Antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults increased sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic began – particularly among females – a new study finds. While a growing number of young people ages 12 to 25 were receiving antidepressants before the pandemic, the antidepressant dispensing rate rose nearly 64% faster after March 2020, according to Michigan Medicine led findings in Pediatrics. “Antidepressant dispensing to adolescents and young adults was already high and rising before ...

Philadelphia, February 26, 2024 – A passionate plea for the re-establishment of Canada's health coalition focused on hypertension prevention and control appears as an editorial in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier. "We need a national hypertension control program to prevent death and disability," according to prominent healthcare leaders. Lead author of the editorial Norm R.C. Campbell, MD, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, explains, "Hypertension is a leading cause of death and disability in Canada; globally it causes about one in five deaths (19.2%). However, ...

A drug can make life safer for children with food allergies by preventing dangerous allergic responses to small quantities of allergy-triggering foods, according to a new study led by scientists at the Stanford School of Medicine. The research will be published Feb. 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings suggest that regular use of the drug, omalizumab, could protect people from severe allergic responses, such as difficulty breathing, if they accidentally eat a small amount of a food they are allergic to. “I’m excited that we have a promising ...

Scientists at Paderborn University have used a new method to determine the characteristics of optical, i.e. light-based, quantum states. For the first time, they are using certain photon detectors - devices that can detect individual light particles - for so-called homodyne detection. The ability to characterise optical quantum states makes the method an essential tool for quantum information processing. Precise knowledge of the characteristics is important for use in quantum computers, for example. The results have now been published in the specialist journal "Optica Quantum". "Homodyne detection is a method frequently ...

Gene and cell therapies are among the most important innovations in the healthcare sector. And they reflect advances in science and technology. They have the potential to radically reshape the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and many rare genetic conditions. But the path to approval and clinical use of these products is long and often fraught with difficulty. That was the reason the European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA) founded the European Center for Cell and Gene Cancer Therapies (EUCCAT) four years ago. The center’s aim is to facilitate the clinical use of ATMPs developed at higher education institutions and further ...

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have engineered a new micro total analysis system that quantifies a target chemical in a microfluidic chip without pumps, tubes, and expensive detectors. The compound reacts with other chemicals to produce a gas, pushing ink in a connected chamber along a channel. Built-in light detectors help measure the flow speed, allowing measurement of the original chemical. The portability of the new device enables bedside, quantitative clinical analysis.   Microfluidics is a revolutionary technology delivering precision chemistry with vastly less chemicals. ...

“Given that the MET inhibitor capmatinib caused a remarkable response in Dr. Blagosklonny, a pertinent question remains as to why he was not treated with ‘preemptive drug combinations’ [...]” BUFFALO, NY- February 23, 2024 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncoscience (Volume 11) on February 9, 2024, entitled, “A very long and winding road: developing novel therapeutics for metastatic tumors.” In this editorial, researcher Paul Dent from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University writes that tumors that ...

Physicians and scientists have known for many years that our genetics not only shape our physical features like our smiles but also our risk for developing certain diseases. The problem? Most people don’t know if they have inherited these genetic risk factors for disease. In Our DNA SC, a statewide genomic screening program launched by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), aims to change that. The program, the first and only program of its kind in the Southeast, is led by Caitlin G. Allen, Ph.D.,  a ...

ARLINGTON, Va.—The Office of Naval Research (ONR) — and its international arm, ONR Global — participated in the recent Autonomous Warrior 2023 (AW23) exercise, located at HMAS Creswell in Jervis Bay, Australia. AW23 brought together Australian military allies, as well as industry and international partners, to demonstrate various technologies designed to help the Royal Australian Navy strengthen its capabilities in the area of undersea warfare — including uncrewed (also called unmanned) and autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and logistics, ...

Researchers have shown that the drug benralizumab is as effective and safe as mepolizumab for inducing remission in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) according to a study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. The results of the non-inferiority study were presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual meeting in Washington, D.C., by Michael Wechsler, M.D., pulmonologist, director of The Cohen Family Asthma Institute at National Jewish Health and lead author of the paper. EGPA is a rare form of vasculitis, characterized by inflammation in the small blood vessels. This inflammation ...

An international team, including researchers from McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, has identified a new therapeutic for patients with a rare autoimmune disease called eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). A biologic drug called benralizumab has been shown to be non-inferior to mepolizumab in the treatment of EGPA. In a clinical trial involving 140 patients with the rare disease, researchers directly compared two biologic drugs, mepolizumab and benralizumab. Patients received monthly subcutaneous injections of either 300 mg of mepolizumab or 30 mg of benralizumab for one year. The findings of the trial were published on Feb. 23, 2024, in the New ...

Nitrogenases are considered promising candidates for the sustainable enzymatic production of ammonia and carbon compounds. Unfortunately, one bottleneck in this complex process, the supply of electrons to the enzymes, has remained a mystery until now. Now a team at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg has discovered two essential electron carriers which play a key role in determining the performance of iron (Fe) nitrogenase, thus opening up new possibilities for elucidating and maximizing nitrogenase's potential. Nitrogenases are catalysts for several industrially relevant ...

