A strong link between the extent of deprivation of local authorities in England and their numbers of children going into the care system through the family courts has been uncovered by researchers at Lancaster University. The study, available online and due to be published in July 2023 in the journal Children & Society, found that for every one unit increase in the standardized Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) English index of multiple area deprivation, the number of children in care proceedings in English family courts increased by around 70%. The research team analysed data from the English Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service ...

JMIR Dermatology—the official journal of the International Society of Teledermatology (ISTD)—and the journal’s guest editors welcome submissions to a special theme issue to coincide with the 10th ISTD World Congress held at the 23rd World Congress of Dermatology on July 4 to 7, 2023, in Singapore. This theme issue will allow attendees of the ISTD World Congress to share their work with a wider audience by disseminating their work in a well-respected, peer-reviewed, open-access journal.  Teledermatology has been increasingly gaining recognition as a means of delivering dermatological ...

A machine learning-based model that enables medical institutions to predict the mortality risk for individual cardiac surgery patients has been developed by a Mount Sinai research team, providing a significant performance advantage over current population-derived models. The new data-driven algorithm, built on troves of electronic health records (EHR), is the first institution-specific model for assessing a cardiac patient’s risk prior to surgery, thus allowing health care providers to pursue the best course of action for that individual. The team’s work was described in a study published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery ...

Tokyo, Japan – Organic chemistry, the study of carbon-based molecules, underlies not only the science of living organisms, but is critical for many current and future technologies, such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. Understanding the electronic structure of a material’s molecules is key to predicting the material’s chemical properties. In a study recently published by researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, a machine-learning algorithm was developed to predict the density ...

A marine research team led by Professor YAN Qingyun has proposed a method to assess the net carbon sink of marine macroalgae (Gracilaria) cultivation. Then, they calculated the net carbon sink of Gracilaria cultivation in China based on the yield of annual cultivated Gracilaria in the last ten years. Also, the net carbon sink trend of Gracilaria cultivation in the next ten years was predicted by the autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA). Finally, they explored the potential carbon sink increase and methane reduction related to Gracilaria cultivation in China through a scenario analysis. Their results suggested that the net carbon sink ...

Prior to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe sourced a great deal of natural gas from Russia. But as a result of EU sanctions on Russia, this supply is no longer there. European countries have scrambled to find and secure new suppliers. But if both the war and these sanctions last into next winter, gas will remain in short supply – especially if next winter is a cold one and people need a lot of gas for heating. There is a distinct possibility that a shortage of gas will mean homes go unheated and will force industry to halt production. As a result, some countries might ...

Korean researchers and an SME have successfully commercialized a light source1) capable of transmitting 25 billion bits per second over long distances for the first time in Korea. 1) Light source: An element that converts electrical signals into optical signals and is manufactured by a compound semiconductor process Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute(ETRI) announced that it has succeeded in commercializing an electro-absorption modulator-integrated laser(EML)2) capable of transmitting data over 30 km at a speed of 25 Gbps with ELDIS Co., Ltd., a III-V semiconductor laser ...

Paris, France, 17 May 2023.  The field of coronary drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty looks set to assume growing importance in the years to come and the potential for increased use of these devices in clinical practice is considerable. DCB catheters became available for coronary use in Europe more than 14 years ago and have become widely used in clinical practice around the world since then. In recent years there has been renewed interest in this therapy linked to the development of novel devices coated with drugs from the limus family and a wider experience in the treatment of de novo lesions. As of today, for coronary use, there are no less ...

New study analysed data on near-surface air temperatures recorded for North-West Europe over the past 60 years. The findings show that the maximum temperature of the hottest days is increasing at twice the rate of the maximum temperature of average summer days. The results highlight the need for urgent action by policy makers to adapt essential infrastructure to the impacts of climate change. New research led by the University of Oxford has found that climate change is causing the hottest days in North-West Europe to warm at double the rate of average ...

First-generation bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) may be just as effective as drug-eluting metallic stents, which are currently the standard treatment for heart disease patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).   These are significant findings from a global clinical trial led by a researcher from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The work could lead to advancements and improvements in new BVS technology and future clinical use among interventional cardiologists across the ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Decision-making capabilities of college students – including some graduating this spring – were likely negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests. Students in the small study conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University were less consistent in their decision making during the 2020 fall semester compared to students who had participated in similar research over several previous years. The researchers compared responses to a hypothetical situation made by students during the pandemic to responses made by students in earlier studies. They found evidence that students in 2020 ...

Researchers from universities across the United States will arrive at the U.S. House and Senate on Wednesday for meetings with lawmakers and their staffs about the importance of fundamental science and funding for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy Office of Science. Their advocacy is particularly crucial this year in light of the current tense negotiations over raising the debt ceiling, which threatens non defense discretionary funding, including for scientific research, public health and many other aspects of federal government funding. The researchers ...

Research Highlights: In a study of nearly 170,000 adults in France, lesbian and bisexual women had lower cardiovascular health scores compared to heterosexual women. In contrast, gay and bisexual men had higher ideal cardiovascular health scores compared to heterosexual men. The study is the first to examine ideal cardiovascular health scores in sexual minorities. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 17, 2023 DALLAS, May 17, 2023 — Lesbian and bisexual women were less likely to have ideal cardiovascular health scores compared to heterosexual women, which ...

