Older adults who play digital puzzle games have the same memory abilities as people in their 20s, a new study has shown. The study, from the University of York, also found that adults aged 60 and over who play digital puzzle games had a greater ability to ignore irrelevant distractions, but older adults who played strategy games did not show the same improvements in memory or concentration.  It is known that as humans age, their mental abilities tend to decrease, particularly the ability to remember a number of things at a single time - known as working memory.  Working ...

Inoue Receives Funding For Mason CARES Plus  Megumi Inoue, Associate Professor, Social Work, received funding for: "Mason CARES Plus."  Mason CARES Plus is an expansion study to Mason CARES that will focus on conducting in-depth focus groups and online semi-structured interviews to assess which specific aspects of the Stress Busting Program (SBP) and the Music and Memory program (M&M) were most (and least) impactful in reducing care partner stress and identify effective strategies to improve care partner engagement with the M&M program among Mason CARES participants.  Preliminary results from the Mason CARES study show a high ...

Hopping in the shower, we anticipate the warm water to be cleansing and renewing after a long, hard day — but there may be something dangerous lurking in the showerhead.   Showers can expose us to many types of bacteria cells. Most are harmless, but some – called drinking water-associated pathogens of the immunocompromised  (DWPIs) – can pose a serious risk to our health, especially for individuals with weakened immune systems.  Sarah Haig, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, received $420,000 from the National Science Foundation ...

Boston, MA - New research led by Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Public Health found that children who received integrated mental health care showed improvements in both mental health and school performance. These findings, published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, examined changes over time in outcomes among 6-12-year-old children receiving integrated behavioral health care at three federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that implemented the TEAM UP Model of care. The study, which included 51 children serviced ...

“We discuss existing clinical data on these surrogates of tumor burden and their potential in evaluating efficacy of immunotherapy in HPV-associated malignancies.”  BUFFALO, NY- August 14, 2023 – A new review paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on August 10, 2023, entitled, “Peripheral surrogates of tumor burden to guide chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic strategies for HPV-associated malignancies.” With the rapid adoption of immunotherapy into clinical practice for HPV-associated ...

When it comes to translational medicine, Robert Gourdie is among the 2 percent of “super-producers,” National Institutes of Health-funded scientists at U.S. biomedical institutions who hold 10 or more issued patents. Super-producers were responsible for half of all patents issued according to research published Aug. 11 in Nature Biotechnology. The objective of the research was to create a tool to better quantify bridges and barriers to clinical translation of biomedical discoveries. The research marks a novel area of inquiry for Gourdie, a professor and cell biologist at the Fralin Biomedical ...

In the rush to harness artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to make care more efficient at hospitals nationwide, a new study points to another possible use: identifying patients with non-medical needs that could affect their health and ability to receive care. These social determinants of health – everything from transportation and housing to food supply and availability of family and friends as supports – can play a major role in a patient’s health and use of health care services. The new study ...

A new study from clinicians and researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, U-M Department of Pathology and the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology reveals findings from over 800 clinical assays performed for kidney patients with MiTF family gene mutations. This study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology¸ is the largest series of its kind in kidney cancer and carries deep clinical and diagnostics implications. The team, led by Rohit Mehra, M.D., performed over 800 clinical assays on the MiTF family genes TFE3 and TFEB in renal tumors with morphologic and biomarker alterations considered suspicious for MiTF family genetic mutations. The ...

The latest study about of proboscideans (elephants and their ancient relatives) from the University of Helsinki provides proof that some proboscideans started to adapt to locally grass-rich environments in East Africa first by changing their behavior and starting to feed more on grasses. This happened in some lineages of proboscideans, such as choerolophodonts, much earlier than has been thought until now, about 23 to 11 million years ago in parts of East Africa Also, around 7 million years ago in the lake Turkana region, increasingly grass-rich diets of the earliest true ...

CLEVELAND:  A first-in-human trial of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for post-stroke rehabilitation patients by Cleveland Clinic researchers has shown that using DBS to target the dentate nucleus – which regulates fine-control of voluntary movements, cognition, language, and sensory functions in the brain – is safe and feasible. The EDEN trial (Electrical Stimulation of the Dentate Nucleus for Upper Extremity Hemiparesis Due to Ischemic Stroke) also shows that the majority of participants (nine out of 12) demonstrated ...

What drives us to develop new ideas rather than settling for standard methods and processes? What triggers the desire to innovate at the risk of sacrificing time, energy, and reputation for a resounding failure? Creativity is based on complex mechanisms that we are only beginning to understand and in which motivation plays a central role. But pursuing a goal is not enough to explain why we favor some ideas over others and whether that choice benefits the success of our actions. "Creativity can be defined as the ability to produce original ...

Megumi Inoue, Associate Professor, Social Work, received funding for: "Group Digital Gaming: Experiences of Older Adults Living with Dementia in an Activity for Cognitive Impairment."  The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a group digital gaming intervention on cognitive function, mood, and behaviors in people with early to moderate levels of dementia. A group digital gaming company, called Obie Technology, was developed to facilitate cognitive stimulation, physical exercise, and group interactions simultaneously. ...

