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Technology9 May 2024

AI tool instantly assesses self-harm risk

Suicidality hit new record high in U.S. in 2022 New tool was 92% effective at predicting four variables related to self-harm AI uses a small set of judgment and contextual variables as opposed to big data, and strongly supports the hypothesis of a standard model of mind EVANSTON, Ill. --- A new assessment tool that leverages powerful artificial intelligence was able to predict whether participants exhibited suicidal thoughts and behaviors using a quick and simple combination of variables. Developed by researchers at Northwestern University, the University of Cincinnati (UC), Aristotle ...

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Medicine9 May 2024

An epigenome editing toolkit to dissect the mechanisms of gene regulation

Understanding how genes are regulated at the molecular level is a central challenge in modern biology. This complex mechanism is mainly driven by the interaction between proteins called transcription factors, DNA regulatory regions, and epigenetic modifications – chemical alterations that change chromatin structure. The set of epigenetic modifications of a cell’s genome is referred to as the epigenome. In a study just published in Nature Genetics, scientists from the Hackett Group at EMBL Rome have developed a modular epigenome editing platform – a system to program epigenetic modifications at any location in the genome. The system allows scientists to study the impact ...

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Science9 May 2024

How aging clocks tick

Aging clocks can measure the biological age of humans with high precision. Biological age can be influenced by environmental factors such as smoking or diet, thus deviating from the chronological age that is calculated using the date of birth. The precision of these aging clocks suggests that the aging process follows a programme. Scientists David Meyer and Professor Dr Björn Schumacher at CECAD, the Cluster of Excellence Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases of the University of Cologne, have now discovered that aging clocks actually measure the increase in stochastic changes in cells. The study ‘Aging clocks based on accumulating stochastic variation’ ...

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Medicine9 May 2024

miR-146a rs2910164 C>G Polymorphism and Wilms tumor susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children

Background and objectives Wilms tumor is the most common renal malignancy in children. miR-146a, a highly conserved small noncoding RNA, plays a critical role in various human diseases. Increasing studies have suggested that rs2910164 C>G polymorphism in miR-146a is associated with susceptibility to cancers. However, miR-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism influence on Wilms tumor remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between miR-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism and Wilms ...

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Medicine9 May 2024

Simple “swish-and-spit” oral rinse could provide early screening for gastric cancer

BETHESDA, MD. (May 9, 2024) — A simple oral rinse could provide early detection of gastric cancer, the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, according to a study scheduled for presentation at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2024. “In the cancer world, if you find patients after they've developed cancer, it's a little too late,” said Shruthi Reddy Perati, MD, author and general surgery resident at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine. “The ideal time to try to prevent ...

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Environment9 May 2024

Saturated soils could impact survival of young trees planted to address climate change

The saturated soil conditions predicted to result from increased rainfall in the UK’s upland regions could have a knock-on effect on the ambition to create more woodland in the fight against climate change, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Plymouth have spent a number of years exploring how temperate rainforests could be an effective nature-based solution to some of the planet’s greatest challenges. They have also shown that the UK’s uplands could in future see significantly more annual rainfall than is currently being predicted in national climate models. In new research, they found that higher soil water levels within areas such ...

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Environment9 May 2024

Bleaching of coral reefs shows severe ocean circulation changes

A new paper in Oxford Open Climate Change, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that extensive bleaching and deaths are widespread at several major coral reefs around the world. This suggests that climate change has resulted in shifting patterns in ocean circulation. Coral reefs may soon be a thing of the past. Last year, 2023, was the hottest year in recorded history on land and in the oceans, with dramatic and unexpected temperature increases. The highest excess daily air temperatures recorded in 175 countries, as well the most ...

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Science9 May 2024

Understanding the crucial role of information delivery in improving citizen perceptions of government policy: insights from Kyoto City

Citizens are often deeply concerned about how the government manages public finances and taxes. However, understanding government fiscal policy can be complex, leaving citizens without a complete picture of the factors guiding budget decisions. Kyoto City, the ninth most populous city in Japan, has been facing financial difficulties due to declining tax revenues and rising government spending. This has caused citizens to hold negative views about government policies, even though they may not fully understand them. A study published in the journal International Review of Administrative Sciences ...

