You may have heard it said before that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about an emoji? Since emoji were first created in the 1990s, their use has evolved and increased significantly in text messaging, social media, email and more. And now, even clinicians are using them when communicating with each other at work. “It's very interesting, the idea that a single emoji has some some kind of meaning, but could mean something different to different people,” said Colin Halverson, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. Halverson, along with Mike ...

ProtectedSeas Navigator—the first global map of the world’s marine life regulations and their boundaries is now available. Navigator is a free, interactive map of over 21,000 marine protected and managed areas across 220 countries and territories and in over 25 languages. Navigator offers a global view of marine life protections to help inform progress towards international conservation goals, including protecting 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030, which was adopted at the UN Biodiversity ...

KANSAS CITY, MO—June 13, 2023—Lacking bones, brains, and even a complete gut, the body plans of simple animals like sea anemones appear to have little in common with humans and their vertebrate kin. Nevertheless, new research from Investigator Matt Gibson, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research shows that appearances can be deceiving, and that a common genetic toolkit can be deployed in different ways to drive embryological development to produce very different adult body plans.     It is well established that sea anemones, corals, and their jellyfish relatives shared a common ancestor with humans that plied the Earth’s ancient oceans ...

OFFSHORE WIND POWER OFFERS A PROMISING SOLUTION to the challenge of decarbonizing coastal China. China’s coastal provinces, though small in land mass, are home to 76% of the population; they are also responsible for 72% of total national power consumption and 70% of total CO2 emissions. Transitioning the coastal areas away from fossil fuels is one of China’s core challenges for achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, and offshore wind power may hold the key. New research published in Nature Communications develops a bottom-up model to ...

The first side-necked turtle ever to be found in the UK has been discovered by an amateur fossil collector and palaeontologists at the University of Portsmouth. The fossil remains are the earliest of a so-called side-necked pan-pleurodiran turtle, named as such because they fold their neck into their shell sideways when threatened. This does mean they can only see out with one eye. Originally found on a National Trust beach on the Isle of Wight, the turtle fossil is an almost complete shell with cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, scapulae, pelvic girdle and appendicular bones. Sadly, the skull was missing. Lead author, Megan Jacobs, ...

LOS ANGELES -- A new study from Keck Medicine of USC has uncovered significant racial disparities in the diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of peripheral artery disease (PAD) among Black and white patients in the United States.   PAD, which affects approximately eight to 12 million Americans and is associated with nearly half of the 150,000 yearly amputations in the U.S., is a potentially life-threatening condition in which the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the legs narrow or become blocked by the buildup of fatty plaque. This can lead to a heart attack, stroke or amputation of the affected limb.  “We discovered that Black patients are nearly 50% less ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that current dementia risk scores have limited clinical utility for estimation of 10-year dementia risk. Further research is needed to develop more accurate algorithms for estimation of dementia risk. Authors: Mika Kivimäki, Ph.D. of University College London, 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.2023.18132) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for ...

About The Study: This study found that when clinicians use emoji and emoticons in secure clinical texting systems, these symbols function primarily to convey new and interactionally salient information. These results suggest that concerns about the professionalism of emoji and emoticon use may be unwarranted. Authors: Colin M. E. Halverson, Ph.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, 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.2023.18140) Editor’s Note: Please ...

Embargoed by Nature Communications until 10 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, June 13 SAN ANTONIO (June 13, 2023) — Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, working with collaborators in five countries, today revealed that the capacity to resist or recover from infections and other sources of inflammatory stress — called “immune resilience” — differs widely among individuals. The researchers developed a unique set of metrics to quantify the level ...

Following encouraging results from pre-clinical research and a recent clinical trial on stem cell-based treatments for patients with Type 1 diabetes, researchers are now working on maximizing the function and potential of stem cell-based treatments for future application in patients.    More than 8 billion people worldwide live with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) according to recent estimates. In T1D, the so-called beta cells in the pancreas do not make enough of the hormone insulin due to the destruction of beta-cells by the immune system leading to blood sugar levels rising above normal levels. Over time, T1D can lead to severe organ damage. There is no cure ...

Researchers have used heart and lung stem cells infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 to better understand how the disease impacts different organs, paving the way for more targeted treatments. The research, co-led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), found the responses to SARS-CoV-2 varied significantly depending on the cell type, allowing the team to identify effective anti-viral drugs to treat infection in heart and lung cells. The findings were published in the 10th anniversary edition of Stem Cell Reports.  Murdoch ...

Four state policies introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to spur expansion of telehealth were associated with expansion of such services by mental health facilities, but growth of telehealth was lower among facilities in counties with the greatest proportion of Black residents, according to a new RAND Corporation study.   Expansion of telehealth also was lower among facilities that accepted Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, two government insurance programs that aid primarily lower-income Americans, according to the study.   The findings show that disparities in access to mental health care persisted even as ...

Only 1 in 4 residential addiction treatment facilities caring for U.S. adolescents under 18 years old offer buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, according to a new study. Only 1 in 8 offer buprenorphine for ongoing treatment. These findings highlight a significant gap in access to evidence-based addiction treatment among young people. Published in JAMA, this study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences ...

