Niigata, Japan - The Department of Neurology at Niigata University has developed a new in silico method for evaluating the pathogenicity of missense variants using AlphaFold2 (MOVA). Rare variants in the causative gene of ALS are present in 10-30% of sporadic ALS cases, which highlights the need for accurate and efficient pathogenicity prediction methods. To predict the pathogenicity of the variants, in silico analysis methods are commonly used. In some ALS causal genes, the mutations are concentrated in specific regions, and the accuracy of pathogenicity prediction can be improved by considering the positional information of the variants. ...

Niigata, Japan - The gold standard test for predicting the onset of diabetic kidney disease is albuminuria. However, detecting albuminuria alone has limited sensitivity and specificity in end-stage renal failure with a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate. This is supported by several reports, which state that about half of the type 2 diabetes patients who developed kidney dysfunction showed no preceding albuminuria. In this study, the authors propose the possibility of diagnosing tubular abnormalities in diabetic kidney disease at an early stage and connecting them to treatment by combining the evaluation of sodium concentration using 23Na MRI ...

Older female mice had more immune cells entering areas of the body where they shouldn’t according to a new study, demonstrating that sex differences contribute to age-related inflammation that needs to be considered in future research.   In a paper published in Journal of Leukocyte Biology today (Tuesday 13 June), at team of researchers led by Dr Myriam Chimen from the University of Birmingham have found that age significantly increases the number of immune cells entering the sack that holds major organs (peritoneal cavity) in female mice, when compared to young mice or older male mice.   The findings support previous studies that suggest ...

Peer-reviewed / Randomised Controlled Trial / People Study of healthy US adults found that a single dose of the VLA1553 vaccine candidate was generally safe, well tolerated and provokes an immune response. After a single vaccination, the vaccine produced neutralizing antibody levels which are thought to protect against chikungunya disease in 99% (263/266) of participants. Antibody levels declined 28 days after vaccination, but seroprotection persisted in more than 96% (233/242) participants after six months. Most adverse events were moderate or mild and the authors say its safety profile is similar to other licensed vaccines The VLA1553 vaccine candidate ...

Glasgow, UK:  The informed consent process in biomedical research is biased towards people who can meet with clinical study staff during the working day. For those who have the availability to have a consent conversation, the time burden can be off-putting. Professor Eric Vilain, from the Department of Paediatrics, University of California, Irvine, USA, will tell the European Society of Human Genetics annual conference today (Tuesday 13 June) how results from his team’s study of the use of a chatbot (GIA – ‘Genetics Information Assistant’ ...

Weight and body mass index (BMI) policies introduced by NHS commissioning groups in England are inappropriate and worsening health inequalities, according to a new study published in BMC Medicine today [13 June] that analysed nearly 490,000 hip surgeries. With one in ten people likely to need a joint replacement in their lifetime, many thousands of patients are directly affected by these policies. Rules implemented by NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across England to change the access to hip and knee replacement surgery for patients who are overweight or obese have been in effect for over ten years. ...

In a world of continuously warmer temperatures, a growing consensus demands that energy sources have zero, or next-to-zero, carbon emissions. That means growing beyond coal, oil, and natural gas by getting more energy from renewable sources. One of the most promising renewable energy carriers is clean hydrogen, which is produced without fossil fuels. It’s a promising idea because the most abundant element in the universe is hydrogen, found in 75 percent of all matter. Moreover, a hydrogen molecule has two paired atoms—Gemini twins that are both non-toxic and highly combustible. Hydrogen’s combustive potential ...

A decade after UC San Francisco scientists identified an over-the-counter antihistamine as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, researchers have developed an approach to measure the drug’s effectiveness in repairing the brain, making it possible to also assess future therapies for the devastating disorder.  The researchers, led by physician-scientist Ari Green, MD, who together with neuroscientist Jonah Chan, PhD, first identified clemastine as a potential MS therapy, used MRI scans to study the drug’s impact on the brain of 50 participants in a clinical study.  In MS, patients lose myelin, the protective insulation around ...

As adoption of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) continues to increase, there is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of this technology in improving diabetes outcomes for patients with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. A new supplement in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT) provides an excellent perspective of the past, present, and future of CGM. Click here to read the supplement now. In the supplement Rickson et al. review the rapid pace in which diabetes technology has progressed and the implications for relying on rigorous and extensive timelines to publish randomized controlled trials to impact ...

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Ochsner Health has named Jim Molloy as the organization’s next Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. A leader at Citi bringing decades of extensive experience in healthcare finance, Molloy will oversee the organization’s accounting, financial planning and analysis, reimbursement and revenue cycle functions, as well as managed care contracting and treasury. He will also play a pivotal role in the continued development and execution of ...

T2D patients with lower birthweight also show higher use of diabetes drugs than those with normal birthweight, and a larger number of comorbidities including high blood pressure, at the time of diagnosis. The first study is by Dr Rasmus Wibaek, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark, and Dr Allan Vaag, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, and also Lund University, Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues. This study included adults aged 30–60 years enrolled in the Danish Inter99 cohort in 1999–2001 (baseline examination), with information on birthweight from original birth records from 1939–1971 and without diabetes at baseline. Birth records were linked ...

Gentle cleansers are just as effective in killing viruses – including coronavirus – as harsh soaps, according to a new study from scientists at the University of Sheffield  Healthcare professionals often substitute alcohol-based hand sanitisers and harsh soaps for skin-friendly cleansers in order to treat or prevent irritant contact dermatitis, which develops when chemical or physical agents damage the skin surface faster than the skin can repair Incidence and severity of irritant contact dermatitis increased from 20 per cent to 80 per cent amongst healthcare professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic Researchers also found non-enveloped ...

