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Medicine 2023-06-30

Association of preoperative high-intensity interval training with cardiorespiratory fitness, postoperative outcomes among adults undergoing major surgery

About The Study: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies including 832 patients suggest that preoperative high-intensity interval training may improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce postoperative complications. These findings support including high-intensity interval training in pre-habilitation programs before major surgery.  Authors: John C. Woodfield, Ph.D., of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, is the corresponding author.   To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...
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Scientists discover clues to aging and healing from a squishy sea creature
Science 2023-06-30

Scientists discover clues to aging and healing from a squishy sea creature

Insights into healing and aging were discovered by National Institutes of Health researchers and their collaborators, who studied how a tiny sea creature regenerates an entire new body from only its mouth. The researchers sequenced RNA from Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus, a small, tube-shaped animal that lives on the shells of hermit crabs. Just as the Hydractinia were beginning to regenerate new bodies, the researchers detected a molecular signature associated with the biological process of aging, also known as senescence. According to the study published in Cell Reports, Hydractinia demonstrates that the fundamental biological processes of healing and aging are intertwined, ...
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Scientists designed new enzyme using Antarctic bacteria and computer calculations
Medicine 2023-06-30

Scientists designed new enzyme using Antarctic bacteria and computer calculations

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in predicting how to change the optimum temperature of an enzyme using large computer calculations. A cold-adapted enzyme from an Antarctic bacterium was used as a basis. The study is to be published in the journal Science Advances and is a collaboration between researchers at Uppsala University and the University of Tromsø. The type of cold-adapted enzymes used by the researchers for their study can be found in bacteria and fish that live in icy water, for example. Evolution has shaped ...
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Protection of biodiversity and ecosystems: we are still far from the European targets
Environment 2023-06-30

Protection of biodiversity and ecosystems: we are still far from the European targets

The goal of fully protecting 10% of the EU's land area is ambitious for European countries that have been profoundly shaped by millennia of human transformation. A recently published study, coordinated by the University of Bologna, has carried out the first analysis at European level on the strictly protected areas (classified by the IUCN as integral reserves, wilderness areas and national parks) across the EU, studying how extensive integral protection is across biogeographical regions, countries and elevation gradients. "We have discovered – explains Prof. Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, conservation ...
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Medicine 2023-06-30

SRSF1 is crucial for male meiosis through alternative splicing during homologous pairing and synapsis in mice

This study is led by Dr. Jiali Liu (State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University). Meiotic recombination-related gene (e.g., DMC1, HFM1, MEIOB, MAJIN, C14ORF39/SIX6OS1, STAG3, SYCE1, SYCP2-3, TERB1-2) mutations have been identified in human subfertility or infertility. Surprisingly, most patients have been found to have aberrant splicing of genes such as MEIOB, C14ORF39/SIX6OS1, STAG3, and SYCE1. Therefore, it is imperative to understand ...
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Medicine 2023-06-30

Restoring hand function with intelligent neuro-orthoses

Patients with limited hand function are soon set to benefit from an intelligent neuro-orthosis that will enable them to lead independent lives again. Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del Vecchio, a neuroscientist at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), is working on this aim in two new projects and has received over 1.3 million euros of funding from the Free State of Bavaria. The main focus of this research during the next three years will involve wireless measurements of muscle impulses and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to make the intended movements. Around 50 million people worldwide suffer from neuromotor impairments to their hands caused ...
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Electrosynthesis of 15N-labeled amino acids from 15N-nitrite and ketonic acids
Science 2023-06-30

Electrosynthesis of 15N-labeled amino acids from 15N-nitrite and ketonic acids

15N isotope-labeled amino acids (15N-amino acids) provide a safe and effective tracer tool for studying the synthesis of natural products, protein metabolism, and disease diagnosis and treatment in living organisms. In addition, it is an important synthetic block for the synthesis of 15N-labeled drugs. Currently, 15N-labeled amino acids are generally synthesized by microbial fermentation and chemical reduction amination of ketoacids, but these methods usually require complex steps, high temperature conditions or the use of toxic cyanide, causing energy and environmental ...
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International research team discovers Gulf Stream thermal fronts controlling North Atlantic subtropical mode water formation
Medicine 2023-06-30

International research team discovers Gulf Stream thermal fronts controlling North Atlantic subtropical mode water formation

Subtropical mode water (STMW) is a vertically homogeneous thermocline water mass, serving as heat, carbon, and oxygen silos in the ocean interior and providing memory of climate variability for climate prediction. Understanding physics governing STMW formation is thus of broad scientific significance and has received much attention. Traditionally, it has been considered that STMW is constructed by basin-scale atmospheric forcing. Due to the limitations resulting from sparse sampling of observations and coarse ...
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Multiple sclerosis: Myelin may be detrimental to nerve fibres
Medicine 2023-06-30

