A newly developed compound is showing promise in animal studies as a more effective treatment for human schistosomiasis, an understudied tropical disease caused by parasitic worms. The spread of schistosomiasis, a disease responsible for nearly 12,000 deaths globally each year, has been documented in 78 nations.   Although schistosomiasis transmission tends to occur in tropical and subtropical areas, climate change could shift it into new areas such as southern Europe. There is currently no vaccine available for the disease, which comes with severe clinical symptoms. The drug praziquantel is used for treatment. However, resistant mutations ...

New research conducted in mice offers insights into what’s going on at the molecular level that could cause people with diabetes to develop Alzheimer’s disease.   The study adds to a growing body of research on the links between Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, which some scientists have called “Type 3 diabetes.” The findings suggest that it should be possible to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by keeping diabetes well controlled or avoiding it in the first place, according to researchers.   Narendra Kumar, an associate professor at Texas A&M University in College ...

A new way to classify tuberculosis (TB) that aims to improve focus on the early stages of the disease has been presented by an international team involving researchers at UCL. The new framework, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, seeks to replace the approach of the last half century of defining TB as either active (i.e., causing illness and potentially infectious to others) or latent (being infected with the bacterium that causes TB [M tuberculosis] but feeling well and not infectious to others) – an approach researchers say is limiting progress in eradicating the disease. Of ...

**Note: the release below is a special early release from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, Spain, 27-30 April). Please credit the congress if you use this story** A study of two large European patient cohorts has found that for every 10% increase in butyrate-producing bacteria in a patient’s gut, the risk of hospitalisation for any infection falls by between 14 and 25% across two large national cohorts. The study will be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) and is by ...

Research led by Macquarie University sheds new light on how concentrations of metals used in renewable energy technologies can be transported from deep within the Earth's interior mantle by low temperature, carbon-rich melts.  The findings published this week in the journal Science Advances may assist global efforts to find these valuable raw materials.   An international team led by Dr Isra Ezad, a postdoctoral research fellow from Macquarie University’s School of Natural Sciences, carried out high pressure ...

A new study in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT) evaluated the use of tirzepatide in overweight/obese adults with type 1 diabetes. Click here to read the article now. Tirzepatide is approved for managing type 2 diabetes. It improves glucose control, facilitates weight loss, and improves cardiovascular disease outcomes. Satish Garg, MD, from the University of Colorado Denver, and coauthors, compared a group of adults with type 1 diabetes who were prescribed tirzepatide (off-label) to a control group of adults with ...

It’s one of life’s most defining moments—that crucial step in embryonic development, when an indistinct ball of cells rearranges itself into the orderly three-layered structure that sets the stage for all to come. Known as gastrulation, this crucial process unfolds in the third week of human development. “Gastrulation is the origin of our own individualization, the emergence of our axis,” says Rockefeller’s Ali Brivanlou. “It is the first moment that separates our heads from our behinds.” Observing the molecular underpinnings of this pivotal event would go a long way toward helping scientists prevent miscarriages and developmental ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Arachnophobia can make humans flee at the sight of a brown recluse, black widow or even a daddy long legs, but animal predators of spiders know no such fear. That’s why, paleobiologist George Poinar Jr. explains, some spider species have developed the defense of deception. They masquerade as a much less desirable prey – ants – and Poinar’s recent paper in Historical Biology presents an early record of an ant-mimicking spider in fossilized resin. “Ants are particularly good creatures for spiders to pretend to be – many animals ...

In cases of Alzheimer’s disease, it’s common for a spouse to take on the role of caregiver. Research led by the University of California, Davis, suggests that patients can also support their caretakers, and that reciprocated care has mutual benefits. A new paper published in the journal Aging and Mental Health highlights that couples coping with dementia can navigate the challenges with greater resilience and well-being by working together and supporting each other. “We know that dementia is degenerative, there’s no way back, and spousal caregivers typically ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Physicist Nathaniel Gabor at the University of California, Riverside, has been awarded a $7.5M grant from the Department of Defense, or DoD, to develop a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives, or MURI, center on campus. Called QuVET for the Center for Quantum Vibronics in Energy and Time, the center’s co-principal investigators are leading scientists at UCR, Caltech, MIT, and Columbia University.  “Vibronic,” a portmanteau of vibrational and electronic, refers to transitions between molecular energy states. ...

MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. EAST LANSING, Mich. – Research has often focused on how teachers and educators can best instruct and accommodate students with disabilities. However, are the methods used to teach students with disabilities effective and inclusive for all students? Michigan State University researchers are some of the first to answer that question. Faculty and doctoral students from across MSU, including from the College of Social Science and the College of ...

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology announced today that Ileana Cristea, professor of molecular biology and director of graduate studies at Princeton University, will be the next editor-in-chief of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, one of the society’s three open-access, peer-reviewed journals. Cristea’s five-year term will begin Aug. 12. Cristea has a long relationship with the journal. She has been a member of the editorial board since 2011, and she served as the editor for the MCP special issue, “Proteomics in Infectious Disease” in 2017. Her research lies ...

