CHICAGO—The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates today passed the Endocrine Society’s resolution to protect access to evidence-based gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. As political attacks on gender-affirming care escalate, it is the responsibility of the medical community to speak out in support of evidence-based care. Medical decisions should be made by patients, their relatives and health care providers, not politicians. In the resolution, the AMA committed to opposing any criminal and legal penalties against patients seeking ...

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0540 URL goes live when the embargo lifts An analysis of medical crowdfunding campaigns reveals the types of expenses that patients with diabetes may struggle to afford. The data showed that even insured patients with diabetes used GoFundMe to offset the excess costs of treatment beyond insulin, such as uncovered co-pays, indirect care, and alert dogs. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. More than 40% of patients with diabetes in the United States have trouble ...

Studies show that consumers believe people who work hard for their money have higher incomes, are more financially literate and are more comfortable taking on prudent financial risk.  Similarly, national survey data used by policymakers to assess the relationship between effortful earning and financial risk-taking also shows a positive correlation between the two.  While, at the population level this may be true, new research from the University of Notre Dame shows that the harder an individual ...

Researchers led by the University of California San Diego have developed a new model that trains four-legged robots to see more clearly in 3D. The advance enabled a robot to autonomously cross challenging terrain with ease—including stairs, rocky ground and gap-filled paths—while clearing obstacles in its way. The researchers will present their work at the 2023 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), which will take place from June 18 to 22 in Vancouver, Canada. “By providing the robot with a better understanding of its surroundings in 3D, it can be deployed in more complex environments ...

A University of Texas at Arlington researcher is working to increase the security of natural language generation (NLG) systems, such as those used by ChatGPT, to guard against misuse and abuse that could allow the spread of misinformation online. Shirin Nilizadeh, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, has earned a five-year, $567,609 Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her research. Understanding the vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) to online misinformation is “an important and timely problem to address,” ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [June 12, 2023] — New research in the June 2023 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that when alectinib—a safe and effective small molecule kinase inhibitor used to treat some types of advanced lung cancer—was taken with a fuller breakfast, or with lunch, it resulted in significantly higher drug concentrations than when taken with a low-fat breakfast. The researchers, based out of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, evaluated 20 randomized patients who took one of two daily alectinib doses with either low-fat yogurt ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – American consumers use their understanding of gun rights when judging the morality of civilians’ use of guns to protect themselves from crime, and that assessment varies depending on specific scenarios, new research from Oregon State University shows. The study’s objective was to explore Americans’ understanding of the Second Amendment, the only constitutional right that explicitly entitles individuals to a consumer product, and how that understanding guides which gun-related behaviors are deemed morally acceptable. The authors also examined how recent court rulings and legal and market ...

SAN ANTONIO (June 12, 2023) — Researchers at Texas Biomedical Research Institute have succeeded in generating the lung’s most important immune cell, the alveolar macrophage, in the lab. The cell culture model will make it much easier and inexpensive for researchers around the world to investigate lung inflammatory diseases and test new potential therapies. Macrophages are the “Pac-Man” of the immune system, eating up garbage throughout tissues in the body. Alveolar macrophages specifically live in the lining of lung’s air sacs where air exchange occurs, and are usually the first immune cells to encounter pathogens entering the deep lungs, such as SARS-CoV-2 ...

LOGAN, UTAH, USA -- Genetic variation is the ultimate fuel for evolution, says Utah State University evolutionary geneticist Zachariah Gompert. But, over centuries, that fuel reservoir gets depleted in the course of natural selection and random genetic drift. Whether, or how, genetic variation can persist over the long haul remains a big question for scientists. Gompert and colleagues from the University of Montpellier in France, the United Kingdom’s John Innes Centre, the National Autonomous University of México, Querétaro; ...

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Here’s a question for you… Is it possible to learn key science concepts in three minutes or less? The answer: We sure hope so. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is now offering a new playlist called “Here’s a Question” as part of its long-running Frostbite Theater video series. In the “Here’s a Question” videos, longtime Frostbite Theater hosts Steve Gagnon and Joanna Griffin help viewers understand the scientific concepts underlying iron oxidation, magnetism and thermodynamics - and many more! The series is the newest featured playlist ...

 Scientists affiliated with the National Space Research Institute (INPE) in Brazil have combined models that predict urban expansion and land-use changes with hydrodynamic models to create a methodology capable of supplying geographical information that identifies flood-prone areas of cities, especially those vulnerable to the impact of extremely heavy rainfall. The groundbreaking study was based on data for São Caetano do Sul, a city in metropolitan São Paulo, but the methodology can be used by other cities to devise public policies and make ...

Cyber-physical systems, such as vehicles, trains, airplanes, smart homes, or production facilities, combine electronic and mechanical elements with software. Development of these systems is highly complex due to the large number of dependencies among the components. “When a car’s wire harness is modified, the diameter of the cable duct also has to be changed,” says Professor Ralf Reussner, Spokesman of the CRC at KIT. This must be agreed upon by electrical engineers, software engineers and mechanical engineers. ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Alcohol use disorder (AUD) quickens the pace of Alzheimer’s disease progression when paired with genetic susceptibility. Scripps Research and University of Bologna scientists reported in the journal eNeuro on June 12, 2023, that repeated alcohol intoxication is associated with changes to gene expression indicative of disease progression in the brains of mice that are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s. When repeatedly exposed to intoxicating amounts of alcohol, ...

