic information in a gentler way. At the University of Alberta, a team led by Roger Zemp explored how intense ultrasound can release biological indicators of disease, or biomarkers, from cells. These biomarkers, ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

Weight loss drug linked with reduced need for diuretics in heart failure patients

Lisbon, Portugal – 13 May 2024: Semaglutide reduces the need for loop diuretic use and dose, and has positive effects on symptoms, physical limitations, and body weight in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) regardless of diuretic use, according to late breaking research presented today at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 HFpEF is a condition in which the heart pumps normally but is too stiff to fill properly, rendering the heart unable to support the body’s need for oxygen-rich blood. The condition is becoming more common as populations ...

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Social Science13 May 2024

Getting out of the political echo chamber

Civilized political debates may seem increasingly out of reach as democracies across the world face rising polarization, but people still want to discuss issues with people they disagree with – especially those who present themselves as balanced and willing to seek solutions that work for everyone or open to learning new information, according to two studies published by the American Psychological Association. One study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, examined how U.S. politicians and ordinary Americans with opposing political beliefs could share their ideas on divisive issues in a way that improved respect regardless of political ...

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Physics13 May 2024

Alarming rise of electronic vaping use in U.S. adolescents

Electronic vapor products (EVPs), also known as e-cigarettes or vaping devices, have an allure because of their marketed image as a safer alternative to traditional cigarette smoking and for their variety of appealing flavors. Yet, they contain many substances beyond nicotine, including propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and potentially harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and metals, which could pose significant health risks such as respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Vaping also is strongly linked with a serious medical condition that damages the lungs due to the vitamin E acetate, an additive used ...

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Social Science13 May 2024

More than half of Americans give to charity at checkout, survey shows

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- 53% of Americans give impulsively to charities at the checkout, and certain demographics tend to give more, according to a new survey conducted by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York. From supermarkets to retail, Americans are used to being asked for donations while making in-person or online purchases – whether by rounding up, donating a set amount or purchasing a token. Industry reports reveal how money is being raised – checkout charity campaigns brought in almost $750 million in 2022, with campaigns through ...

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Science13 May 2024

Taking electroretinography to the next level with a soft multi-electrode system

Eye diseases are becoming more prevalent worldwide, partly because of the aging population, but also because of our greatly increased screen time compared to previous generations. Considering our use of displays will most likely keep rising due to technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, we must improve our diagnostic techniques for the early detection and monitoring of ocular diseases. Among the arsenal of tools ophthalmologist have at their disposal, electroretinography (ERG) still holds much-untapped potential. Simply put, ERG consists of taking measurements of the electrical ...

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Energy13 May 2024

New Study: The price tag of phasing-out coal

Coal phase-out is necessary to solve climate change, but can have negative impacts on workers and local communities dependent on coal for their livelihoods. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and Central European University in Austria have studied government plans for coal phase-out around the world and discovered that more than half of such plans include monetary compensation to affected parties. This planned compensation globally amounts to USD 200 billion, but it excludes ...

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Science13 May 2024

Dramatic increase in fentanyl seized by authorities in last six years

The number of illicit fentanyl seizures by law enforcement in the United States grew by more than 1,700 percent between 2017 and 2023, according to a new analysis. Further, the share of total fentanyl seizures that involved pills quadrupled over the same period–with the 115.6 million pills seized in 2023 representing 49 percent of total seizures. This is the first time that such up-to-date seizure data has been published differentiating between fentanyl powder and pills, says the research team led by experts at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of Florida. Law enforcement drug seizures are used as a proxy for drug availability ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

What makes a memory? It may be related to how hard your brain had to work

New Haven, Conn. — The human brain filters through a flood of experiences to create specific memories. Why do some of the experiences in this deluge of sensory information become “memorable,” while most are discarded by the brain? A computational model and behavioral study developed by Yale scientists suggests a new clue to this age-old question, they report in the journal Nature Human Behavior. “The mind prioritizes remembering things that it is not able to explain very well,” said Ilker Yildirim, an ...

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Science13 May 2024

Over 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl seized by law enforcement in 2023

Law enforcement seizures of illicit fentanyl increased dramatically in number and size between 2017 to 2023 in the U.S., especially in pill form, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The number of individual pills containing fentanyl seized by law enforcement was 2,300 times greater in 2023 compared to 2017, with 115,562,603 pills seized in 2023 vs. 49,657 in 2017. The proportion of fentanyl pill seizures to the total number of fentanyl seizures more than quadrupled, ...

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Engineering13 May 2024

Nature's 3D printer: bristle worms form bristles piece by piece

A new interdisciplinary study led by molecular biologist Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna provides exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii. Specialized cells, so-called chaetoblasts, control the formation of the bristles. Their mode of operation is astonishingly similar to that of a technical 3D printer. The project is a collaboration with researchers from the University of Helsinki, Vienna University of Technology and Masaryk University in Brno. The study was recently published in the renowned journal Nature Communications. Chitin is ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

Research shows that ‘softer’ proteins can cross into the nucleus quicker

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and King’s College London have discovered that how soft or rigid proteins are in certain regions can dictate how fast or slow they enter the nucleus. Proteins need to come in and out of the nucleus, the control centre of the cell, to give different functions, such as telling the nucleus to switch on or off certain genes. These proteins cross using a channel on the edge of the nucleus called the ‘nuclear pore complex’. Previous research has shown that the size and composition of these proteins change how easily they can cross, but now this research, published today in Nature Physics, has shown that mechanical properties can also ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

Birth by C-section more than doubles odds of measles vaccine failure

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 LONDON TIME (BST)/ 05:00 US ET ON MONDAY 13 MAY 2024 A copy of the paper and photographs are available at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rfv2ywq7jhHLPuhKZ_ihs6TinuLHCJmU?usp=sharing Peer-reviewed / Meta-analysis / People A study by the University of Cambridge, UK, and Fudan University, China, has found that a single dose of the measles jab is up to 2.6 times more likely to be completely ineffective in children born by C-section, compared to those born naturally. Failure of the vaccine means that the child’s immune system does not produce antibodies to fight ...

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Medicine13 May 2024

How do obesity and metabolic syndrome affect women’s risks of breast cancer and cancer-related death?

In the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized trial, a low-fat diet reduced breast cancer mortality, especially in women with more metabolic syndrome (MetS) components (obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol). A recent analysis of WHI findings indicates that MetS and obesity each have different associations with breast cancer subtypes and mortality risk. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The analysis ...

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