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Medicine29 Jan 2024

OU scientists tests revolutionary imaging technique for pancreatic cancer

Researchers at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences have embarked on a revolutionary new research study that could improve the detection of a deadly disease — pancreatic cancer — and give patients a chance to live longer, healthier lives. The research focuses on an innovative combination of imaging techniques: a newly created contrast agent that recognizes pancreatic cancer cells, paired with Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography, or MSOT. Together, the approach can detect pancreatic cancer cells the width of an eyelash ...

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Science29 Jan 2024

Rising sea levels could lead to more methane emitted from wetlands

As sea levels rise due to global warming, ecosystems are being altered. One small silver lining, scientists believed, was that the tidal wetlands found in estuaries might produce less methane – a potent greenhouse gas – as the increasing influx of seawater makes these habitats less hospitable to methane-producing microbes. However, research from biologists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley indicates that these assumptions aren’t always true. After examining the microbial, chemical, and geological features of 11 wetland zones, the team found that a wetland region exposed ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

Study urges people to think twice before going on a diet

A new qualitative study highlights the negative interpersonal and psychological consequences associated with “yo-yo dieting,” also known as weight cycling. The work underscores how toxic yo-yo dieting can be and how difficult it can be for people to break the cycle. “Yo-yo dieting – unintentionally gaining weight and dieting to lose weight only to gain it back and restart the cycle – is a prevalent part of American culture, with fad diets and lose-weight-quick plans or drugs normalized as people pursue beauty ...

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Space29 Jan 2024

Astronomers spot 18 black holes gobbling up nearby stars

Star-shredding black holes are everywhere in the sky if you just know how to look for them. That’s one message from a new study by MIT scientists, appearing today in the Astrophysical Journal. The study’s authors are reporting the discovery of 18 new tidal disruption events (TDEs) — extreme instances when a nearby star is tidally drawn into a black hole and ripped to shreds. As the black hole feasts, it gives off an enormous burst of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum. Astronomers have detected previous tidal disruption events by looking for characteristic bursts in the optical and X-ray bands. To date, these searches have ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

The DiAL-Health study will help determine how intermittent fasting and calorie counting can improve a person’s “healthspan”

January is a time when many people are looking for new diet routines, and intermittent fasting is trending, as are traditional calorie cutting programs. Research conducted with animal models suggests that intermittent fasting slows aging, and those animals live longer. Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham are conducting the DiAL-Health study to see if eating for 8 hours and fasting for 16 each day shows similar results in people. These researchers ...

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Technology29 Jan 2024

From simulation to reality: Making social media a safer space for kids through AI

Like it or not, social media has become the new mall for kids. It’s where they want to be, and it’s a place they can easily go—often with no guidance, no oversight, and no guardrails. And when the content gets ugly or confusing or weird, it can be tough for them to know what to do. Dominic DiFranzo, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering in Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, has devoted his research to helping kids better navigate the perils of social media. He and his team have recently received two grants from the National Science Foundation to develop artificial intelligence tools ...

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Technology29 Jan 2024

Shah studying fingerprinting technology for enhancing 5G/NextG O-RAN supply chain risk management

Vijay Shah, Assistant Professor, Cybersecurity Engineering, received funding for the project: "Fingerprinting Technology for Enhancing 5G/NextG O-RAN Supply Chain Risk Management." In this project, Shah is focusing on distinctive power signatures and electromagnetic emanations to fortify supply chain risk management of 5G/Next G networks. This technology has the potential to create a robust framework for comprehensive validation and testing across the entire lifespan of deployed Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) systems. This, in turn, could ...

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Science29 Jan 2024

From Baby Boomers to Gen Alpha – Is it time to stop talking about generations?

