Scientists have devised a new way to identify habitable planets and potentially inhabited planets, by comparing the amount of carbon dioxide in their atmosphere, to neighbouring planets. An international team of researchers from the University of Birmingham (UK), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (US) and elsewhere, have shown that if a planet has a reduced amount of CO2 in its atmosphere compared to neighbouring planets, it suggests there is liquid water on that planet’s surface. The drop in CO2 levels implies ...

Green hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis technology, which uses renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen without emitting carbon dioxide. However, the production cost of green hydrogen is currently around $5 per kilogram, which is two to three times higher than gray hydrogen obtained from natural gas. For the practical use of green hydroten, the innovation in water electrolysis technology is required for the realization of hydrogen economy, especially for Korea where the utilization ...

A few years ago, the World Health Organization estimated that blood poisoning, or sepsis, is involved in one in five deaths in the world. 11 million people die from sepsis each year, of which nearly 3 million are children. This is also a problem in Norway, with thousands of people affected every year. “Sepsis is a severe immunological overreaction to an infection. It causes the body’s organs to fail,” says Nina Vibeche Skei. She is a doctoral research fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and a senior anaesthetist ...

For decades, a substantial number of proteins, vital for treating various diseases, have remained elusive to oral drug therapy. Traditional small molecules often struggle to bind to proteins with flat surfaces or require specificity for particular protein homologs. Typically, larger biologics that can target these proteins demand injection, limiting patient convenience and accessibility. In a new study published in Nature Chemical Biology, scientists from the laboratory of Professor Christian Heinis at EPFL have achieved a significant milestone in drug development. Their research ...

The Asian Fund for Cancer Research (AFCR) is pleased to announce that Degron Therapeutics was selected as the winner of the 2023 BRACE Award Venture Competition. AFCR’s BRACE (Bridging Research from Academia to Cancer Entrepreneurship) Award Venture Competition is designed to support and accelerate oncology innovations on their path toward commercialization, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for patients affected by cancer globally. AFCR aims to support the winners of the BRACE Award with funding resources, advisory experts, and access to our global network of key opinion leaders in cancer research. The winner of the BRACE ...

Embargoed for release: December 27, 2023, 2:00 PM ET Key points: Researchers estimated that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube collectively derived nearly $11 billion in advertising revenue during 2022 from U.S. youth, who are vulnerable to negative mental health outcomes. The study is the first to offer estimates of the number of youth users on these platforms and how much annual ad revenue is attributable to them. According to the researchers, the study’s ...

Toronto, ON, December 27, 2023 – Compared to patients who had a virtual visit with their own family doctor, those who received virtual care from a doctor outside of their family care team were 66 percent more likely to visit the emergency department within seven days, according to new research. The study, led by researchers at the University Health Network (UHN), Unity Health Toronto, and ICES, also showed that patients receiving virtual care outside of an existing family doctor-patient relationship were 25 percent more likely to have an in-person visit and 88 percent more likely to have another virtual visit within seven days. “This study sheds light on how different types ...

About The Study: The results of this study suggest that artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful and convenient tool for people who want to know the energy and macronutrient information of their foods. Although AI chatbots cannot replace nutritionists, they may provide real-time analysis of foods, and the capacity to harness AI technology in a supportive role may fundamentally transform the way nutritionists communicate with patients.  Authors: Jung-Su Chang, Ph.D., of Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan, is the corresponding author.  To ...

About The Study: In this study using data from three large prospective cohort studies among 123,000 individuals, low-carbohydrate diets that emphasized high-quality proteins, fats and carbohydrates from whole grains and other healthy plant-based foods were significantly associated with slower weight gain in the long term. In contrast, low-carbohydrate diets emphasizing animal-sourced proteins and fats or refined carbohydrates were associated with faster weight gain. Authors: Qi Sun, M.D., Sc.D., of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, is the corresponding author.  To access the ...

About The Study: This nationwide case-time-control study revealed an increased risk of miscarriage associated with benzodiazepine use during pregnancy after accounting for measurable confounders, and results were unlikely to be due to unmeasured confounding. These findings underscore the necessity for health care professionals to meticulously balance the risk-benefit ratio when considering the use of benzodiazepines to treat psychiatric and sleep disorders during pregnancy.  Authors: Fei-Yuan Hsiao, Ph.D., of National ...

About The Study: In this study of individuals diagnosed with cancer in the National Cancer Database (NCDB), Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native individuals diagnosed with breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer were undercaptured in the NCDB, but their representation improved over time. Increased study is needed to determine where these populations predominantly seek cancer care.  Authors: Juan Javier-DesLoges, M.D., M.S., of the University of California, San Diego, is the corresponding author.  To ...

A study of the genetics of pericarditis increases understanding of newly approved drug treatment Sequence variants that protect against pericarditis have been discovered at a genomic locus encoding interleukin-1 immune cytokines. A newly approved drug treatment for pericarditis inhibits these cytokines and new a study from deCODE genetics and collaborators can contribute to the further development of this treatment. A new study called “Variants at the interleukin-1 gene locus and pericarditis” was published today in the journal JAMA Cardiology, by scientists at deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, and their collaborators from Denmark, USA, and Iceland. The study involves ...

