Chapel Hill, NC, April 2, 2024 — A new study that models the combined effects of a sugar-based tax on beverages and targeted subsidies for minimally processed foods and drinks found that under these policies, low-income consumers would purchase less sugar-sweetened beverages and more fruits, vegetables, and healthier drinks, particularly in households without children.   Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill developed a model to simulate what would happen if national-level taxes on less-healthy, ...

SEATTLE – April 2, 2024 – Researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and peer institutions released new findings in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showing that when all types of cancer research studies are considered, at least one in five people with cancer, or 21.9%, participate in some form of clinical research. The study evaluated all categories of cancer studies, such as treatment trials, biorepository studies and quality of life studies—the first time an estimate of participation in all types of cancer ...

Windows welcome light into interior spaces, but they also bring in unwanted heat. A new window coating blocks heat-generating ultraviolet and infrared light and lets through visible light, regardless of the sun’s angle. The coating can be incorporated onto existing windows or automobiles and can reduce air-conditioning cooling costs by more than one-third in hot climates.   “The angle between the sunshine and your window is always changing,” said Tengfei Luo, the Dorini Family Professor for Energy Studies at the University of Notre ...

Researchers in Brazil have used an innovative technique in molecular biology to identify targets for candidate vaccines against Schistosoma mansoni, the parasite that causes schistosomiasis. Considered one of the world’s 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), schistosomiasis affects some 200 million people in 74 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Six million are estimated to be infected in Brazil, mainly in the Northeast region and Minas Gerais state. The scientists used phage display, the study of protein interactions using bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, to screen 99.6% of 119,747 DNA sequences encoding the proteins known ...

UCalgary led study finds Netflix misses the mark by trivializing teenagers’ pain. Findings are published in PainResearchers at the University of Calgary and the University of Bath, U.K., are calling on Netflix to do a better job of representing the kind of pain typically experienced by 12-to-18-year-olds. A new study finds the streaming channel should not emphasize stereotypes, like the heroic, stoic boy and the helpless, emotional girl who requires his rescue and prioritizes his pain and suffering. “Media ...

The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (TLI) today announced that The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), one of the world’s largest institutions dedicated to regenerative medicine, has awarded $1.5 million to TLI Investigator Denise Al Alam, PhD, to support research that aims to understand lung disease in individuals with Trisomy 21 (also known as Down Syndrome). Although Trisomy 21 impacts multiple organ systems, respiratory complications are a significant cause of death in children and adults with this genetic condition. With the highest occurrence of Down Syndrome births in California within the Latinx ...

Adolescents with high positive affect may have improved physical and mental health as adults, according to a study published April 2nd in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Eric Kim and Renae Wilkinson from Harvard University, US, and colleagues. Positive affect is the experience of pleasurable emotions, such as happiness, joy, excitement, and calm. Research on adults has shown that positive affect is associated with healthier behaviors and decreased risk of chronic diseases, but data are limited in adolescents. Given that adolescence is a critical ...

Methods sections often lack critical details needed to reproduce an experiment, and the practice of citing previous papers instead of describing the methods in detail may contribute to this problem Analysis of >750 papers shows that >90% of papers use at least one shortcut citation, that these significantly impair reconstruction of the original method, and that <25% of journals have policies relating to previously described methods   ##### In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS ...

LAWRENCE — With the evolution of artificial intelligence comes discussion of the technology's environmental impact. A new study has found that for the tasks of writing and illustrating, AI emits hundreds of times less carbon than humans performing the same tasks. That does not mean, however, that AI can or should replace human writers and illustrators, the study’s authors argue. Andrew Torrance, Paul E. Wilson Distinguished Professor of Law at KU, is co-author of a study that compared established systems such as ChatGPT, Bloom AI, DALL-E2 and others completing writing and illustrating to that of humans.  Like ...

Media Alert: DENVER/April 2, 2024 — Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers introduced a straightforward questionnaire to help horse owners identify and monitor signs of osteoarthritis pain in their equine companions. This initiative aims to facilitate earlier and more effective treatment, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for horses. Created by Dr. Janny de Grauw, Senior Lecturer at The Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom, Bryony Lancaster, Program Director, MSc Equine Science of the University of Edinburgh and Dr. Diane Howard, the questionnaire is modeled after the Brief Pain Inventory used to evaluate pain severity and its impact ...

A pioneering study from the University of Florida has quantified corporations’ exposure to climate change risks like hurricanes, wildfires, and climate-related regulations and the extent to which climate risks are priced into their market valuations. The research also exposes a costly divide – companies that proactively manage climate risks fare much better than those that ignore the threats. Using textual analysis of earnings call transcripts from almost 5,000 U.S. public companies, researchers developed novel measures of firms’ physical climate risk exposure ...

Scrub mints are among the most endangered plants you’ve probably never heard of. More than half of the 24 species currently known to exist are considered threatened or endangered at the state or federal level, and nearly all scrub mints grow in areas that are being rapidly developed or converted to agricultural pasture. In a new study, researchers analyzed a distinct type of DNA marker, which shows there are likely more scrub mint species waiting to be scientifically described. And at least one species has been left without federal protection because of a technicality. “The Titusville balm is currently considered ...

Plants harness chlorophyll to capture sunlight and kickstart photosynthesis, a crucial process on our planet that converts luminous energy into chemical fuel while producing oxygen. This pivotal chemical energy is subsequently utilized by plants, algae, and select bacteria to metabolize carbon dioxide and water into sugars. Now, scientists at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) have achieved a breakthrough by integrating non-native photosensitizers into mammalian cells. This revelation showcases the capability of these substances to also absorb green ...

