New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, Ireland shows that patients treated with the obesity drug semaglutide have a decreased cardiovascular risk score after one year of use. The study is by Dr Andres Acosta and Dr Wissam Ghusn, Precision Medicine for Obesity Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA and colleagues. Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of abnormal blood fat levels, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), high blood pressure, and obstructive sleep apnoea. These comorbidities are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that represents ...

New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO2023, Dublin, 17-20 May) shows that the obesity drug semaglutide is effective for weight loss in a multicentre, 1-year-long real-world study. The study is by Dr Andres Acosta and Dr Wissam Ghusn, Precision Medicine for Obesity Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA and colleagues. Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is the most recently FDA-approved anti-obesity medication. It has shown significant weight loss outcomes in multiple long-term randomised clinical trials and short-term real-world studies. However, little is known about ...

Teenagers living with obesity who say hunger is preventing them from losing weight (hunger-barrier ALwO) perceive their weight more negatively and worry about it more than youngsters who don’t see hunger as an obstacle, new research being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) shows. The international study also found that hunger-barrier ALwO are more likely to be female and more likely to say their weight makes them unhappy and leads to them being bullied. They are also more likely to be actively trying to lose weight. Dr Bassam Bin-Abbas, of the Department of Paediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, ...

New research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) suggests that glucocorticoid levels (a class of steroid hormones secreted as a response to stress) present in the hair of individuals may indicate which of them are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the future. “There is a tremendous amount of evidence that chronic stress is a serious factor in determining overall health. Now our findings indicate that people with higher long-term hair glucocorticoid ...

NERC has invested £25 million in a host of high risk, high reward research projects to tackle critical environment challenges. The 44 projects cover the full spectrum of environmental science including geology, atmospheric science, biodiversity and ecology. The research will, for example:  improve our understanding of volcanic activity such as eruptions a lava flows age the Earth’s solid inner core investigate historic mass extinction events predict future changes to carbon ...

The make-up and volume of gut bacteria in toddlers at 3.5 years old is predictive of body mass index (BMI) at age 5, irrespective of whether they are born prematurely or not, according to new research, being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May). The findings also identified differences in the bacteria that colonise the gut seen in adults living with obesity, suggesting that changes in the gut microbiota that predispose to adult obesity begin in early childhood. The make-up of the gut microbiota grows and changes in the first few months and years of life and ...

Scientists are to deploy a network of microphones in the Amazon rainforest to listen and measure the numbers and species of birds, insects and other wildlife. The use of ‘ecoacoustics’ forms part of RAINFAUNA - a £1 million study by an international team of researchers led by scientists at Lancaster University that will provide the first large-scale understanding of how humans are affecting the animals that call tropical forests home. Tropical forests are under threat. In the Amazon, at least 17% of primary ...

IOP Publishing (IOPP) is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Measurement Science and Technology, the world’s oldest scientific instrumentation and measurement journal and the first research journal produced by the Institute of Physics.   To mark the occasion, Measurement Science and Technology has pulled together a collection of articles which revisit some of the research themes published in the first volume, and looks at the latest advancements in metrology. The collection includes papers on developments in the fields of ultrasound ...

The use of methadone among Medicare beneficiaries to treat opioid use disorder increased sharply after the program began covering the drug, with evidence suggesting the change created new treatment rather than displacing use of other medications, according to a new RAND Corporation study.   Studying a large group of Medicare Advantage enrollees, the study found that a Medicare coverage expansion to include methadone in 2020 did not appear to reduce the use of buprenorphine, another medication used to treat opioid use disorder.   The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that much of the rise in methadone ...

CHICAGO—May 19, 2023—Blockchain technology, investor sentiment, and economic stress levels are significant predictors of bitcoin returns, according to a groundbreaking paper from Illinois Institute of Technology researchers that provides empirical evidence to help guide investors, economists, and academics. Sang Baum “Solomon” Kang, associate professor of finance at Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business and co-author of the paper, also found that the cryptocurrency is detached from economic fundamentals and therefore may not effectively serve as a diversifier or safe-haven asset. Additionally, Kang reported that returns on commodities, ...

PHOENIX (May 19, 2023) – Today, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) announced the recipients of the second cycle of Early Career Research Grants, an initiative offered by SCAI to support the next generation of interventional cardiologists in advancing their research careers. The second cycle recipients were presented during the Early Career Award Presentations at the SCAI 2023 Scientific Sessions in Phoenix. The Early Career Research Grants provide a platform for junior-level investigators who are within ten years of completing an interventional cardiology fellowship to study high-priority, clinically ...

LA JOLLA, CA, May 19, 2023 — Researchers from University of California San Diego have found a way to distinguish among hand gestures that people are making by examining only data from noninvasive brain imaging, without information from the hands themselves. The results are an early step in developing a non-invasive brain-computer interface that may one day allow patients with paralysis, amputated limbs or other physical challenges to use their mind to control a device that assists with everyday tasks. The research, recently published online ahead of print in the journal Cerebral Cortex, represents the best results thus far in distinguishing single-hand ...

Phoenix, AZ (May 19, 2023)- New insights from the TWILIGHT trial showed that ticagrelor monotherapy after three months of ticagrelor plus aspirin was associated with similar rates of recurrent coronary revascularization, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and a lower risk of net adverse clinical events (NACE) compared with duel antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). The results from the randomized control trial of more than 7,000 patients were presented today as late-breaking clinical research at ...

