About The Study: The findings of this diagnostic study including 43,000 individuals undergoing hereditary cancer testing demonstrate that the ability to perform RNA sequencing concurrently with DNA sequencing represents an important advancement in germline genetic testing by improving detection of novel variants and classification of existing variants. This expands the identification of individuals with hereditary cancer predisposition and increases opportunities for personalization of therapeutics and surveillance.  Authors: Rachid Karam, M.D., Ph.D., of Ambry Genetics ...

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important vegetable crop that has an extensive history of cultivation, and has been classified into two subspecies, C. melo ssp. agrestis and C. melo ssp. melo. Previous study suggested that the two subspecies were domesticated independently [1], which may have generated different genetic mechanisms for the same trait between the two subspecies. Furthermore, the difference in their geographical distribution resulted in diverse characteristics between the two subspecies, shaping genomic imprinting in their genomes. Wild germplasm is an important genetic resource in crop breeding because of its high genetic diversity ...

Pregnant women living in blighted neighborhoods with high levels of known stressors have higher levels of testosterone – the primary sex hormone in males -- which disrupt hormone regulation and may lead to life-threatening complications during and after childbirth, according to Rutgers research.  “Previous research has shown that exposure to neighborhood stressors is associated with preterm birth, low birth weight and other complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and stillbirth,” ...

Highlights Investigators have found demographic differences between participants of kidney transplant clinical trials and transplant recipients in the United States, even in recent years. Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2023 November 1–November 5. Philadelphia, PA (November 3, 2023) — Investigators recently examined the extent to which participants in clinical trials related to kidney transplantation are similar to individuals undergoing transplantation in the United States. The ...

Highlights In a recent analysis of US data, Black patients with kidney failure experienced survival advantages compared with White patients when county-level structural racism was low, but they experienced survival disadvantages compared with White patients at higher levels of structural racism. Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2023 November 1–November 5. Philadelphia, PA (November 3, 2023) — A new analysis indicates that county-level structural racism is a significant determinant of death among individuals ...

Highlights Imaging tests in individuals with type 2 diabetes without symptoms of cardiovascular disease indicated that elevated albumin in the urine may be linked with sub-clinical coronary artery pathology, including coronary artery microcalcifications. Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2023 November 1–November 5. Philadelphia, PA (November 3, 2023) — Advances in non-invasive imaging have allowed clinicians to assess both the structure and function of coronary arteries. Investigators who recently used positron emission tomography and computed tomography ...

Highlights By examining the gene expression patterns of single cells from human fetal kidneys, researchers created a map that demonstrates the trajectories of cell states in the developing kidney and that identifies characteristics associated with kidney diseases. Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2023 November 1–November 5. Philadelphia, PA (November 3, 2023) — Scientists have examined the gene expression patterns of single cells from 5 human fetal kidneys to create the most complete atlas of the ...

Highlights Results from the phase 3 SCORED trial indicate that sotagliflozin protects kidney and heart health in individuals with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2023 November 1–November 5. Philadelphia, PA (November 3, 2023) — Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which are medications that lower blood sugar levels among other effects, provide kidney- and heart-related benefits to patients with and without diabetes. An exploratory analysis ...

Alaskans and visitors may be able to see an artificial airglow in the sky created by the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program during a four-day research campaign that starts Saturday. Scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cornell University, University of Colorado Denver, University of Florida and Georgia Institute of Technology will conduct a variety of experiments at the UAF-operated research site. The experiments will focus on the ionosphere, the region of the atmosphere between about 30 and 350 miles ...

“The patient was managed with ripretinib and surgical resection of progressing lesions at multiple time points which led to extended clinical benefit.” BUFFALO, NY- November 3, 2023 – A new case report was published in Oncoscience (Volume 10) on September 20, 2023, entitled, “Multi-disciplinary management of recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumor harboring KIT exon 11 mutation with the switch-control kinase inhibitor ripretinib and surgery.” Ripretinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that was approved by the United States FDA in 2020 for treatment of advanced ...

Health happens where people work, live, play and worship, says Prof. Stacey Snelling, chair of the Department of Health Studies in American University’s College of Arts and Sciences. And that’s where the Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Lab engages children, adults and older adults to tackle health inequities. Snelling received a three-year grant of $2.8 million from Novo Nordisk Inc. for health education and to grow the number of Black farmers producing locally grown fruit and vegetables. The goal is to improve local ...

BOSTON – Ready or not, patients with cancer are increasingly likely to find themselves interacting with artificial intelligence technologies to schedule appointments, monitor their health, learn about their disease and its treatment, find support, and more. In a new paper in JCO Oncology Practice, bioethics researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute call on medical societies, government leaders, clinicians, and researchers to work together to ensure AI-driven healthcare preserves patient autonomy and respects human dignity. The authors note that while AI has immense potential for expanding access to cancer care and improving the ...

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have led a phase 1 trial of a new drug that delivers potent radiation therapy directly and specifically to cancer cells in patients with advanced prostate cancer. The clinical trial showed that the “radiopharmaceutical” was well tolerated and demonstrated promising antitumor activity, according to a new study published on Nov. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The radiopharmaceutical 225AC-J591 was administered in a single injection and consists of two parts: an antibody that helps find the cancer cells is linked to a molecule that delivers a deadly dose of radiation. Specifically, an antibody named J591 that ...

