DALLAS (SMU) – SMU nanotechnology expert MinJun Kim and his team have been awarded a $1.8 million, R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research related to gene therapy – a technique that modifies a person’s genes to treat or cure disease. NIH R01 (Research Program) grants are extremely competitive, with fewer than 10 percent of applicants receiving one.  The four-year grant will allow Kim, the Robert C. Womack Chair in the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU (Southern Methodist University) and principal investigator ...

$200m Gift Propels Scientific Research in the Search for Life Beyond Earth Legacy of Franklin Antonio represents quantum leap for The SETI Institute November 8, 2023, Mountain View, CA – The SETI Institute, a non-profit scientific research organization, announced today a philanthropic gift of $200m from the estate of Franklin Antonio, a visionary supporter and catalyst of the work of the SETI Institute for more than 12 years. Co-founder of communications chip company, Qualcomm, Antonio passed away on May 13, 2022, leaving behind an extraordinary ...

(WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2023) – Using birth control pills and other hormone-based contraceptives is known to elevate the risk of blood clots about three-fold, but a new study suggests that this risk largely goes away within two to four weeks after one stops using these contraceptives, according to research published today in Blood. The findings – the first to provide such confirmatory guidance on the best timing to stop contraception – can help patients and doctors weigh the benefits and risks of hormonal contraceptives and guide when to stop using them ahead of events that could further increase the risk of dangerous clots, such as major surgery, ...

A new study published in Nutrients shows daily consumption of strawberries for 12 weeks reduced interference in memory and depressive symptoms among middle-aged, overweight adults with self-reported mild cognitive decline.  “Dementia is a general term that includes many different diseases, all without remedies,” says Robert Krikorian, Ph.D., principal investigator and professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center. “It is not clear when ...

Silicon (Si) is abundant in terrestrial environments and accounts for 0.1% to 10% of a plant’s dry weight. Certain plant species show high levels of Si accumulation, and research has identified high Si accumulation as a protective mechanism against abiotic (drought, cold, heat) and biotic stressors (living organisms). Oryza sativa (rice) can store Si to the tune of 10% of the dry weight of shoots (stem, leaves, flowers), and Si is vital for stable grain production. High degree of Si deposition is believed to mitigate against damage caused ...

The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Glenn Flores, MD, as the 2024 David G. Nichols Health Equity Award recipient. The David G. Nichols Health Equity Award, administered by the APS and endowed by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation, was created to recognize demonstrated excellence in advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity through quality improvement, advocacy, practice, or research. This award recognizes Dr. Flores’ outstanding contributions to advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity and the ...

Under the ocean’s surface, marine organisms are constantly releasing invisible molecules. Some of the chemical clues reveal which creatures are nearby, while others could be used someday as medications. Now, researchers in ACS Central Science report a proof-of-concept device that “sniffs” seawater, trapping dissolved compounds for analyses. The team showed that the system could easily concentrate molecules that are present in underwater caves and holds promise for drug discovery in fragile ecosystems, including coral reefs. A ...

By rapidly reversing the effects of an opioid overdose, naloxone saves lives ― if it’s available at the right time. To eliminate this element of chance, researchers are exploring ways to have the medication available in the body before it’s needed. In a proof-of-concept in ACS’ Nano Letters, a team has designed injectable nanoparticles that released naloxone when triggered by blue light. In experiments with mice, this system was activated a month after injection. Since it began more than two decades ago, the opioid epidemic has taken an enormous toll on people’s lives. In 2022 ...

In patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a rare connective tissue disease, interstitial lung disease contributes to 35 percent of deaths. Published recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the latest American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline makes a number of recommendations. One recommendation expands antifibrotic treatment to all patients with systemic sclerosis associated with ILD (SSc-ILD), not just those with progressive disease. Watch the explainer video. Lead guidelines chair and editor, Ganesh Raghu, M.D., ATSF, noted the timeliness of the recommendations given the many immune ...

Central diabetes insipidus (CDI), a rare condition involving the destruction or degeneration of neurons of the hypothalamic-posterior pituitary in the brain, has several likely underlying clinical causes. Patients with CDI experience excessive thirst and excessive urine production, owing to the decreased secretion of AVP. Moreover, in children and young adults with CDI, a malignant tumor known as a 'germinoma' may develop later in life. The diagnosis of these tumors is challenging, because biopsy in intracranial lesions is difficult.   Lymphocytic infundibulo-neurohypophysitis (LINH) or ...

General anesthesia evokes a dual mystery: How does it disrupt consciousness, including sensory perception, and what might that say about the nature of consciousness. A new study led by researchers at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT provides evidence in animals that consciousness depends on properly synchronized communication across the brain’s cortex and that the anesthetic drug propofol cancels sensory processing by cutting it off. In the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, researchers report clear evidence that in anesthetized animals, ...

Genetic information collected from seemingly healthy tissue near lung tumors may be a better predictor of whether cancer will come back after treatment than analysis of the tumors themselves, according to new research led by NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center. The new study focuses on lung adenocarcinoma, a cancer that forms in alveolar epithelial cells and accounts for about a third of all lung cancers in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most patients are cured if tumors are surgically removed early in the disease’s progression, but residual ...

UCLA scientists have developed a new method to engineer more powerful immune cells that can potentially be used for “off-the-shelf” cell therapy to treat challenging cancers. “Off-the-shelf” cell therapy, also known as allogenic therapy, uses immune cells derived from healthy donors instead of patients. The approach can bring cell therapies, like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, to more patients in a timelier manner, which is one of the major barriers in getting these life-saving treatments to patients. “Time is often of the essence when it comes to treating people with advanced cancers,” said Lili Yang, associate professor ...

