A new study on dogs found that chromatin's spatial structure has a significant role in the evolution of social behavior. Chromatin, the compact form of DNA, not only packages genetic material but also plays a crucial role in gene regulation. This study demonstrates that both the linear sequence of DNA and its three-dimensional configuration are linked to friendly behavior shaped by dog domestication, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying social traits. Behavioral traits such as sociability are influenced by numerous genes, their interactions, environmental factors, and individual life experiences. Because ...

Research Highlights: Adults in white-collar jobs in Canada with high job strain and for whom significant efforts are met with low rewards (such as low salary or recognition) may face a 97% increased risk for developing the irregular heart rhythm condition known as atrial fibrillation, or AFib or AF, compared to workers not exposed to these work stressors. Separately, high job strain alone was associated with an 83% higher risk of developing AFib, and effort-reward imbalance alone was associated with a 44% greater risk. Recognizing and addressing these stressors at work may be an effective strategy ...

If it’s ever felt like everything in your body is breaking down at once, that might not be your imagination. A new Stanford Medicine study shows that many of our molecules and microorganisms dramatically rise or fall in number during our 40s and 60s. Researchers assessed many thousands of different molecules in people from age 25 to 75, as well as their microbiomes — the bacteria, viruses and fungi that live inside us and on our skin — and found that the abundance of most molecules ...

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures to prevent contagion resulted in extensive disruptions in children’s and adolescents’ everyday lives. A new study in Child Development from the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, University of California, Riverside and University of California, Davis in the United States, investigated personal memories (i.e., memories for episodes experienced in one’s own life) about the first lockdown in Denmark in Spring 2020 among children and adolescents and how this may have impacted their psychological well-being over the following year.  For context, in ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio (August 14, 2024)—With more than 24 million people globally living with dementia without a cure in sight, there is a lot of focus on ways to prevent and delay cognitive impairment. A new study suggests that severe menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and depression can negatively affect cognitive function in postmenopausal women. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. In conjunction with our aging population, dementia diagnoses are on the rise. It ...

The UK’s first large scale offshore mussel farm is allowing shellfish reefs to return to parts of the seabed off England’s south coast for the first time in up to 150 years, a new study has revealed. Researchers have spent the past decade examining the environmental impact of the farm, which was first established in Lyme Bay off the coast of South Devon in 2013. In that time, the seabed beneath the farm’s ropes has begun to undergo a transformation as mussels from the lines are ...

Imagine a coat that captures solar energy to keep you cozy on a chilly winter walk, or a shirt that can monitor your heart rate and temperature. Picture clothing athletes can wear to track their performance without the need for bulky battery packs.  University of Waterloo researchers have developed a smart fabric with these remarkable capabilities. The fabric has the potential for energy harvesting, health monitoring, and movement tracking applications.  The new fabric developed ...

This review offers an in-depth exploration of Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma (NLPHL), highlighting its distinct characteristics across various domains such as epidemiology, clinical presentation, histopathology, immunophenotype, genetic findings, and challenges in differential diagnosis. Epidemiology and Clinical Presentation NLPHL is a relatively rare subtype of Hodgkin lymphoma, comprising approximately 10% of all Hodgkin lymphoma cases. It predominantly affects males, with a higher incidence observed ...

More than a quarter of Australians over the age of 50 take cholesterol-lowering drugs to prevent heart disease and strokes, but our bodies also need cholesterol to survive. Now, scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) say its role as a basic building block of life holds the key to treating deadly diseases caused by parasites, including malaria.   The researchers have developed a trojan horse method that tricks malaria parasites into ingesting a fatal dose of drugs by exploiting the parasite’s need for cholesterol to survive. By attaching ...

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a novel pathway to wake up dormant neural stem cells, offering potential new therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy. In the mammalian adult brain, most neural stem cells, which originate from the nervous system and can grow into various types of brain cells, stay dormant until they receive specific signals that activate them. Once woken up, they produce new neurons, aiding in brain repair and growth. Defects in neural stem cell activation ...

An unchartered area in the foothills of the Southern Pyrenees in Spain is providing insights into a poorly known period of Neanderthal history, offering clues that could help archaeologists uncover the mystery of their downfall, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU).   Abric Pizarro is one of only a few sites worldwide dating from 100,000 to 65,000 years ago during a period called MIS 4. The researchers have gathered hundreds of thousands of artefacts, including stone tools, animal bones and other evidence, providing significant data about the Neanderthal way of life during that time -- largely unknown in human history until now. The findings ...

Quick decisions are more likely influenced by initial biases, resulting in faulty conclusions, while decisions that take time are more likely the result in better information, according to new research led by applied mathematicians at the University of Utah. A team that included Sean Lawley, an associate professor of mathematics, and three former or current Utah graduate students used the power of numbers to test a decision-making model long used in psychology. They developed a framework to study the decision-making processes in groups of people holding various levels of bias. “In large populations, what we see is that slow deciders are making more accurate ...