James C. Witte, Professor, Sociology, Director, Institute for Immigration Research (IIR), and Michelle S. Dromgold-Sermen, Assistant Director, IIR, received funding for: "Refugee Resettlement and STEM Education." This conference will focus on how STEM-oriented educational opportunities through high schools, registered apprenticeships, community college, and four-year institutions can all play a significant role in addressing urgent humanitarian needs, while also expanding the nation’s STEM workforce.  Participants will learn about the current refugee situation, how the Welcome Corps is a valuable addition to U.S. refugee ...

Most people in Canada now have hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2 through a mix of infection and vaccination, new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) shows. VIEW EMBARGOED ARTICLE Using pan-Canadian blood sample data from a subset of studies backed by the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF), researchers from the CITF, in collaboration with those from supported studies, estimated changing levels of seroprevalence — from infection or vaccination, or both — over 3 time periods: prevaccination (March to November 2020), vaccine roll-out (December 2020 to November 2021) and the Omicron waves (December 2021 to March 2023). In the first 2 phases, seroprevalence from ...

NEW YORK, NY (Aug. 14, 2023)--Columbia researchers have identified brain injuries that may underlie hidden consciousness, a puzzling phenomenon in which brain-injured patients are unable to respond to simple commands, making them appear unconscious despite having some level of awareness.  “Our study suggests that patients with hidden consciousness can hear and comprehend verbal commands, but they cannot carry out those commands because of injuries in brain circuits that relay instructions from the brain to the muscles,” says study leader Jan Claassen, MD, associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians ...

Publicly fund nonsurgical procedures for transgender, gender diverse people To support transgender and gender-diverse people, governments should consider publicly funding hair removal and other minimally invasive procedures, authors argue in a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). VIEW EMBARGOED ARTICLE “Minimally invasive procedures such as hair removal and facial injectables may support the process of transition in a timely fashion; evidence supports their therapeutic benefits in the field of gender-affirming care,” write Drs. Katie Ross and Sarah Fraser, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ...

Expensive noble metals often play a vital role in illuminating screens or converting solar energy into fuels. Now, chemists at the University of Basel have succeeded in replacing these rare elements with a significantly cheaper metal. In terms of their properties, the new materials are very similar to those used in the past. We’re familiar with chromium from everyday applications such as chromium steel in the kitchen or chrome-plated motorcycles. Soon, however, the element may also be found in the screens of ubiquitous mobile phones or used to convert solar energy. Researchers led ...

NEW YORK, August 14, 2023 — A research team at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) has shown that it is possible to manipulate photons so that they can collide, interacting in new ways as they cross paths. The discovery, detailed in Nature Physics, will allow scientists who develop technologies rooted in electromagnetic wave propagation to make significant advances in telecommunications, optical computing and energy applications. The breakthrough took place in the lab of Andrea Alù, Distinguished ...

About The Study: In this nationally representative study, higher residential levels of fine particulate matter were associated with greater rates of incident dementia, especially for fine particulate matter generated by agriculture and wildfires. These findings also indicate that intervening on key emission sources might have value, although more research is needed to confirm these findings.  Authors: Boya Zhang, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, is the corresponding ...

About The Study: In a large, demographically diverse sample of U.S. youth researchers found significantly greater increases in body mass index over time in 10- to 12-year-old youth assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with pre-pandemic controls. The effects of the pandemic on weight gain were most pronounced in low-income youth, suggesting that the pandemic exacerbated preexisting social inequalities.  Authors: Elizabeth Sowell, Ph.D., of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 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/jamapediatrics.2023.2823) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this study of 175,000 participants, shift work was significantly associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety, and lifestyle factors partially mediated the associations. These findings not only support that shift work should be considered an occupational hazard, but also provide evidence for the urgent need for the development of public health interventions that promote healthy lifestyles aimed at improving the mental health of shift workers.  Authors: Yanhong Gong, Ph.D., of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that an intensive lifestyle intervention to prevent the progression and complications of type 2 diabetes was associated with higher levels of employment. Labor market productivity should be considered when evaluating interventions to manage chronic diseases.  Authors: Peter Huckfeldt, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, 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/jamainternmed.2023.3283) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

A system of ancient ceramic water pipes, the oldest ever unearthed in China, shows that neolithic people were capable of complex engineering feats without the need for a centralised state authority, finds a new study by UCL researchers. In a study published in Nature Water, the archaeological team describe a network of ceramic water pipes and drainage ditches at the Chinese walled site of Pingliangtai dating back 4,000 years to a time known as the Longshan period. The network shows cooperation amongst the community to build and maintain the drainage system, though no evidence of a centralised power or authority. Dr Yijie Zhuang (UCL Institute of Archaeology), ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gene therapy might offer a one-time, sustained treatment for patients with serious alcohol addiction, also called alcohol use disorder, according to a new study led by a researcher at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. The animal study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, also involved researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University, the Oregon National Primate Research Center and the University of California San Francisco. The study used an accepted primate model to show that sustained release of glial-derived ...

USC Schaeffer Center and University of Minnesota researchers found that study participants without a college degree had even larger employment gains from lifestyle changes recommended by specialists. Study takeaways: Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the study reveals that intensive lifestyle intervention to prevent the progression and complications of type 2 diabetes is associated with higher employment. Lifestyle intervention was associated with a 4% increase in employment overall, and a 7% increase among participants with less than a college degree. Findings suggest labor market productivity should be considered when evaluating the cost effectiveness ...