In the film “Top Gun: Maverick,” Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, is charged with training young pilots to complete a seemingly impossible mission — to fly their jets deep into a rocky canyon, staying so low to the ground they cannot be detected by radar, then rapidly climb out of the canyon at an extreme angle, avoiding the rock walls. Spoiler alert: With Maverick’s help, these human pilots accomplish their mission. A machine, on the other hand, would struggle to complete the same pulse-pounding task. To an autonomous aircraft, for instance, the most straightforward path toward the target is in conflict with what the machine needs ...

BOSTON – A new study led by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, offers an explanation for why light-to-moderate alcohol consumption may be associated with lower risk of heart disease. For the first time, researchers found that alcohol, in light to moderate quantities, was associated with long-term reductions in stress signaling in the brain. This impact on the brain’s stress systems appeared to significantly account for the reductions in cardiovascular events seen in light to moderate drinkers participating in the ...

HOUSTON – (June 12, 2023) – Two-thirds of the people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease are women, yet most research has ignored differences between the sexes. To help fill this gap, Rice University postdoctoral fellow Hannah Ballard will look at how Alzheimer’s risk, estrogen levels and menopausal status interact with memory-related brain function and behavioral outcomes in women age 35-80. Supported by a three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Ballard’s research could help identify the physiological factors ...

Philadelphia, June 12, 2023—Challenging the assumption that short stature negatively impacts children and adolescents’ self-esteem, a new study by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has found that in otherwise healthy short youth, quality of life and self-esteem are associated with coping skills and how supported they feel and not the degree of their short stature. The findings were published in The Journal of Pediatrics.  “There is a notion among some parents and caregivers that short stature will negatively impact their children in terms of self-esteem and social adjustment, so they seek out growth hormone ...

A few minutes of data recorded from a single electrode placed on top of the head may be sufficient to predict thinking problems, including dementia, in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The finding from a new University of Iowa study might help improve diagnosis of cognitive disability in PD and develop new biomarkers and targeted therapies for cognitive symptoms of the disease.  “Cognitive decline, including dementia, is a significant and underappreciated symptom of Parkinson’s disease. ...

Online, profile pictures of human faces are everywhere, and they play a crucial role in shaping the first impression we make on others. Right now, AI gives people the digital tools to transform their online appearance in any way they desire, often making themselves look younger or more attractive. But this is just the beginning: AI is not only helping us play this face game amongst ourselves, but it is also learning the game from us and quietly deciding which face it will showcase as itself when interacting with us. To better understand these mechanisms, researchers from the Max Planck ...

Making an Advance Research Directive: An Interview Study with Adults Aged 55 and Older with Interests in Dementia Research Nola M. Ries, Briony Johnston Many people with dementia are interested in taking part in research, including when they no longer have capacity to provide informed consent. Advance research directives (ARD) enable people to document their wishes about research participation prior to becoming decisionally incapacitated. However, there are few available ARD resources. This Australian interview study elicited the views of people aged 55 years and older about the content of an ...

Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly shaping our world, from virtual assistants and chatbots to self-driving cars and automated manufacturing. Seizing on the potential of AI to transform science, the nation’s leading experts in science and technology have released a blueprint for the United States to accelerate progress by expanding its capabilities in AI and big data analysis. “AI for Science, Energy, and Security” lays out a comprehensive vision ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Giraffes in eastern Africa may be even more endangered than previously thought. A new study led by researchers at Penn State reveals that populations of Masai giraffes separated geographically by the Great Rift Valley have not interbred — or exchanged genetic material — in more than a thousand years, and in some cases hundreds of thousands of years. The researchers recommend that the two populations be considered separately for conservation purposes, with separate but coordinated conservation efforts to manage each population. Populations of giraffes have declined rapidly in the last thirty years, with ...

Drugs used to treat rare conditions are earning pharmaceutical companies almost as much as those marketed to the general public, according to a researcher at West Virginia University. Sean Tu, a College of Law professor found lucrative so-called “orphan” drugs earn manufacturing tax credits, have longer patent exclusivities and face easier Food and Drug Administration review. Orphan drugs treat diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 Americans. In addition to tax credits, Congress has incentivized the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture orphan drugs with a waiver of ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An international team of astronomers is the first to apply an old technique to discover a new type of planet that orbits two stars – what is known as a circumbinary planet.  As an added bonus, researchers found a second planet that is orbiting the same two stars, which is only the second confirmed multi-planet circumbinary system found to date. The study was published today in the journal Nature Astronomy.  Circumbinary planets were once relegated to only science fiction, but thanks to data collected from NASA’s Kepler mission, astronomers now know that multiple star systems are ...

– By Christina Nunez The U.S. electric grid faces simultaneous, evolving pressures. Demand for power from the grid is increasing as people adopt electric cars and building energy is transitioned from gas to electricity. At the same time, climate change is driving more extreme weather. Events like the 2020 heat wave that led to rolling blackouts in California are relatively infrequent, but they are happening more often – and utilities need to be ready for them. New research points to a flexible, cost-effective option for backup power when trouble strikes: batteries aboard trains. A study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ...