INDIANAPOLIS -- A study of more than 21,000 average risk patients at 186 sites across the U.S., led by Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine research scientist Thomas Imperiale, M.D., has found that the next generation multi-target stool DNA colorectal cancer screening test detects 94 percent of colorectal cancers. This test has the best performance for detection of both colorectal cancer and advanced precancerous polyps of any noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test. Study results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine. “We found that the next generation stool DNA test ...

SEATTLE — March 14, 2024 — A blood test intended for screening for colorectal cancer in people who are of average risk and not experiencing symptoms correctly detected colorectal cancer in 83% of people confirmed to have the disease, according to a study published March 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The accuracy rate for colorectal cancer is similar to at-home stool tests used for early detection of colorectal cancer. “The results of the study are a promising step toward developing more convenient tools to detect colorectal cancer early while it is more easily treated,” said corresponding ...

A collaborative project to bring the promise of cell therapy to patients with a deadly form of brain cancer has shown dramatic results among the first patients to receive the novel treatment. In a paper published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Mass General Cancer Center, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, shared the results for the first three patient cases from a phase 1 clinical trial evaluating a new approach to CAR-T therapy for glioblastoma (GBM). The trial, known as INCIPIENT, is designed to evaluate the safety of CARv3-TEAM-E T cells in patients with recurrent GBM. Just days after a single ...

By Linh Truong Since the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was first monitored in 2004, it has been the focus of thousands of scientific papers and even a blockbuster movie that grossed more than $552 million worldwide. New research is hoping to add another twist to the current conversation. Published in Nature Communications, Increased Asian Aerosols Drive a Slowdown of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation identifies the effect of aerosols over Asia on the AMOC, a complex system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean. Jian Lu, Earth scientist at the Department ...

A new UCLA-led study suggests that some people living with long COVID may be able to alleviate certain symptoms by using short-term, self-regulating therapies. The small-scale study, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, recruited a group of 20 long COVID patients, many of whom had been experiencing symptoms for more than a year. Each participant underwent six sessions of biofeedback therapy, which involves the practice of breathwork and relaxation techniques paired with visual feedback to teach self-regulation of autonomic functions such as heart rate and temperature. Clinical psychologist Dr. Natacha Emerson, the study’s lead author and assistant clinical professor ...

CLEVELAND - A high impact study led by Daniel Spratt, M.D., Vincent K. Smith Chair in Radiation Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center demonstrates the safety and efficacy of a novel oral hormone therapy, relugolix, in conjunction with radiation therapy for treating men with localized and advanced prostate cancer. This work is published in JAMA Oncology. This research, encompassing an individual patient level analysis from two multinational randomized clinical trials, showcases relugolix's ability to rapidly achieve and maintain low testosterone levels, a necessary condition for some men’s prostate cancer treatment, in both short-term ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Space travel and zero gravity can take a toll on the body. A new study has found that astronauts with no prior history of headaches may experience migraine and tension-type headaches during long-haul space flight, which includes more than 10 days in space. The study was published in the March 13, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Changes in gravity caused by space flight affect the function of many parts of the body, including the brain,” said study author W. P. J. van Oosterhout, MD, PhD, of Leiden University ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Middle-age veterans who experienced concussions due to blasts from explosive devices may have biomarkers in their spinal fluid similar to people who develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the March 13, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or by an injury to the head caused by falls, motor vehicle ...

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — More and more states in the U.S. are legalizing recreational cannabis, leading to concerns that teen use will increase. Tobacco consumption among high school students, including vaping and e-cigarettes, is a concerning 12.6%, although trending downward. Researchers at UC Davis were interested in learning how the combined use of these two products — cannabis and tobacco — might impact high school students in California. In a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, they found high school students who use both tobacco and cannabis products miss more ...

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding and renal failure, according to a study published March 13 in Nature. The research reveals how dietary tryptophan – an amino acid found mostly in animal products, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes – can be broken down by gut bacteria into small molecules called metabolites. It turns out a few of these metabolites can bind to a receptor on gut epithelial (surface) cells, triggering ...

What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385. Although planets are not yet forming around those stars, these and other molecules detected there by Webb represent key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds. An international team of astronomers used Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) to identify a variety of icy compounds made up of complex organic molecules ...

Waltham — March 13, 2024 — Reducing the manipulation of operating room (OR) scheduling can improve scheduling accuracy and potentially maximize OR usage, avoid delays, and enhance patient satisfaction, according to a study published in the March/April issue of the Journal of Healthcare Management (JHM). An official journal of the American College of Healthcare Executives, JHM is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.  Accurate prediction of OR time is critical for maximizing OR use  "Traditional OR scheduling, based on the surgeon's self-estimation ...

Annual snow cover days in all major skiing regions are projected to decrease dramatically as a result of climate change, with 1 in 8 ski areas losing all natural snow cover this century under high emission scenarios. These results are published in a new study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Veronika Mitterwallner from the University of Bayreuth, Germany and colleagues. Popular skiing destinations experience the impacts of climate change, which include reduced snowfall in regions around the world. Despite the social, economic, and ecological significance of the skiing industry, little research exists on how ski area distributions are affected by climate change ...

