Researchers have used artificial intelligence techniques to massively accelerate the search for Parkinson’s disease treatments. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, designed and used an AI-based strategy to identify compounds that block the clumping, or aggregation, of alpha-synuclein, the protein that characterises Parkinson’s. The team used machine learning techniques to quickly screen a chemical library containing millions of entries, and identified five highly potent compounds for further investigation. Parkinson’s affects more than six million people worldwide, with that number projected to triple by 2040. ...

Toronto, ON —Researchers found that approximately 1 in 5 older Canadian adults with diabetes and no pre-pandemic functional limitations developed functional limitations for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Functional limitations refer to difficulties with basic mobility-related tasks, such as walking two to three blocks, standing up from a chair, or climbing stairs.  In comparison, only one in eight of their peers without diabetes developed functional limitations during the ...

Prolonged droughts followed by sudden bursts of rainfall – how do desert soil bacteria manage to survive such harsh conditions? This long-debated question has now been answered by an ERC project led by microbiologist Dagmar Woebken from the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna. The study reveals that desert soil bacteria are highly adapted to survive the rapid environmental changes experienced with each rainfall event. These findings were recently published in the prestigious ...

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging. The study, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, also sheds light on the mechanism of action of some existing chemotherapy drugs. “We think this research solves the mystery of how DNA double-strand breaks and the nuclear envelope connect for ...

While your invigorating morning coffee may become cheaper when there are large fluctuations in the world market price, they are a major additional psychological burden for the farmers who grow the coffee. This is documented in a new international study on the effect of income uncertainty on the mental health of Vietnamese coffee farmers. "Our results suggest that not only poverty, but also the risk of poverty caused by fluctuating prices has a significant additional negative effect on the mental well-being of farmers in low-income countries," says Finn ...

In ancient Greece, over 3000 years ago, wise men used silver salts to prevent wounds from becoming infected. These salts continued to be used until Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic "just" 100 years ago. The use of antibiotics represented a major breakthrough in the treatment of infectious diseases, but resistance soon began to emerge. Bacteria, which have been on the planet longer than us, have found ways to overcome different antibiotics, and today antibiotic resistance is a major global health problem.   In times when everything evolves ...

Significantly reducing trans fat levels in the Nigerian food supply could prevent approximately 10,000 heart disease deaths and save 90 million USD (12 billion Naira, ₦) in healthcare costs over a decade. New findings by The George Institute for Global Health on the health and economic benefits of enacting the country’s trans fat elimination policy were published today in BMJ Global Health. In 2023, Nigeria followed South Africa as only the second African country to adopt a best practice trans fat ...

A new paper in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, published by Oxford University Press, finds that following a healthy diet lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease in breast cancer survivors. Cardiovascular disease is the top non-breast cancer related cause of death in women with breast cancer. There are more than 3.8 million female breast cancer survivors in the United States. These women are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease than women who have not had breast cancer. This is likely due to the cardiotoxic effects of breast cancer treatment, as well as common risk factors for both breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, such as aging, lack of exercise, ...

Perovskites are among the most extensively studied materials in modern materials science. Their often unique and exotic properties, which stem from perovskite’s peculiar crystal structure, could find revolutionary applications in various cutting-edge fields. One intriguing way of realizing such properties is through the precise ordering of a perovskite’s defects, such as vacancies or substitutions. In oxide chemistry, scientists have known for a long time that oxide defects can spontaneously and consistently arrange themselves throughout the crystal lattice, once they reach certain concentrations (e.g. integer ratio). This emerging ...

Artificial intelligence (AI) could be a vital tool to promote peace, prevent violent conflict, and safeguard human rights – if used responsibly, experts say. Much focus has been on AI’s potential for catastrophic harm from powering drone swarms for international warfare to generating deep fakes which spread misinformation and prejudice. But authors Branka Panic and Dr Paige Arthur say AI-driven technology should also be seen as a potential force for good in conflict-torn countries to ‘wage peace’. With the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza and three decades on from the Rwandan genocide, their book AI for Peace highlights concrete ways that AI tools are being used to ...

