Performing arts performed in groups appears to lower anxiety and depression, according to a review of available evidence. Researchers at the University of Exeter looked at the effect of group-based performing arts-based therapies on symptom severity, wellbeing, quality of life, functional communication or social participation. In a study published in BMJ Open, the researchers reviewed 171 studies, and took 12 forward to inclusion, which met the screening criteria. Published from 2004 to 2021, the studies involved a total of 669 participants with anxiety and/or depression, from nine countries and covered ...

For many people, the day doesn’t start until their coffee mug is empty. Coffee is often thought to make you feel more alert, so people drink it to wake themselves up and improve their efficiency. Portuguese scientists studied coffee-drinkers to understand whether that wakefulness effect is dependent on the properties of caffeine, or whether it’s about the experience of drinking coffee. “There is a common expectation that coffee increases alertness and psychomotor functioning,” said Prof Nuno Sousa of the University of Minho, corresponding author of the study ...

Orlando, Fla., June 28, 2023 – A Virginia pediatric hospital eliminated central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) among its most vulnerable patients for 300 days during 2021 and 2022. Their results are being presented at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s (APIC’s) Annual Conference in Orlando Florida, June 26-28. When the infection prevention and quality departments at Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital, part of the Inova Health System and located in Falls Church, Virginia, benchmarked their CLABSI rates against other pediatric hospitals, ...

New research shows that U.S. public pension funds would be $21 billion richer had they divested from fossil fuels a decade ago.   The study, out of the University of Waterloo in partnership with Stand.earth, analyzed the public equity portfolios of six major U.S. public pension funds, which collectively represent approximately 3.4 million people, to determine the effect divesting from their energy holdings would have had. In total, researchers estimate that the pension funds would have seen a return on their investments that was 13 per cent higher on average.  Another analysis of the same eight U.S. public pension funds included in the report found that ...

A group from Nagoya University in Japan has discovered that when the diet of nematodes, tiny worms measuring about a millimeter or less in length, includes the bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri, the weakening of associative learning ability caused by aging does not occur. These results may suggest ways to use diet to reduce age-related cognitive decline in other animals, including humans. Their findings were published in the journal eLife.    “This research is significant in that it established a method for studying the effects ...

While vaping provides a pathway to help smokers wanting to quit, for non-smokers it may be the first step on a pathway to taking up smoking, a new study has shown. Led by University of Otago post graduate student Andre Mason and Associate Professor Damian Scarf, of the University of Otago’s Department of Psychology, the collaborative research, published today (Wednesday 28 June) in the Drug and Alcohol Review, analysed data related to smoking and vaping status of New Zealanders from the 2018-2020 New Zealand Attitudes and Values survey. Associate Professor Scarf says broadly, the prevalence of smoking was found ...

Dependant children of people impacted by human trafficking and modern slavery are being left unsupported and their needs overlooked, putting families at risk of intergenerational trauma. A report by UniSA researcher Dr Nerida Chazal highlights the lack of recognition of dependants as victims themselves and the limited support they receive, putting their psychological and developmental needs at risk. In Australia, only the police can formally refer victim-survivors to the official government funded Support for Trafficked People Program (STPP), run by the Australian Red Cross. Currently, victim-survivors with dependants receive minimal additional funding to meet their ...

Children are exposed to many types of online trauma including self-harm, a leading psychotherapist has warned, and they need the right support to make sense of what they are seeing. Catherine Knibbs is a researcher and trauma therapist, who helped counsel survivors of the Manchester Arena terror attack. In her new book, Online Harms and Cybertrauma, she argues that the amount of self-harm content available to children online is an urgent societal issue which needs to be addressed by parents, policymakers ...

New research by the University of Nottingham estimates that the care home sector in England was left with up to 19,000 fewer staff following mandatory Covid vaccines being brought in for workers in 2021. The research, published in the journal Management Science, is the first piece of empirical evidence about the effects of compulsory Covid vaccination for care workers on take-up, staffing and mortality. The experts found that the UK’s legal requirement for health and social care staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19 resulted in a three-to-four per cent reduction in staffing – equivalent to 14,000 to 19,000 employees in elderly ...

Children who begin reading for pleasure early in life tend to perform better at cognitive tests and have better mental health when they enter adolescence, a study of more than 10,000 young adolescents in the US has found. In a study published today in Psychological Medicine, researchers in the UK and China found that 12 hours a week was the optimal amount of reading, and that this was linked to improved brain structure, which may help explain the findings. Reading for pleasure can be an important and enjoyable childhood activity. Unlike listening and spoken language, which develop rapidly and easily in young children, reading is a taught skill and is acquired and developed through explicit ...

A new study of a brain region called the rostro-medial prefrontal could potentially advance diagnosis and therapies for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Entitled “Rejection Distress Suppresses Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Borderline Personality Disorder,” the research appears in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.   Researchers from The City College of New York, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute led by CCNY psychologist Eric A. Fertuck discovered that the rostro-medial ...

A species of nemertean worm discovered by a Clemson University marine biologist five years ago affects the reproductive performance of Caribbean spiny lobsters, a critical species in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Antonio Baeza, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, discovered the new wormwhile researching parental behaviors of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus in the Florida Keys. Baeza good-naturedly named the worm Carcinonemertes conanobrieni after comedian Conan O’Brien because of its physical characteristics — long-bodied and pale with a slight tint of orange.  The worm has been found off the coast of ...

