The Austronesian language family is one of the largest in the world, comprising over 1,200 languages spoken from Madagascar to Hawaii. Dang Liu, Albert Min-Shan Ko and Mark Stoneking collected genome-wide data from 55 individuals from seven Taiwanese Austronesian groups and two Han-Taiwanese groups to study the genetic structure of Taiwan, the point of origin for all Austronesian-speaking peoples. There are over 20 different Indigenous groups in Taiwan, divided into “highland” and “lowland” peoples. Many lowland peoples have intermarried with Han people, and their languages are endangered or extinct. ...

Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) drive larger emissions reductions over time, due to increased operating efficiency and a greener electricity mix, according to a study. More than 10% of Chinese car sales are now electric, but the full life cycle of EVs still creates carbon emissions. Shaojun Zhang and colleagues conducted “cradle-to-grave” life cycle assessments for EVs in 2015 and 2020, including fuel-cycle and material-cycle phases, and compiled life-cycle projections for 2030. The authors considered factors including sources of electricity, vehicle fuel economy, major automotive metals, and battery ...

INDIANAPOLIS – One out of four adults, age 65 or older, falls every year in the U.S. Falls cause approximately 36,000 deaths annually in this age group, making it the leading cause of death from injury for older adults in the U.S. A new study, led by Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Briana Sprague, PhD, examines whether cognitive training – specifically, speed of processing, memory and reasoning training -- can lower the risk of falling. Significantly, the researchers found no effects of the training on likelihood of falling for those at low risk of falling. Dr. Sprague also is a faculty member at Indiana ...

An international research team led by Faviel A. López-Romero of the University of Vienna investigated how the jaw shape of sharks has changed over the course of evolution. Their conclusion: in the most widespread shark species, the jaws show relatively little variation in shape over millions of years; most variable jaws were found for deep-sea sharks. The results of this study were published in the journal Communications Biology. One of the most prominent traits in sharks is the shape of their lower jaws, which bear also impressive teeth. With their jaws, sharks are able to feed on a wide variety of prey, which also places them among the Ocean's top predators. ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [May 16, 2023] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) today announced the appointment of Katy Winckworth-Prejsnar, MPH, NCCN’s Senior Manager of Global Policy and Strategic Alliances, as Co-Chair of the Global Health Council (GHC)’s Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Roundtable. In this role, Winckworth-Prejsnar will help drive coordination between organizations worldwide that are working to improve policy and outcomes for cancer and other global health concerns. She will serve alongside Co-Chair Eliana Monteforte, Director of Special Projects, GHC. “NCDs—including ...

Maybe you too have bought into the idea that men with numerous sexual partners are actually admired, while women with the same are condemned – the so-called sexual double standard. But that turns out to be a myth, according to a new survey. “We haven’t found that women are subjected to the traditional double standards,” says Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Psychology. On the contrary, men are judged a little ...

Every year, between 1,200 and 1,500 patients suffer a cardiac arrest in Norwegian hospitals. Rapid and sound treatment is absolutely essential in helping these patients survive. Even if a patient suffers a cardiac arrest within the hospital's four walls, the prognosis is poor. Only one in four survives.  However, a new study suggests that easily available informaiton from the patient's own ECG could change the outcome. Treatment the same for everyone When a heart stops, doctors have to hurry, and the life-saving effort can last a long time. But doctors rarely have a good idea of what the ...

BGI Genomics recently joined a mission business to South America in April 2023. Given that this continent ranks fourth in area and fifth in population worldwide, the economic and healthcare enhancement potential of this continent is compelling.  Every South American country faces different healthcare challenges and priorities. Still, the promise of precision medicine is clear: It offers an opportunity to shift the delivery of care from a legacy one-size-fits-all approach to applying the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. To help deliver on precision medicine's potential, BGI Genomics considers genetic ...

WASHINGTON—In a new Scientific Statement released today, the Endocrine Society identifies areas for future endocrine research to reduce health disparities in pediatric and sexual and gender minoritized populations. This Scientific Statement expands the Society’s 2012 statement by focusing on endocrine disease disparities in the pediatric and sexual and gender minoritized populations. These include pediatric and adult lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) people. The writing group focused on prevalent conditions such as growth disorders, puberty disorders, ...

PULLMAN, Wash. —Short science-backed messages about the health risks of using cannabis while pregnant could be an effective way to discourage the dangerous trend. In a new study published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, researchers at Washington State University found that conveying simple, scientific facts about how THC can harm a fetus was associated with reduced intentions to use cannabis while pregnant. This held true for messaging that was written to a group of women, aged 18-40, in either a narrative, story-based format or a non-narrative, factual-based one.  Additionally, the researchers found that short and simple communications designed to increase media literacy, ...

WILMINGTON, Del. (May 16, 2023) – As part of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium (AMP® BGTC), Nemours Children’s Health has been chosen to conduct a first-of-its-kind gene therapy clinical trial for Morquio A syndrome. Nemours Children’s will work collaboratively with the FNIH AMP® BGTC, a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), biopharmaceutical and life science companies, and non-profit ...

EMBARGO: 16 May 2023 at 08:00 CEST Paris, France. At EuroPCR 2023, the interventional community paid tribute to Emergency Medical Services throughout the world for their critical role in enabling timely care. International representatives of emergency medical services received the Andreas Grüntzig Ethica Award at the opening ceremony of this year’s Course, further spotlighting the importance of their work in the establishment of networks for the care of STEMI patients. This year, EuroPCR 2023 celebrated 30 years of primary percutaneous coronary ...

