Researchers from Aston University and the University of York have discovered new insights into how the human brain makes perceptual judgements of the external world. The study, published on 8 May in the journal PLOS ONE, explored the computational mechanisms used by the human brain to perceive the size of objects in the world around us. The research, led by Professor Tim Meese, in the School of Optometry at Aston University and Dr Daniel Baker in the Department of Psychology at University of York, tells us more about how our visual system can exploit ‘defocus blur’ to infer perceptual scale, but that it does ...

Leucine-rich repeats containing 4 (LRRC4)—a gene abundantly found in the brain and located on human chromosome 7q31–32—plays a pivotal role in memory formation, autism, spinal cord injury, as well as in determining the malignant potential, development, and progression of glioblastoma (GB), an aggressive cancer involving the brain and/or spinal cord. In a review article published (in volume 136 issue 1 on 5 January 2023, and online on 10 February 2023) in the Chinese Medical Journal, researchers shed light on the ...

EuroPCR, the annual world-leading Course in interventional cardiovascular medicine, has been taking place for over 30 years. It is tailored for all those dedicated to the sharing of knowledge and skills, and improvement of patient care worldwide: interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, imaging specialists, radiologists, nurses, allied professionals and other practitioners, as well as researchers, innovators and industry representatives. The 4-day meeting addresses interventions for coronary and peripheral vessels, for the structural heart including valves, for hypertension, heart failure and stroke, while keeping the community up ...

Just four years ago, the Spanish Supreme Court pointed out in a ruling that there is no such thing as a 'conjugal debt'. In other words, a woman is not obliged to satisfy her husband's sexual needs. It may come as a surprise that this point still needs to be made, but the statistics speak for themselves. According to a national survey carried out in 2019, 7.5% of Spanish women over 16 years old have been raped by their partners or ex-partners. These rapes are usually subject to less attention, and they tend to be "perceived as something less serious". So says Josep Maria Tamarit Sumalla, a full ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – New research finds that the brains of otherwise healthy military personnel who are exposed to explosions show an abnormal brain accumulation of amyloid-beta protein—a protein that plays a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The results of the study were published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Research over the last several decades suggests that there might be a relationship between repetitive or severe traumatic ...

A study explores the role of the dynamin protein DYN-1 in axonal fusion. The axon is a long, thin protrusion of nerve cells that carries electrical impulses. Severed axons can be repaired by a highly efficient regrowth process known as axonal fusion. Previous research has shown that molecules involved in apoptosis—programmed cell death—are also involved in axonal repair. Because dynamin is involved in apoptosis, specifically in the recognition of dying cells, Brent Neumann and colleagues posited that dynamin might also be involved in axonal repair. The team severed axons in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, a multicellular nematode worm with just a few hundred ...

A new U of T Scarborough study finds that climate change is causing a commercially significant marine crab to lose its sense of smell, which could partially explain why their populations are thinning. The research was done on Dungeness crabs and found that ocean acidification causes them to physically sniff less, impacts their ability to detect food odours and even decreases activity in the sensory nerves responsible for smell.   “This is the first study to look at the physiological effects of ocean acidification on the sense of smell in crabs,” says Cosima Porteus, an assistant professor in the department of ...

How do our genes affect what we eat? Can more sustainable diets also improve health? What are the best foods for living longer, fighting cancer, and staying mentally sharp as we age? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more at NUTRITION 2023, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Join us July 22-25 in Boston for an exciting lineup of scientific symposia, educational sessions, hot-topic discussions, and award lectures covering the latest developments in nutrition science. Get a sneak peek at the ...

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (May 9, 2023) — Today, the NYC Media Lab announced the  availability of new immersive educational content for all US-based educators. Developed in  partnership with Verizon for the $1M Museum Initiative, over 50 augmented reality (AR)- and  virtual reality (VR)-focused lesson plans are available on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ (verizon.com/learning)—the free online education portal that brings next-gen learning to all.   Through the $1M Museum Initiative—a nationwide open call for museums and cultural  institutions to develop ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Partisan conflict can be largely explained as differing views on two crucial tasks of society, according to a new theory developed by a pair of prominent social scientists.   In a new article published yesterday (May 8, 2023) in the journal Psychological Inquiry, Roy Baumeister and Brad Bushman say societies flourish by both amassing and distributing resources.   Conservatives focus on amassing resources, while liberals concentrate on distributing resources. The problem is both sides increasingly tend to disparage the value of what the other side champions, the authors said.   “Both tasks are absolutely essential for society,” ...

Even without body parts that allowed for movement, new research shows — for the first time — that some of Earth’s earliest animals managed to be picky about where they lived.  These creatures from the Ediacaran Period, roughly 550 million years ago, are strangely shaped soft-bodied animals that lived in the sea. Researchers have long considered them enigmatic.  “It’s not like studying dinosaurs, which are related to birds that we can observe today,” said Phillip C. Boan, UC Riverside paleontology graduate student and lead author of the new study. “With these animals, because they have no modern descendants, we’re ...

A new solution, known as E-MOTIVE, could provide a major breakthrough in reducing deaths from childbirth-related bleeding, according to a landmark study published today by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of Birmingham.   Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) - defined as the loss of more than 500 mL of blood within 24 hours after birth - is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. It affects an estimated 14 million women each year and results in around 70 000 deaths – mostly in low and middle-income countries - equivalent to 1 death every 6 minutes   “Postpartum haemorrhage is scary, not always predictable, ...