LA JOLLA (June 13, 2023)—The immune system protects the body from invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, or tumors, with its intricate network of proteins, cells, and organs. Specialized immune cells, called cytotoxic T cells, can develop into short-lived effector cells that kill infected or cancerous cells within our bodies. A small portion of those effector cells remain after an infection and become longer-lived memory cells, which “remember” infections and respond when infections reappear. ...

PHILADELPHIA—The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 22 researchers selected to join the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. These early-career scientists will receive four years of funding to spearhead innovative studies exploring human health and medicine. “From vaccine development to treatments for complex diseases, biomedical research is foundational to solving some of the world’s greatest health challenges,” said Susan K. Urahn, Pew’s president and CEO. “Pew is thrilled to welcome this new class of researchers and support their efforts to advance scientific knowledge and improve human ...

PHILADEPHIA—The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust announced today the 2023 class of the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research. These early-career scientists will receive four-year grants to explore new horizons in cancer development, diagnosis, and treatment. This class marks the 10th year the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust has partnered with Pew to build a legacy of innovative cancer research. “Cancer is one of the most pressing challenges facing biomedical researchers today,” said Susan K. Urahn, Pew’s president and CEO. “Pew ...

PHILADELPHIA – The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 2023 class members of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences. These 10 postdoctoral fellows from seven Latin American countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay—will receive two years of funding to conduct research in laboratories throughout the United States. The fellows will work under the mentorship of prominent biomedical scientists, including an alum of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. “Scientific ...

Most women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer today can expect to become long term cancer survivors, finds a study published by The BMJ today. The findings show that the average risk of dying from breast cancer in the five years after a diagnosis has fallen from 14% to 5% since the 1990s. For those diagnosed during 2010-15, more than six in 10 women had a five year risk of 3% or less. The researchers say their findings can be used to reassure most women treated for early breast cancer that they are likely to become long term cancer survivors. ...

The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has released updated recommendations for CFTR carrier screening –Updated recommendations for CFTR carrier screening: A position statement of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Pathogenic variants in the CFTR gene can cause cystic fibrosis (CF) as well as CF-related disorders. The new updated ACMG CFTR variant list includes a set of 100 variants.* The new CFTR variant list represents an updated minimum recommended variant set for CF carrier screening and supersedes the previous group of 23 CFTR variants recommended by the ACMG. These revised recommendations apply to carrier screening, a type of genetic ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – A common weight-loss surgery for obese adolescents and young adults is found to have harmful effects on bones, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “Childhood obesity is on the rise and weight-loss surgery is the most effective way to reduce weight and improve cardiometabolic comorbidities,” said the study’s lead investigator, Miriam A. Bredella, M.D., professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and vice chair for Faculty Affairs and Clinical Operations, Department of Radiology ...

PeerJ, the award-winning Open Access publisher, has announced the launch of the Open Advances series of journals, part of its ongoing commitment to democratizing scientific communication. The series will foster an equitable approach that empowers researchers worldwide to contribute valuable insights towards solving global challenges. The journals will be fully Open Access but will not charge authors a fee to publish.  The Open Advances series is a transformative endeavor that cements PeerJ's commitment to openness, innovation, ...

June 13, 2023 – Enrollment in the Medicare Advantage program – which allows Medicare beneficiaries to get their health care through plans administered by private insurance companies – has been growing so rapidly that it has recently surpassed enrollment in traditional Medicare. A new analysis by USC researchers warns that overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans now exceed 20 percent or $75 billion annually, underscoring the urgent need for reform. Researchers with the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics found that the millions of beneficiaries in traditional Medicare who have switched to Medicare ...

Philadelphia, June 13, 2023 – Cognitive deficits accompany mood disorders and other psychiatric conditions, often with debilitating effects. Limited treatments currently exist, but studies in animals and humans have pointed to drugs such as the laxative prucalopride that activate serotonin receptors as a potential therapeutic for the symptoms. It has remained unclear, however, how the medication affects resting brain activity. Now, a new study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, examines the drug’s effects in healthy human adults. Serotonin receptors and the 5-HT4-type receptors in particular are found in areas ...

Positive parenting—as reported by children and teenagers— protects young people from the deleterious effects of stressors like financial hardship or serious illness, according to a study. Jamie Hanson and colleagues examined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data along with survey data for 482 participants in an ongoing study, the Healthy Brain Network, who were between the ages of 10–17 at the time of data collection. Previous work has found associations between stress and small hippocampal volumes as well as between stress and behavioral problems—associations confirmed ...

The universe is big, and it’s getting bigger. To study dark energy, the mysterious force behind the accelerating expansion of our universe, scientists are using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to map more than 40 million galaxies, quasars, and stars. Today, the collaboration publicly released its first batch of data, with nearly 2 million objects for researchers to explore. The 80-terabyte data set comes from 2,480 exposures taken over six months during the experiment’s “survey validation” phase in 2020 and 2021. In this period ...