A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, found that an episode of shingles is associated with about a 20 percent higher long-term risk of subjective cognitive decline. The study’s findings provide additional support for getting the shingles vaccine to decrease risk of developing shingles, according to the researchers. Their results are published in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. "Our findings show long-term implications of shingles and highlight the importance of public health efforts to prevent and promote uptake of the shingles vaccine," said ...

Australians outlive their peers in 5 high income English speaking countries, including the UK and the US, by between 1 to 4 years, finds an analysis of international longevity data, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Most of this advantage accrues between the ages of 45 and 84, with death rates from drug and alcohol misuse, screenable/treatable cancers, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases all lower, the analysis shows. While high income countries achieved good life expectancy gains during the 20th century, the trends have been much less favourable in the 21st century, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, note ...

Feeling that your life lacks purpose and that there are few opportunities for personal growth in older age may precede the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a frequent precursor of dementia, suggests research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. These aspects of psychological wellbeing noticeably decline 2 to 6 years before MCI is diagnosed, even in the absence of evident signs, and irrespective of whether those affected go on to develop dementia, the findings ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Despite being home to some of the world’s most dangerous animals, Australia has led the English-speaking world in life expectancy for the last three decades. As for other high-income Anglophone countries, the Irish saw the largest gains in life expectancy, while Americans have finished dead last since the early 1990s, according to a team of social scientists led by a Penn State researcher.   The team published their findings today (August 13) in the journal BMJ Open.  “One lesson ...

SMC Labels – Peer reviewed observational study on humans  Childhood maltreatment is associated with greater cognitive difficulties than previously thought   New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and City University of New York suggests that the cognitive difficulties associated with childhood maltreatment, and particularly neglect, have been grossly underestimated in previous studies.   The research, published in Lancet ...

Scientists from Macquarie University working with Bunuba Indigenous rangers and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in Western Australia have trialled a new way to protect freshwater crocodiles from deadly invasive cane toads spreading across northern Australia. Freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) are a culturally significant animal and part of traditional owners’ Dreamtime stories in the region. The loss of these predators also upsets the delicate balance of local ecosystems. The group’s research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society: B on August 14, shows a method to significantly reduce freshwater ...

Orlando, FL (Aug. 13, 2024) – Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) is the first hospital in the world to use a new, groundbreaking blood test to help assess patients with suspected mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or concussions. The rapid TBI blood test provides results in just 15 minutes and was developed by Abbott, in collaboration with the Department of Defense, and built upon innovative research that Orlando Health’s Dr. Linda Papa and others helped pioneer over 20 years ago. According to the National Institutes of Health, traumatic brain injury from accidents or sports is a leading cause of death and disability in ...

In a new study, researchers synthesised data from 206,873 people across 47 studies, finding that digital health tools – like mobile apps, websites, and text messages – can significantly improve health and wellbeing by keeping you active, boosting steps, and improving your diet and sleep.   Specifically, electronic and mobile health interventions can help people achieve:   1329 more steps / day 55 minutes more moderate-to-vigorous exercise / week 45 minutes more overall physical activity / week 7 hours less sedentary behaviour / week 103 fewer calories consumed / day 20% more fruits and vegetables consumed / day 5.5 grams less saturated fat consumed / day 1.9 ...

Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the first edition of a new systematic annual review. The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events ...

A new technique developed by McGill researchers for mechanically manipulating stem cells could lead to new stem cell treatments, which have yet to fulfill their therapeutic potential.  Stem cell therapy has been heralded as a new way to treat many diseases, ranging from multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and glaucoma to Type 1 diabetes. The anticipated advances have yet to materialize in part because it has proved much more difficult than originally thought to control the types of cells that develop from stem cells.  “The great strength of stem cells is their ability to adapt to the body, replicate and transform themselves into other kinds of cells, whether ...

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana University School of Medicine physician scientist is making strides in understanding the molecular origins of fatty liver disease, a leading cause of liver failure in the United States. By identifying the critical role the urea cycle plays in its development, his findings could pave the way for new medications to treat this currently incurable disease. In a study recently published in Cell Metabolism, Brian DeBosch, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, uncovered ...

Two studies published in the latest issue of the journal Cell by University of Pittsburgh researchers uncover how immunotherapies targeting the immune checkpoints PD1 and LAG3 work together to activate immune responses. The findings shed light on why combination therapies targeting both checkpoints can improve outcomes for melanoma patients compared to monotherapies targeting only PD1. Using data from a human clinical trial and animal models, the researchers investigated responses of tumor-killing CD8+ T cells. During extended battles with cancer, immune checkpoints accumulate on the surface of T cells, acting like brakes on ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A good night’s sleep is essential for children’s health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence. The team published their findings in Annals of Epidemiology. “The study suggests that there might be some critical ages when sleep can be a target for intervention,” said Anne-Marie Chang, associate professor of ...