A research team in Japan, led by Nagoya University’s Akira Yokoi, has developed an innovative technique using cellulose nanofiber (CNF) sheets derived from wood cellulose to capture extracellular vesicles (EVs) from fluid samples and even organs during surgery. EVs are small structures from cancerous cells that play a crucial role in cell-to-cell communication. Extracting and analyzing EVs using this new technology has the potential to revolutionize early cancer diagnosis and open the door to personalized medicine. The researchers published their findings in Nature Communications.  Cancer is notorious for its poor prognosis and in many cases goes undetected until its ...

Results from a new clinical trial suggest that a group of brain regions known as the “salience network” is activated after a drug is taken intravenously, but not when that same drug is taken orally. When drugs enter the brain quickly, such as through injection or smoking, they are more addictive than when they enter the brain more slowly, such as when they are taken orally. However, the brain circuits underlying these differences are not well understood. This study offers new information that helps explain what may be causing this difference. The study was published in Nature Communications and led by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National ...

The last 40 years have witnessed a deep transformation in our views of animal development. From seeing development a multicellular black box where over time a mass of cells acquires shape to form organs and tissues, we now have a detailed account of this process in terms of gene expression, multicellular activity, and morphogenesis.  This new point of view has raised questions about the relationships between genes, cells, and organisms. These questions are impacting our thinking about evolution, ...

Buprenorphine is a medication approved for pain and opioid dependence. New findings published in The American Journal on Addictions indicate that a transmucosal dose (which dissolves in the mouth) of buprenorphine followed by an injection of extended-release buprenorphine (BUP‐XR) may be an effective treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder who use fentanyl. The results come from a recent secondary analysis of an open-label study in which 24 participants received a single 4 mg dose of transmucosal buprenorphine followed by an injection ...

In an analysis of published prospective studies of people of all ages with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were followed for at least 12 months, pre-existing allergic conditions were linked to higher risks of experiencing long-term symptoms associated with COVID-19, or Long-COVID.   The analysis, which is published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy, identified 13 relevant studies (with a total of 9,967 participants) published between January 1, 2020 and January 19, 2023. Although the data as a whole from the studies suggested that individuals with asthma or rhinitis might be at increased risk of Long-COVID after SARS-CoV-2 ...

In an analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that included older US women, caregiving was associated with a lower risk of death over an average follow-up of 17.5 years. In the analysis of 158,987 women aged 50–79 years when enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (a long-term national health study), 31.8% of women died during follow-up, and women who reported being a caregiver over 2 assessments 10 years apart had a 9% lower risk of dying from any cause compared with non-caregivers. Caregiving was also associated with lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease ...

A systematic review that analyzed the results of published studies concluded that school-based law enforcement (SBLE)—having sworn law enforcement officers stationed in schools on at least a part-time basis—is likely ineffective for keeping schools safe, and it may even have detrimental consequences. The research, which is published in Campbell Systematic Reviews, included 32 studies that examined the relationship between SBLE presence and school-related outcomes including crime and behavior problems, perceptions of school, and student learning. The studies compared outcomes in schools with SBLE to those without SBLE, ...

Previous research has identified genetic variants associated with insomnia and sleep duration in adults. Now a study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry has found that these variants also likely affect sleep quality and quantity in children. In the study of 2,458 children of European ancestry, children who were genetically predisposed to insomnia (based on a polygenic risk score developed for adults) had more insomnia-like sleep problems such as frequent awakenings or difficulty initiating sleep, as reported ...

In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, psychological assessments indicated that people who regularly use cannabis, or marijuana, tend to have a greater understanding of the emotions of others. Brain imaging tests also revealed that cannabis users’ anterior cingulate—a region generally affected by cannabis use and related to empathy—had stronger connectivity with brain regions related to sensing the emotional states of others within one’s own body. The study included ...

Wildlife management decisions and practices face increasing ethical scrutiny. In research published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, investigators have developed a framework for incorporating ethical considerations into decisions in a systematic way. The framework includes 3 domains: moral theory, which focuses on consequences and outcomes; principle- and rule-based approaches that deal with what is considered right or wrong; and virtue ethical therapy, which considers factors such as character, virtue, and aesthetics. Wildlife ...

From a seasonal cold to a stomach bug, nobody likes catching a virus — and epidemics can be devastating. We need safe, sustainable antiviral options to treat the outbreaks of the future. Scientists in Finland have now shown that an extract of willow bark — a plant which has already provided several medicines, including the precursor to modern aspirin — has a broad-spectrum antiviral effect in cell sample experiments. The extract worked both on enveloped coronaviruses, which cause colds as well as Covid-19, and non-enveloped enteroviruses, which cause infections such as flu and meningitis. There are no clinically approved drugs which work against enteroviruses directly, ...

The trend among younger children to frequently drink caffeinated soda may indicate higher risk of alcohol consumption in the future, new research suggests.   In a study of over 2,000 US children, aged between just nine to ten, those who reported drinking caffeinated soda daily, were found a year later twice as likely to state they had sipped alcohol. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use & Misuse, the results of the study also demonstrate that daily drinkers of caffeinated soda were more impulsive and have a poorer working memory. Each of the findings took into consideration other factors such as family history of drug use and low parental ...