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Science9 May 2024

Endoscopic procedure burns stomach lining to reduce ‘hunger hormone’ and lead to weight loss

BETHESDA, MD. (May 9, 2024) — A new weight-loss treatment could be on the horizon with an innovative endoscopic procedure that ablates (burns) the stomach lining to reduce production of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger, resulting in decreased appetite and significant weight loss, according to a first-in-human trial to be presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2024. The six-month trial involving 10 female patients with obesity resulted in a 7.7% loss of body weight and a reduction of more than 40% in fasting ghrelin levels. Patients reported through validated questionnaires that their hunger was diminished by more than a third. The procedure also caused a 42% reduction ...

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Science9 May 2024

GI procedures can produce dangerous levels of smoke

BETHESDA, MD. (May 9, 2024) — Health care professionals attending certain smoke-producing endoscopic gastrointestinal procedures, including a procedure that uses electrical current to remove polyps, could be exposed to dangerous toxin levels equivalent to smoking a cigarette during each procedure and face “significant health risks” over their careers, according to a study scheduled for presentation at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2024. “Surgeons in the operating room have regulations and guidelines to mitigate smoke exposure, but that does not exist for gastrointestinal endoscopy,” said Trent Walradt, MD, a research fellow at Brigham and ...

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Medicine9 May 2024

Colorectal cancer cases more than tripled among teens over two decades

BETHESDA, MD. (May 9, 2024) — Colorectal cancer incidence has steadily increased among younger people in the U.S. over the last two decades, with the youngest seeing the most dramatic jumps, according to a study scheduled for presentation at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2024. Between 1999 and 2020, the rate of colorectal cancers grew 500% among children ages 10 to 14, 333% among teens aged 15 to 19, and 185% among young adults ages 20 to 24, researchers said. “Colorectal cancer is no longer considered just ...

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Science9 May 2024

30-year US study links ultra-processed food to higher risk of early death

Higher consumption of most ultra-processed foods is linked to a slightly higher risk of death, with ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood based products, sugary drinks, dairy based desserts, and highly processed breakfast foods showing the strongest associations, finds a 30-year US study in The BMJ today. The researchers say not all ultra-processed food products should be universally restricted, but that their findings “provide support for limiting consumption of certain types of ultra-processed food for long term health.” Ultra-processed ...

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Medicine9 May 2024

The BMJ investigates financial entanglements between FDA chiefs and the drug industry

An investigation published by The BMJ today raises concerns about financial entanglements between US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chiefs and the drug and medical device companies they are responsible for regulating. Regulations prohibit FDA employees from holding financial interests in any FDA “significantly regulated organisation” and the FDA says it takes conflicts of interest seriously, but Peter Doshi, senior editor at The BMJ, finds that financial interests with the drug industry are common among its leaders. Doshi reports that nine of the FDA’s past 10 commissioners went ...

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Environment9 May 2024

Suspended climate activist GP will not stop protesting

Last month, Dr Sarah Benn became the first doctor to be suspended from the medical register after being convicted and jailed for actions relating to climate activism. In an interview with The BMJ today, she says the activism that led to her suspension was necessary to raise the alarm over the climate crisis, and also in keeping with a doctor’s mission to promote health and save lives. “The world is facing an unprecedented crisis due to the danger of climate and ecological collapse, and I believe that my actions are a justified and proportionate effort to raise an alarm about the severity and urgency of the situation,” she tells journalist Adele Waters. Benn ...

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Medicine9 May 2024

Who should receive preventive treatment for TB? Individuals of all ages with positive skin or blood test, new study says

EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, May 8, 2024 Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu ## Preventive treatment for tuberculosis (TB) can stop latent TB infections from developing into deadly TB disease. Despite TB infection being fully treatable, there is no global consensus as to which subgroups of individuals exposed to TB should be prioritized for preventive treatment, nor whether the benefits of this treatment vary based on factors such as age or confirmed infection. A new study led by a Boston University ...

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Medicine9 May 2024

A third Covid vaccine dose improves defence for some clinically extremely vulnerable patients

A major clinical trial has found that an additional COVID 19 vaccine dose led to the majority of clinically extremely vulnerable people mounting defensive antibodies against Covid-19. New research published in The Lancet Rheumatology from the OCTAVE DUO research trial co-led by the University of Birmingham and University of Glasgow found that vaccine boosters led to improved antibody responses among many groups of immunocompromised and immunosuppressed patients. Co-funded by the Government and Blood Cancer UK and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), this ...

