Scientists and imaging specialists have teamed up to help save one of the world’s most endangered groups of animals: freshwater mussels. With funding provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center, imaging experts will create 3D shell models based on specimens from the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. Once complete, the models will be available online for free to educate the public about these amazing yet little-known creatures that ...

Bacteria live in nearly every habitat on earth including within soil, water, acidic hot springs and even within our own guts. Many are involved in fundamental processes like fermentation, decomposition and nitrogen fixation. But scientists don’t understand a fundamental process within bacteria cells: how they organize themselves before division. Driving vs. surfing When cells divide the cell splits into two “daughter cells” with the same genetic material as the original cell. During this process, the DNA and other cellular components replicate, and then this “cargo” ...

JMIR Nursing Editor-in-Chief: Elizabeth Borycki RN, PhD, FIAHIS, FACMI, FCAHS and theme editor Kenrick Dwain Cato, PhD, RN, CPHIMS, FAAN welcome submissions to a special theme issue examining "Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nursing." AI is revolutionizing health care. Nurse informaticist developers, researchers, practitioners, clinicians, educators, and innovators have designed, developed, implemented, and used AI to support patients, their families, nurses and health care activities.  AI has been used to support ...

In humans, the SLC29A3 gene regulates the function of lysosomes to control waste recycling in cells such as macrophages (that engulf and destroy foreign bodies). This gene encodes for the lysosomal protein that transport nucleosides — degradation products of RNA and DNA — from lysosomes to the cytoplasm.  Loss-of-function mutations in the SLC29A3 gene lead to aberrant nucleoside storage, resulting in a spectrum of conditions called SLC29A3 disorders. These disorders can manifest in the form of pigmented skin patches, enlargement of the liver/spleen, hearing loss, or type 1 diabetes. A key manifestation of this group of disorders is histiocytosis, ...

Max Planck Florida will be able to expand their research program to investigate the neural circuits underlying Alzheimer’s disease with new support. The National Institute on Aging of the NIH has awarded Dr. Yingxue Wang $1,038,819 over three years as part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative Fund. The research will shed new light on how the brain forms new memories and maintains them over time and what can lead to memory decline during Alzheimer’s Disease. Turning our daily experiences ...

Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that clinicians prescribe preexposure prophylaxis using effective antiretroviral therapy to persons at increased risk of HIV acquisition to decrease the risk of acquiring HIV. An estimated 1.2 million persons in the U.S. currently have HIV, and more than 760,000 persons have died of complications related to HIV since the first cases were reported in 1981. Although treatable, HIV is not curable and has significant health consequences. Therefore, effective strategies to prevent HIV are an important public health and ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- A few years ago while on a fishing trip in the Florida Keys, biologist Lori Schweikert came face to face with an unusual quick-change act. She reeled in a pointy-snouted reef fish called a hogfish and threw it onboard. But later when she went to put it in a cooler she noticed something odd: its skin had taken on the same color and pattern as the deck of the boat. A common fish in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Brazil, the hogfish is known for its color-changing skin. ...

A new powerful antibiotic, isolated from bacteria that could not be studied before, seems capable to combat harmful bacteria and even multi-resistant ‘superbugs’. Named Clovibactin, the antibiotic appears to kill bacteria in an unusual way, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop any resistance against it. Researchers from Utrecht University, Bonn University (Germany), the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Northeastern University of Boston (USA), and the company NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, USA) now share the discovery of Clovibactin and its killing mechanism in the scientific journal Cell. Urgent need for new antibiotics Antimicrobial ...

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial that included 626 children, maternal structured lifestyle interventions during pregnancy based on a Mediterranean diet or mindfulness-based stress reduction significantly improved child neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 2.  Authors: Francesca Crovetto, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, is the corresponding author.   To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30255) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including ...

About The Study: In this study of human-written and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated responses to 200 eye care questions from an online advice forum, a chatbot appeared capable of responding to long user-written eye health posts and largely generated appropriate responses that did not differ significantly from ophthalmologist-written responses in terms of incorrect information, likelihood of harm, extent of harm, or deviation from ophthalmologist community standards.   Authors: Sophia Y. Wang, M.D., M.S., of Stanford University in Stanford, California, is the corresponding author.   To access the embargoed ...

WASHINGTON, August 22, 2023 – Millions of people around the world experience some form of hearing loss, resulting in negative impacts to their health and quality of life. Treatments exist in the form of hearing aids and cochlear implants, but these assistive devices cannot replace the full functionality of human hearing and remain inaccessible for most people. Auditory experiences, such as speech and music, are affected the most. In JASA, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Oldenburg studied the impact of hearing loss on subjects’ enjoyment of different ...

LA JOLLA (August 22, 2023)—The prevalence of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 50 has risen in recent decades. One suspected reason: the increasing rate of obesity and high-fat diets. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute and UC San Diego have discovered how high-fat diets can change gut bacteria and alter digestive molecules called bile acids that are modified by those bacteria, predisposing mice to colorectal cancer.   In the study, published in Cell Reports on August 22, 2023, the team found increased levels of specific gut bacteria in mice fed high-fat diets. Those gut bacteria, they ...