Prof. dr. René Medema has an excellent scientific track record. He leads a prominent research group and has an extensive national and international network. He also has more than ten years of executive experience in a position with final responsibility as chairman of the board of the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. Medema is very motivated to fulfill the administrative role in the Princess Máxima Center, he says. ‘It’s great to make a substantial contribution to further improving the prospects for ...

UPTON, NY—Hydrogen, the simplest element on Earth, is a clean fuel that could revolutionize the energy industry. Accessing hydrogen, however, is not a simple or clean process at all. Pure hydrogen is extremely rare in nature, and practical methods to produce it currently rely on fossil fuels. But if scientists find the right chemical catalyst, one that can split the hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules apart, pure hydrogen could be produced from renewable energy sources such as solar power. Now, ...

“In the present study, we used multiple complementary approaches to evaluate the possible effects of zoledronic acid on cellular senescence.” BUFFALO, NY- May 15, 2023 – A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 9, entitled, “In vitro and in vivo effects of zoledronic acid on senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype markers.” Zoledronic acid has been found to reduce fracture ...

URBANA, Ill. — From self-driving tractors to weeding robots and AI-powered data collection, automated machinery is revolutionizing agricultural production. While these technological advancements can greatly improve productivity, they also raise new questions about safety measures and regulations. To address these issues, a recent study from the University of Illinois reviewed current academic literature on the safety of automated agricultural machines. Based on a review of more than 60 papers, the researchers identified three ...

1. Experts say it’s not yet time to take off masks in the health care setting Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-1190 URL goes live when the embargo lifts A new commentary from infectious disease experts at George Washington University School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says for patient safety, masking should continue in health care settings. This message conflicts with a recent commentary from authors from 8 U.S. institutions suggesting that the time for universal masking is over. The commentary is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Masking has been a controversial ...

New University of Colorado Boulder research shows the number of farms globally will shrink in half as the size of the average existing farms doubles by the end of the 21st century, posing significant risks to the world’s food systems. Published today in the journal Nature Sustainability, the study is the first to track the number and size of farms year-over-year, from the 1960s and projecting through 2100. The study shows that even rural, farm-dependent communities in Africa and Asia will experience a drop in the number of operating farms. “We see a turning point from widespread farm creation to widespread consolidation on a global level, and that's ...

Drugs approved in the US require “substantial evidence” that they are effective. But an investigation by The BMJ into the recent approval of the antibiotic Recarbrio from Merck suggests that these standards are being bypassed. Peter Doshi, senior editor at The BMJ, describes how US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists had serious doubts about Recarbrio - a product 40 times more expensive than an existing generic alternative - but the agency approved it anyway. Did the FDA break its own rules in approving this antibiotic, and what does this case tell us about problems within the agency, he asks?  Recarbrio is a combination therapy made up ...

Two years of heavy exposure to TCE, a liquid chemical that lingers in the air, water and soil, may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 70%.    Previous research has linked TCE, or trichloroethylene, to certain cancers, but a new study publishing in JAMA Neurology on May 15, 2023, is believed to be the first large-scale study to demonstrate its association with Parkinson’s.      TCE has been used for industrial and commercial purposes for nearly 100 years, and was used ...

Researchers from The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have measured the extent to which a bone fracture can lead to early death, and created a publicly available tool that doctors and patients can use to calculate risk.  The research, ‘Skeletal Age’ for mapping the impact of fracture on mortality has just been published in the prestigious scientific journal, eLife. In the study of more than 1.6 million adults, the scientists found that a bone fracture was associated with a loss of one to ...

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers studying clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), a blood condition that may increase the risk of blood cancer, discovered that obesity was strongly associated with the condition. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.  CHIP is a condition where blood cells accumulate genetic mutations, increasing the risk of developing blood cancer. Although CHIP is common in aging, the risk factors that contribute to the condition are poorly understood.     “Our study’s results showed being overweight ...

The study is led by Xiaojun Han (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology).   With the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization, environmental problems became increasingly serious. Dye wastewater is considered to be one of the biggest challenges due to its high toxicity. Organic dyes have mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic properties, and threaten the health and life of humans while hindering plant photosynthesis, which brings risks to the ecosystem. Traditional organic pollutant treatment ...

As more people use cannabis for recreational purposes, attitudes towards the drug have changed. For example, research has shown that dispensaries often recommend cannabis – also referred to as marijuana – to pregnant women to ease pregnancy symptoms, especially morning sickness. There is a growing body of literature attesting to poor child outcomes if cannabinoids are consumed during pregnancy. The exact effects on the developing fetus, however, remain unclear. Researchers in the US have now examined how timing of cannabis exposure during pregnancy impacts fetal development. “We show that even when marijuana use occurred only ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL SUNDAY 14 MAY 2023 AT 00:01 CET Severe hot flashes after menopause increase metabolic syndrome risk in women Women who experience more severe hot flashes after menopause are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure, according to research presented at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology in Istanbul. The findings of this long-term study highlight the importance of using hormone replacement therapy for menopause in these women. Metabolic syndrome is a group of three or more ...