A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine is gaining ground in their search for solutions to the global problem of bacterial antibiotic resistance, which was responsible for nearly 1.3 million deaths in 2019. The team reports in the journal Science Advances a drug that, in laboratory cultures and animal models, significantly reduces the ability of bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance, which might prolong antibiotic effectiveness. The drug, called dequalinium chloride (DEQ), is a proof-of-concept for evolution-slowing drugs. “Most people with bacterial infections ...

Between the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, excess deaths decreased in large metropolitan counties and increased in rural counties in the United States, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). The novel study presents the first-ever monthly estimates of excess mortality rates for every US county during the first two years of the pandemic. Excess mortality, which compares observed deaths to the number of deaths that would be expected ...

Between the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, excess deaths decreased in large metropolitan counties and increased in rural counties in the United States, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).   The novel study presents the first-ever monthly estimates of excess mortality rates for every US county during the first two years of the pandemic. Excess mortality, which compares observed deaths to the number of deaths that would be expected under normal conditions in a given ...

A Florida State University faculty member’s research is helping to uncover more about the conditions necessary for the beginnings of life on Earth. FSU Assistant Professor Richard Bono was part of a multi-institution team that found evidence that the planet’s magnetic field was stable from 3.9 to 3.4 billion years ago, a time when scientists think life may have first originated. Their research was published in Nature. Bono explained more about what the team found and its implications for the origins of plate tectonics and life on Earth. What did the research team find? Our research showed ...

For years, researchers studying chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, believed the primary cause of it was repetitive hits to the head, whether or not those hits caused concussions. They believed the more frequently that a person sustained head blows, the more likely they were to develop neurological and cognitive struggles later in life. A new collaborative study conducted by researchers at Boston University, Mass General Brigham, and Harvard Medical School—using brains donated to BU’s ...

Extension economists from 13 land-grant universities have joined forces to launch Southern Ag Today, a new digital platform featuring daily news, articles and resources related to issues affecting agriculture in the South. Agricultural producers and policymakers will find the latest information on topics including crop and livestock marketing, farm management, agricultural policy, trade, agricultural law and specialty topics, making it the only collection of its kind focused on agriculture in the Southern region. Crop marketing specialist Aaron Smith and agricultural trade expert Andrew Muhammad from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of ...

Using 3-D models of ovarian cancer tumors, scientists found differences in gene activity based on where a cell is in a tumor, demonstrating how a cell’s location and environment in a cancerous tumor can strongly influence which genes are active and the cell’s role in the cancer’s biology. More specifically, the team co-led by researchers at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health, showed that gene activity in cells at or near a tumor’s surface differed from that of cells closer to the tumor center. The approach pairs the use of a technology to reveal the genetic activity of single ...

Reston, VA—Leaders from 12 nuclear medicine organizations around the world have issued a white paper about the challenges and opportunities in theranostics education. Published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the report outlines the current theranostic educational and accreditation offerings across the globe. It also provides guidelines to assist countries in developing educational and training curriculums that enable physicians to confidently and safely perform nuclear ...

DALLAS, June 23, 2023 — People who live in rural areas of the U.S. are 40% more likely to develop heart disease and have a 30% higher risk of stroke than people who live in urban areas, according to data reported in the 2020 Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. At least 20% of the U.S. population live in rural areas and these people face unique health challenges related to individual risk factors, social determinants of health and lack of access to health care. To address this issue, the American Heart Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization focused on ...

Immunotherapy is among the newest and most potent weapons against cancer. It prompts the immune system to recognize tumors as intruders in the body and attack. But not all patients respond well to immunotherapy. Why? Scientists aren’t always sure. Sometimes, immunotherapy patients experience side effects that steroids called glucocorticoids (GCs) can treat. GCs are often used to regulate the immune response in conditions such as asthma, Crohn’s disease, and even COVID-19. Yet just how they work is also a mystery. Now, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) researchers may be closer to answering both questions. Their new research indicates GCs may indirectly lead ...

Despite a national opioid overdose epidemic supercharged by a surge of illicit fentanyl, new research from Oregon Health & Science University reveals wide discrepancies among U.S. states in effectively treating opioid use disorder among people covered by Medicaid. The study, published today in the journal JAMA Health Forum, found that in many states, fewer than half of people diagnosed with opioid use disorder received proven medications to treat it. “We fail people by not providing adequate treatment to people with opioid use disorder enrolled in Medicaid,” said lead author Stephan Lindner, Ph.D., associate professor in ...

About The Study: There were significant reductions in nicotine dependence prevalence from 2006 to 2019 among U.S. adults with cigarette use and all examined subgroups 26 years and older. Adults 50 years and older (especially those with major depressive episode and/or substance use disorder) had the highest nicotine dependence prevalence compared with other age groups, highlighting the importance of assisting with smoking cessation efforts and addressing nicotine dependence for this older population. Evidence-based tobacco cessation strategies tailored to age and comorbidities are ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that medical evacuation in a war zone by converted trains is possible and can improve access to health care for war-affected patients. The presence of intensive care capacity on board allows for transport of more severely ill or injured individuals. However, the target population should not be limited to trauma patients, as health care institutions affected host a much broader population whose needs and urgency for evacuation may change over time.  Authors: James ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 23, 2023 Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-3508-7838, ginad@bu.edu BU Researcher Receives NIH Grant to Study Stress, Depression (Boston)—Michael Wallace, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy & neurobiology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, was awarded a $2.8 million from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health. The award will fund his project "Serotonergic modulation of the circuits and cell-types of the lateral habenula." The award, which runs from 2023-2028, supports his research into the cellular and circuit impacts of serotonin on a brain region implicated in chronic stress and ...

