Annapolis, MD; November 30, 2023—Hung from a common utility pole, a fiber optic cable—the kind bringing high-speed internet to more and more American households—can be turned into a sensor to detect temperature changes, vibrations, and even sound, through an emerging technology called distributed fiber optic sensing. However, as NEC Labs America photonics researcher Sarper Ozharar, Ph.D., explains, acoustic sensing in fiber optic cables "is limited to only nearby sound sources or very loud events, such as emergency vehicles, car alarms, or cicada emergences." Cicadas? Indeed, periodical cicadas—the ...

BATON ROUGE – Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have received $13.8 million for five years of research funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study the ideal “dose” of behavioral interventions to treat childhood obesity in rural and minority communities across Louisiana and Tennessee. Pennington Biomedical’s Amanda Staiano and Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Bill Heerman are co-principal investigators on the randomized, multisite trial. Despite ongoing efforts, childhood obesity rates have continued to increase over the ...

“Dripstones, or speleothems, are unique natural archives - like Earth’s USB sticks. They store a wealth of information on past climate which helps us to better understand the environment in which early humans lived”, Jenny Maccali explains. She is a scientist at SapienCE Centre of Excellence, and has has lead the study, now published in Climate of the Past. New perspective to ancient climate South Africa has a highly dynamic climate resulting from its position at the convergence of two oceanic basins, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. ...

There is an ever-present struggle to reduce carbon-based energy sources and replace them with low or no-carbon alternatives. The process of splitting water could be the resolution.   Hydrogen production is a simple, safe, and effective method to produce more energy than gasoline can by the simple process of splitting water. Harvesting energy this way as opposed to relying heavily (or at all) on carbon-based energy sources is increasingly becoming the standard. Researchers have found a method to use transition metal ...

A paper describing the distributed cooperative control problem with the heterogeneous model structures and external disturbances for the connected vehicle (CV) platoon was published in the journal Green Energy and Intelligent Transportation on November 25th, 2022.   In recent decades, the cooperative control problems of CV platoon on highways have attracted widespread interest for their significant impact on road transportation. The platoon control of CV has the advantages of improving the safety of highways, increasing the ...

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA & PLYMOUTH MEETING, UNITED STATES [November 30, 2023] — Today the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) host the Latin American Regional Breast Cancer Summit: Advocating and Implementing Guideline-Concordant Cancer Care for Patients. Esteemed experts from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, and the United States will present challenges, barriers, and potential solutions for improving access to guideline-concordant breast cancer care in the Latin American region. The regional summit provides an opportunity for a diverse group ...

In a major advancement in medical technology, researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation have developed an adhesive gel, offering a revolutionary treatment for gastrointestinal leaks, a condition clinically known as enterocutaneous fistulas. This development marks a significant milestone in addressing a challenging medical condition that has long plagued patients and clinicians.   Enterocutaneous fistulas, which are abnormal connections between the gastrointestinal tract and the skin, are primarily a ...

Results of a new meta-analysis in shows that intravenous fluid (IV) therapy using balanced solutions rather than commonly used saline can reduce the risk of in-hospital death of critically ill patients by four percent. Findings from the BEST-Living Study were presented today at the Critical Care Canada Forum (CCCF 2023) and simultaneously published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Prof Simon Finfer AO, an Intensive Care physician, Professorial Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, and Adjunct Professor, UNSW Sydney - who was the senior author on the paper - said the results supported the important ...

As the holiday season approaches, many home kitchens will produce the mouthwatering smells of fresh-baked goods and comfort food. From macadamia nut cookies and pecan pies to turkey stuffing, nuts feature heavily in seasonal pastries and dishes. Below are some recent papers published in ACS journals that report new insights into popular tree nuts. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing newsroom@acs.org. “Bulk and Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis for the Authentication of Walnuts (Juglans regia) ...

A new study published in the journal eGastroenterology provides an updated assessment of the diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury (HRS-AKI). This severe and often fatal condition can occur in patients with cirrhosis. HRS-AKI is a functional and progressive kidney failure that is potentially reversible but most often rapidly fatal. It accounts for 11%–20% of all AKI episodes in patients with cirrhosis, and its diagnosis is often challenging to differentiate from prerenal or acute tubular necrosis (ATN). The study, led by Jorge Arnold, found that early recognition of HRS-AKI is crucial for standard pharmacological treatment with terlipressin ...

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and gallbladder cancer (GBC) are becoming more prevalent globally. An effective chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of BTCs is gemcitabine. Other novel molecular targeted drugs have also been developed; however, they are only effective at treating a few cases of BTCs. In addition, very few drugs are effective against GEM-resistant BTCs. While surgery is the best option for the treatment of BTCs, many patients are diagnosed late, due to a lack of symptoms. ...

White, wealthy neighborhoods in the LA area are about to start feeling the same heat that has plagued poorer, Hispanic neighborhoods for generations. A new study shows the protective effect of income has largely eroded over the past 40 years, as landscape plants can’t keep up with the pace of climate warming.  Published in the journal Urban Climate, the research cuts across neighborhoods, income levels, and race in the Los Angeles area between 1985 and 2021. It reveals a troubling forecast for city dwellers: it’s becoming unbearably hot, ...

CHICAGO – Youth baseball players are prone to elbow pain and injuries, including repetitive overuse changes and fractures, based on the maturity of their bones, according to a new study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The repetitive motion and force of throwing a baseball places a large amount of stress on the growing bones, joints and muscles of the elbows of baseball players. Youth baseball players who have not yet reached skeletal maturity might be especially vulnerable to elbow pain and injuries.    “When we look at the forces that baseball players, even ...

