Medicine Technology 🌱 Environment Space Energy Physics Engineering Social Science Earth Science Science
Medicine 2021-06-23

Voucher-based kidney donation, redemption for future transplant

What The Study Did: Researchers examined family voucher-based kidney donations and the capability of voucher redemption to provide timely kidney transplants. Authors: Jeffrey L. Veale, M.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.2375) Editor's Note: The article includes conflict of interest disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and ...
Read more →
Bird migration takes plants in wrong direction to cope with climate change
Environment 2021-06-23

Bird migration takes plants in wrong direction to cope with climate change

Migratory birds carry most seeds in the wrong direction to help plants cope with climate change, new research shows. The study, published in Nature, reveals that the vast majority of plants from European woodlands are dispersed by birds migrating to warmer latitudes in the south, while far fewer are dispersed by birds migrating north. As a consequence of global warming, the optimal climatic conditions of species are moving towards cooler latitudes, forcing the redistribution of life on Earth. Mobility allows many animals to reach new areas with a suitable climate. However, movement of plant species depends on the dispersal of their seeds at long ...
Read more →
Scientists uncover new mechanism that enables development of cancer
Medicine 2021-06-23

Scientists uncover new mechanism that enables development of cancer

CHAPEL HILL, NC--Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered a new mechanism that activates specific genes, leading to the development of cancers. They showed that a mutation that fuses two unrelated genes can promote a process similar to that observed when oil and water are mixed but do not blend together. The process, called liquid-liquid phase separation, occurs inside a cell's nucleus and enables the formation of compartments with various physical properties that can promote cancers such as acute leukemias. Their findings will be published online June 23, 2021, in Nature. "Phase separation and its role in cancer has been a missing puzzle piece in understanding this disease," said UNC Lineberger's ...
Read more →
Study reveals formation mechanism of first carbon-carbon bond in MTO process
Environment 2021-06-23

Study reveals formation mechanism of first carbon-carbon bond in MTO process

A joint research team led by Prof. LIU Zhongmin, Prof. WEI Yingxu, and Prof. XU Shutao from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) revealed the mechanism underlying the formation of the first carbon-carbon (C-C) bond formation during the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process. This study was published in Chem on June 23. Prof. ZHENG Anmin's group from Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology of CAS was also involved in the study. The first C-C bond in the MTO process is formed at the initial stage of the reaction. There is no direct method to elucidate the bond formation /reaction mechanism due to the difficulty in capturing intermediate species. "We investigated the ...
Read more →
Half of young adults with covid-19 have persistent symptoms 6 months after
Medicine 2021-06-23

Half of young adults with covid-19 have persistent symptoms 6 months after

A paper published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine on long-COVID, describes persistent symptoms six months after acute COVID-19, even in young home isolated people. The study from the Bergen COVID-19 Research Group followed infected patients during the first pandemic wave in Bergen Norway. "The main novel finding is that more than fifty per cent of young adults up to 30 years old, isolated at home, still have persistent symptoms six months after mild to moderate disease", the leader of the group, Professor Nina Langeland explains. The most common symptoms were loss of smell and/or taste, fatigue, ...
Read more →
New research reveals remarkable resilience of sea life in the aftermath of mass extinctions
Science 2021-06-23

New research reveals remarkable resilience of sea life in the aftermath of mass extinctions

Pioneering research has shown marine ecosystems can start working again, providing important functions for humans, after being wiped out much sooner than their return to peak biodiversity. The study, led by the University of Bristol and published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, paves the way for greater understanding of the impact of climate change on all life forms. The international research team found plankton were able to recover and resume their core function of regulating carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere more than twice as fast as they regained full levels of biodiversity. Senior author Daniela Schmidt, Professor ...
Read more →
Medicine 2021-06-23

