The National Center to Reframe Aging — the nation’s leading organization dedicated to reshaping the conversation about older people — has established a new advisory board with 16 members from such diverse professional backgrounds as communications and public relations, research, policy, and law. These board members were tapped to bring knowledge, strategic thinking, and interpersonal attributes to their role; to identify key organizations and decision-makers who can help advance the initiative; and support activities aligning with National Center project goals. “We look forward to working with this talented group of advisors to grow ...

In 2018, a team of physicists at Purdue University invented a device which experimentally showed quasiparticles interfering for the first time in the fractional quantum Hall effect at filling factor v=1/3.  Further development of these heterostructures has allowed the Manfra Group to expand their research to experiments that explore counterflowing charged edge modes at the 2/3 fractional quantum Hall state. They have recently published their findings, “Half-Integer Conductance Plateau at the ν = 2/3 Fractional Quantum Hall State in a Quantum Point Contact,” in Physical Review Letters on February 17, 2023.  This ...

Fungal pathogens that cause die-back in grape, avocado, citrus, nut and other crops has found a new host and is infecting conifer trees causing Pine Ghost Canker in urban forest areas of Southern California. The canker can be deadly to trees. Scientists from University of California, Davis, first spotted evidence that the pathogens had moved to pines during a routine examination of trees in Orange County in 2018. Over four years, they found that more than 30 mature pines had been infected in an area of nearly 100 acres, according ...

Over the last few decades, antimicrobial resistance has become a major public health concern globally. This has led to a search for alternative methods of treating microbial infections. One such innovation is the discovery of antimicrobial properties of certain peptides. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short peptides found in most animals, plants, and microorganisms as a natural defense against infections. AMPs combat harmful bacteria via a nonspecific mechanism that prevents them from developing antimicrobial resistance. Despite these exceptional abilities, research on AMPs is being hindered because the existing systems for identifying candidate ...

The sheer volume of ‘Big Data’ produced today by various sectors is beginning to overwhelm even the extremely efficient computational techniques developed to sift through all that information. But a new computational framework based on random sampling looks set to finally tame Big Data’s ever-growing communication, memory and energy costs into something more manageable.   A paper describing the framework was published in the journal Big Data Mining and Analytics on Jan. 26.   The amount of data being produced from social networks, business transactions, the ‘Internet of Things’, finance, healthcare and beyond has exploded ...

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotech company powered by generative AI, today announces that China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ISM3312, an orally available 3CLpro inhibitor generated and designed with the support of Insilico’s proprietary generative chemistry platform Chemistry42 for the treatment of COVID-19. ISM3312 is a highly selective small molecule inhibitor with a novel molecular structure optimized from compounds which were generated and designed by Chemistry42 based on the structure of 3CL protease. It binds to ...

As air pollution in Stockholm has decreased, so has the lung capacity of children and adolescents has improved, a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal reports. The researchers from Karolinska Institutet consider the results important, since the lung health of the young greatly affects the risk of their developing chronic lung diseases later in life. “Fortunately, we’ve seen a decrease in air pollutants and therefore an increase in air quality in Stockholm over the past 20 years,” says the study’s last author ...

Sensing a hug from each other via the internet may be a possibility in the near future. A research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently developed a wireless, soft e-skin that can both detect and deliver the sense of touch, and form a touch network allowing one-to-multiuser interaction. It offers great potential for enhancing the immersion of distance touch communication. “With the rapid development of virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), our visual and auditory senses are not sufficient for us to create an ...

PARAMUS, N.J. (Feb. 23, 2023) – Octapharma USA has submitted a Biologics License Application Supplement (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the approval of wilate®, von Willebrand Factor/Coagulation Factor VIII Complex (Human) Lyophilized Powder for Solution for Intravenous Injection, to include routine prophylaxis to reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in children and adults with any type of von Willebrand disease (VWD). “We look forward to working with the FDA on this sBLA for wilate® ...

February 23, 2023-- Using ensemble learning techniques and longitudinal data from a large naturalistic driving study, researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have developed a novel, interpretable and highly accurate algorithm for predicting mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers. Digital markers refer to variables generated from data captured through recording devices in the real-world setting.  These data could be processed to measure driving behavior, performance and tempo-spatial pattern in exceptional detail.  ...

Teens and young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance compared with peers who maintained consistent levels of social media use, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of body image issues, eating disorders and mental illness,” said lead author Gary Goldfield, PhD, of Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. “Youth ...

A decade-long international study into kidney cancer has shown that doctors can predict the likelihood of a patient’s disease returning by looking at DNA mutations in their tumours.   The research, undertaken by a team of 44 researchers at 23 institutions across Europe and Canada, and published today, is the largest to link the genetic changes that occur in kidney cancer to patient outcomes.  More than 400,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year globally, including 13,000 ...