Of all the carbon stored in ecosystems around the world, about half can be found in soils. Depending on climate, vegetation, and management, soils can be either a carbon source or a sink. Natural climate solutions (NCS) offer a promising opportunity to bring us closer to our net-zero emissions goals by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in plant biomass and soil. The growth of bioenergy feedstocks has great potential in this regard, because these grasses both build soil carbon and have the potential to be used to produce carbon-neutral biofuels and bioproducts. Over ...

The summer mating season is looking to get a lot easier for the scarlet tanager, one of a number of migratory songbirds that use the forests of northeastern North America to find a mate. In recent decades, the loss and degradation of bird habitats has led to a precipitous decline in bird populations. Now, a $2 million grant awarded to the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Maple program, in partnership with College of Natural Resources and Environment Associate Professor Ashley Dayer, will look to improve bird habitats by encouraging maple syrup producers to incorporate forest management practices that allow other ...

Living in neighborhoods where residents have lower incomes and limited food access during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of babies born small for gestational age or with lower birthweight, according to a new study from the NIH Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Previous studies have shown that maternal diet during pregnancy can impact the physical and mental health of a mother. However, less is known about how food insecurity affects health outcomes for newborns. In a new research article, ECHO researchers analyzed data to understand what connections might exist between where a pregnant ...

Erin McCarthy ’23, physics summa cum laude, is a rarity among young scientists. As an undergraduate researcher in Syracuse University's College of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Physics, she guided a study that appeared in March 2024 in Physical Review Letters. It is the most-cited physics letters journal and the eighth-most cited journal in science overall. McCarthy and postdoctoral associates Raj Kumar Manna and Ojan Damavandi developed a model that identified an unexpected collective ...

A new book from Lori Beckstead, Ian M. Cook, and SFU Publishing Director Hannah McGregor, explores how the growth of scholarly podcasting may engender radical possibilities for how we conceive of knowledge creation and peer review, and the transformative potential of new modes of creating and reviewing expert knowledge. "Podcast Or Perish" investigates the historical development of the norms of scholarly communication and asks how podcasting might change how we think about scholarly work. Could this be the call to action academia needs? Read ...

PHILADELPHIA— Only a very small percentage of neurons show changes after an epileptic seizure in mice, but these alterations can be permanent and trigger future seizures that can affect the whole brain and lead to impaired cognition, like memory and learning, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The researchers identified an experimental treatment that, if provided within the first 48 hours after the first seizure, can prevent these long-term changes. The findings, which were published recently in The ...

The University of Houston is proud to announce the appointment of two distinguished professionals to key leadership roles within the Office of Technology, Transfer, and Innovation (OTTI) under the Division of Energy and Innovation. These appointments mark a significant step forward in the University's continued commitment to fostering entrepreneurship, innovation and partnerships between academia and industry. Haleh Ardebili, the Kamel Salama Endowed Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed as the new assistant vice president of Entrepreneurship and Startup Ecosystem. Michael Harold, ...

The ice-encrusted oceans of some of the moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter are leading candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. A new lab-based study led by the University of Washington in Seattle and the Freie Universität Berlin shows that individual ice grains ejected from these planetary bodies may contain enough material for instruments headed there in the fall to detect signs of life, if such life exists. “For the first time we have shown that even a tiny fraction of cellular material could be identified by a mass spectrometer onboard a spacecraft,” said lead author Fabian Klenner, a UW postdoctoral researcher in Earth and space sciences. ...

Archaeological analysis of a near unique animal cemetery discovered in London nearly 30 years ago has revealed the international scale of horse trading by the elites of late medieval and Tudor England. Using advanced archaeological science techniques, including studying chemical composition, researchers have been able to identify the likely origins of several physically elite horses and the routes they took to reach British shores during the formative years of their life. These animals – akin to modern supercars – were sourced from a variety of locations across ...

Francis Crick Institute press release Under strict embargo: 18:00hrs GMT Friday 22 March 2024 Peer reviewed Experimental study Animals Researchers uncover protein interactions controlling fertility in female mice Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shed light on the proteins controlling the development of ovaries in mice before and after birth. This could lead to a better understanding of how female infertility develops. Following their research identifying the gene responsible for initiating the development ...

An international team of scientists have warned against relying on nature providing straightforward ‘early warning’ indicators of a climate disaster, as new mathematical modelling shows new fascinating aspects of the complexity of the dynamics of climate. It suggests that the climate system could be more unpredictable than previously thought. By modelling the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, one of the main ocean current systems, the team which included mathematicians from the University of Leicester have found that the stability of ...

As part of a new multi-million-euro academic research programme at University College Dublin (UCD) funded by Met Éireann (the Irish National Meteorological Service) to support the further development of weather and climate services for Ireland using data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI), UCD is seeking to appoint a Full Professor of Data Science for Weather and Climate. This exciting new senior academic post is a permanent position in the UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics arising from a funding award of €5 million over five years from Met Éireann, ...

Researchers have for the first time discovered evidence of microplastic contamination in archaeological soil samples. The team discovered tiny microplastic particles in deposits located more than seven metres deep, in samples dating back to the first or early second century and excavated in the late 1980s. Preserving archaeology in situ has been the preferred approach to managing historical sites for a generation. However, the research team say the findings could prompt a rethink, with the tiny particles potentially compromising the preserved remains. Microplastics are small plastic particles, ranging from 1μm (one thousandth of a millimetre) ...