Phone swabs can accurately detect COVID-19

An accurate, non-invasive, and low-cost method of testing for COVID-19 using samples taken from the screens of mobile phones has been developed by a team led by UCL researchers at Diagnosis Biotech. The study, published in eLife and led by Dr Rodrigo Young (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology), analysed swabs from smartphone screens rather than directly from people, and found that people who tested positive by the regular nasal swabbing PCRs were also positive when samples were taken from phone screens. The new method - known as Phone Screen Testing (PoST) - detected the COVID-19 virus on the phones of 81 to 100% of contagious people with a high viral load, suggesting it is as accurate as antigen lateral flow tests. Globally active screening for COVID-19 is still a priority ...
Read more →
Use of additional Metop-C and Fengyun-3 C/D data improves regional weather forecasts
Science 2021-06-23

Use of additional Metop-C and Fengyun-3 C/D data improves regional weather forecasts

Modern weather forecasts rely heavily on data retrieved from numerical weather prediction models. These models continue to improve and have advanced considerably throughout more than half a century. However, forecast reliability depends on the quality and accuracy of initialization data, or a sample of the current global atmosphere when the model run is started. This process of bringing surface observations, radiosonde data, and satellite imagery together to create a picture of the initial atmospheric state is called data assimilation. Satellite upgrades have significantly improved this process, providing more data than ever before. Several recent studies show ...
Read more →
Rare genetic defect replicated in fish model
Science 2021-06-23

Rare genetic defect replicated in fish model

A rare genetic defect that affects the so-called ALG2 gene can cause serious metabolic diseases in humans. It does so through the defective formation of proteins and sugar molecules. Until now, its rareness and complexity made it difficult to study this congenital glycosylation disorder. A research team led by Prof. Dr Joachim Wittbrodt and Dr Thomas Thumberger from the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) of Heidelberg University has finally succeeded in introducing the underlying mutation in the ALG2 gene in a fish model, thus allowing the causes of these complex diseases to be studied at the molecular level. Human cells are kept alive by the activity of millions of proteins. As they mature, these proteins ...
Read more →
A novel energy storage solution featuring pipes and anchors
Energy 2021-06-23

A novel energy storage solution featuring pipes and anchors

What do pipes and anchors have to do with storing energy? More than you might think! A new IIASA-led study explored the potential of a lesser known, but promising sustainable energy storage system called Buoyancy Energy Storage. There is general consensus that renewable energy sources will play an important role in ensuring a healthier and more sustainable future for the planet and its people, and many countries are indeed already seeing such technologies displacing "dirty" fossil fuels in the power sector in an effort to lower emissions. The biggest problem with renewable energy sources, however, is that power supply is intermittent, meaning that the energy output at any given time does not necessarily meet the demand at that time. ...
Read more →
Machine learning aids earthquake risk prediction
Technology 2021-06-23

Machine learning aids earthquake risk prediction

Our homes and offices are only as solid as the ground beneath them. When that solid ground turns to liquid -- as sometimes happens during earthquakes -- it can topple buildings and bridges. This phenomenon is known as liquefaction, and it was a major feature of the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, a magnitude 6.3 quake that killed 185 people and destroyed thousands of homes. An upside of the Christchurch quake was that it was one of the most well-documented in history. Because New Zealand is seismically active, the city was instrumented ...
Read more →
Major risk of eye injuries from padel, research ophthalmologists say
Science 2021-06-23

Major risk of eye injuries from padel, research ophthalmologists say

Several eye clinics around Sweden are seeing a rise in eye damage related to the racket sport padel. In an article in the Journal of the Swedish Medical Association (Läkartidningen), eye researchers affiliated with the University of Gothenburg state that padel is a potential high-risk sport for eye injuries, and that wearing protective goggles is a good idea. Ball sports are often associated with an increased risk of eye injuries, and the risk seems to be even greater with padel, a sport that is now highly popular in Sweden (and should not be confused with the North American "paddle tennis"). "The ...
Read more →
Science 2021-06-23