'Millennials don't really want to work. They're far too focused on avocado toast and chai lattes!' Just one of the many clichés expressed by workers over the age of fifty. And those being criticized? Well, they often reply with a bored 'OK, Boomer' followed by an eye roll and some ironic remark about the excessively performance-driven worldview of those born between the mid 1950s and the mid 1960s. Work, it seems, just isn't as important to the young as it is to older generations. But it's not just about baby boomers and millennials. Parked between them is Generation X, ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

Destroying tumor cells with calcium

Calcium ions are essential for cells, but can be toxic in higher concentrations. A team of researchers has now designed and prepared a combination drug that kills tumor cells by modulating the calcium influx into the cell. An external calcium source is not necessary because only the calcium ions already present in the tumor tissue are used, according to the study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie. Biological cells need calcium ions, among other things, for the proper functioning of the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cells. However, ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

University of Houston expert warns red light myopia therapy can injure retina

A University of Houston optometry researcher is warning against the use of low-level red light (LLRL) therapy as a method to control myopia, or nearsightedness, especially in children. Over the last few years, LLRL has emerged as a viable myopia treatment after studies reported the treatment as effective and responsible for significant reduction in myopia progression. The company behind one of the devices reports that it is already being used to address myopia in over 100,000 pediatric patients. But the excitement over its results as a myopia treatment may have come too soon, ahead of its proven safety. "Based on measurements in our laboratory, ...

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Science29 Jan 2024

Can science beat counterfeit detector pens? (video)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2024 — Counterfeit detector pens use a starch-iodine reaction to identify fake bills. But could you fool them with chemistry? In today’s episode, we dive into the chemistry of iodine, its color and its clock reactions, all while making a little extra cash on the side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaVCyOBSsY Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios. Subscribe to Reactions at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions and follow us on Twitter @ACSReactions. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader ...

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Social Science29 Jan 2024

How did humans learn to walk? New evolutionary study offers an earful

Humans and our closest relatives, living apes, display a remarkable diversity of types of locomotion—from walking upright on two legs to climbing in trees and walking using all four limbs. While scientists have long been intrigued by the question of how humans’ bipedal stance and movement evolved from a quadrupedal ancestor, neither past studies nor fossil records have permitted the reconstruction of a clear and definitive history of the early evolutionary stages that led to human bipedalism. However, a new study, which centers on recently discovered evidence from skulls of a 6-million-year-old fossil ape, Lufengpithecus, ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

Alzheimer’s disease acquired from historic medical treatments

Five cases of Alzheimer’s disease are believed to have arisen as a result of medical treatments decades earlier, reports a team of UCL and UCLH researchers. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the amyloid-beta protein, and is usually a sporadic condition of late adult life, or more rarely an inherited condition that occurs due to a faulty gene. The new Nature Medicine paper provides the first evidence of Alzheimer’s disease in living people that appears to have been medically acquired and due to transmission of the amyloid-beta protein. The people described in the paper had all been treated as ...

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Science29 Jan 2024

Food insecurity and premature mortality and life expectancy in the us

About The Study: Although the association of food security and life expectancy varied across sex and racial and ethnic groups, overall, lower levels of food security were associated with a higher risk of premature mortality and a shorter life expectancy in this study of 57,000 adults. The findings of this study highlight the potential importance of improving food security in promoting population health and health equity. Authors: Lu Qi, M.D., of Tulane University in New Orleans, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed ...

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Science29 Jan 2024

Wealth redistribution to extend longevity in the U.S.

About The Study: The findings of this study of 35,000 adults age 50 or older suggest that wealth inequality in the U.S. is associated with significant inequities in survival. Wealth redistribution policies may substantially reduce those inequities and increase population longevity. Authors: Kathryn E. W. Himmelstein, M.D., M.S.Ed., of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7975) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and ...