Multiple sclerosis: Myelin may be detrimental to nerve fibres

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a serious neurological disease that usually causes permanent disability. Approximately 2.9 million people are affected worldwide, 240,000 in Germany alone. The exact cause of the disease is not yet clear, but a central feature is a loss of the insulating protective layer of axons – the neuronal connections in the central nervous system – which is triggered by autoimmune processes. The coating of the axons, known as myelin, is formed by highly specialised glial cells (i.e. oligodendrocytes) and enables the rapid transmission ...
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How computers and artificial intelligence evolve together
Technology 2023-06-30

How computers and artificial intelligence evolve together

Co-design, that is, designing software and hardware simultaneously, is one way of attempting to meet the computing-power needs of today’s artificial intelligence applications. Compilers, which translate instructions from one representation to another, are a key piece of the puzzle. A group of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences summarized existing compiler technologies in deep learning co-design and proposed their own framework, the Buddy Compiler. The group’s review paper was published June 19 in Intelligent Computing, a Science Partner Journal. Although others have summarized optimizations, hardware architectures, co-design approaches, and compilation ...
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Medicine 2023-06-30

Safety and immunogenicity of SYS6006 were evaluated in healthy adults after three doses of COVID-19 inactivated vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in more than 600 million confirmed cases and 6.5 million deaths worldwide. mRNA-based vaccines have emerged as a leading platform for COVID-19 protection and are extensively investigated in basic and clinical trials. SYS6006 (CSPC Pharmaceutical Group) is a newly investigational COVID-19 mRNA vaccine encoding a full-length S protein sequence of the prototype SARS-CoV-2 strain and incorporating the key mutations of main epidemic variants. In March 2023, it has been authorized for emergent use in China by the national medicinal ...
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Engineered approach to remove protein aggregates from cells
Medicine 2023-06-30

Engineered approach to remove protein aggregates from cells

Protein aggregates accumulate during aging and are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease. A new study by the Nyström lab at Gothenburg University, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany, describes a novel, engineered approach that makes protein aggregates amenable to spatial manipulations in both budding yeast and human cells. Many neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease are associated with the aggregation of misfolded proteins ...
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Engineering 2023-06-30

BGI Genomics leads in industry to obtain BSI ISO 37301 Compliance Management System Certification

As businesses become increasingly global, changes are also taking place at an extraordinary pace. Compliance is critical for large economies, industry regulations, and enterprise operations. BGI Genomics prioritizes compliance management and strictly follow laws, regulations, and international practices while conducting business globally. BGI Genomics recently completed the rigorous evaluation of BSI, a major worldwide standard, testing, and certification authority. It was awarded the GB/T 35770-2022/ISO 37301:2021 Compliance Management System accreditation, making it the first enterprise in the industry to do so. ...
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The device that can remotely and accurately monitor breathing: as tested on cane toads
Science 2023-06-30

The device that can remotely and accurately monitor breathing: as tested on cane toads

Constant monitoring of vital health signs is needed in a variety of clinical environments such as intensive care units, for patients with critical health conditions, health monitoring in aged care facilities and prisons, or in safety monitoring situations where drowsiness can cause accidents. This is now mostly achieved via wired or invasive contact systems. However, these are either inconvenient or, for patients with burns or for infants with insufficient skin area, are unsuitable. Scientists at the University of Sydney Nano Institute and the NSW Smart Sensing ...
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Rising monkey and pig populations pose human disease risk
Medicine 2023-06-30

Rising monkey and pig populations pose human disease risk

Exploding populations of wild pigs and macaque monkeys in Southeast Asia are threatening native forests and disease outbreaks in livestock and people, according to research led by The University of Queensland. Dr Matthew Luskin, from UQ’s School of the Environment, and his team collated and analysed species population data from across the region, some of it collected with a network of cameras. “Macaques and wild pigs are taking over Southeast Asia’s disturbed forests,” Dr Luskin said. “Humans are largely to blame for this by altering forests with logging ...
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KOSÉ and Niigata University develop a three-dimensional epithelial model that reproduces the human lip area
Social Science 2023-06-30

KOSÉ and Niigata University develop a three-dimensional epithelial model that reproduces the human lip area

Niigata, Japan - KOSÉ Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Kazutoshi Kobayashi) has developed in collaborative research with Professor Kenji Izumi and his colleagues at Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences (Faculty of Dentistry) a three-dimensional epithelial model that reproduces the human lip area from the oral mucosa to the lips and surrounding skin, using cell culture. The lips are one of the most important elements that determine the impressions of the face, and they are also an area where many people suffer from problems, ...
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Revolutionizing regenerative medicine: Unlocking the healing power of oral keratinocytes
Medicine 2023-06-30

Revolutionizing regenerative medicine: Unlocking the healing power of oral keratinocytes