WASHINGTON  –  U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) plasma physicist, Arati Dasgupta, Ph.D., head, Radiation Hydrodynamics Branch, Plasma Physics Division, receives the 2024 IEEE Plasma Science and Applications Committee (PSAC) Award for her fundamental contributions to, and leadership of, high energy density plasma, atomic, and radiation physics, fusion applications, and service to the plasma science community. Presented by the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society, the PSAC Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of plasma science and engineering. Dasgupta is the 37th winner of the PSAC Award — one of three women ever to receive ...

Owning a home has long been considered a crucial way to build wealth, but making such a purchase has become increasingly difficult for many residents. In addition to steep housing prices and high interest rates, there have been a growing number of all-cash buyers who can close a deal quickly, beating out competing offers from buyers who need to finance their home with a mortgage. The convenience and certainty of all-cash offers appeals to sellers so much so, that they pay on average 10 % less than mortgage buyers, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management. “When sellers accept a mortgage offer, it comes with risk,” said Michael ...

The Uchida Laboratory (Lab Head: Prof. Satoshi Uchida, Department of Advanced Nanomedical Engineering, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University; abbreviated as TMDU) of Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (Center Director: Prof. Kazunori Kataoka, Location: Kawasaki, Japan; abbreviated as iCONM) has demonstrated that intradermal administration of mRNA alone (naked mRNA) without protected by nanoparticles induced robust vaccination against SARS CoV-2, a virus causing COVID-19, in mice and primates, ...

Infant gut microbiomes oscillate with a circadian rhythm, even when they are cultivated outside of the body. Researchers report April 2 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe that the rhythm is detectable as early as 2 weeks after birth but becomes more pronounced with age. The finding comes from a randomized controlled trial that also showed that diet has less impact on the development and composition of the infant microbiome than previously thought. “We found that even at very early ages of colonization, the microbial ecosystem develops this circadian rhythmicity,” ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new multicenter, international study suggests that people who have early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and high levels of immune cells within their tumors may have a lower risk of recurrence and better survival rates even when not treated with chemotherapy. The study was published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). TNBC is a breast cancer subtype that does not respond to drugs that target the estrogen receptor or the HER2 protein. It grows rapidly, is more likely to spread beyond the breast before diagnosis ...

Fukuoka, Japan—Researchers from Kyushu University's Faculty of Medical Sciences report on new insights into the mechanisms of how adrenal gland tumors are formed. The team identified a new type of tumor cell population that they termed 'steroids-producing nodules' or SPNs, that exhibits the unique characteristic of producing two different hormones. Specific structures in SPNs were found to lead to cortisol-producing adenomas, or CPAs, noncancerous tumors that produce excessive cortisol. Their findings, published in eBioMedicine, ...

  · AI responses to common patient questions were on par or exceeded answers from professional societies · Goal also to reduce clinician workload and burnout · More than 60% of cancer patients require radiation oncology treatment CHICAGO --- Cancer patients about to undergo radiation oncology treatment have lots of questions. Could ChatGPT be the best way to get answers? A new Northwestern Medicine study tested a specially designed ChatGPT to see if it could successfully provide answers to patients’ common questions about radiation oncology. Patients may be too overwhelmed to address all their concerns during a clinical visit ...

About The Study: In this study of 9,740 surveillance colonoscopies among 9,601 adults ages 70 to 85 with prior colorectal adenoma, colorectal cancer detection was rare regardless of prior adenoma finding, whereas the advanced neoplasia yield was 12% overall. Yields were higher among those with a prior advanced adenoma than among those with prior nonadvanced adenoma and did not increase significantly with age. These findings can help inform whether to continue surveillance colonoscopy in older adults.  Authors: Jeffrey K. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, is the corresponding author.   To access the embargoed study: ...

About The Study: High levels of glucose and triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein were associated with future risk of depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders in this study of more than 200,000 participants. These findings may support closer follow-up of individuals with metabolic dysregulations for the prevention and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.  Authors: Charilaos Chourpiliadis, M.D., of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, is the corresponding ...

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2024 – Hydrogels are popular for use in skin ailments and tissue engineering. These polymer-based biocompatible materials are useful for their abilities to retain water, deliver drugs into wounds, and biodegrade. However, they are complicated to manufacture and not very resilient to external forces like rubbing against clothing, sheets, or wound dressings. They are also not inherently able to battle bacterial infections, so they are often infused with antimicrobial drugs or metal ions, which can ...

The human body uses adhesion to hold itself together. For example, a tendon attaches muscle to bone, while connective tissue attaches muscle to skin.  Hydrogel-based soft materials are based on these biomimetic mechanical behaviors, which makes them a revolutionary design of biomedical implants, human-machine interfaces, and bio-inspired soft robots. However, there are limitations to overcome before they are able to fully replace commonly used hard materials.  Qihan Liu, assistant professor of mechanical and materials ...

Changes in the gut microbiome have been implicated in a range of diseases including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease. Now, a team of researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard along with Massachusetts General Hospital has found that microbes in the gut may affect cardiovascular disease as well. In a study published in Cell, the team has identified specific species of bacteria that consume cholesterol in the gut and may help lower cholesterol and heart disease risk in people. Members of Ramnik Xavier’s lab, Broad’s Metabolomics Platform, and ...