Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists who arranged for 48 human bioengineered heart tissue samples to spend 30 days at the International Space Station report evidence that the low gravity conditions in space weakened the tissues and disrupted their normal rhythmic beats when compared to earth-bound samples from the same source. The scientists said the heart tissues “really don’t fare well in space,” and over time, the tissues aboard the space station beat about half as strong as tissues from the same source kept on Earth. The findings, ...

Joshua Lupton, M.D., has no memory of his own cardiac arrest in 2016. He only knows that first responders resuscitated his heart with a shock from a defibrillator, ultimately leading to his complete recovery and putting him among fewer than one in 10 people nationwide who survive cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. He attributes his survival to the rapid defibrillation he received from first responders — but not everybody is so fortunate. Now, as lead author on a new observational study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, he and co-authors from Oregon Health & Science University ...

A student studying biological chemistry at The University of Texas at Arlington earned a state-wide award for her research on diazo compounds, the building blocks of some medications. Jenny Hoang, a senior, received the third-place award at the 2024 University of Texas System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) conference held in El Paso in August. “Honestly, I was so shocked that I won third place because I almost didn’t even apply for this program,” said Hoang, a Carrollton ...

High levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere can alter not only the climate of our planet but also the functioning of our cells. The gas interacts with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which performs various functions in the human body, giving rise to a potent oxidant called peroxymonocarbonate. "More and more evidence is emerging that peroxymonocarbonate is important in both cells’ adaptive responses via redox signaling and in cellular dysfunction. There is also epidemiological evidence that the levels of CO2 our cities are close to reaching cause a number of physiological problems. And the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of CO2 are ...

Scientists from the American Cancer Society (ACS) are presenting research studies at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium (QCS) September 27-28 in San Francisco, CA. ASCO QCS offers research and education that encompasses the needs and viewpoints of multiple disciplines and various practice settings, attracting oncology professionals from around the world. This year’s program will feature studies complementing the meeting’s theme: “Driving Solutions, Implementing ...

New research finds that adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have high rates of comorbid mental and substance use disorders and significant social and economic disadvantages, and only 26% received minimally adequate treatment. Meeting the needs of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders will require innovative interventions and implementation to improve access to and use of evidence-based approaches, the authors argue. The research was published today in Psychiatric Services in Advance. The researchers, led by Natalie Bareis, Ph.D., ...

Reston, VA (September 23, 2024)—More than 300 nuclear medicine clinicians, researchers, technologists, regulators and suppliers gathered in Bethesda, Maryland, on September 19-21, for the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2024 Therapeutics Conference. As the largest SNMMI Therapeutics Conference to date, the meeting offered attendees the chance to explore the latest innovations and advancements in theranostics and other nuclear medicine therapies as well as gain valuable insights into enhancing their practice. This year’s Therapeutics Conference included eight distinct sessions covering advances in radiopharmaceutical ...

Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many companies with operations in Russia withdrew from or severely curtailed their Russian operations. For example, Dell and McDonald’s ceased all operations in Russia after the invasion. Many experts have argued that the corporate response to the Ukraine war is a striking example of stakeholder capitalism, a model where corporations are responsible for considering the interests of various stakeholders — including employees, customers, communities, governments and the environment — and not just ...

A Mississippi State biologist’s groundbreaking research in improving global nutrition and sustainability is featured this week in New Phytologist, a leading plant biology journal. Ling Li, an associate professor in the MSU Department of Biological Sciences, has spent more than a decade studying rice and soybean crops, with the goal of providing a new strategy for crop improvement to increase protein content.  Her work offers a potential solution to combat global protein deficiency, a condition affecting millions, particularly children, contributing to cognitive impairments, stunted growth and susceptibility to diseases like Kwashiorkor, ...

DETROIT — Wayne State University researchers recently received a grant from the Great Lakes Protection Fund to team with the Huron River Watershed Council, the Cleveland Water Alliance, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and Resource Recycling Systems to help communities combat microplastics in water sources. The project, “Mobilizing a Great Lakes Microplastic Action Network,” is led by Yongli Wager, Ph.D., associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Sustainable Water-Environment-Energy Technologies Lab in Wayne State’s College of Engineering. The project’s goal is to create ...

Doctors and researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus published a discussion paper today highlighting key initiatives to help strengthen, train and prepare doctors and health care workers for the impact of climate change on human health. The paper is published in the National Academy of Medicine Perspectives. The authors, who come from a diverse background in health care from pediatrics to emergency medicine, and nursing to pharmacy, outline the importance of educating a climate-savvy health care workforce and highlight educational opportunities to fulfill the critical need. “As climate change increasingly ...

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Telemedicine actually improves the quality of care and increases physician satisfaction in delivering that care, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.  We all remember when the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020 upended the comfort of our daily routines. Businesses were forced to adapt to limited ways of engaging with customers, with varied levels of success. Lockdown posed a unique challenge for physicians: they couldn’t meet with every patient in person. Telemedicine became not only an alternative but the best option for seeing patients in remote areas or where infection rates ...