A new iguana joins Asia’s rich reptile fauna, officially described as new to science in the open-access journal ZooKeys. “From 2009 to 2022, we conducted a series of field surveys in South China and collected a number of specimens of the Calotes versicolor species complex, and found that the population of what we thought was Calotes versicolor in South China and Northern Vietnam was a new undescribed species and two subspecies,” says Yong Huang, whose team described the new species. Wang’s garden ...

At a glance: National study of quality of care in hospitals acquired by private equity shows worsening of fall and infection risk, other measures of quality and safety. Some post-procedure adverse events increased even though private equity hospitals performed fewer procedures among younger and less disadvantaged patients. The new findings amplify existing economic concerns about the growth of this for-profit ownership model. Patients are more likely to fall, get new infections, or experience other forms of harm during their stay in a hospital after it is acquired by a private equity firm, according to a new ...

About The Study: Private equity acquisition of hospitals, on average, was associated with increased hospital-acquired adverse events despite a likely lower-risk pool of admitted Medicare beneficiaries, suggesting poorer quality of inpatient care. These findings heighten concerns about the implications of private equity on health care delivery.  Authors: Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School 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/jama.2023.23147) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional ...

About The Study: Among a national cohort of medical interns, over half experienced sexual harassment. Although harassment was prevalent across programs, institutional and specialty training variations in interns’ sexual harassment experiences exist, thereby providing additional evidence that residency programs and institutions play an important role in combating this widespread problem.  Authors: Elizabeth M. Viglianti, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is the corresponding author.  To ...

About The Study: In this study of 8,000 participants, negative wealth shock (a loss of 75% or more in total wealth over a 2-year period) was associated with accelerated cognitive decline and elevated risks of dementia among middle-aged and older U.S. adults, with modifications by age and ethnicity. These findings should be confirmed by further prospective and interventional studies.  Authors: Jing Guo, Ph.D., of the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China, is the corresponding author.  To access ...

About The Study: The findings of this prognostic study of cognitive outcomes at 2-year follow-up among 1,000 infants born very preterm suggest that predictive modeling in neonatal care could enable early and targeted intervention for very preterm infants most at risk for developing cognitive impairment.  Authors: Andrea K. Bowe, M.B., M.P.H., of University College Cork in Cork, Ireland, 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/jamanetworkopen.2023.49111) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, ...

About The Study: Pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency among older adults living alone, but not among those living with others in this study of 7,900 participants age 50 and older. Pet ownership offset the associations between living alone and declining rates in verbal memory and verbal fluency. Further studies are needed to assess whether pet ownership slows the rate of cognitive decline in older adults living alone.  Authors: Ciyong Lu, Ph.D., of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, is the corresponding author.  To ...

A drug screening system that models cancers using lab-grown tissues called organoids has helped uncover a promising target for future pancreatic cancer treatments, according to a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. In the study, published Dec. 26 in Cell Stem Cell, the scientists tested more than 6,000 compounds on their pancreatic tumor organoids, which contain a common pancreatic cancer-driving mutation. They identified one compound—an existing heart drug called perhexiline maleate—that powerfully suppresses ...

December 21 Peer reviewed /observational study / in people* Strictly embargoed 4PM UK time on Tuesday December 26 Researchers have identified a wide range of risk factors for young-onset dementia. The findings challenge the notion that genetics are the sole cause of the condition, laying the groundwork for new prevention strategies. The largescale study identified 15 risk factors, which are similar to those for late-onset dementia. For the first time, they indicate that it may be possible to reduce the risk of young-onset dementia ...

They published their work on Dec. 20 in Energy Material Advances.   "Economic, efficient, and safe hydrogen storage methods play a crucial role in exploiting hydrogen energy, reducing carbon emissions, and improving the utilization efficiency of renewable clean energies," said paper author Jianxin Zou, professor in National Engineering Research Center of Light Alloys Net Forming & State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites. "Solid-state hydrogen storage in hydrides has been considered as a promising hydrogen storage technology. Although the industrial ...

Plastic waste and its buildup in nature has become a major environmental concern in recent times. While plastic pollution in the oceans is undoubtedly a concern, the presence of plastics in soils around the world is also known to cause severe environmental and health issues. As plastics fragment into smaller pieces known as microplastics (MPs) in the soil through natural and anthropogenic processes, they drastically alter soil properties. Moreover, they are also absorbed by plants, potentially entering human ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 25 December 2023   Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet    @Annalsofim   Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.   ----------------------------   1. ...

Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. In a study published in the journal PNAS, researchers from Linköping University have developed an electrically conductive “soil” for soilless cultivation, known as hydroponics.  “The world population is increasing, and we also have climate change. So it’s clear that we won’t be able to cover the food demands of the planet with only the already existing agricultural methods. But with hydroponics we can grow food also in ...