CHICAGO—People with obesity may have lower work productivity due to increased risk of illness, contributing to increased costs for employers, according to industry-supported research being presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, in Chicago, Ill. Obesity is a significant public health issue affecting approximately 42% of people in the United States. Employees with overweight or obesity are more likely to develop weight-related comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, cardiovascular ...

CHICAGO—By being undiagnosed or untreated, a significant fraction of people with obesity or overweight are not getting the recommended care, despite an increase in new treatment options, according to research being presented on June 17 at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. “The number of people with obesity is high and rising in the adult U.S. population. Obesity is a complex and expensive disease that has been implicated in many chronic conditions including high blood ...

CHICAGO—Closed-loop insulin delivery systems improve glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes without causing adverse effects, according to a study presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. A closed-loop system consists of devices that use a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump to automatically regulate blood sugar levels for people with diabetes. The system operates “closed-loop” because it continuously monitors and adjusts (starting and stopping) insulin delivery based on the person's ...

A proven and effective medication for osteoporosis, which is currently only available as an injection, can be administered orally using a novel “robotic pill,” according to a study presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. “We believe this study provides the first clinical evidence of safe and successful delivery of the osteoporosis drug teriparatide through an oral robotic pill,” said Arvinder Dhalla, Ph.D., who leads Clinical Development at Rani Therapeutics, the San Jose, Calif.-based company that developed the technology and funded the study. “Data from this study are very encouraging ...

The good news: a monoclonal antibody treatment called benralizumab proved quite effective in a clinical trial at depleting the number of eosinophils found in the blood and digestive tract tissues of patients with eosinophilic gastritis. The not-so-good news: eliminating eosinophils was not enough to stop the symptoms people feel with this uncommon and severe form of food allergy. Nor did the treatment affect key measures of gut tissue health and related gene expression patterns.   These paradigm-shifting Phase 2 clinical ...

MISSOULA – Pregnancy at high elevations often is associated with low birth weights and other complications. These challenges occur in a wide range of mammals, from deer mice to human beings. Research conducted at the University of Montana revealed some of the genetic underpinnings that allow certain highland mouse populations to protect developing fetuses in higher areas. The work was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Understanding how deer mice survive and thrive at high elevations not only informs our understanding of basic evolutionary processes, it may also one ...

Jupiter's moon, Europa, is slightly smaller than Earth’s Moon and is one of the most promising places to search for alien life.  Amid the Jovian system, Europa is of particular interest to scientists because of the strong evidence for nutrients, water and energy to potentially provide a habitable environment for some form of life beyond Earth. In addition, Europa is believed to be made up into four layers (from surface to center): an ice shell, salt water ocean, rocky mantle, and metallic core. Like Earth, Europa’s ...

HOUSTON ― Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found the KRAS G12C inhibitor adagrasib showed promising activity suppressing cancer growth not only within the lungs but also in brain metastases for patients with KRAS G12C-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Findings from the Phase Ib cohort of the KRYSTAL-1 trial, published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, represent the first prospective data of anti-tumor activity from a KRAS G12C inhibitor in brain metastases, providing continued evidence of the ...

Virginia Tech researchers with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have demonstrated that children with a wide range of diagnoses that affect their motor function improve after receiving intensive pediatric neurorehabilitation called ACQUIRE Therapy. The findings were published in June in Behavioral Sciences and will be included in an upcoming special issue of the journal devoted to “shifting the therapeutic paradigm for children with neuromotor disabilities to maximize development.” “We ...

As a part of its life cycle, the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) inserts a copy of its DNA into human immune cells. Some of these newly infected immune cells can then transition into a dormant, latent state for a long period of time, which is referred to as HIV latency. Although current therapies, such current antiretroviral therapy (ART), can successfully block the virus from replicating further, it cannot eradicate latent HIV. If treatment is ever discontinued, the virus can rebound from latency and reignite the progression of HIV infection to AIDS. Scientists from the HIV Cure Center at the UNC School of Medicine, University of California ...

Cancer cells are even smarter than scientists previously believed, according to new CU Boulder research. When these cells are confronted with potent new drugs called CDK2 inhibitors, which are designed to prevent cancer from proliferating, they can trigger a workaround to survive the assault in as little as one to two hours.  But the study, published June 8 in the journal “Cell,” comes with a silver lining.  It reveals how cancer cells complete this adaption and shows that simultaneously administering a second, already widely ...

Breast cancer is a complex disease, and its progression is difficult, yet important, to predict. While many elements may contribute to a breast cancer prognosis, University of Massachusetts Amherst biostatistician Chi Hyun Lee has zeroed in on one risk factor that has emerged for its potential to predict the disease’s progression. Lee will use a two-year, $154,791 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in an effort to develop statistical tools that will better predict breast cancer survival rates and survival time after breast cancer recurrence. While the project focuses on breast cancer research, the proposed statistical ...

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – When the global pandemic put the kibosh on in-person events, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility sought alternatives for ensuring its world-class science and unique equipment remained accessible. These efforts culminated in the Fall for Science Virtual Field Trip Event, which rolled out a virtual tour experience, new website, and unique supporting materials. Now, the event has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America with three Anvil Awards. According ...