“[...] we demonstrated the new acylfulvene compound LP-284 has anti-tumor activity including nanomolar potency in fifteen in vitro NHL cell lines and in vivo preclinical NHL models.” BUFFALO, NY- June 12, 2023 – A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on June 12, 2023, entitled, “LP-284, a small molecule acylfulvene, exerts potent antitumor activity in preclinical non-Hodgkin's lymphoma models and in cells deficient in DNA damage repair.” Despite advances in therapies treating non-Hodgkin’s ...

Three scientists with exceptional promise and novel approaches to fighting cancer have been named the 2023 recipients of the Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award. The awardees were selected through a highly competitive and rigorous process by a scientific committee comprised of leading cancer researchers who are themselves physician-scientists.  Physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to translate scientific discoveries into therapies that improve and prolong the lives of their patients. However, ...

As the world struggles for sustainability in the face of climate change, wildfire smoke becomes a lesson in how people can become victims far from the root of a problem and far from their control. In this month’s open access National Science Review, Jianguo “Jack” Liu, MSU Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, makes a case for the world to shake off the constraints of traditional governance, which tends to address issues in one place without considering how people or ecologies near and far might be impacted. Justice at a global scale can be threatened when natural events or human decisions in one part of the world to protect, reroute, ...

New findings from a project led by researchers at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and published in the journal JAMA Network Open, show the dramatic impact that smoking status has on mortality and more accurately predict the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases.   “Historically, mortality risk has often been presented by age, sex, and race but it rarely has accounted for smoking status—a major risk factor for many causes of death,” says lead author Steven Woloshin, MD, MS, a professor of ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 12, 2023) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today announced that Victor J. Torres, Ph.D., an internationally renowned microbiologist and immunologist has been selected as the inaugural chair of a new Department of Host-Microbe Interactions. This department will establish a world-leading effort focused on exploring the fundamental biology of the interaction of infectious agendas with the human host. The discoveries made through this new effort will advance our ability to more effectively treat, as well as prevent infectious diseases “Infectious diseases remain one of the leading causes of death globally for children under the age of five,” ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Cloud-based computing directly contributes to business innovation, but rural businesses lacking sufficient broadband capacity to access cloud services are missing out on their innovation-boosting potential, according to a team of researchers from Penn State and the National Science Foundation. The findings can be used by policymakers and business-support organizations to foster greater opportunities for rural innovation.  “Innovation plays a critical role in keeping businesses competitive and viable, and in turn, healthy businesses are essential to vibrant rural economies. Therefore, we’re interested ...

Of the 38 million people worldwide living with HIV, approximately 700,000 are newly infected men, primarily via sexual transmission. Sexually transmitted HIV infections in exclusively heterosexual men are acquired through the penis. In addition, semen which is produced in the male genital tract (MGT) has been recognized as the primary vector for vaginal and rectal HIV transmission. Notably, the risk of sexual HIV transmission increases with the presence of a concurrent sexually transmitted infection. For the majority of patients, antiretroviral therapy (ART) rapidly decreases the viral load in blood and semen, ...

In a recently published manuscript, Howard Colman, MD, PhD, Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Professor of Neuro-Oncology and co-leader of the Neurologic Cancers Disease Center and the Experimental Therapeutics CCSG program at Huntsman Cancer Institute, identified a potential breakthrough in glioblastoma treatment. Glioblastoma, or GBM, is an aggressive type of brain cancer. According to Colman, this is the most common type of cancerous brain tumor in adults. Standard treatments include radiation and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, typical GBM tumors are often resistant ...

CHICAGO—The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates today passed the Endocrine Society’s resolution to protect access to evidence-based gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. As political attacks on gender-affirming care escalate, it is the responsibility of the medical community to speak out in support of evidence-based care. Medical decisions should be made by patients, their relatives and health care providers, not politicians. In the resolution, the AMA committed to opposing any criminal and legal penalties against patients seeking ...

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0540 URL goes live when the embargo lifts An analysis of medical crowdfunding campaigns reveals the types of expenses that patients with diabetes may struggle to afford. The data showed that even insured patients with diabetes used GoFundMe to offset the excess costs of treatment beyond insulin, such as uncovered co-pays, indirect care, and alert dogs. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. More than 40% of patients with diabetes in the United States have trouble ...

Studies show that consumers believe people who work hard for their money have higher incomes, are more financially literate and are more comfortable taking on prudent financial risk.  Similarly, national survey data used by policymakers to assess the relationship between effortful earning and financial risk-taking also shows a positive correlation between the two.  While, at the population level this may be true, new research from the University of Notre Dame shows that the harder an individual ...

Researchers led by the University of California San Diego have developed a new model that trains four-legged robots to see more clearly in 3D. The advance enabled a robot to autonomously cross challenging terrain with ease—including stairs, rocky ground and gap-filled paths—while clearing obstacles in its way. The researchers will present their work at the 2023 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), which will take place from June 18 to 22 in Vancouver, Canada. “By providing the robot with a better understanding of its surroundings in 3D, it can be deployed in more complex environments ...

A University of Texas at Arlington researcher is working to increase the security of natural language generation (NLG) systems, such as those used by ChatGPT, to guard against misuse and abuse that could allow the spread of misinformation online. Shirin Nilizadeh, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, has earned a five-year, $567,609 Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her research. Understanding the vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) to online misinformation is “an important and timely problem to address,” ...