Communities with more socioeconomic vulnerability experience longer-duration power outages than more advantaged communities, according to a study. Research has shown that environmental disasters hit economically and socially vulnerable communities hardest. Scott Ganz and colleagues assessed the unequal impacts caused by the procedures electric utilities follow to restore power to customers after extreme-weather related outages. Using data from eight Atlantic hurricanes that made landfall between January 2017 and October 2020, which knocked out power for a total of over 15 million customers in 588 counties in the Southeast, the authors find ...

The Genomics Platform at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has been one of the world’s leading academic genome sequencing centers since the days of the Human Genome Project. For the last decade, these services have included clinical sequencing and other molecular assays through its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Clinical Research Sequencing Platform. Now renamed Broad Clinical Labs (BCL), the lab is poised to further accelerate the power of ’omics technologies in clinical research, screening, and diagnostics. BCL supports large-scale projects for which results need to be generated under a clinical quality system, such as analyses for clinical trials, biobank profiling, ...

UMass Amherst researchers have pushed forward the boundaries of biomedical engineering one hundredfold with a new method for DNA detection with unprecedented sensitivity. “DNA detection is in the center of bioengineering,” says Jinglei Ping, lead author of the paper that appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Ping is an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, an adjunct assistant professor in biomedical engineering and affiliated with the Center for Personalized Health Monitoring of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences. “Everyone ...

An individual diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 30 years could see their life expectancy fall by as much as 14 years, an international team of researchers has warned. Even people who do not develop the condition until later in life – with a diagnosis at age 50 years – could see their life expectancy fall by up to six years, an analysis of data from 19 high-income countries found. The researchers say the findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, highlight the urgent need to ...

Watching a loved one suffer the slow decline of dementia is hard enough. But trying to find care for them that’s high-quality, safe, available and affordable is nearly as difficult, as millions of American families have found out the hard way in recent years. That lack of options stems from a combination of workforce shortages, payment policies and a lack of consistency in dementia care delivery and regulation, according to experts from the University of Michigan and the University of California, San Francisco and their colleagues. Now, fueled by new five-year funding expected to total $81 million from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging or ...

New research by the psychologists Lucía Vicente and Helena Matute from Deusto University in Bilbao, Spain, provides evidence that people can inherit artificial intelligence biases (systematic errors in AI outputs) in their decisions. The astonishing results achieved by artificial intelligence systems, which can, for example, hold a conversation as a human does, have given this technology an image of high reliability. More and more professional fields are implementing AI-based tools to support the decision-making of specialists to minimise errors in their decisions. However, this technology is not without risks due to biases in AI results. ...

The decision to reach for a sugary beverage is heavily influenced by where you live, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy researchers report in a new study published October 3 in the journal Nature Communications. While an analysis of the Global Dietary Database for the years 1990, 2005, and 2018 found overall consumption of sweetened drinks increased—by nearly 16% worldwide over the 28-year period studied—regional intake widely varied.  Sugary drinks are a public health concern because they have been widely associated ...

Australian researchers have developed a molecular-sized, more efficient version of a widely used electronic sensor, in a breakthrough that could bring widespread benefits. Piezoresistors are commonly used to detect vibrations in electronics and automobiles, such as in smart phones for counting steps, and for airbag deployment in cars. They are also used in medical devices such as implantable pressure sensors, as well as in aviation and space travel. In a nationwide initiative, researchers led by Dr Nadim Darwish from Curtin University, Professor Jeffrey ...

Key takeaways Rising temperatures will cut the number of days when conditions favor prescribed fires by 17% on average across the Western U.S., mostly in spring and summer. Winter, however, will see a net 4% increase in the number of favorable days. Implementing controlled burns in the West will require changes to policy and the availability of firefighters. ​​​​​​ Prescribed fires, sometimes called controlled burns, are one of the most common tools for preventing catastrophic wildfires in the Western United States. Lit by highly trained firefighters, they help clear away excess dry plant matter that might otherwise ...

Researchers at University of Galway have taken a significant step forward in the management of gestational diabetes mellitus after a clinical trial involving pregnant women provided new hope for expectant mothers suffering the condition. The findings from the trial are being published in JAMA: the Journal of American Medical Association.  Gestational diabetes is a global health issue affecting almost 3 million pregnant women worldwide every year. It is a condition characterised by elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy, posing increased health risks for both mothers and their babies.  Professor Fidelma Dunne, Professor of Medicine ...

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, early treatment with metformin was not superior to placebo for the composite primary outcome of insulin initiation or a fasting glucose level of 5.1 mmol/L or greater at gestation weeks 32 or 38. Prespecified secondary outcome data support further investigation of metformin in larger clinical trials.  Authors: Fidelma Dunne, Ph.D., of the University of Galway in Galway, Ireland, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

About The Study: In people with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes treated with basal insulin in this randomized clinical trial with 1,428 participants, weekly tirzepatide compared with prandial insulin as an additional treatment with insulin glargine demonstrated reductions in HbA1c and body weight with less hypoglycemia.  Authors: Julio Rosenstock, M.D., of Velocity Clinical Research at Medical City in Dallas, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

San Francisco, CA - The nonprofit Revive & Restore announces a groundbreaking new initiative to biobank U.S. endangered species, in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This multi-institution collaboration is the first systematic biobanking pipeline for U.S. threatened and endangered species. The initiative will protect genetic diversity for current and future recovery efforts. "This is about creating a legacy of America’s natural history before it is lost and provides an important resource to enhance species recovery efforts now and in the future,” said Ryan Phelan, Executive Director of Revive & ...

Emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions for eating disorders increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in adolescents aged 10–17 years, as did ED visits among young adults and older adults, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.221318. Using ICES data, researchers compared observed and expected rates of ED visits and hospitalizations for eating disorders before (Jan. 1, 2017, to Feb. 29, 2020) and during the pandemic (Mar. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2022) in adolescents (10–17 years), young adults (18–26 years), adults (27–40 years) ...

A shift in the way we think about the benefits mangroves provide to coastal regions could yield significant economic and biodiversity gains and protect millions from flooding, research has revealed. The University of Queensland-led study shows current conservation efforts typically target biodiversity protection whilst minimising conflict with economic interests, while failing to consider the huge benefits provided by ecosystems. Alvise Dabalà, now at the University of the Azores and whose Masters project at UQ formed the basis of this study, said human activities, such as deforestation and coastal development have led to extensive ...

Novel brain biometrics could help inform whether an athlete is ready to return to play following a concussion, according to new research from the University of South Australia. Conducted in partnership with the University of California San Francisco (UCFC), researchers found that changes in micromovements of the brain – termed ‘headpulses’ – could detect the lasting impacts of a concussion. Using a custom-designed headset* to evaluate headpulse biometrics among 101 amateur male and female Australian ...

The paper, “Understanding low bivalent COVID-19 booster uptake among US adults,” was published in the journal Vaccine. “Our results indicate that we have a lot more work to do in terms of educating the public and health care providers about the importance of staying up to date on COVID-19 boosters,” said first author Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD, professor of epidemiology at the Zuckerman College of Public Health, who led the research with associate professor of epidemiology Kristen Pogreba-Brown, PhD, MPH. Nearly 40% of survey participants reported they did not get a booster shot because ...

A pair of Cockrell School research teams are part of a massive semiconductor grant program from the National Science Foundation that includes funds from industry leaders and the federal CHIPS Act. The projects are part of the NSF Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) program through a public-private partnership between NSF and four major tech companies: Ericsson, IBM, Intel and Samsung. FuSe aims to enable rapid progress in new semiconductor technologies and manufacturing as well as workforce development.  Altogether, the program will support 24 research and ...

BEND, Ore. – Gut microbes found in wild wolves may be the key to alleviating a debilitating gastrointestinal condition common to domestic dogs, according to a study led by researchers at Oregon State University – Cascades. In a paper published in Applied Microbiology, the authors report a novel strain of Paenibacillus bacteria with characteristics of a probiotic – an organism that conveys a health benefit to the host. In this case, the benefit would be to head off canine inflammatory ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – October 02, 2023) The population of childhood cancer survivors in the U.S. is increasing, with an overall childhood cancer survival rate greater than 85% five years after diagnosis. However, survivors can still be at increased risk of various health conditions, including second cancers. Using data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) and the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (St. Jude Life), scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have identified a genetic ...

With New York declared a state of emergency following flash flooding, there is increasing concern such events will become more common globally. Now a study led by Monash University scientists in Australia has found that people impacted by a flooding event are at significantly increased risk of dying – including heart and lung problems – in a crucial window between three and six weeks after the event, even after the flooding has dissipated. The study, published today in the BMJ, found that the risk of dying increased and persisted for up to 60 days (50 days for cardiovascular mortality) after a flooded day - increasing by for 2.1% for all-cause deaths, 2.6% for cardiovascular ...

USC is partnering with seven of Los Angeles’ leading regenerative medicine institutes to form the Los Angeles and surrounding area regenerative medicine consortium (LA-RMC), with the goal of fulfilling the promise of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM): to develop laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients with unmet medical needs.  CIRM, the voter-created agency that provides public funding for stem cell research in California, is dedicated to advancing regenerative medicine, which uses stem cells and related approaches to treat disease and disorders. Regenerative ...

Australian researchers at WEHI have found that a genetic change that increases the risk of inflammation, through a process described as ‘explosive’ cell death, is carried by up to 3% of the global population. The study may explain why some people have an increased chance of developing conditions like inflammatory bowel disease or suffer more severe reactions to infections with bacteria like Salmonella. At a glance MLKL is a gene essential to triggering necroptotic cell death – a natural process that protects our body from infection. In some people this process can go awry and ...

New research to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Hamburg (2-6 Oct), suggests that exposure to low doses of radiation may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes. The study by Dr Huan Hu and Dr Toshiteru Ohkubo from the Japanese National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health involved more than 6,000 out of around 20,000 emergency workers who responded to the radiation accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was hit by a huge tsunami in March 2011. Substantial amounts of radioactive materials were released into the environment following explosions at the ...

Real-world data from an ongoing international audit of testosterone deficiency in men with type 2 diabetes, being presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Hamburg (2-6 Oct), suggests that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) improves glycaemic control for up to 2 years. The early data from 37 centres across 8 countries who have so far joined the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) audit [1], suggest that the reason that HbA1c (a measure of average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months) continues ...