June 27, 2023 The Lancet has announced a new Commission on Evidence-Based Implementation in Global Health that aims to improve how life-saving and life-enhancing interventions are put into practice around the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is playing a leading role in the Commission, serving as its Secretariat. Advancements in science and technology have led to innovative health solutions that could help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including ...

As we age, our bodies change and degenerate over time in a process called senescence. Stem cells, which have the unique ability to change into other cell types, also experience senescence, which presents an issue when trying to maintain cell cultures for therapeutic use. The biomolecules produced by these cell cultures are important for various medicines and treatments, but once the cells enter a senescent state they stop producing them, and worse, they instead produce biomolecules antagonistic to these therapeutics. While there are methods to remove older ...

Chicago, Illinois (Embargoed until 3:55 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, June 27, 2023)—A newly discovered radionuclide-based agent (CB-2PA-NT) has been shown to have high tumor uptake, sustained tumor retention, and high contrast in preclinical models, making it a prime candidate for a novel theranostics approach. Targeting the neurotensin receptors (NTSRs) that are present in a variety of cancers, CB-2PA-NT has the potential to significantly expand the scope of precision medicine. This research was presented at the 2023 Society of Nuclear Medicine ...

A University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) research team is poised to make a real-world impact on vulnerable cancer patients, thanks to new support from the State of Tennessee. Led by David Schwartz, MD, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology in the College of Medicine, and founding director of the UTHSC Center for Health Equity, the team received $2.75 million from the Tennessee Department of Health for a project that marries an automated informatics strategy with a personalized patient-support system to tackle interruptions to radiotherapy in at-risk patients. Altha Stewart, MD, senior associate ...

A team of Clemson University chemists has constructed a novel two-dimensional electrically conductive metal-organic framework (MOF), a breakthrough that could help advance modern electronics and energy technologies. MOFs are nano-sized architectures, which resemble miniature buildings made of metal ions linked by organic ligands. The structures are mostly hollow and porous with an extraordinary amount of internal surface space. As a result, MOFs can store guest molecules, catalyze chemical reactions and deliver drugs in a controlled ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Recent developments include the identification of disparities in end-of-life immunotherapy treatment, a new target to improve immunotherapy responses in KRAS-mutant lung cancer, a new connection for small RNAs in anti-tumor immunity and obesity, the benefits of fecal microbiome transplants ...

Virginia Tech researchers are working to increase access and inclusivity in ornithology as part of a collaborative effort funded by the National Science Foundation.  The Leading Cultural Change Through Professional Societies of Biology program has awarded $500,000 to help researchers in the co-creation of affinity groups to facilitate diverse and inclusive ornithological societies. The program supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects that leverage the work of professional societies to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in ...

For many, neighborhoods that offer children access to better resources, less crime and less violence often result in better opportunities for healthier and more prosperous lives. Indeed, researchers studying the effects of moving to “opportunity neighborhoods” argue that very point and many policymakers have taken notice. However, so far, researchers have only accounted for the neighborhoods where children grow up, ignoring the long-term effects that parents’ childhood neighborhoods have on children’s adult economic well-being. Expanding ...

Chicago, Illinois (Embargoed until 2:15 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, June 27, 2023)—A novel PET perfusion radiotracer, 18F-flurpiridaz, can diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) in obese patients with a higher sensitivity and specificity compared to 99mTc-SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), according to research presented at the 2023 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Annual Meeting. 18F-flurpiridaz PET MPI obtained images at a lower radiation dose than 99mTc-SPECT MPI and performed similarly in both obese and non-obese patients.  Obese individuals frequently have medical ...

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the country’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — is proud to acknowledge the work of 20 outstanding individuals through its prestigious awards program. GSA salutes outstanding research, recognizes distinguished leadership in teaching and service, and fosters new ideas through a host of awards. Nominated by their peers, the recipients’ achievements serve as milestones in the history and development of gerontology. The award presentations will take place at GSA’s 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 8 to 12 in Tampa, Florida. Society-Wide Donald ...

Fascination surrounding spaceflight and rockets is at an all-time high. Sites near launchpads draw crowds of spectators, eager to witness the flash of fire and feel the vibrations as the rumble of the motor becomes a roar. People, squinting and craning their necks to watch the rocket hurtle out of sight, aren’t likely thinking about the science behind the propulsion that makes it all possible.  What are the key elements that influence the combustion process? Are there advantages to utilizing solid propellants versus liquid? Simplicity, lower cost, and ease of storage and handling make solid fuel sources ideal for military and space ...

A team led by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin has filled a major gap in the state’s fossil record – describing the first known Jurassic vertebrate fossils in Texas. The weathered bone fragments are from the limbs and backbone of a plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile that would have swum the shallow sea that covered what is now northeastern Mexico and far western Texas about 150 million years ago. The bones were discovered in the Malone Mountains of West Texas during two fossil hunting missions led by Steve May, a research associate at UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences Museum of Earth ...

The Department of Energy (DOE) today signed an implementation agreement with Sweden to further promote and facilitate basic science research in energy and related fields. The agreement reflects the United States and Sweden’s commitment to advancing scientific knowledge. It aims to foster joint research, shared facilities and exchanges of scientists in topics such as scientific computing, high energy physics, nuclear physics, fusion, basic energy sciences, and biological and environmental research. Present at the ...