Statement Highlights: School-aged children are highly motivated to learn basic life-saving skills, such as recognizing a cardiac arrest, calling for help and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to a new scientific statement from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), the American Heart Association and the European Resuscitation Council. The statement identifies age-appropriate best practices to help children learn various skills that are part of the cardiac arrest chain of survival. Teaching children about CPR at regular intervals as they age will develop their ...

Common inflammatory disorders such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease can be diagnosed or monitored by measuring the protein calprotectin in stool samples, while serum levels of calprotectin could be used to monitor the inflammation status in rheumatoid arthritis. Calprotectin concentrations in patient samples are typically determined using antibodies that bind and detect the protein, e.g. in lateral flow assays like the now all-too-familiar home COVID-19 test kits. But there is a problem with antibody-based calprotectin assays: the results can vary depending on the type of antibody ...

In a recent nationwide study from France, lesbian and bisexual women had worse cardiovascular health scores than heterosexual women. The study, which is published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, also found that gay and bisexual men tended to have better cardiovascular health scores compared with heterosexual men; however, rural-residing sexual minority men had worse cardiovascular health compared with heterosexual men. The study included 169,434 cardiovascular disease–free adults and assessed nicotine exposure, diet, physical activity, body mass index, sleep health, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids. “Overcoming preventive ...

A recent analysis of published studies examined a wide range of interventions that include a case manager to help individuals experiencing homelessness find stable housing. The analysis, which is published in Campbell Systematic Reviews, explored components most likely to lead to improvements in housing, health, and other outcomes. In the analysis of 64 intervention studies and 41 implementation studies mainly from the United States and Canada, investigators found that any type of case management improves homelessness outcomes for people with additional support ...

Combat-related injuries to bone are common in military personnel and can lead to pain and disability. Results from a new study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research suggest that amputations for such injuries may negatively affect bone mass. In the study of 575 male adult UK military personnel with combat-related traumatic injuries and 562 without such injuries, veterans who sustained traumatic amputations often had low bone density in the hip region. Changes in bone health appeared to be mechanically driven rather than systemic and were only evident ...

An article in Health Care Science provides an in-depth analysis of the changes made to the diagnosis and treatment protocol for COVID-19 in China over the course of the pandemic. The authors compare and summarize each of the 10 versions of the protocol issued by the National Health Commission of China over 3 years, highlighting the evolving scientific evidence and disease situation that informed these changes. The summary provides valuable insights into the adaptive healthcare management and response to COVID-19 in China, which can inform the global response to the pandemic. “Clinical ...

Brepocitinib is an oral drug that inhibits certain enzymes involved in inflammation—called tyrosine kinase 2 and Janus kinase 1—and is being tested for the treatment of several immunological diseases. A phase IIb randomized clinical trial published in Arthritis & Rheumatology recently generated promising efficacy and safety data for the use of brepocitinib in adults with moderately-to-severely active psoriatic arthritis. Overall, 218 participants were randomized and received brepocitinib or placebo for 1 year. After 16 weeks of treatment, 30 and 60 mg daily doses of brepocitinib were superior to placebo at reducing signs and symptoms ...

A vegan diet does not affect maternal breastmilk concentrations of vitamin B2 and carnitine, nutrients essential for the developing infant. These are the results of an Amsterdam UMC study, presented today at the 55th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN).    Research has found that lactating mothers following a vegan diet compared to mothers with an omnivorous diet showed no difference in the human milk concentrations of vitamin B2 or carnitine, despite these nutrients being found in highest concentrations in animal products.  Using ...

A study of eelgrass meadows planted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg shows that fauna return rapidly once the eelgrass has started to grow. Already after the second summer, the biodiversity in the planted meadow was almost the same as in old established eelgrass meadows. Eelgrass meadows have declined heavily in southern Bohus county in recent decades and in many places have disappeared altogether. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have been working on the restoration of eelgrass meadows for twelve years. ...

Patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions are vulnerable to long term opioid use, with up to 1 in 3 of those with rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia, who take these drugs for the first time, potentially at risk, suggest the findings of a research letter, published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. People with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions are often prescribed opioids to manage their pain, and a proportion of them will become long term users with the attendant risks of dependence and harmful side effects, ...

Regular aerobic exercise, popularly known as “cardio,” is linked to a significantly lower risk of death from flu or pneumonia, even at weekly levels below those recommended, finds US research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. But there may be a level above which the effects plateau or—in the case of muscle strengthening activities—become potentially harmful, the findings suggest.  Adults are advised to clock up at least 150 minutes/week of moderate intensity, ...

Education systems need major reform in the light of lessons learned from Covid, according to a leading education academic. Klaus Zierer, Professor of Education at the University of Augsburg, Germany, and an associate research fellow at the University of Oxford, UK, has revealed ways in which the ‘collateral damage’ from school closures is still hitting children and young people particularly hard. He examines the evidence in his new book, Educating the Covid Generation, publishing on May 17. The author believes policymakers are turning a blind eye ...