Magneto-thermal imaging brings synchrotron capabilities to the lab

ITHACA, N.Y. - Coming soon to a lab tabletop near you: a method of magneto-thermal imaging that offers nanoscale and picosecond resolution previously available only in synchrotron facilities. This innovation in spatial and temporal resolution will give researchers extraordinary views into the magnetic properties of a range of materials, from metals to insulators, all from the comfort of their labs, potentially boosting the development of magnetic storage devices. "Magnetic X-ray microscopy is a relatively rare bird," said Greg Fuchs, associate professor of applied and engineering physics, who led the project. "The magnetic ...
Read more →
Novel lncRNA, Caren, counteracts heart failure progression
Medicine 2021-06-23

Novel lncRNA, Caren, counteracts heart failure progression

A research collaboration based in Kumamoto University (Japan) has identified a novel lncRNA, Caren, that is abundantly expressed in cardiomyocytes. They showed that it enhances energy production by increasing the number of mitochondria in cardiomyocytes, and inhibits activation of the ATM protein, a key player in the DNA damage response pathway that accelerates heart failure severity. Caren RNA in cardiomyocytes is reduced by aging and high blood pressure (hypertension), which can lead to heart failure, and markedly reduced in the hearts of heart failure patients. The researchers believe that ...
Read more →
2.5 grammes of pure cocoa found to improve visual acuity in daylight
Science 2021-06-23

2.5 grammes of pure cocoa found to improve visual acuity in daylight

Eating 2.5 grams of pure natural cocoa powder serves to improve visual acuity in healthy young adults and in daylight conditions, according to research by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and the ICTAN (Institute of Food and Nutrition Science and Technology) of the CSIC. The study, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, analyse the effects of two dietary polyphenols: cocoa flavanols and red berry anthocyanins. "Although this was the baseline hypothesis, we did not see any effect either on adaptation to darkness or on visual acuity measured in low light conditions (mesopic vision), either with cocoa or with berries," indicates María Cinta Puell Marín, researcher at the Optometry and Vision ...
Read more →
Medicine 2021-06-23

Higher selenium and manganese levels during pregnancy may protect babies from future high blood pressure

Children who were exposed to higher levels of trace minerals manganese and selenium during their mothers' pregnancy had a lower risk of high blood pressure in childhood, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers analyzed the levels of toxic metals and trace minerals in blood samples drawn from nearly 1,200 women in the Boston area who gave birth between 2002 and 2013. They found that higher levels of selenium or manganese in the mothers' blood were associated with lower blood pressure readings in their children ...
Read more →
Medicine 2021-06-23

Blood test promising for predicting response in metastatic HPV-positive throat cancer

A sensitive blood test being developed by a team of researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center shows promise for predicting whether patients with metastatic HPV-positive throat cancer will respond to treatment months earlier than standard imaging scans. That's according to a study, published in Oncotarget, validating the test in a small group of patients with metastatic human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma -- a type of head and neck cancer that develops in the back of the mouth and in the throat. If the test can quickly determine that a treatment approach isn't ...
Read more →
Science 2021-06-23

Reactive and inconsistent practices hamstring efforts to manage invasive plants in the US

AMHERST, Mass. - As summer unfolds, more than 500 species of invasive plants will be taking root in fields, lawns, and gardens across the US. As plants continue to move north driven by climate change, the number of invasives will only increase. Unfortunately, inconsistent regulations that vary from state to state means that invasive plants have an edge on our attempts to control them. However, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology suggests that we already have an answer in hand - communication. "We know that invasive plants are causing both ecological and economic harm in the US," says Emily Fusco, one of the paper's lead authors and a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of environmental conservation ...
Read more →
Researchers use AI to track cognitive deviation in aging brains
Medicine 2021-06-23