Getting good sleep can play a role in supporting your heart and overall health—and maybe even how long you live—according to new research being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. The study found that young people who have more beneficial sleep habits are incrementally less likely to die early. Moreover, the data suggest that about 8% of deaths from any cause could be attributed to poor sleep patterns. “We saw ...

People with gender dysphoria taking hormone replacements as part of gender affirmation therapy face a substantially increased risk of serious cardiac events, including stroke, heart attack and pulmonary embolism, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s gender identity conflicts with the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender affirmation therapy, part of a process known as transitioning, includes a variety of medical, psychological and behavioral interventions to help ...

The U.S. not only saw a significant decline in the overall rate of heart attack-related deaths in the past 20 years, but also a reduction in racial disparities for heart attack deaths, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. The gap in the rate of heart attack deaths between White people and African American/Black people narrowed by nearly half over the 22-year period, researchers reported. The ...

Disabilities were underreported in clinical trial data and commonly used as a basis for exclusion from trial participation in an analysis of 80 recent trials involving cardiovascular outcomes, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. Reports estimate that over half of people with heart disease have one or more disabilities related to cognition, mobility, vision, independent living, self-care or hearing as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the new study found that 38% of clinical ...

Experiencing lasting symptoms months after catching COVID-19, also known as long COVID, was found to more than double a person’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular issues, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. The study—a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of 11 major studies involving a total of 5.8 million people—represents the most comprehensive effort to date to examine cardiovascular complications from long COVID. Estimates of the number of people affected by long COVID vary substantially, but recent surveys suggest about 1 in 7 ...

Men who never married were more than twice as likely to die within about five years after a heart failure diagnosis compared with women of any marital status or men who were previously married, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. The study offers new evidence that a person’s gender and marital status can influence their heart disease risk and prognosis. Heart failure, when the heart muscle becomes too weak ...

Places with higher rates of economic connectedness—linkages between people of lower and higher socioeconomic status as indicated by Facebook friendships—had significantly lower rates of premature death related to heart disease, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. Previous studies have shown that poverty or low socioeconomic status increases a person’s risk of heart disease and premature death. This new study is ...

For people with heart failure, restricting dietary sodium intake to levels below the standard recommended maximum of about 2.3 grams per day does not bring additional benefits and may increase the risk of death, according to findings from nine randomized controlled trials in a new meta-analysis presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology. Heart failure, in which the heart muscle becomes too weak or stiff to pump blood effectively, is a chronic condition affecting over 6 million adults in the U.S. Physicians recommend a low-sodium diet to reduce blood pressure and avoid common symptoms ...

Measuring a key blood molecule may help doctors diagnose whether or how much impaired blood flow to a patient’s brain is contributing to dementia or cognitive problems, according to a new study led by a UCLA Health researcher. Cerebral small vessel disease, a common disease marked by damage to the cells lining the blood vessels in the brain, is a major driver of cognitive problems and dementia in older adults. However, it can be difficult for doctors to determine whether a patient’s cognitive impairments stem predominately from Alzheimer’s disease or vascular problems, the two most common causes of ...

The university world is international, but grapples with difficulties in integrating students from different countries. New research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, points to a method that both reduces academic and social gaps and increases well-being. The recipe for success is to work in pairs – as chosen by the teacher. There is plenty of research indicating that integration is a decisive factor for a successful student life, both socially and academically, for the individual and for the university. Students who are involved in activities and feel connected to their fellow students can get higher grades and are more likely to continue ...

PULLMAN, Wash. -- An air filter made out of corn protein instead of petroleum products can concurrently capture small particulates as well as toxic chemicals like formaldehyde that current air filters can’t. The research could lead to better air purifiers, particularly in regions of the world that suffer from very poor air quality. Washington State University engineers report on the design and tests of materials for this bio-based filter in the journal Separation and Purification Technology. “Particulate matter is not that challenging to filter but to simultaneously capture various kinds of chemical ...

Patients with hypertension paired with a community health worker (CHW) through their primary care practice were more than three and a half times as likely to achieve blood pressure control within six months compared to patients who were not. New research, led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, suggest that similar CHW inventions could help other underserved, immigrant communities experiencing similar disparities. Published online today in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, the findings focus on community health workers (CHWs), lay members of a community who usually share ethnicity, language, income level, and/or life experiences with the people ...

Dr. Omar Abdul-Rahman, a leading specialist in pediatric genetic medicine, has been named chief of the Division of Medical Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, effective March 1. The Division of Medical Genetics provides inpatient and outpatient consultation and medical care for children and adolescents with common and rare genetic conditions, including screening and counseling for inherited disease risk during pregnancy. Dr. Abdul-Rahman, who was recruited ...