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Science9 May 2024

Inconclusive evidence suggests zinc may slightly shorten common cold

A new Cochrane review has found that taking zinc may help to reduce the duration of common cold symptoms by about two days, but the evidence is not conclusive and potential benefits must be balanced against side-effects. Since the 1980s, zinc products have been marketed as treatments for the common cold and are particularly popular in the USA. Zinc is an essential mineral naturally found in many foods and plays a role in immune function. Most people in high-income countries get enough zinc through their diets, although aging and some chronic diseases may lead to deficiency. The theory behind zinc-based lozenges, sprays and syrups is that the zinc may interfere ...

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Medicine8 May 2024

Study: Neuropathy very common, underdiagnosed

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Neuropathy, the nerve damage that causes pain and numbness in the feet and hands and can eventually lead to falls, infection and even amputation, is very common and underdiagnosed, according to a study published in the May 8, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “More than one-third of people with neuropathy experience sharp, prickling or shock-like pain, which increases their rates of depression and decreases quality of life,” said study author Melissa ...

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Science8 May 2024

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announces Reid Wiseman as Bicentennial Commencement Speaker and will award its first posthumous honorary degree to Emily Warren Roebling

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) today announced two special honorands for its Bicentennial Commencement celebrations. Astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman ’97 will return to RPI as the Bicentennial Commencement Speaker, and Emily Warren Roebling, who led the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge to completion, will receive a posthumous honorary degree, the first to be awarded in the history of RPI. Reid Wiseman ’97 Reid Wiseman ’97, decorated naval aviator, test pilot, and commander of the Artemis II mission — which will ...

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Medicine8 May 2024

Diabetes in youth may increase risk for neurodegenerative disease, like Alzheimer’s disease later in life

AURORA, Colo. (May 8, 2024) – Young people with diabetes may have a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life, according to a new study by researchers in the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In the study, published this week in the journal Endocrines, scientists showed the presence of specific blood biomarkers indicating early signs of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s ...

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Medicine8 May 2024

Teens who view their homes as more chaotic than their siblings have poorer mental health in adulthood

Many parents ponder why one of their children seems more emotionally troubled than the others. A new study in the United Kingdom reveals a possible basis for those differences. Adolescents who view their households as more unstructured, disorganized, or hectic than their siblings develop more mental health and behavioral problems in early adulthood, according to the study. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In research tracking ...

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Science8 May 2024

New insight into genesis of spina bifida

A group of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine led an investigation that offers new insight into the causes of spina bifida, the most common structural disorder of the human nervous system. Work of the group, led by Keng Ioi Vong, Ph.D., and Sangmoon Lee, M.D. Ph.D., both from the laboratory of Joseph G. Gleeson, M.D., at the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Neurosciences and the Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, reveals the first link between spina bifida and a common chromosomal microdeletion ...

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Science8 May 2024

The spread of misinformation varies by topic and by country in Europe

The eventual prevalence of a piece of misinformation may depend on its topic and the country in which it spreads, with notable differences between the UK, Germany, France and Italy, according to a study published May 8, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Fabiana Zollo from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy, and colleagues. This finding suggests that policies to combat misinformation and polarization may need to be context-specific in order to be effective, the authors say. Researchers analyzed ...

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Science8 May 2024

Pacific Oyster density has increased up to 32-fold across a decade in some California waters, and coincides with summer seawater temperature increases of 2-4°C

Pacific Oyster density has increased up to 32-fold across a decade in some California waters, and coincides with summer seawater temperature increases of 2-4°C ### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0302935 Article Title: Intra-decadal increase in globally-spread Magallana gigas in southern California estuaries Author Countries: USA Funding: “Funding was provided by CSU Fullerton and via subcontracts with Merkel & Associates, Inc. and Port of San Diego to DCZ. Funders had no involvement in the study design or data collection process.” The funders had no role in study design, data collection ...

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Environment8 May 2024

The EU could mitigate climate change equivalent to 13% of its agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by planting cover crops on bare soil before maize

The EU could mitigate climate change equivalent to 13% of its agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by planting cover crops on bare soil before maize ### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0302139 Article Title: Cover crops support the climate change mitigation potential of agroecosystems Author Countries: Germany Funding: The research was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the Project "CATCHY", project number: 031B1060C. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision ...

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