Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition affecting the brain’s development and often affects the ability of a person to perceive sensory information and social cues and socialize with others. Recent studies have revealed that environmental factors and epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, are crucial to the development of ASD. Notably, immune activation and exposure to stress hormones are known to alter neuronal activity in the dorsal raphe (DR, a region of the brain involved in serotonin signaling), contributing ...

Paris, France, 20-23 May 2025. The EuroPCR Course Directors have selected 3 major late-breaking trials that will be presented for the first time during the 2025 edition of EuroPCR. These trials were selected because of their design, results, and potential to impact practice, among which is the meta-analysis of data from the PROTECTED TAVR and BHF PROTECT TAVI Trials Background  The embolisation of debris after transaortic valve implantation (TAVI) for the treatment of aortic stenosis can lead to stroke. Cerebral embolic protection (CEP) devices, which can capture this debris and thus lower the incidence of stroke, have been deployed during ...

Paris, France, 20-23 May 2025. The EuroPCR Course Directors have selected 3 major late-breaking trials that will be presented for the first time during the 2025 edition of EuroPCR. These trials were selected because of their design, results, and potential to impact practice, among them is the FAITAVI randomised clinical trial (RCT). Background  The optimal management of patients with intermediate coronary artery disease (CAD) and severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are candidates for TAVI remains unclear. Recent trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention ...

Background  While dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has long been the standard of care for the management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), there is an increasing awareness of the need to find a more patient-centred approach that strikes a balance between the ischaemic protection DAPT offers and the risk of bleeding complications it can create. The effect of DAPT in dosage and duration on cardiovascular events and bleeding after implantation of drug-coated stents (DCS) in ACS patients, ...

Research Highlights: The American Heart Association’s PREVENTTM risk calculator accurately identified participants who had calcium buildup in their heart arteries and those who had a higher future heart attack risk, in an analysis of about 7,000 adults in New York City referred for heart disease screening. The PREVENT scores also predicted future heart attack risk. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 21, 2025 DALLAS, May 21, 2025 — The PREVENTTM risk calculator helped to identify people with plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart, in addition to predicting their risk of a future heart attack, according ...

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, have developed a new, easily manufacturable solid-state thermoelectric refrigeration technology with nano-engineered materials that is twice as efficient as devices made with commercially available bulk thermoelectric materials. As global demand grows for more energy-efficient, reliable and compact cooling solutions, this advancement offers a scalable alternative to traditional compressor-based refrigeration. In a paper published in ...

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that gonadotrophs, cells in the pituitary gland with a key role in puberty and reproduction, come from two different populations, with the majority produced after birth rather than in the embryo, as previously thought. A better understanding of when these important cells develop could help researchers and clinicians understand and treat disorders that impact puberty and fertility. In the pituitary, a small gland located in the middle of the head and connected to the brain, gonadotrophs ...

By carefully placing nanostructures on a flat surface, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have significantly improved the performance of so-called optical metasurfaces in conductive plastics. This is a major step for controllable flat optics, with future applications such as video holograms, invisibility materials, and sensors, as well as in biomedical imaging. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. To control light, curved lenses are used today, that are often made of glass that is either concave or convex, ...

Halving the number of times vital signs and neurological function are checked in low-risk patients after treatment for acute ischaemic stroke does not compromise care or recovery, according to new findings presented at the 11th European Stroke Organisation Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Results from the Optimal Post rTpa-Iv Monitoring in Ischaemic Stroke Trial (OPTIMISTmain)1, simultaneously published in The Lancet, also showed that this approach also had flow-on benefits for nursing workflow and intensive care resources. The trial was led by Professor Craig Anderson from The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW ...

External walls of buildings are normally lifeless and have no additional function. An international team of researchers and companies, in which Carole Planchette from the Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer is involved, wants to change this by adding microbial life to building façades. In the project “Archibiome tattoo for resistant, responsive, and resilient cities” (REMEDY), the consortium is working on integrating specifically composed communities of beneficial microorganisms into ...

New research in rats indicates that a Mediterranean plant may be an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. The findings are published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Various antioxidant and anti-inflammatory medications are used to treat ulcerative colitis, but they can cause numerous side effects. To test the potential of the Arbutus unedo plant (often referred to as the strawberry tree) that is native to the Mediterranean region, investigators gave rats doses of an extract from the plant ...

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that social engagement may help older individuals live longer. In the study of 2,268 U.S. individuals aged 60 years and older who completed the Psychosocial and Lifestyle Questionnaires and provided blood samples in 2016, there was a strong association between engaging in social activities and a low risk of 4-year mortality. High social engagement was associated with a 42% lower mortality risk than low engagement. Specific activities, such as charity work, engaging with grandchildren, and participation in sports or social clubs, were particularly significant predictors of a reduced risk ...

Approval of recreational and medical cannabis laws in most U.S. states has allowed individuals to legally obtain cannabis to treat certain medical ailments that had typically been treated with prescription drugs. New research in Health Economics reveals the impact that cannabis laws have had on such traditional prescriptions. After analyzing prescription drug claims reported by small and large group insurers from 2010–2019 for working-age individuals, investigators found significant reductions in prescription drug claims per enrollee ...