In a new study, people experiencing homelessness with a pet documented their lives in photos and participated in interviews, revealing their experiences and potentially informing support initiatives. Gemina Garland-Lewis of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues present this project in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 13, 2024. Having a pet while experiencing homelessness can boost physical and mental health and provide social benefits. However, it can pose unique challenges, such as making it difficult to access medical care, shelters, and other services at facilities ...

The Wim Hof method may produce a beneficial anti-inflammatory response characterized by increased epinephrine levels and a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines, according to a systematic review published March 13, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Omar Almahayni and Lucy Hammond from the University of Warwick, UK. The Wim Hof method is touted by founder and extreme athlete Wim Hof as a practical way to improve physical and mental health. It consists of three pillars—the Wim Hof breathing method, cold therapy, and commitment. Several studies have assessed the impact of the Wim Hof method on ...

Just one mindfulness and compassion session was associated with reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress a week later, in clinical trial with 91 participants ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299300 Article Title: Efficacy of a single session mindfulness based intervention: A randomized clinical trial Author Countries: USA Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. END ...

Spending quality time with dogs reduces stress and increases the power of brain waves associated with relaxation and concentration, according to a study published on March 13, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Onyoo Yoo from Konkuk University, South Korea, and colleagues. Animal-assisted interventions, like canine therapy, are widely used in hospitals, schools, and beyond to help reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and foster feelings of trust. Studies of the potential benefits of animal interactions often take a holistic approach, comparing people’s mood or hormone levels before and after spending time with a service animal. But this approach doesn’t ...

Climate change has significantly increased crop water demand in the San Joaquin Valley, and the shift since 2011 is a volume of water the size of a major reservoir. #### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000184 Article Title: An invisible water surcharge: Climate warming increases crop water demand in the San Joaquin Valley’s groundwater-dependent irrigated agriculture Author Countries: United States Funding: This work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ...

Researchers compared levels of anxiety among psychotherapy outpatients based on whether they initiated therapy before, during or after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic Authors say findings suggest that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can provide tools to help individuals manage anxiety in the face of major world events and upheaval   Belmont, Mass. – (March 13, 2024) The start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented exposure to stressors driven by fears of a novel and deadly disease, intense uncertainty, and resulting ...

New study reveals insights into predator-prey dynamics in the animal kingdom, focusing on sea anemones. The surprising discovery of a native anemone population lacking the Nv1 neurotoxin led to an investigation into its impact on defending against grass shrimp, a native predator. Anemones without Nv1 showed weakened defensive abilities, while the neurotoxin, when present, attracted mummichog fish, natural predators of grass shrimp. This research enhances our understanding of marine ecosystems and the intricate balance of predator-prey interactions and tradeoffs. A new ...

Although COVID-19 has faded from the headlines, SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus behind the pandemic – is still rampantly infecting people around the world. Public health officials fear as the virus continues to evolve, it will eventually hit upon a diabolical mutation that renders current treatments ineffective, triggering a new wave of severe infection and social disruption. In pursuit of new therapies to avoid this dark fate, researchers at Stanford have now unveiled a compound that measures up as a potentially powerful anti-coronavirus drug, detailed in a paper published March 13 in Science Translational Medicine. ...

SAN ANTONIO — March 13, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been awarded a three-year, $2,041,000 grant from NASA’s Development and Advancement of Lunar Instrumentation (DALI) program to further develop a novel ground-penetrating radar instrument. The Synthetic Pulse Artemis Radar for Crustal Imaging (SPARCI, pronounced “sparky”) instrument is designed to characterize the depth of the regolith and upper megaregolith, the upper broken-up layers of lunar crust associated with ...

ANYmal has for some time had no problem coping with the stony terrain of Swiss hiking trails. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have taught this quadrupedal robot some new skills: it is proving rather adept at parkour, a sport based on using athletic manoeuvres to smoothly negotiate obstacles in an urban environment, which has become very popular. ANYmal is also proficient at dealing with the tricky terrain commonly found on building sites or in disaster areas. To teach ANYmal these new skills, two teams, both from the group led by ETH Professor Marco Hutter of the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, followed different approaches. Exhausting the mechanical options Working ...

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive tumour of the lung that occurs especially in heavy smokers. Due to the rapid spread of this tumour type, most patients can only be treated with chemotherapy with remarkable initial anti-tumour efficacy. However, relapse often occurs over the course of time. A research team at the University of Cologne led by Professor Dr Roman Thomas, director of the Department of Translational Genomics and speaker of the Collaborative Research Center 1399 (CRC 1399, ...

Jackson School of Geosciences Professor Peter Flemings is the recipient of the 2024 Robert R. Berg Outstanding Research Award, a top honor bestowed by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a worldwide professional association. Over the course of his career, Flemings has worked to apply his academic research to effect real-world breakthroughs. His work analyzing how pressure within Earth’s crust is controlled by geology and fluid flow, for example, shaped how oil companies now safely search for hydrocarbons. Flemings and his students explored how the evolution of rock layers controls the flow of fluids within them and the distribution ...