CHICAGO – Breast cancer mortality is significantly reduced when women regularly attend screening mammograms, according to research being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Early detection of breast cancer, before symptoms are present, is key to survivability. According to the American Cancer Society, women between the ages of 45 and 54 should get mammograms every year. Women who are 55 years and older can switch to every other year or continue with annual mammograms. Skipping just one scheduled mammogram could result ...

Slow waves that usually only occur in the brain during sleep are also present during wakefulness in people with epilepsy and may protect against increased brain excitability associated with the condition, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL. The research, published in Nature Communications and involving the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, examined electroencephalogram (EEG) scans from electrodes in the brains of 25 patients with focal epilepsy (a type of epilepsy characterised by seizures arising from a specific part of the brain), while they carried out an associative memory task. The electrodes ...

A new study from Mass Eye and Ear investigators shows that individuals who report tinnitus, which present as a ringing in the ears in more than one out of ten adults worldwide, are experiencing auditory nerve loss that is not picked up by conventional hearing tests. This work is part of a P50 grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to Mass Eye and Ear researchers within the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories (EPL) for their work on cochlear synaptopathy, which is commonly referred to as “hidden hearing loss.” The results from this study provide a better understanding on the origins of tinnitus and are published ...

The European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) is delighted to announce that the 2024 European Journal of Endocrinology (EJE) Award has been awarded to Professor Li Chan. Li Chan is Professor of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, at the Queen Mary University of London. The European Journal of Endocrinology Award is presented to a candidate who has significantly contributed to the advancement of knowledge in the field of endocrinology through publication. Professor Chan has been undertaking world class research in the biology ...

Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide and a common pregnancy complication. This serious medical condition is understudied and not universally defined or well represented in health records. A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, used the large language model Flan-T5 to extract medical concepts from electronic health records in order to better define and identify the populations impacted by postpartum hemorrhage.  The study found the model to be 95 percent accurate in identifying patients with the condition, and resulted ...

Microgels form a thin protective shell around a droplet until the temperature rises above 32 degrees. Then the microgels shrink and the droplet dissolves in the surrounding liquid. A study by researchers from the University of Gothenburg now reveals the underlying mechanism behind this process. The discovery could revolutionise methods of targeting medicines to specific locations within the body. Emulsions consist of numerous droplets that are present in a liquid without dissolving and mixing with the liquid. For example, milk consists of fat droplets stabilised by milk proteins that are dispersed in water. In many applications ...

The building sector is the second largest sector in plastic consumption and is responsible for more than a third of energy related greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Manufacturing processes of construction materials pollute air, land, and water. Accordingly, construction materials made from agro-industrial waste become increasingly attractive due to their lower environmental impact. To contribute to a new generation of materials made from what is often considered waste, researchers in Panama have now developed a rice husk-based insulation material and evaluated its thermal and mechanical ...

In his Value Creation project in Cell Ag class, Tufts senior Adham Ali faced an intriguing assignment: work with a group of peers to design a product that uses cellular agriculture (or cell ag, for short) to make life easier for consumers. Majoring in biochemistry, Ali took the class as part of his minor in cell ag—a minor he registered for only this semester, because it’s brand-new at Tufts. It’s also the world’s first and only undergraduate degree in the field. Usually used as part of a nascent—and rapidly growing—field that cultivates lab-grown meat from cells in bioreactors, the processes of cellular agriculture can ...

This review was designed by Professor Xiaoling Song and Professor Biao Jiang and written by Pr. Xiaoling Song and a Ph.D. student, Yifan Wu (Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University) to summarize the application of macrocyclic molecules in cancer treatment. Macrocyclic compounds are cyclic molecules with a structure of 12 or more atoms. In the past decades, macrocycles have received increasing attention in drug development. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved several macrocyclic drugs for cancer therapy. However, the importance of this class of cancer drugs is still not widely known. Song and Wu comprehensively summarized the applications ...

In his Value Creation project in Cell Ag class, Tufts senior Adham Ali faced an intriguing assignment: work with a group of peers to design a product that uses cellular agriculture (or cell ag, for short) to make life easier for consumers. Majoring in biochemistry, Ali took the class as part of his minor in cell ag—a minor he registered for only this semester, because it’s brand-new at Tufts. It’s also the world’s first and only undergraduate degree in the field. Usually used as part of a nascent—and rapidly growing—field that cultivates lab-grown meat from cells in bioreactors, the processes of cellular agriculture ...

With the world projected to be highly urbanized by 2050, cities are encouraged to take urgent climate actions to mitigate and adapt to the threats of climate change. As climate change intensifies and urbanization increases rapidly, local governments are expected now more than ever to lead climate action planning. However, studies show the limitations of the existing climate action plans (CAPs). So scientists from Hiroshima University have created an Urban Climate Action Planning (UCAP) framework to guide the development of urban CAPs and support the assessment of the level of suitability of these plans. Their work is published ...

A new bacterial species discovered at the deep-sea hydrothermal vent site ‘Crab Spa’ provides a deeper understanding of bacterial evolution. Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are hot springs on the ocean floor. Sea water penetrates into the ocean crust, becomes heated, and rises to the seafloor surface carrying dissolved nutrients. Around these vents, far from any sunlight, vibrant biological communities are found. Here, microbes play the role of primary producers through chemosynthesis—similar to the role that plants play on land through photosynthesis. Researchers at Hokkaido University, in collaboration with colleagues at Woods ...