New research in Wildlife Monographs provides extensive details into the movement of white-tailed deer, with implications for deer management across North America. For the study, investigators evaluated seasonal activity patterns, home ranges, and habitat selection for nearly 600 white-tailed deer in southwest Wisconsin, USA. The research revealed how an individual deer’s movement and use of space can affect chronic wasting disease transmission. Chronic wasting disease—a deadly neurological prion ...

A majority of U.S. workers (54%) said job insecurity has had a significant impact on their stress levels at work, and more than a third (39%) said they are concerned they may lose their job in the next 12 months due to changes in government policies, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America™ survey. Two-thirds of employed adults (65%) said their company or organization has been affected by recent government policy changes. The survey found that for some, these changes, as well as growing economic ...

A new camera setup can record three-dimensional movies with a single pixel. Moreover, the technique can obtain images outside the visible spectrum and even through tissues. The Kobe University development thus opens the door to holographic video microscopy. Holograms are not only used as fun-to-look-at safety stickers on credit cards, electronic products or banknotes; they have scientific applications in sensors and in microscopy as well. Traditionally, holograms require a laser for recording, but more recently, techniques that can record holograms with ambient light or light emanating from ...

Two important concepts in evolutionary biology, mutualism and altruism, were first made famous by the colorful anarchist prince Peter Kropotkin. He argued that cooperation could be an equally powerful driver of evolution as competition. Crucially, he was inspired by his youth as a geographer in the Russian Far East, where he observed how in particular the harsh climate favored cooperation, both within and between species. Now, researchers have shown that previously unknown apparent mutualisms allow biodiversity to flourish to ...

May 21, 2025   Taking the Guesswork out Birdsong Evolution Biologists from UMass Amherst are the first to comprehensively link bird songs’ pitch and volume, providing insight into bird evolution   AMHERST, Mass. — Biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced that they have released the first broad scale, comparative, fine-grained analysis linking the amplitude, or volume, of a birds’ song to its vocal frequency, or pitch. Though biologists have long wondered whether birds ...

A Korean research team has developed a light-powered artificial muscle that operates freely underwater, paving the way for next-generation soft robotics. The research team—Dr. Hyun Kim at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Prof. Habeom Lee at Pusan National University, and Prof. Taylor H. Ware at Texas A&M University—successfully developed artificial muscles based on azobenzene-functionalized semicrystalline liquid crystal elastomers (AC-LCEs) that actuate in response to light. Traditional soft ...

Plants that reproduce exclusively by self-pollination arise from populations with extremely low diversity to begin with. The Kobe University research not only adds a facet to possible evolutionary strategies, but also lends weight to Darwin’s suspicion that this strategy might be a path to extinction. Charles Darwin once remarked, “It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Nature tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors perpetual self-fertilization.” And yet, Kobe University botanist SUETSUGU Kenji knows of a few islands in Japan where orchids ...

Sudden cardiac death is responsible for an unusually high proportion of deaths in male bodybuilders worldwide with the highest risk among professional bodybuilders, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Wednesday).   Sudden cardiac death is when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly due to a problem with their heart. It is generally rare in young and apparently healthy individuals, but it is often linked to underlying heart conditions.   Researchers say their findings highlight the health risks associated with competitive ...

Researchers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) made the discovery about galaxies by studying the gas distribution that helps create stars. Using CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope located at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, researchers explored the gas distribution in about 1,000 galaxies as part of the WALLABY survey. Lead author Seona Lee, a PhD student at The University of Western Australia node of ICRAR, said the findings give new insights into how stars ...

Poor mental health, rising obesity rates, exposure to violence and climate change are among the key challenges facing our adolescents today, according to a global report. The landmark report, by experts in adolescent health including from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), has revealed how supporting young people’s health and wellbeing could improve economic, social and public health for generations to come. The 2025 Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing found investment in adolescents’ health and wellbeing doesn’t match the scale of the problems faced by young people. Bringing together 44 Commissioners ...

Advanced tools offer improved insights into patients’ condition and their potential for recovery. What’s New: After more than half a century, assessment of traumatic brain injuries gets an overhaul.  Why It Matters: Clinicians say the proposed framework will lead to more accurate diagnoses and treatment, providing more rigorous care for some patients and preventing premature discussions about halting life support in others.  Trauma centers nationwide will begin to test a new approach for assessing traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is expected to lead to more accurate diagnoses and more appropriate treatment and follow-up for patients. The ...

Symptomatic infection with the virus responsible for cold sores around the mouth–herpes simplex 1, or HSV-1 for short—may have a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, suggests a large pharma industry-funded US study published in the open access journal BMJ Open. But treatment with antiviral therapy seems to be linked to a lower risk of this type of dementia, suggesting that treatment to quell HSV-1 symptoms may be protective, the findings indicate. Currently, around 35.6 million people worldwide live with dementia, and 7.7million new cases ...