(Boston)—For more than 100 years, it has been believed that sunlight and vitamin D deficiency were associated with the risk for many deadly cancers including colorectal, prostate and breast. But some scientists remained skeptical that this nutrient provides any benefit for reducing cancer risk and morbidity and mortality and several randomized controlled trials that have supported this doubt.  However, in a new commentary in JAMA Network Open, Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, professor of medicine, pharmacology, physiology & biophysics and molecular medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, explores the controversy as to ...

For people who have experienced a heart attack or stroke, taking a daily aspirin has been shown to help prevent a second one. Yet, despite aspirin’s low cost and its clear benefits in such scenarios, fewer than half of people worldwide who have had a heart attack or stroke take the medication, according to a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan. The study appears Aug. 22 in JAMA. Cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and ...

While COVID-19 lockdowns are no longer mandated, the stress and anxiety of the pandemic still lingers, especially among young South Australians, say health experts at the University of South Australia.   In a new study released today, researchers show that children’s mental health and wellbeing have gradually worsened over the past six years, particular during and post the pandemic.   Examining measures of wellbeing – life satisfaction, optimism, happiness, cognitive engagement, emotional regulation, perseverance, worry, and sadness – ...

The Venus flytrap can survive in the nutrient-poor swamps of North and South Carolina because it compensates for the lack of nitrogen, phosphate and minerals by catching and eating small animals. It hunts with snap traps that have sensory hairs on them. If an insect touches these hairs two times, the traps shut and digests the prey. In its location in the swamp, the carnivorous plant is often not visible because it is overgrown by grass. In summer, the grass dries up. Then it can catch fire from the frequent lightning storms typical of North Carolina – ...

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Cleveland Clinic’s Jacob Scott, M.D., D.Phil., and collaborators $2.8 million to translate research on how cancer cells evolve and compete into patient care. The project aims to move previous advances done in vitro closer to clinical reality by developing computer and preclinical models side-by-side, a significant step in the fight against multidrug-resistant cancers that are responsible for more than 90% of cancer deaths. This is a milestone for ...

AMES, IA — Buying a home is a time-consuming process, in part because it requires balancing financial realities with a long checklist of expectations and desires. People care about a solid foundation and certain number of bedrooms. But a property’s curb appeal, neighbors and proximity to work or good schools also matter. For most house-hunters in the U.S., setting up filters and scrolling listings on Zillow has become a crucial first step. “Digital real estate platforms like Zillow help people see what’s available, ...

Pioneering researchers at UVA Health are testing whether focused sound waves can help people overcome cocaine addiction, a growing problem across the nation. The scientists have launched a clinical trial, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, to test whether low-intensity focused ultrasound can help reprogram brain cells to reduce the desire for cocaine. The noninvasive approach focuses sound waves on a portion of the brain called the insula, thought to play a critical role in multiple forms of addiction. If the trial is successful, it could pave the way for an important new tool to treat addiction in general. “This ...

Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies are crucial for addressing climate change while ensuring economic viability. MES has emerged as a promising approach for CO2 reduction to biofuels and platform chemicals. However, the industrial adoption of MES has been hindered by low-value products like acetate or methane and high electric power demand. In a new study recently published on 26 July 2023, in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers from University of Girona conducted a study that focused on electrically ...

DETROIT, August 22, 2023 — Today, Detroit Public Schools Community District teachers and coaches completed either the American Heart Association’s Heartsaver® CPR AED (automated external defibrillator) course, which provides the highest quality evidence-based training in the lifesaving skills of CPR, as well as the appropriate use of an AED, or Hands-Only CPR education. Adding lifesavers to the chain of survival in the Detroit community through CPR training and education is a priority for the Detroit Lions Foundation. “We are honored to use our platform to further bring awareness and education to our community ...

A team of researchers from Southeast University of China has developed a cutting-edge ultracompact sensing system that leverages the power of spoof surface plasmon resonance (SSPR) technology to enable adaptive and accurate gas detection using a smartphone. The research article detailing this breakthrough, titled "An Ultracompact Spoof Surface Plasmon Sensing System for Adaptive and Accurate Detection of Gas Using a Smartphone," has been published in the prestigious journal Engineering. Traditional dielectric sensing methods often suffer from signal fluctuations, resulting in reduced sensitivity and accuracy. In response to the growing demand for precise gas detection in ...

Violent actions intended to provoke opposition to particular communities may paradoxically lead to lasting acceptance, according to a study. On  March 15, 2019, a far-right extremist killed 51 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand. Immediately following the attacks there was a noticeable increase in public acceptance of the Muslim minority in the country. But was this acceptance sustained? To address this question, Joseph Bulbulia and colleagues used years of data from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, a national longitudinal study. The author’s goal was to estimate the anticipated level of Muslim acceptance if the attacks had not occurred. These ...

The shells of turtles, tortoises, and sea turtles keep growing as long as the animals live—and some of them live a remarkably long time. Cyler Conrad and colleagues analyzed the shells of five specimens from areas that potentially accumulated anthropogenic uranium through nuclear fallout and/or waste. Unusual uranium signatures were found in a green sea turtle from Enewetak Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a desert tortoise from southwestern Utah near the Nevada National Security Site (formerly known as the Nevada Test Site), a river cooter from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and a box turtle from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, ...

Australia has experienced an intense surge in severe Strep A cases, similar to the northern hemisphere wave, despite differences in seasons and circulating respiratory viruses, according to a new study. The national research project, involving researchers from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and published in The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, highlighted how the unseasonal increase in case load across the southern hemisphere adds to the need for a safe and effective vaccine against Strep ...