About The Study: Zerlasiran, a small-interfering RNA targeting hepatic synthesis of apolipoprotein(a), was well-tolerated and reduced time-averaged lipoprotein(a) concentration by more than 80% during 36 weeks of treatment in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Steven E. Nissen, MD, email nissens@ccf.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.21957) Editor’s ...

Popular anti-obesity drugs continue to show cardiovascular benefits beyond weight loss, according to several new papers published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, that are being simultaneously presented at the American Heart Association’s 2024 Scientific Sessions. JACC is publishing two secondary analyses on the impact of GLP-1 medications in improving cardiac structure and function in heart failure patients and cardiovascular outcomes in those who previously had cardiac bypass surgery, ...

About The Study: Muvalaplin, an oral small molecule lipoprotein(a) inhibitor, reduced lipoprotein(a) measured using intact lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein(a)-based assays and was well tolerated. The effect of muvalaplin on cardiovascular events requires further investigation.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Stephen J. Nicholls, MBBS, PhD, email stephen.nicholls@monash.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.24017) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Shifting our diets to be more sustainable can be a powerful way for each of us to address both climate change and global food insecurity, however making such adjustments at the large scales necessary to make a difference globally can be a delicate matter. “Changes in food demand in one part of the world can have cascading environmental and human welfare implications for people around the world),” said Joe DeCesaro, data analyst at UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis (NCEAS). Despite the seemingly daunting complexity of the global food system, to ensure a healthy population ...

BALTIMORE, November 18, 2024— Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute have made significant strides in improving the lives of patients with Tourette syndrome. Their recent publication highlights how behavioral therapies—an approach that teaches patients how to manage certain tics using behavioral strategies—are proving to be the most effective treatment. Tourette syndrome (TS), a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting up to 1% of the population, is characterized by motor and vocal tics, which are sudden, repetitive movements or sounds that can significantly ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State. The study, published today (Nov. 18) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed data from 430 rivers across the U.S. and found that phosphorus loss from agricultural lands has increased over the past four decades, despite efforts to reduce it. This loss of phosphorus ...

Cambridge, Mass., 11/18/2024 – Scientists have identified many types of bacteria in the mouth, but many problems remain in understanding how they work with one another. One of the problems is that microbes assemble themselves into densely packed multi-species biofilms. Their density and complexity pose acute difficulties for visualizing individual cells and analyzing their interactions at single-cell level. ADA Forsyth scientists have developed a new imaging approach that makes it possible to analyze the spatial connections between bacteria, including the strength of adhesive forces that hold them together. Adhesion is of fundamental importance in ...

Washington, DC / Bangalore, India — A new study highlights recent, but fluctuating, growth in global human antibiotic consumption, one of the main drivers of growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR results in infections that no longer respond to antibiotics (and other antimicrobial medicines) and often leads to longer hospital stays, higher treatment costs, and higher mortality rates. AMR is estimated to be associated with nearly five million global deaths annually. Researchers affiliated with the One Health Trust (OHT), the Population Council, GlaxoSmithKline, the University of Zurich, the University of Brussels, ...

The research team, led by Durham University’s Department of Anthropology, studied two groups of wild bearded capuchin monkeys in Brazil’s Serra da Capivara National Park.  The researchers installed a large box in the park which contained food that the monkeys could access by either lifting a door or pulling a knob.  The team observed which monkeys learned how to access the food, and how that information then spread to the rest of their group.  The researchers specifically focused on the role played by social tolerance in the learning of the problem-solving behaviour.  Social tolerance determines who is allowed ...

Climate change is making water scarcer. A promising method to combat this problem is desalination technology because it can tap seawater. Though desalination has potential, it also brings risks with environmental impact, cost, and accessibility.  Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology aims to increase water recovery from desalination by squeezing more water out of desalination brine. ZLD can help reduce water scarcity and waste from desalination plants, but comes at increased costs and, potentially, increased environmental effects from desalination.  In ...

WASHINGTON — Cmdr. J. Aaron Roberts relinquished command of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Scientific Development Squadron (VXS) 1, the Warlocks, to Cmdr. Luis A. Levine, the new Commanding Officer (CO), during a change of command and retirement ceremony Nov. 14 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland. NRL’s CO Capt. Jesse Black presented Roberts with the Meritorious Service Medal. Roberts served as the VXS-1 CO from May 2023 to November 2024 and the U.S. Navy for 21 years. Black said Roberts’ distinguished leadership was instrumental to the squadron’s continued record of exceptional support to NRL’s airborne ...

PHILADELPHIA, PA – November 18, 2024 – Opertech Bio, Inc., a leading innovator in taste assessment, today announced the publication of a research article in which the TāStation® rapid throughput taste evaluation system was used to resolve a central question about sweet taste perception. It has been well established that sweeteners impart their taste by activating the TAS1R2/TAS1R3 “sweet taste receptor” in the tongue. A second signaling pathway involving the activity of glucose transporters, operating independently of the receptor, recently has been proposed for metabolizable caloric sweeteners. In a powerful demonstration of the analytical ...