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Technology29 Jan 2024

Efficacy of electronic cigarettes vs varenicline and nicotine chewing gum as an aid to stop smoking

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial including 1,068 smokers, electronic cigarettes were as effective as varenicline and more effective than nicotine chewing gum as a stop-smoking aid when all three treatments were provided with minimal behavioral support. Authors: Zhao Liu, Ph.D., of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7846) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

High school students who report using alcohol, cannabis or nicotine at higher risk for suicidal thoughts and other mental health disorders

BOSTON –High school students who reported using cannabis, alcohol, or nicotine were more likely to have thoughts about suicide, feel depressed or anxious, have unusual experiences, and exhibit inattention or hyperactivity, according to recent survey-based study conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of Minnesota. The study, which is published in JAMA Pediatrics, included 2022–2023 survey results from more than 15,000 high school students across Massachusetts. “We sought to determine ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

New evidence informs risk factors, diagnosis and care of patients with CVT stroke

Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 DALLAS, January 29, 2024 — A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association emphasizes the need to increase patients’ and physicians’ awareness of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) to improve the recognition of this condition and initiate prompt medical treatment. The new statement, Diagnosis and Management of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis, published today in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s peer-reviewed journal Stroke. ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

Researchers map genome for cats, dolphins, birds, and dozens of other animals

Researchers mapped genetic blueprints for 51 species including cats, dolphins, kangaroos, penguins, sharks, and turtles, a discovery that deepens our understanding of evolution and the links between humans and animals. “Being able to access that genetic information will have huge implications for understanding human health and evolution,” said lead author Michael Schatz, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of computer science and biology at Johns Hopkins University. “A lot of work ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

Overcoming the stigma: study recommends steps to move past barriers of brain health conversation

INDIANAPOLIS -- Approximately four of five primary care clinicians consider themselves on the front lines of brain health. In the U.S., clinicians are the first point of contact for patients worried about memory loss and are most likely the first to detect and evaluate patients experiencing mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. In a new study focused on understanding the barriers of clinician-patient conversations about brain health and cognitive concerns, Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine Research Scientist Malaz Boustani, M.D., MPH, found that early conversations about brain health between ...

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Environment29 Jan 2024

PolyU develops high-efficiency carbon dioxide electroreduction system for reducing carbon footprint and progressing carbon neutrality goals

Global warming continues to pose a threat to human society and the ecological systems, and carbon dioxide accounts for the largest proportion of the greenhouse gases that dominate climate warming. To combat climate change and move towards the goal of carbon neutrality, researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed a durable, highly selective and energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction system that can convert CO2 into ethylene for industrial purposes to provide an effective solution for ...

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Space29 Jan 2024

Lopsided galaxies shed light on the speed of dark matter

So how can the speed of dark matter be measured? The prerequisite is to find a galaxy in the universe that moves relative to dark matter. Since everything in the universe is in motion and there is a great deal of dark matter, it is not difficult to find such galaxies. Heavy objects, like galaxies, attract all types of matter, whether it is dark matter or visible matter that we encounter on a daily basis. As dark matter moves past a galaxy, the galaxy begins to pull the dark matter particles towards it. However, the change of speed direction of the particles takes time. Before ...

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Medicine29 Jan 2024

Breast cancer test may make bad chemotherapy recommendations for Black patients

A common test used to decide whether breast cancer patients should get chemotherapy may be making bad recommendations for some Black women, leading them to forgo chemotherapy when it might have helped, according to new research from the University of Illinois Chicago. The test, known as the 21-gene breast recurrence score, is the most commonly ordered biomarker test used to guide doctor’s recommendations for patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer — the most common ...

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Science29 Jan 2024

First-ever sighting of a live newborn great white

Great whites, the largest predatory sharks in the world with the most fatal attacks on humans, are tough to imagine as newborn babies. That is partially because no one has seen one in the wild, it seems, until now. Wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and UC Riverside biology doctoral student Phillip Sternes were scanning the waters for sharks on July 9, 2023, near Santa Barbara on California’s central coast. That day, something exciting appeared on the viewfinder of Gauna’s drone camera. It was a shark ...

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Science29 Jan 2024

Back from the dead: Tropical tree fern repurposes its dead leaves

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. The fern, Cyathea rojasiana, reconfigures these “zombie leaves,” reversing the flow of water to draw nutrients back into the plant. Watch a video about the findings. This weird phenomenon occurs only after the leaves die and droop to the ground, said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign plant biology professor James Dalling, ...

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