The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is a primary catalyst for global warming, and an estimated one fifth of the atmospheric CO2 originates from soil sources. This is partially attributed to the activity of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that decompose organic matter in the soil utilizing oxygen, such as deceased plant materials. During this process, CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Scientists refer to it as heterotrophic soil respiration. Based on a recent study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, a team of researchers from ...

A UVA Health doctor is launching an ambitious effort to assess and improve HIV care for people with low incomes across the nation, a campaign that could also help prevent transmission. Kathleen McManus, MD, MS, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and her collaborators plan to identify specific policies and programs that can increase the numbers of patients who keep the HIV virus in their blood at undetectable levels. This desirable state, known as being “undetectable” or having “sustained viral suppression,” is associated with better health outcomes for individuals ...

Introduction Science Partner Journal Space: Science & Technology is an online-only Open Access journal published in affiliation with Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and distributed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). BIT cooperates with China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) in managing the journal. The mission of Space: Science & Technology is to promote the exploration and research of space worldwide, to lead the rapid integration and technological breakthroughs of interdisciplinary sciences in the space field, and to build a high-level academic platform for discussion, cooperation, technological progress and information dissemination ...

Researchers have developed a new design for computer memory that could both greatly improve performance and reduce the energy demands of internet and communications technologies, which are predicted to consume nearly a third of global electricity within the next ten years. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, developed a device that processes data in a similar way as the synapses in the human brain. The devices are based on hafnium oxide, a material already used in the semiconductor industry, and tiny self-assembled barriers, which can be raised or lowered ...

With its nutty flavor and dense nutrient profile, the humble chickpea has captivated palates and nourished civilizations for millennia. From its ancient origins to its widespread use in modern kitchens and restaurants around the world, this legume demonstrates both culinary versatility and cultural significance. Despite prominence in traditional cuisines across several continents, the origin, diversification, and spread of chickpeas throughout the Middle East, South Asia, Ethiopia, and the western Mediterranean have remained a mystery. A new study in Molecular Biology and Evolution titled “Historical ...

Edinburgh, UK – 23 June 2023:  It could be the shopping trip that saves your life: supermarket trolleys are helping to diagnose atrial fibrillation which can then be treated to prevent disabling or fatal strokes. The research is presented today at ACNAP 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 “This study shows the potential of taking health checks to the masses without disrupting daily routines,” said study author Professor Ian Jones of Liverpool John Moores University, UK. “Over ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 23, 2023 Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu   (Boston)—Despite advances in defining the genomic characteristics of head and neck cancers, these malignancies continue to rank among the deadliest cancers with few targeted therapies available. An important challenge in designing effective treatments is intratumor heterogeneity, the presence of multiple subpopulations of cells with distinct genomic and molecular alterations, with some cells inherently more resistant to certain ...

Partners in the international consortium CAR T-REX announce the awarding of a highly competitive EIC Pathfinder Open grant, following the positive evaluation of their project entitled ‘CAR T Cells Rewired to Prevent EXhaustion in the Tumour Microenvironment’. One of 57 projects selected amongst 858 submissions, with a total funding of €2.7M, CAR T-REX was recognised for its radical and ambitious vision to improve the efficacy and safety of CAR T-based solid tumour-targeted cell therapies.   By ...

Modern immunotherapies boost the body's own defenses against cancer. They activate killer T cells of the immune system that can specifically recognize and destroy cancer cells. In many patients, however, cancer cells adapt and become invisible to killer T cells so that the treatment is no longer effective. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Magdeburg has now discovered a new mechanism that enables the immune system to also eliminate such invisible cancer cells. These findings open up new possibilities ...

The air taxi market is almost ready for take off, with companies such as Boeing, Hyundai, Airbus and Toyota building fleets to have commuters flitting through the sky. Europe and the US have both drafted new rules to pave the way for air taxis to begin operations within the decade, with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to follow suit. Increasingly sophisticated studies over recent years, including a recent paper by RMIT University’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research Team, have measured how sudden wind gusts form around city buildings and destabilise aircraft. Lead researcher and aerospace engineer, Dr Abdulghani Mohamed, who’s ...

Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalisation in those over 65 and research predicts that the condition will increase in global prevalence by almost 50% by 2030. Currently heart failure affects more 64 million people worldwide. In order to reduce the burden of disease on both health systems and patients, Amsterdam UMC is launching, thanks to a Horizon Europe grant of almost 6 million euros, a consortium to look for an AI-powered solution.   Consortium leader and Professor of Precision Medicine at Amsterdam UMC, Folkert Asselbergs explains ...