A recent study shows social media influencers are more important than previously thought when it comes to getting out vital information in a crisis. The study suggested partnerships that could improve public communication between governments, non-profits and social media influencers during crises. The study, conducted by UF/IFAS assistant professor Kimberly Kay Wiley, a researcher in the family, youth and community sciences department, and Bridgewater State University associate professor Seth Meyer, shows how these groups can collaborate to effectively disseminate information and manage public health emergencies on social media. “In ...

The ability to cope well with, and adapt to, challenging life circumstances and events in older age is linked to a lower risk of death, suggests a large nationally representative study, published in the open access journal BMJ Mental Health. The findings underscore the importance of efforts to bolster mental resilience, conclude the researchers. The available evidence suggests that mental resilience is a dynamic and active process influenced by various factors, including sex, hormones, and the genes regulating ...

Over the past decade the number of NHS general practices in England has shrunk by 20%, but patient list sizes have expanded by 40% to just under 10,000, on average, finds an analysis of three national primary care datasets, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. And while the total NHS general practice workforce grew 20% between 2015 and 2022, as a result of increases in admin staff and other practitioners, the number of GPs per 1000 patients fell by 15% over the same period, when accounting for working hours, the analysis shows. Major structural and organisational changes have taken place in general practice in England over the past decade,but it’s difficult ...

Women, people of Black ethnicity, and those from low income households in England are less likely to be offered heart surgery than men, White people, and those who are affluent, finds research published online in the journal Heart. And when they do have these procedures, they are more likely to die within a year, prompting the researchers to call for prompt action to tackle these health inequalities. Cardiac surgery is one of the costliest ways of treating cardiovascular disease, with around 28,000 adults a year in the UK undergoing the procedure, note the researchers. While previously published research shows that gender, ethnicity, and social/economic deprivation can affect ...

A pen which can transform Braille into English text has been developed by experts at the University of Bristol. Braille literacy is frequently reported as being in decline, this is despite visually impaired people often expressing a desire to learn it, and Braille literacy being a highly valued skill by those who are capable. This is often attributed to the lack of available learning resources, particularly away from large urban centres. The handheld device, which includes a one-centimetre sensor with 19 channels programmed to read Braille, has demonstrated high accuracy in early trials. Lead author Dr George Jenkinson ...

While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can provide lifesaving treatment for patients with cancer, they have also been found to cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs) — side effects that can impact almost every organ in the body to varying degrees. The frequency and severity of irAEs in real-world datasets are not well understood, making it difficult to combine cases effectively across institutions and gain insights into the optimal management of these patients.  Since current approaches to investigate irAEs are done manually and are inefficient, researchers from Mass General Brigham have incorporated the use of a prebuilt large language ...

The ISSCR is accepting applications through 25 October 2024 for the next class of Lawrence Goldstein Science Policy Fellows. The three-year program offers fellows advocacy and public policy training, the opportunity to participate in ISSCR advocacy events, engagement with leaders in the field, and an ex officio seat on ISSCR’s Public Policy Committee. Goldstein Policy Fellows also have the opportunity to: Attend ISSCR’s Congressional Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. or a policy- related event in another region of the world. Participate in regularly scheduled Public Policy Committee meetings. Assist the committee and ISSCR policy staff with projects and programs. Contribute ...

Lei Zheng, MD, PhD, alumnus of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), has been appointed executive director of Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio and vice president for oncology for the health science center, effective Sept. 1, 2024. Zheng will also be named the Mays Family Foundation Distinguished University Presidential Chair of Oncology and appointed as a professor with tenure in the Department of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio’s ...

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- When ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence can produce scientific articles that look real — especially to someone outside that field of research — what’s the best way to figure out which ones are fake? Ahmed Abdeen Hamed, a visiting research fellow at Binghamton University, State University of New York, has created a machine-learning algorithm he calls xFakeSci that can detect up to 94% of bogus papers — nearly twice as successfully as more common data-mining techniques. “My ...

NEW YORK, September 3, 2024 — A new study from researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) sheds light on why certain oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in the adult brain transform into gliomas, the most common and incurable type of adult brain tumors. Previous work identified OPCs — dividing cells in the adult brain that play a crucial role in the brain's maintenance — as one of the brain cell types that give rise to these tumors.   “OPCs are often described as a double-edged ...

Dr. C. Sue Carter, Distinguished Research Scientist and Director Emerita of the Kinsey Institute, has been awarded the 2024 Bruce McEwen Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology. This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Carter’s lifetime of pioneering research that has significantly advanced our understanding of the biological and social underpinnings of human behavior. A career biologist, Dr. Carter specializes in the endocrinology of love and social bonds. Dr. Carter is renowned for her discovery of the critical role of oxytocin in social bonding, stress management, and emotional ...

The naming of a new species of pāua further highlights the importance of biodiversity research in Aotearoa. Described in a study led by the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the species, Haliotis pirimoana, is only found at Manawatāwhi Three Kings Islands, off the northern North Island. Lead author Kerry Walton, an invertebrate curator at Te Papa who is undertaking his PhD in the Department of Zoology, says this is one of many species that are only found on Manawatāwhi. “We are facing a biodiversity crisis. Species around the world are going ...