Quasars are the most luminous objects in the Universe and are powered by material accreting onto supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. Studies have shown that early-Universe quasars have black holes so massive that they must have been swallowing gas at very high rates, leading most astronomers to believe that these quasars formed in some of the densest environments in the Universe where gas was most available. However, observational measurements seeking to confirm this conclusion have thus far yielded conflicting results. Now, a new study using the Dark Energy Camera ...

Fatah Kashanchi, Professor, Virology, School of Systems Biology, College of Science; Director, Laboratory of Molecular Virology, received funding for the study: “Parasite-Derived Vesicles in Babesia virulence and Vaccine Development.” Babesia is a parasite spread by ticks. If humans contract babesiosis, they can experience influenza-like symptoms, bleeding, and organ failure. The condition is rare and affects fewer than 3,000 people in the United States per year. Kashanchi will isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs) and utilize them to treat primary monocyte-derived macrophages ...

NEW YORK, NY (Sept. 23, 2024)--Children born during the first year of the pandemic, including those exposed to COVID in utero, were no more likely to screen positive for autism than unexposed or pre-pandemic children, found researchers from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.  The study, published in JAMA Network Open, is the first report on autism risk among pandemic-era children. “Autism risk is known to increase with virtually any kind of insult to mom during pregnancy, including infection and stress,” says Dani Dumitriu, ...

About The Study: The results of this cohort study suggest that maternal influenza infection during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of childhood seizures, especially febrile seizures, but not epilepsy. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying childhood neurological development.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ming-Chih Lin, MD, PhD, email mingclin@gmail.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.34935) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of 2 groups of children with prenatal pandemic exposure and/or exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, neither exposure was associated with greater Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised positivity.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD, email dani.dumitriu@columbia.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.35005) Editor’s Note: Please ...

About The Study: The findings from this cross-sectional study demonstrate that the legacies of redlining, intertwined with current dynamics of displacement and gentrification, affect severe maternal morbidity. Place-based sociopolitical mechanisms that inequitably distribute resources may be important intervention points to address structural drivers of adverse pregnancy outcomes and their racial inequities.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Mahasin S. Mujahid, PhD, ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest a benefit of gamified digital mental health interventions for youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depressive disorder. Pediatricians and other health care professionals have new information about novel, accessible, and efficacious options for pediatric mental health care. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Joseph F. McGuire, PhD, email jfmcguire@jhmi.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

About The Study: This study found that approximately one-third of living former professional football players reported perceived chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Men with perceived CTE had an increased prevalence of suicidality and were more likely to have health problems associated with cognitive impairment compared with men without perceived CTE. Perceived CTE represents a novel risk factor for suicidality and, if present, should motivate the diagnostic assessment and treatment of medical and ...

KEY TAKEAWAYS Though it is not possible to confirm yet whether a living person has CTE, a team that included Mass General Brigham researchers found that 35% of former NFL players thought they had the diagnosis. Those who thought they had CTE commonly reported cognitive symptoms, as well as low testosterone, depression, pain and other treatable conditions that can cause cognitive problems. Out of a cohort of nearly 2,000 former NFL players, 25% who believed they had CTE reported having frequent suicidal thoughts compared to 5% of players who did not have those beliefs.   A new study of nearly 2,000 former ...

The diving gear is on, the cameras are ready – biologist Eduardo Sampaio and his colleagues are set to go. They dive in the Red Sea, scanning left and right underwater – and wonder: Where can an octopus hunting be found? Finally, they spot one. The team operates the two cameras they have with them, and station many more to collect data. Then, it’s time to wait. Months later, after analyzing more than 100h of film material from dives in Israel, Egypt, and Australia, Eduardo Sampaio is more ...

The food system is one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet, making the reduction of emissions in this sector a priority for policymakers around the world. IIASA researchers explored the potential of carbon sequestration on farmland to combat climate change, offering insights into economic effects as well as its climate change mitigation potential. Carbon sequestration on agricultural land refers to the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere in soil and plants on farms. According to the authors of ...

City of Hope® Research Spotlight features the latest research defining the future of medical treatment. This first roundup highlights a T cell engager that shows promise as a novel treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, findings linking immune aging to thymic involution and a potential way of eliminating myeloma with weak antigen expression. To learn more about research at City of Hope, visit the Research & Innovation page.   IL1RAP-Specific T Cell Engager Depletes Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells The novel anti-IL1RAP/CD3 T cell engager (TCE) BIF002 effectively targets and eliminates leukemic stem cells ...

Patients insured by Medicaid are less likely to get prenatal diagnosis of heart defects than those with private insurance, and this disparity can be partly attributed to lower rates of 20-week ultrasound in pregnant people with public insurance, according to a study led by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in collaboration with Advocate Christ Children’s Hospital. The study was published in the journal Prenatal Diagnosis. “The 20-week ultrasound is hugely important in detecting birth defects because it involves assessment of the baby’s major organs. All pregnant people must know that ...