Southwest Research Institute has won a $60 million contract to build three coronagraphs for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). SwRI’s novel Space Weather Solar Coronagraph (SwSCOR) is NOAA’s next-generation instrument to provide early detection and characterization of Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs). CMEs are huge bursts of coronal plasma threaded with intense magnetic fields ejected from the Sun over the course of several hours. CMEs arriving at Earth can generate geomagnetic storms, which can cause anomalies in and disruptions ...

Between 2019 and 2023, antibiotic consumption in the EU increased by 1%, moving further away from the 2030 target of a 20% reduction recommended by the Council of the European Union. Although there have been significant reductions in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections during the same period, the situation in other critical areas, such as carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infections, has worsened, with an increase in incidence by almost 60% between 2019 and 2023. This represents a growing threat to patients in hospitals across the EU, particularly since very few therapeutic options remain available to treat patients infected with ...

So maybe the naysayers and detractors of online gaming and its ill effects on youth need to stand down. That’s what science is telling us in a new report in the journal Human Resource Development International from Melika Shirmohammadi, assistant professor at the UH College of Technology.     The article reports that - contrary to popular belief - massive multiplayer online gamers learn by gaming and their skills in the workplace are enriched by those seemingly endless hours previously thought of as frittering away time.   "Online gaming often ...

About The Study: In this study of discharge prescription of a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) among patients hospitalized for heart failure, prescription rates increased substantially within 2 years after publication of clinical trial evidence documenting benefit, although considerable variation in rates was found, highlighting the need to understand strategies used by higher prescribing centers to increase SGLT2i adoption. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, ...

A new study by researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City finds that 40 percent of newly diagnosed heart failure patients also have atrial fibrillation – a combination of cardiac disorders that researchers found results in significantly poorer outcomes for patients. Findings from the Intermountain Health study demonstrate the need for physicians to screen newly diagnosed heart failure patients for atrial fibrillation to ensure patients are getting the best care possible, researchers said. “Atrial fibrillation can make heart failure much more problematic, and more complex to treat,” said Heidi T. May, PhD, principal investigator of the study and cardiovascular ...

Parag Chitnis, Associate Professor, Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), received funding for the project: “MTEC-23-06-USAMRDC-MultiTopic-105; Tendon and Joint Injury Prevention and Reduction using Wearable Ultrasound Systems.”  He leads a multi-disciplinary team that aims to produce a new class of wearable hands-free ultrasound systems. Specifically, this system builds on patented technology to provide structural and functional measures for assessing muscle-tendon interactions for preventing tendon overuse injury and assessing joint function, injury, and recovery.  Chitnis received $1,856,023 from Advanced Technology ...

David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor, Criminology, Law and Society, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS); Executive Director, Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP), received funding for: “Safer Stronger Together (SST) Initiative: An evaluation of the impact of a place-based social intervention on youth and their families.”  Weisburd will evaluate baseline behaviors and attitudes of clients in the recently launched Safer Stronger Together (SST) Initiative in Maryland. A future proposal will be geared toward gaining outcome data.  He ...

Erdogan Kaya, Assistant Professor, College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), received funding for the project: “EducateAI DCL: Cultivating Artificial Intelligence Literacy through Linguistically Inclusive Integrated Elementary Curriculum via Educational Robotics.” He and his colleagues aim to develop a linguistically inclusive integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) curriculum that specifically supports emergent multilingual learners (EMLs), using educational robotics to teach ...

Dongqing Wang, Assistant Professor, Global and Community Health, College of Public Health, received funding for the project: “Effects of micronutrient supplementation on maternal and infant micronutrient status: a secondary analysis for Tanzania, and a systematic review and meta-analysis for low- and middle-income countries.” Wang will lead the secondary analysis using existing data from a randomized controlled trial in Tanzania.  He aims to investigate the effect of multiple micronutrient ...

On 13th of November 2024, Quandela, the CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, and Université Paris Cité inaugurated at the Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay/Université Paris Cité) the QDlight associated research laboratory focusing on research in quantum photonics, which is to say the art of controlling light in the quantum regime inside nanoscale devices. Over the course of six years, the teams will expand scientific cooperation ...

About The Study: Among patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, linear ablation combined with ethanol infusion of the vein of Marshall in addition to pulmonary vein isolation significantly improved freedom from atrial arrhythmias within 12 months compared with pulmonary vein isolation alone.  Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Changsheng Ma, MD, (chshma@vip.sina.com) and Chenyang Jiang, MD, (jiangchenyangmail@163.com). To access the embargoed study: Visit our ...

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores have become a non-invasive way for physicians to easily determine how much plaque has built up inside a patient’s coronary arteries, but the question has been how accurate the score is in identifying women, as well as men, who are at high risk for a heart attack or death. Now, a major new study by researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City finds coronary artery calcium scores are not only highly effective in identifying those at risk for future heart attacks, but also for death, and risk prediction ...

The pterosaurs are extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside their close relatives, the dinosaurs. The largest of these reached 10 m in wingspan, but early forms were generally limited to around 2 m. In a new paper today, a team led by palaeontologist Dr David Hone of Queen Mary University of London and published in the journal Current Biology describes a new species of pterosaur that helps to explain this important transition. They named the animal Skiphosoura bavarica meaning ‘sword tail from Bavaria’ because it comes from southern Germany and has a very unusual short, but ...