DALLAS, Sept. 3, 2024 — Today at Three Trails Elementary School in Independence, Mo. the American Heart Association, the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League (NFL) kicked off two programs rooted in proven American Heart Association science in advance of the 2024 NFL season kickoff. NFL PLAY 60™ supports students’ mental and physical health reducing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity are key to immediate and long-term health ...

Researchers have discovered an antibody able to neutralize all known variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as distantly related SARS-like coronaviruses that infect other animals. As part of a new study on hybrid immunity to the virus, the large, multi-institution research team led by The University of Texas at Austin discovered and isolated a broadly neutralizing plasma antibody, called SC27, from a single patient. Using technology developed over several years of research ...

Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations May Increase Care Engagement and Quality Among Pregnant and Postpartum Patients A new study found that Medicaid ACOs in Massachusetts were associated with increases in prenatal and postpartum office visits, postpartum depression screenings, and timely postpartum care. Despite recent declines in nationwide maternal mortality, the United States continues to experience a significant maternal health crisis, in part shaped by inequitable access to quality healthcare ...

Researchers at UC Merced used fruit flies to uncover a cellular process common to many organisms that could dramatically impact the understanding of cancer and aging. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Professor Fred Wolf, then-graduate student Sammy Villa and Genentech Vice President and Senior Fellow in Physiological Chemistry and Research Biology Vishva Dixit, discovered a mechanism that cells use to tune how much protein they make through the process of translating RNA into protein. “This mechanism may be responsible for changes in protein translation in stress, cancer, and aging,” Wolf said. Their work is detailed in the journal Nature ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced awards totaling $142 million for small businesses in 34 states. The 123 projects to be funded address multiple mission-critical areas important for the nation, including clean energy and decarbonization, cybersecurity and grid reliability, fusion energy, and nuclear nonproliferation.   American small businesses play a critical role in these DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards, which transform DOE-supported science and technology breakthroughs into ...

LAWRENCE — A fascinating new book chronicling transformation on the plains of Kansas and western Colorado uses repeat photography — contemporary re-creations of 1870s photos — to reveal startling changes to the landscape. Its author isn’t just a photographer and veteran of years of “Kansas-ing” — his term for searching off-the-beaten-path curiosities across the Sunflower State — but also a University Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at ...

HOUSTON – (Sept. 3, 2024) – As far as water gear goes, floaties are not exactly high tech. But the tiny air-filled bubbles some microorganisms use as flotation devices when they compete for light on the water surface are a different story. Known as gas vesicles (GVs), the micrometer-sized bubbles hold great promise for a host of biomedical applications, including imaging, sensing, cellular manipulation and tracking and more. The problem is researchers do not yet know how to make medically useful GV varieties in the lab. Rice University ...

ATLANTA — Starting antiviral treatment as late as 14 days after infection with SARS-CoV-2 may still be beneficial in hosts with compromised immune systems, who are at greatest risk of developing severe COVID-19, according to researchers in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at Georgia State University’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences.  While best to begin treatment earlier, in immunocompromised hosts, drugs like paxlovid and molnupiravir appear to inhibit replication of the virus even if initiated up to 14 days after infection.  The ...

Assorted, distinctive behavior of molten uranium salt revealed by neutrons   The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a world leader in molten salt reactor technology development — and its researchers additionally perform the fundamental science necessary to enable a future where nuclear energy becomes more efficient. In a recent paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers have documented for the first time the unique chemistry dynamics and structure of high-temperature liquid uranium trichloride ...

The shoebox-sized BurstCube satellite has observed its first gamma-ray burst, the most powerful kind of explosion in the universe, according to a recent analysis of observations collected over the last several months. “We’re excited to collect science data,” said Sean Semper, BurstCube’s lead engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It’s an important milestone for the team and for the many early career engineers and scientists that have been part of the mission.” The ...

Lugano, Switzerland, 3 September 2024 – The ESMO Congress 2024 will take place from September 13-17 in Barcelona, bringing together participants from all over the world. Press representatives eager to grasp cutting-edge data and hearing expert perspectives on the latest research, as well as on the current and emerging hot topics in oncology, are invited to attend the event, which will be held both onsite and remotely.  The full congress program is available online to help press representatives browse regular and late-breaking abstract ...

We all have lived through a pandemic, its uncertainties, challenges, losses and scientific breakthroughs. A prestigious award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is advancing the work of a team of researchers at the University of Kentucky to help society be better prepared for potential future pandemics. Scott Berry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, is the principal investigator ...

The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded grants for 10 projects to improve diagnostic tools for congenital and adult syphilis—conditions currently diagnosed with a sequence of tests, each with limited precision. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that adult and congenital syphilis cases increased by 80% and 183% respectively between 2018 and 2022—a crisis that prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a national taskforce to respond to the epidemic.   “Syphilis ...