BOSTON – In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, effectively ending 50 years of federal protections to abortion care. As of October 2023, twenty-six states have since enacted laws to ban or restrict abortion access, with 14 states completely banning the procedure. Today, an estimated 25 million American women of childbearing age, or about one third of women ages 15 to 45, live in areas where abortion care is severely restricted. Historically, many states were able to restrict access to abortion even before 2022 through Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws; these laws decrease ...

Multiple sclerosis patients whose blood tests reveal elevated NfL, a biomarker of nerve damage, could see worsening disability one to two years later, according to a new study spearheaded by researchers at UC San Francisco.     The study is the first to quantify the timeframe preceding disability worsening in which injury to the central nervous system takes place, said co-first author Ahmed Abdelhak, MD, of the UCSF Department of Neurology and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences.    Almost 1 million Americans ...

Article in Nature Communications demonstrates that with 96% sensitivity, AI diagnostic MSIntuit™ CRC can  rule  out  almost  half  of  the  MSS population of colorectal cancer patients unlikely to respond to checkpoint inhibitor therapy from additional screening. Such AI-enabled solutions have the potential to improve lab efficiency, addressing global pathology shortages and reducing testing burden to match the right patients to the right therapies.  Paris and New York., 6 Nov 2023 – In a peer-reviewed study published today in Nature Communications, a team of scientists ...

New research shows that European food consumption draws unnecessarily excessively on global resources, which is why researchers are calling for political action. Many of the foods that are consumed in Europe are produced in countries outside Europe. Food loss – and waste later in the chain, (read more on waste terms below) – occurs along the food supply chain, from the primary agricultural sector in Europe or rest of the world, until it feeds mouths in Europe. “Halving Europe’s food loss and waste, together with a redistribution of global food resources, could solve the challenges of food shortages in the ...

A new virtual brain bank spanning five Chicago academic medical centers and led by University of Illinois Chicago will create a powerful new resource for clinical care and research on epilepsy, brain tumors and neurological disorders.  A $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will create a network of brain tissue research at UIC, Northwestern University, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Rush University and University of Chicago. The institutions will utilize a data platform developed at UIC called INTUITION that combines tissue data with clinical, functional, genetic and 3D imaging information to assist clinicians treating patients and help researchers better understand ...

Interaction between machines and humans is paramount to the development of the new technologies of the metaverse, which are designed to augment the human experience through cloud computing and extended reality (XR). Graphene, a two-dimensional carbon material, has emerged as an ideal candidate for wearable sensor technology, paving the way for a new era of seamless human-machine interaction (HMI).   A team of material scientists led by Tian-Ling Ren from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China recently outlined the state of graphene-based HMI sensor technology ...

Fatty liver diseases (FLD) have become a significant health concern worldwide, affecting millions. The two most common types of FLD are non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic-associated liver disease (ALD). NAFLD is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, while ALD is caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Both NAFLD and ALD can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and, ultimately, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a primary liver cancer with a poor prognosis. Significant ...

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that affect the gastrointestinal tract. In recent decades, there have been significant advances in the understanding of IBD pathophysiology and the development of new treatments. The International Organisation for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IOIBD) developed the Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE) programs, which recommend specific treatment goals for UC and CD in children ...

  - A multicenter study of the MD Anderson, Korea University, Yonsei University, and other institutions - Establishing subtypes of gastric cancer classification to lay the foundation of personalized treatment   Professor Sang Cheul Oh of the Division of Oncology/Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Professor Sang‑Hee Kang of the Department of Surgery, Korea University’s Guro Hospital, and Professor Sun Young Yim of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine announced a new genetic classification system ...

ABSTRACTS: 1534, 777, 1328, 1526, 1330, 545 HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational, and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. This special edition features oral presentations from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 38th Annual Meeting focused on scientific advances and breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy from MD Anderson-led studies. Highlights include fecal microbiome transplants ...

LAWRENCE — The story of Ekgmowechashala, the final primate to inhabit North America before Homo sapiens or Clovis people, reads like a spaghetti western: A grizzled and mysterious loner, against the odds, ekes out an existence on the American Plains. Except this tale unfolded about 30 million years ago, just after the Eocene-Oligocene transition during which North America saw great cooling and drying, making the continent less hospitable to warmth-loving primates. Today, paleontologists from the University ...

First reported in 2015, tar spot is an emerging disease on corn that has rapidly spread across the United States and Canada, causing tremendous yield loss estimated at $1.2 billion in 2021 alone. Tar spot gets its name from its iconic symptoms that resemble the splatter of “tar” on corn leaves, but these spots are in fact brown lesions formed by the fungal pathogen Phyllachora maydis. This destructive pathogen is challenging to research because it cannot survive outside its plant host; therefore, little information is currently known about the mechanisms that contribute to its disease cycle including spore formation, reproduction, and plant ...

Open wounds, whether caused by accidents or from medical procedures like surgery, require proper management to speed up healing and prevent infections. While sutures and staples are common wound closure methods, they can cause secondary tissue injuries, potentially leaking fluids and gases and requiring anesthetics. Tissue adhesive glues are a more attractive alternative but often suffer from toxicity and weak adhesion. Fortunately, tissue adhesive patches offer an innovative solution. They allow precise control of adhesion and mechanical properties through adjustable polymeric compositions. These patches can also deliver ...