University of Pittsburgh researchers have developed a universal receptor system that allows T cells to recognize any cell surface target, enabling highly customizable CAR T cell and other immunotherapies for treating cancer and other diseases. The discovery could extend into solid tumors and give more patients access to the game-changing results CAR T cell therapy has produced in certain blood cancers. Described in a Nature Communications study published today, the new approach involves engineering T cells with receptors bearing a universal ...

COVID vaccines offered varying degrees of protection in the six months after patients receive them, with levels climbing and plunging in two cases and climbing and climbing in another. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and smoking status also play roles, according to new UC San Francisco research.    In the BOOST study (Building Optimal antibOdies STudy), researchers tracked the response to the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in blood samples of 498 healthy volunteers, ages 18 to ...

A world-leading oral health expert from the University of Birmingham, whose pioneering research concentrates on the link between oral health and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, is to investigate the impact of a technology described as one of the biggest innovations in preventative dentistry since fluoride. Professor Iain Chapple and his research group at the University’s School of Dentistry, will work with Sigrid Therapeutics to identify and develop further applications for a technology ...

Maynooth University’s Kathleen Londsdale Institute for Human Health Research has just published ground-breaking research into the benefits of the popular obesity treatment drug, GLP-1. Previous research has found that people with obesity are at a greater risk of developing cancer, in part due to their anticancer immune cell -- better known as the ‘Natural Killer (NK)’ cell -- being rendered useless due to their disease. New Health Research Board (HRB) funded research carried out by Dr Andrew Hogan ...

The touch of another person may increase levels of the “feelgood” hormone oxytocin. But the context really matters. The situation impacts oxytocin levels not only in the moment, but also later, as is shown by researchers at Linköping University and the University of Skövde in Sweden. Their study has been published in the scientific journal eLife. An embrace from a parent, a warm hand on your shoulder or a caress from a romantic partner are examples of how touch can strengthen social bonds between people and influence emotions. ...

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) was brought into the ICU, in Hangzhou, on multiple occasions as patients were admitted, creating a large ‘reservoir’ of the bacteria which contaminated beds and equipment. Of 35 CRAB-positive patients in the study, 14 acquired CRAB during their ICU stay. Samples of the drug-resistant bacteria were found more frequently in bed unit environments (54·6%) than patients (24·1%), with ventilators (27·9%) and dispensing trolleys (25·6%) most likely to yield samples of CRAB. Publishing their findings today (Date ...

The emergence and global spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria among companion animals (e.g., dogs and cats) pose a risk of the animals being reservoirs for cross-species transmission because of their close contact with humans. In Japan, for the first time, a research team led by Associate Professor Mayo Yasugi from the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Veterinary Science discovered Escherichia coli resistant to both colistin and third-generation cephalosporin antibiotics in a companion dog. Outside Japan, both colistin ...

CHICAGO (May 9, 2023) — Four in 10 posts about liver disease on TikTok contain misinformation, with most pushing inaccurate claims about fad diets, “detox” drinks and herbal remedies, according to a study being presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2023. Results suggest that liver disease patients who seek medical information on TikTok may need help separating good information from the bad. “People should always consult their doctor first for guidance on their specific medical condition, but we also know that getting health information and tips from social media is extremely common these days,” ...

Metabolic syndrome with heavy alcohol use may have contributed to recent surge in alcoholic liver disease-related mortality Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0518 URL goes live when the embargo lifts A brief research report evaluating the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and a recent increase in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) deaths has found that heavy alcohol use and the presence of MetS was associated with a higher risk for advanced liver disease. This association may provide some explanation ...

BATON ROUGE – Does altitude play a role in weight loss? Why is it easier to lose weight in Colorado versus Louisiana? Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center are seeking answers to these questions through one of the latest research trials, the “Low Oxygen and Weight Status,” or LOWS study. The LOWS study will determine whether exposure to low oxygen levels in the air, similar to those at higher altitudes, can help individuals with obesity lose weight and improve health. The LOWS study is now open for participant enrollment. Participants will be randomized to ...

Eight low-cost and easily implementable proven interventions for pregnant women in 81 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) could prevent an estimated 566,000 stillbirths and 5.2 million babies a year from being born preterm or small for gestational age—some with low birth weight—the impacts of which would also affect long-term health and economic output, says a new four-paper Series published in The Lancet.   Additionally, the eight interventions, multiple micronutrient supplements balanced protein energy supplements aspirin treatment of syphilis education for smoking cessation prevention of malaria in pregnancy treatment ...

Sophia Antipolis, 9 May 2023:  Adults in their 20s and 30s with mental disorders have an up to three-fold elevated likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, according to a study in more than 6.5 million individuals published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 Lifestyle behaviours did not explain the excess risk. One in every eight of the 20-to-39-year-old participants had some kind of mental illness including depression, anxiety and insomnia. “Psychological problems were common in young adults and had strong ...

Grown in labs, human brain organoids are cultivated from stem cells, feed on nutrient broth and serve as a model of human brain development in miniature. Their growth and structure mimic portions of real brains, allowing scientists to better investigate the origins and potential treatments of neural diseases. How similar are they to actual human brains, though? Are they close enough to be considered people in their own right? The question is complicated in myriad ethical and moral ways, but researchers based in Japan and Taiwan propose that the legal lens may prove critical when understanding the potential personhood of human ...