Niigata, Japan—Scientists have made significant progress in understanding the signals involved in regulating oral keratinocyte cell motility and proliferative capacity, offering new insights into potential pharmacological manipulation for regenerative medicine. A recent study, published in FEBS Open Bio, elucidated the role of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its downstream signaling cascade in controlling the behavior of oral keratinocytes.   Oral keratinocytes, which play a crucial role in the formation of the oral mucosa epithelial cell sheet, have long been enigmatic in terms of their signaling ...
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Medicine 2023-06-30

Long COVID is not a single condition, study finds

Long COVID is not a single condition, and should not be treated as such, according to new data collected in nationwide study released May 31 in the Open Forum of Infectious Diseases. The study looked at persistent symptoms experienced by patients with COVID-19 both at three- and six-month intervals. In all, 5,963 patients participated in the study, with 4,504 of the participants testing positive for COVID-19 and 1,459 testing negative. Many of the participants, 2,000 in all, came from King County through the University of Washington School of Medicine. The four major symptom categories for people who tested positive for COVID-19 included: Minimal ...
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Medicine 2023-06-30

Loneliness linked with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes

Sophia Antipolis, 30 June 2023:  Loneliness is a bigger risk factor for heart disease in patients with diabetes than diet, exercise, smoking and depression, according to research published today in European Heart Journal, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 “The quality of social contact appears to be more important for heart health in people with diabetes than the number of engagements,” said study author Professor Lu Qi of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, US. “We should not downplay the important of loneliness ...
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Environment 2023-06-30

TGI-led research finds climate change, increasing population put Kenya at risk of famine

ST. LOUIS - Research published in Outlook on Agriculture has shown that the population relative to available climate-suitable areas in Kenya has increased, posing a threat to the country’s economy and food security. The study, “Spatial changes to climate suitability and availability of agropastoral farming systems across Kenya (1980-2020),” was published online on May 29. The research team analyzed Kenya’s farming systems and climate zones between 1980-2020. Over that time, the population ...
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Status of biobased production of succinic acid and derivatives
Science 2023-06-30

Status of biobased production of succinic acid and derivatives

The current status and future perspectives on the successful industrialization of biobased succinic acid are discussed in a comprehensive review article in the peer-reviewed journal Industrial Biotechnology. Click here to read the article now.  Succinic acid is one of the most important platform chemicals, with applications as a pharmaceutical ingredient, food additive, precursor of various chemicals, and raw material for biobased polymers. There is increasing demand for the sustainable production of succinic acid and its derivatives. Sang Yup Lee, from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and coauthors, review ...
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Science 2023-06-30

Nearly half of tuberculosis cases in prisons worldwide go undetected

In the first global assessment of TB among incarcerated people, a new study found consistently high TB case rates and low case detection in prisons, suggesting the need for health organizations to increase efforts to reduce the spread of TB among this high-risk population. In 2019, incarcerated people across the globe developed tuberculosis (TB) at nearly 10 times the rate of people in the general population, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). Published in The Lancet Public Health, the study found that 125,105 of the 11 million people incarcerated worldwide developed tuberculosis in 2019, ...
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Science 2023-06-30

Non-invasive approach predicts retinopathy of prematurity earlier

Research from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago promises to spare many premature infants from undergoing invasive eye exams to detect retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the most common cause of preventable lifelong blindness in children in the U.S. ROP is caused by an abnormal development of small blood vessels on the retina. Isabelle De Plaen, MD, and colleagues found that imaging the capillaries in the nailbed of preemies within the first month of life using a non-invasive technique, called nailbed capillaroscopy, can identify infants at high risk for developing ROP. This screening could eliminate the need to evaluate all premature infants with eye exams ...
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Transport, domestic activities and agriculture are the main contributors to air pollution related mortality in European cities
Technology 2023-06-30

Transport, domestic activities and agriculture are the main contributors to air pollution related mortality in European cities

Air pollution is the largest environmental cause of death. Now, a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, has estimated which sources contribute most to the mortality associated with two air pollutants - PM2.5 and NO2 - in 857 European cities. The results of this research, which have been published in The Lancet Public Health, show great variability between the different cities studied, suggesting that, given that each one has its own particularities and its own sources of air pollution, strategies to improve air quality should be adapted to each local context. Contributors ...
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Science 2023-06-30

Newly developed scoring system can correctly predict suicide risk after self harm

A newly developed risk calculator that is based on 11 key social, demographic, and clinical factors, can correctly predict suicide risk in those who have self-harmed within the following 6 to 12 months, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Mental Health. Pending further validation, OxSATS, short for Oxford Suicide Assessment Tool for Self-harm, may help inform treatment decisions and the most effective targeting of resources, suggest the researchers. Self-harm is associated with a heightened risk of suicide within the following 12 months that ...
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