Like other countries in the world, Japan has witnessed a worrisome increase in the prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) over the last decade. An inflammatory disease that lasts at least 12 weeks, CRS can cause nasal congestion, nasal discharge, trouble breathing through the nose, facial pain, and even loss of sense of smell. Unfortunately, treating CRS is complex since the disease manifests in various forms. CRS can be categorized into eosinophilic (ECRS) or non-eosinophilic (non-ECRS) types. In ECRS, the nasal and sinus tissues exhibit an increased presence of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell that releases inflammatory ...

Research Highlights: American Indian and Alaska Native adults had significantly higher death rates from premature heart attacks compared to white, Black and Asian/Pacific Islander adults in the U.S., according to an analysis of more than 370,000 heart attack deaths from 1999-2020. In addition, despite an overall decrease in heart attack death rates among American Indian and Alaska Native adults during the last two decades, heart attack-related deaths in American Indian and Alaska Native adult men younger than 55 years old and women younger than 65 years old did not decrease. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ...

Research Highlights: A child’s race, ethnicity and/or the neighborhood where they live may have an impact on their survival and recovery after a cardiac arrest. Black children were more than four times more likely to experience a cardiac arrest compared to white or Hispanic children. Children from neighborhoods with the highest socioeconomic status had the best odds of surviving and functioning well after a cardiac arrest. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 DALLAS, Nov. 6, 2023 — Children’s ...

Research Highlights: As more people across the U.S. use marijuana for medical and recreational reasons, two new studies suggest its regular intake may damage heart and brain health. In one study, daily use of marijuana raised the risk of developing heart failure by about one-third, even after considering other factors, compared to people who reported never using marijuana. In a second study, older people with any combination of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol who used marijuana, ...

Research Highlights: In a small study of adults living in rural America, those who identified as transgender were more likely to have cardiovascular disease risk factors, including tobacco use, obesity, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, high cholesterol and/or alcohol use. Study participants with the highest odds of having cardiovascular disease risk factors were transgender males. The findings highlight the need for interventions focused on reducing health disparities among the transgender population, researchers said. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 DALLAS, Nov. 6, 2023 — Transgender ...

Research Highlights: An experimental, leadless pacemaker housing is able to partially recharge the device’s battery by generating electrical energy from heartbeats. The device generated about 10% of the energy needed to stimulate another heartbeat. The preliminary findings show that leadless pacemaker batteries may be recharged by converting the heart’s mechanical/pressure energy into electrical energy, however, more research is needed. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 DALLAS, ...

Research Highlights: High blood pressure risk was higher among adolescent girls with a condition associated with irregular menstrual periods called polycystic ovary syndrome, compared to teens without this condition, according to a study of girls between 13-17 years of age. In a separate study of women younger than age 50, those with painful menstrual periods had a notably higher risk of heart disease compared with those women without the condition known as dysmenorrhea. Researchers of both studies suggest future investigations focus on how these reproductive conditions may impact women’s long-term cardiovascular disease risk. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. ...

Research Highlights: Artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning models may help to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease events and detect heart valvular disease, according to two preliminary research studies. One study found that artificial intelligence analyzing sound data of the heart recorded from a digital stethoscope was able to more accurately detect heart valve disease than a health care professional who listened to the heart with a traditional stethoscope. In a study evaluating data from the UK Biobank, an artificial intelligence/deep learning program effectively analyzed and sorted eye images ...

Research Highlights: Depression and anxiety may accelerate the onset of risk factors for increased heart attack and stroke, according to a Boston-based study. People with a higher genetic sensitivity to stress developed a cardiovascular risk factor at a younger age, than people without the genetic marker. A separate study based in Dallas found that cumulative stress contributed to health behaviors — such as smoking — that negatively affect cardiovascular health and potentially increasing plaque buildup in the arteries and other known cardiovascular disease risk factors. Embargoed until 4 a.m. ...

DURHAM, NC -- A speech prosthetic developed by a collaborative team of Duke neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, and engineers can translate a person’s brain signals into what they’re trying to say. Appearing Nov. 6 in the journal Nature Communications, the new technology might one day help people unable to talk due to neurological disorders regain the ability to communicate through a brain-computer interface. “There are many patients who suffer from debilitating motor disorders, like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or locked-in syndrome, that can impair their ability to speak,” said Gregory Cogan, Ph.D., a professor of ...

LA JOLLA (November 6, 2023)—Regulatory T cells are specialized immune cells that suppress the immune response and prevent the body from attacking its own cells. Understanding how these cells work is key to determining how they might be manipulated to encourage the destruction of cancer cells or prevent autoimmunity. Cell behavior is influenced by chromatin architecture (the 3D shape of chromosomes) and which genes are accessible to proteins—like Foxp3, which promotes regulatory T cell development. Now, Salk Professor Ye Zheng and Assistant Professor Jesse ...

Women who have survived a stroke believe they are less likely to receive adequate emergency care – based on gender and race or ethnicity, a study led by Michigan Medicine and Brown University finds. Researchers analyzed survey data from the American Heart Association Research Goes Red Registry to determine perceptions of emergency care for women with and without a history of stroke. Results published in Stroke reveal that women with a history of stroke were over three times more likely to believe “to a great extent” that they would not receive adequate care in the emergency room based on their gender and race or ethnicity. “It’s clear from our findings ...