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (11/03/2023) — Research led by the University of Minnesota Medical School identified a new pathway to combat cardiovascular disease. The study was recently published in Nature Cardiovascular Research. The research team’s work identifies a molecule called TREM2 as a unique and therapeutically relevant pathway for the treatment of atherosclerosis—a common condition that develops when plaque builds up inside arteries—in preclinical models. Atherosclerosis is a primary cause of cardiovascular diseases, which are the number one ...

CHICAGO—November 3, 2023—Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) has leased approximately 34,295 square feet in Trammell Crow Company’s (TCC) Fulton Labs innovation hub, announced today by the Chicago office of TCC, a global real estate developer. Illinois Tech will occupy the entire 7th floor of the cutting-edge wet lab facilities at 400 North Aberdeen, aiming to fuel scientific breakthroughs and industry-relevant research as the first academic institution to join the thriving and collaborative innovation ecosystem alongside their Fulton Labs neighbors, which include Portal Innovations and the Chan Zuckerberg BioHub. ...

Ever since the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, physicists have wanted to build new particle colliders to better understand the properties of that elusive particle and probe elementary particle physics at ever-higher energy scales. The trick is, doing so takes energy – a lot of it. A typical collider takes hundreds of megawatts – the equivalent of tens of millions of modern lightbulbs – to operate. That's to say nothing of the energy it takes to build the devices, and it all adds ...

November 3, TORONTO — Scientists at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) have uncovered one way tobacco smoking causes cancer and makes it harder to treat by undermining the body’s anti-cancer safeguards. Their new study, published today in Science Advances, links tobacco smoking to harmful changes in DNA called ‘stop-gain mutations’ that tell the body to stop making certain proteins before they are fully formed. They found that these stop-gain mutations were especially prevalent in genes known as ‘tumour-suppressors’, ...

Joint press release by MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel The distribution of salt by ocean currents plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate. This is what researchers from Dalhousie University in Canada, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen have found in a new study. ...

The connection between exercise and inflammation has captivated the imagination of researchers ever since an early 20th-century study showed a spike of white cells in the blood of Boston marathon runners following the race. Now, a new Harvard Medical School study published Nov. 3 in Science Immunology may offer a molecular explanation behind this century-old observation. The study, done in mice, suggests that the beneficial effects of exercise may be driven, at least partly, by the immune system. It shows that muscle inflammation caused by exertion mobilizes inflammation-countering T cells, or Tregs, which enhance the muscles’ ability to use ...

There are many creatures on our planet with more advanced senses than humans. Turtles can sense Earth’s magnetic field. Mantis shrimp can detect polarized light. Elephants can hear much lower frequencies than humans can. Butterflies can perceive a broader range of colors, including ultraviolet (UV) light. Inspired by the enhanced visual system of the Papilio xuthus butterfly, a team of researchers have developed an imaging sensor capable of “seeing” into the UV range inaccessible to human eyes. The design of the sensor uses stacked photodiodes and perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) capable of imaging different wavelengths ...

East Hanover, NJ – November 3, 2023 – Experts reported little change in October’s employment indicators, as people with disabilities extended their historic highs into the fall, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) – semi-monthly update issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). As anti-inflationary measures exert their cooling effects on the economy, people with disabilities are striving to maintain their gains in the post-pandemic labor market.    Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing September 2023 to October 2023) Based on ...

Using global satellite data, a research team has mapped the tree cover of the world’s protected areas. The study shows that regions with abundant large herbivores in many settings have a more variable tree cover, which is expected to benefit biodiversity overall. Maintaining species-rich and resilient ecosystems is key to preserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change. Here, megafauna – the part of the animal population in an area that is made up of the largest animals – plays an important role. In a new study published in the scientific journal One Earth, an international research team, of which Lund University is a part, has investigated the intricate interplay ...

As climate scientist Don Falk was hiking through a forest, the old, green pines stretched overhead. But he had the feeling that something was missing. Then his eyes found it: a seedling, brittle and brown, overlooked because of its lifelessness. Once Falk's eyes found one, the others quickly fell into his awareness. An entire generation of young trees had died. Falk – a professor in the UArizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment, with joint appointments in the Laboratory ...

Researchers at DZNE and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have pioneered a novel treatment for the most common autoimmune encephalitis. By reprogramming white blood cells to target and eliminate disease-causing cells, the approach offers a new level of precision and efficiency. The technique has proven successful in laboratory studies, clinical trials in humans are already being planned. NMDA receptor encephalitis is the most common form of antibody-caused brain disease, in which antibodies suddenly attack the brain, thus turning against the patient’s own body. “In ...

In order to survive, organisms must control the pressure inside them, from the single-cell level to tissues and organs. Measuring these pressures in living cells and tissues in physiological conditions is a challenge. In research that has its origin at UC Santa Barbara, scientists now at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL) at the Technical University in Dresden (TU Dresden), Germany, report in the journal Nature Communications a new technique to ‘visualize’ these pressures as organisms develop. These measurements can help understand how cells and tissues ...