Researchers use AI to track cognitive deviation in aging brains

OAK BROOK, Ill. - Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based brain age prediction model to quantify deviations from a healthy brain-aging trajectory in patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to a study published in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. The model has the potential to aid in early detection of cognitive impairment at an individual level. Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a transition phase from normal aging to Alzheimer's disease (AD). People with aMCI have memory deficits that are more ...
Read more →
Toxic workplaces increase risk of depression by 300%
Science 2021-06-23

Toxic workplaces increase risk of depression by 300%

A year-long Australian population study has found that full time workers employed by organisations that fail to prioritise their employees' mental health have a threefold increased risk of being diagnosed with depression. And while working long hours is a risk factor for dying from cardiovascular disease or having a stroke, poor management practices pose a greater risk for depression, the researchers found. The University of South Australia study, published in the British Medical Journal today, is led by UniSA's Psychosocial Safety Climate Observatory, the world's first research platform exploring workplace psychological health and safety. Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) is the term used to describe management practices ...
Read more →
How to make lithium-ion batteries invincible
Energy 2021-06-23

How to make lithium-ion batteries invincible

In our future electrified world, the demand for battery storage is projected to be enormous, reaching to upwards of 2 to 10 terawatt-hours (TWh) of annual battery production by 2030, from less than 0.5 TWh today. However, concerns are growing as to whether key raw materials will be adequate to meet this future demand. The lithium-ion battery - the dominant technology for the foreseeable future - has a component made of cobalt and nickel, and those two metals face severe supply constraints on the global market. Now, after several years of research led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), scientists have made significant progress in developing battery cathodes using ...
Read more →
AI spots healthy stem cells quickly and accurately
Medicine 2021-06-23

AI spots healthy stem cells quickly and accurately

Tokyo, Japan - Stem cell therapy is at the cutting edge of regenerative medicine, but until now researchers and clinicians have had to painstakingly evaluate stem cell quality by looking at each cell individually under a microscope. Now, researchers from Japan have found a way to speed up this process, using the power of artificial intelligence (AI). In a study published in February in Stem Cells, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) reported that their AI system, called DeepACT, can identify healthy, productive skin stem cells with the same accuracy that a human can. Stem cells are able to develop into several different kinds of mature ...
Read more →
Bioinspired mineralization of calcium carbonate in peptide hydrogel
Environment 2021-06-23

Bioinspired mineralization of calcium carbonate in peptide hydrogel

A team of researchers developed a biomimetic mineralization of calcium carbonate using a multifunctional peptide template that can self-supply mineral sources, which in this case is a supply of carbonate ions, the precursor of calcium carbonate, and following the mechanism of biosynthesis of hard tissues by living organisms, called biomineralization, the ability to form hydrogels, which is modeled after the reaction environment of living organisms. Previous studies on mineralization have discussed the formation mechanism of inorganic crystals synthesized on ...
Read more →
Medicine 2021-06-23

Rapid progression in cardiovascular disease risk factors can reveal high-risk individuals

Current American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, and UK National Health Service guidelines recommend a 5-yearly health checks for screening of individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk. These health checks include measurement of major risk factors, such as systolic blood pressure, cholesterol profile, blood glucose, and smoking status. If lifestyle interventions are unsuccessful in reducing risk factor levels, prevention guidelines recommend initiation of preventive medication therapies such as statins. However, current guidelines advice only using the latest ...
Read more →
Science 2021-06-23

If the right hand is hypersensitive due to an injury to the left

The results of the study were published in the journal "Neurology" on 19 May 2021 under the leadership of Professor Elena Enax-Krumova, holder of the endowed professorship of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV). Nerve injuries: frequent complication after occupational accidents Peripheral nerves refer to nerves that lie outside of the brain and spinal cord. They run throughout the entire body. These bundles of nerve fibres can be damaged in the event of blunt or sharp force trauma due to accidents, as well as during surgery. Injuries to the peripheral nerves are a frequent complication, particularly after occupational accidents. Patients often suffer from motor and sensory disorders in the affected area of the body. These can lead to persistent complaints and ...
Read more →