Cedars-Sinai investigators have identified several steps in a cellular process responsible for triggering one of the body’s important inflammatory responses. Their findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Immunology, open up possibilities for modulating the type of inflammation associated with several infections and inflammatory diseases. Specifically, the investigators have improved understanding of the steps that lead to the production of IL-1 beta, a potent inflammatory protein signal released during many inflammatory responses. “We now have a clearer understanding of the stepwise process that leads to the production of IL-1 beta,” said Andrea ...

There are various ways to image biological samples on a microscopic level, and each has its own pros and cons. For the first time, a team of researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, has combined aspects from two of the leading imaging techniques to craft a new method of imaging and analyzing biological samples. Its concept, known as RESORT, paves the way to observe living systems in unprecedented detail. For as long as humanity has been able to manipulate glass, we have used optical devices to peer at the microscopic world in ever increasing ...

In the cerebral cortex, neurogenesis – the formation of neural cells from stem cells – begins in the fetus from 5 weeks gestation and is almost complete by 28 weeks. It is a complex process with finely tuned mechanisms. “In humans, neurogenesis lasts particularly long compared with other species, explains Khadijeh Shabani, a post-doctoral researcher at Paris Brain Institute. Neural stem cells remain in a progenitor state for an extended period. Only later do they differentiate into glial cells, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes that will form the architecture of the brain and spinal cord.” Until ...

With almost 250 million cases a year, 621,000 of them fatal, malaria remains a major public health problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by a microbe of the genus Plasmodium. On its journey from mosquito to human, Plasmodium must adapt to the specificities of the many organs and cells it parasitizes. Microbes do not have sensory organs; instead, they have sensors made of proteins to detect molecules specific to the environments they colonize. While most living organisms share the same types of sensors, Plasmodium is an exception. Biologists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have identified a new type ...

The use of thyroid hormones other than the commonly prescribed hormone medicine levothyroxine to treat hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is increasing, according to a study being presented Friday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. “This is significant because the long-term health outcomes of these treatments are not as well known as levothyroxine,” said researcher Matthew Ettleson, M.D., of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Ill. The thyroid makes the hormones triiodothyronine ...

CHICAGO—The percent of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), the leading global cause of liver disease, is increasing in U.S. adults, according to a study presented Friday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. Mexican Americans consistently had the highest percentage of MAFLD, especially in 2018, although the prevalence of increase was higher among Whites, the study found. MAFLD, previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is fast becoming the most common indication ...

Everyone has 24 hours per day. Across the global population of 8 billion people this adds up to approximately 190 billion human hours per day. How those hours are spent determines the impacts we have on our surroundings as well as how we experience life. To find out how people around the world use their time, a research team led by McGill University has gathered and analyzed information about both economic and non-economic activities in order to estimate, for the first time, what a day in the life of the world looks like. “At present, we are struggling to come to terms with global challenges, and that calls for fresh perspectives on how the world ...

The European Commission's stated aim is to improve access to innovative drugs at the national level throughout the EU. Firstly, according to the proposal for the reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation, there are still considerable differences in access between countries. Secondly, drug development has so far only been geared to a limited extent to the actual needs of patients. According to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), the latter point is in line with the perspective of the ...

Findings highlight racial disparities in sudden unexpected infant death in the U.S.  Only 16% fathers followed all three AAP-recommended infant sleep practices Rates of breastfeeding initiation and breastfeeding at eight weeks were much higher among fathers who wanted their infant’s mother to breastfeed than those who did not or had no opinion CHICAGO --- Fathers can make a huge difference in whether an infant is breastfed and placed to sleep safely, according to a recent survey of new fathers led by scientists at Northwestern University and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.  The study included 250 fathers who ...

In an article published yesterday in the prestigious journal Science, leading researchers from the University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania look at how AI (large language models or LLMs in particular) could change the nature of their work. “What we wanted to explore in this article is how social science research practices can be adapted, even reinvented, to harness the power of AI,” said Igor Grossmann, professor of psychology at Waterloo.  Grossmann and colleagues note ...

‘Weed early and often’ is the key to a productive garden. Interestingly, certain species of ants are also avid gardeners, a practice they’ve refined over 50 million years. They too weed their underground fungus gardens, but how they know what to weed out has been a mystery. Now, a multidisciplinary team of scientists report in PNAS on June 15 how ants distinguish the good fungus from the bad. People rely on sight to identify weeds but ants grow fungus underground in the dark and must have other ways to sense undesirable garden denizens. A team led by Jonathan Klassen, Ph.D., at the ...

Biological treatment processes are critical for sewage purification, wherein microbial interactions are tightly associated with treatment performance. Previous studies have focused on assessing how environmental factors (such as salinity) affect the diversity and composition of the microbial community but ignore the connections among microorganisms. To fill this gap, an international team of researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of microbial interactions at elevated salinity in activated sludge systems. Biological ...