Machines still can’t think, but now they can validate your feelings, based on new research from New Jersey Institute of Technology Assistant Professor Jorge Fresneda. Fresneda started his career as a chemist and then became an expert in neuroanalytics. He studies how measurements of brain activity and skin conductance can predict a person’s emotions with high accuracy, and how such information can be used in fields such as entertainment, management, marketing and well-being. “Neuromarketing is a subfield within marketing ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – Scientists have long believed that a newborn’s immune system was an immature version of an adult’s, but new research from Cornell University shows that newborns’ T cells – white blood cells that protect from disease – outperform those of adults at fighting off numerous infections. These results help clarify why adults and infants respond differently to infections and pave the way for controlling T cells’ behavior for therapeutic applications. This discovery was described in a paper published in Science Immunology on Feb. 23, co-led by Brian Rudd, associate professor of microbiology ...

Understanding cloud patterns in our changing climate is essential to making accurate predictions about their impact on society and nature. Scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology published a new study in the journal Science Advances that uses a high-resolution global climate model to understand how the clustering of clouds and storms impacts rainfall extremes in the tropics. They show that with rising temperatures, the severity of extreme precipitation events increases. Extreme ...

A new study has revealed that employees who are more mindful in the digital workplace are better protected against stress, anxiety and overload. Researchers from the University of Nottingham’s Schools of Psychology and Medicine analysed survey data from 142 employees. The results have been published today in PLOS ONE. PhD student Elizabeth Marsh from the School of Psychology led the mixed methods study and said: “As work is increasingly mediated by digital technology we wanted to find out the impact this is having on people’s health and whether there are ways to mitigate this. We found that being mindfully and confidently digital should be considered important elements ...

Scientists are a step closer to unravelling the mysterious forces of the universe after working out how to measure gravity on a microscopic level. Experts have never fully understood how the force which was discovered by Isaac Newton works in the tiny quantum world. Even Einstein was baffled by quantum gravity and, in his theory of general relativity, said there is no realistic experiment which could show a quantum version of gravity. But now physicists at the University of Southampton, working with scientists in Europe, have ...

The human brain's adaptability to internal and external changes, known as neural plasticity, forms the foundation for understanding cognitive functions like memory and learning, as well as various neurological disorders. New research conducted by a team led by Dr. PARK Joo Min of the Center for Cognition and Sociality within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) unveils a novel technique that could transform the treatment landscape for brain disorders. The team developed a non-invasive brain stimulation method called Patterned Low-Intensity Low-Frequency Ultrasound (LILFUS), which holds tremendous potential for inducing long-lasting changes ...

Warmer soils harbour a greater diversity of active microbes, according to a new study from researchers at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna. The study, published in Science Advances, represents a significant shift in our understanding of how microbial activity in the soil influences the global carbon cycle and possible feedback mechanisms on the climate. Until now, scientists have assumed that higher soil temperatures accelerate the growth of microbes, thus increasing the release of carbon into the atmosphere. However, this increased ...

A new study from Stanford University, published Jan. 19 in Patient Education and Counseling, evaluates the effectiveness of patient mindset training on provider learning and behavior. Past research shows that what patients think, believe, or expect regarding medical care can influence care outcomes. Patients also have better outcomes when they have more adaptive mindsets about their treatments (e.g., “this treatment will be effective”), their bodies (e.g., “my body is capable”), their illnesses (e.g. “diabetes is manageable”), and their care team (e.g., “I am in good hands”). ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Implantable biomedical devices — like pacemakers, insulin pumps and neurostimulators — are becoming smaller and utilizing wireless technology, but hurdles remain for powering the next-generation implants. A new wireless charging device developed by Penn State scientists could dramatically improve powering capability for implants while still being safe for our bodies, the researchers said. The new device can harvest energy from magnetic field and ultrasound sources simultaneously, converting this energy to electricity to power implants, the scientists reported in the journal Energy & Environmental ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Recombinant protein vaccines, like the Novavax vaccine used to fight COVID-19, offer several advantages over conventional vaccines. They’re easy to precisely produce. They’re safe,  and potentially more effective. And they could require smaller doses. Because of these traits, there is much interest in developing recombinant influenza vaccines. To date, however, the Food and Drug Administration has approved only one such vaccine. A University at Bufalo-led research team hopes to add to that number. It is developing a new recombinant flu vaccine – described ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new class of metallic materials with potential applications in airplane turbines, nuclear reactors and equipment for space exploration can withstand extreme temperatures and resist fractures, but scientists haven’t understood why until now. According to a new study co-led by Penn State researchers, the answer could relate to the material’s short-range order, or the local arrangement of atoms within a material. This knowledge could lead to further improvement in the mechanical performance and damage tolerance of these materials, the researchers said, leading in turn to advancements in the safety and reliability of next-generation ...

Parkinson's disease, the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease, affects nearly 1 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 10 million individuals worldwide. Each year, close to 90,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease are diagnosed in the U.S. In a new study, Jeffrey Kordower, director of the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and his colleagues unveil pivotal insights into the progression of Parkinson's disease, presenting new hope for patients battling the severely debilitating disorder. The research highlights the role of a critical protein called tau in the early stages of the ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Supplementing the feed of high-producing dairy cows with the botanical extract capsicum oleoresin, obtained from chili peppers, or a combination of that extract and clove oil resulted in the animals using feed energy more efficiently and emitting less methane from their largest stomach, according to a new study conducted by Penn State researchers. Adding those substances, sometimes referred to as essential oils, to the cattle’s rations resulted in improved efficiency of energy utilization in peak-lactation dairy cows. According to Alex Hristov, distinguished professor of dairy nutrition, ...