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative illness with genetic and environmental origins. Females experience faster cognitive decline and cerebral atrophy than males, while males have greater mortality rates. Using a new machine-learning method they developed called ‘Evolutionary Action Machine Learning (EAML)’, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital have discovered sex-specific genes and molecular pathways that contribute to the development and progression of this condition. The study was published in Nature Communications. “We ...

BUFFALO, NY- May 19, 2023 – A new research perspective was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on May 4, 2023, entitled, “Targeting cellular respiration as a therapeutic strategy in glioblastoma.” While glycolysis is abundant in malignancies, mitochondrial metabolism is significant as well. Mitochondria harbor the enzymes relevant for cellular respiration, which is a critical pathway for both regeneration of reduction equivalents and energy production in the form of ATP. In this research perspective, researchers Enyuan Shang, Trang Thi Thu Nguyen, Mike-Andrew Westhoff, Georg Karpel-Massler, and Markus ...

Only 25% of new businesses make it to 15 years or more, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Despite vacillating economic conditions between and across markets, that statistic has remained consistent for 30 years. A new study from the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal suggests an elegant explanation: a business’s long-term success  depends significantly on its founding conditions not just changes in its markets. “A venture’s performance following environmental change depends on its internal ...

Innovation and implementation of new ideas can directly influence organizational outcomes. Thus, organizations often dedicate significant time to the assessment of countless new ideas through myriad idea evaluation systems. However, the evaluation process is often distorted by various biases arising from hierarchy, sequence, and nepotism. Data on evaluation studies show that evaluators can be biased toward specific idea proposers. In a new study published in the Strategic Management Journal, a research team sought evidence for the bias claim by employing a blinding approach for evaluating ...

Key Takeaways Researchers have discovered that stimulating cells’ DNA repair mechanisms may correct the inherited genetic defect that defines fragile X syndrome, a leading cause of autism spectrum disorders. The method involves enhanced production of special nucleic acid structures called “R-loops” that cells see as DNA damage. BOSTON – New research has identified a potential method for treating fragile X syndrome, a leading cause of autism spectrum disorders that is characterized ...

Evidence indicates a thick ice sheet, not annual sea ice and icebergs, covered the Arctic Ocean at some point during the last 140,000 years. Now, University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists will be looking for more geologic proof of the ice sheet’s existence, sources, behavior and extent. UAF Geophysical Institute scientists will focus on the Beaufort and Chukchi seas region, both offshore and onshore.  They hope to discover the extent of glaciation and improve understanding of the timing of glacial advances and retreats. Those cycles are thought to have occurred approximately 140,000 to 70,000 years ago, a period known as the ...

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Humidity is as important as scent in attracting pollinators to a plant, new Cornell-led research finds, advancing basic biology and opening new avenues to support agriculture. In a study published May 7 in Current Biology, a team of Cornell researchers and colleagues at Harvard University and the Montgomery Botanical Center found that the weevil responsible for pollinating the plant Zamia furfuracea was just as sensitive to humidity as to scent. “The world of plant-insect interactions was drastically changed by the work that was done on visual and scent cues,” ...

In a new study published in eLife, lead author Carolyn Elya, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, reveals the molecular and cellular underpinnings behind the parasitic fungus, Entomophthora muscae’s (E. muscae), ability to manipulate the behavior of fruit flies. Elya first described the manipulated behavior, called summiting, in a study published in eLife in 2018. Elya, who was studying microbes carried by fruit flies while a graduate student ...

PHOENIX, AZ (May 19, 2023) – The latest analysis from The North American COVID-19 STEMI (NACMI) was presented today as late-breaking clinical research at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2023 Scientific Sessions. The findings show patients with an ST-elevated myocardial infarction, or STEMI, and COVID-19 had a significant amount of clotting in their arteries both before and after intervention. Importantly, clots were seen in multiple arteries in close to 30% of patients, a phenomenon observed in less than 5% of  patients with heart attacks who do not ...

The course of human history has been marked by complex patterns of migration, isolation, and admixture, the latter a term that refers to gene flow between individuals from different populations. Admixture results in a blending of genetic lineages, leading to increased genetic diversity within populations. In addition to admixture among modern human populations, ancient humans reproduced with other hominin groups, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. This resulted in fragments of DNA from these ancient lineages being passed down to modern humans in a process known as introgression. Two ...

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2023 — Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), an independent news outlet of the American Chemical Society (ACS), has unveiled its annual “Talented 12” list. The list highlights early-career researchers in the chemical sciences who are fearlessly tackling difficult global problems. These intrepid innovators in chemistry are featured in the May 19 issue of C&EN; read about the impressive class by visiting https://cenm.ag/t12-2023. Using a rigorous review process, C&EN selected this year’s Talented 12 from a highly competitive pool. The world-changing work by this year’s group includes research with ...

HOUSTON – (May 19, 2023) – Rice University chemist Raúl Hernández Sánchez is one of 12 early-career scientists named to C&EN’s 2023 Talented 12 cohort for his research in inorganic and supramolecular chemistry. Awardees are scientists engaged in world-changing work who are at an early stage in their career – pre-tenure if working in academia and 10 years or less from the completion of their postdoctoral studies if working in industry or government. The members of this year’s C&EN ...