Volunteer clean-ups have resulted in almost nine tonnes of marine litter being cleared from beaches across the Seychelles, in what researchers have described as a powerful demonstration of the potential of citizen science. More than 1,220 volunteers were recruited to clear 52 beaches on ten islands at various points between June 2019 and the end of July 2023. In that time, they surveyed around 930,000m2 of beaches, with volunteers picking up items ranging from foam and rubber to metals and plastics. In total, the ...

The world's first dual-beamline photoelectron momentum microscope has been developed at the UVSOR Synchrotron Facility, Japan. This innovative experimental station brings breakthroughs in studying the behavior of electrons in materials governing material properties, particularly in analyzing valence orbitals. Understanding the behavior of electrons in materials is crucial for the advancement of materials science and device engineering. Conventional photoelectron spectroscopy provides deep insight into the nature of the electronic structure of solids. Currently, the challenge of researching electronic structures on the micrometer scale is being pursued all over the world. ...

A research team consisting of Professor Kyoung-Duck Park and Taeyoung Moon and Huitae Joo, PhD candidates, from the Department of Physics at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has engineered “broadband nanogap gold spectroscopic sensor” using a flexible material capable of bending to create a controlled gap. With the developed technology, it is possible to rapidly test various types of materials, including infectious disease viruses, using only a single nano-spectroscopic ...

New research shows that ethnic minorities are underrepresented in studies into multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), despite being more likely to be affected. A systematic review published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine found a lack of reporting on ethnicity and underrepresentation of ethnic minority groups in intervention studies to improve the management of MLTCs. The prevalence of MLTCs is escalating, due to ageing populations and lifestyle shifts. In England, an estimated one in four adults have two or more long-term health conditions, impacting quality of life and healthcare costs. Ethnic minorities, previous research says, face an increased burden due ...

A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health. The study, published today in Microbiome, looked at coral reefs specifically, but the researchers say it could be widely applicable as a method for measuring how ecosystems are responding to human activities. Understanding how ecosystems are changing in response to human activity allows predictions of their future, and how to conserve them. Although microbes are crucial for ecosystems – supporting critical functions such as nutrition and immune system modulation – changes ...

Spending too much time online to the point of compulsion and the neglect of other necessary activities, plus not sleeping or exercising enough, are linked to a heightened risk of both truancy and school absence due to illness among teens, finds research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.   Teenage girls seem to be more vulnerable than teenage boys to excessive internet use, but getting the recommended quota of shut eye and exercise and having a trusting relationship with parents all seem to be protective, the findings indicate. Although differences in how excessive internet use is assessed and categorised can make it difficult to quantify, digital media ...

Working arrangements for locum doctors pose significant patient safety challenges for the NHS in England, although there are opportunities to be grasped too, finds qualitative research involving a broad spectrum of health professionals, published online in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety.   NHS leaders need to rethink how these professionals are engaged, supported, and used, while healthcare organisations and locums themselves need to reflect on whether their practices provide a collective approach to patient safety and quality of care, conclude the researchers. Locum doctors are a vital resource ...

Age related and contractual factors seem to be stronger drivers of NHS hospital clinical staff retention than organisational factors, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open.   Efforts to keep staff in post need to be tailored to age and profession, rather than applying a ‘one-size fits all’ approach, the findings indicate. And much better reward systems are needed to boost staff retention and ensure the sustainability of the NHS amid increasing demand for healthcare and an ageing workforce, conclude the researchers. To explore the range of factors informing healthcare professionals’ desire ...

While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar Medium (ISM). The ISM has fascinated scientists for decades, as at least 200 unique molecules form in its cold, low-pressure environment. It’s a subject that ties together the fields of chemistry, physics, and astronomy, as scientists from each field work to determine what types of chemical reactions happen there.  Now, in the recently published cover article of the Journal of Physical Chemistry A, JILA Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics Professor ...

The majority of female athletes (58%) support categorisation by biological sex, rather than gender identity, but views differ according to sporting context, a new study shows. The peer-reviewed study is the largest of its kind and, based on comprehensive and rigorous analysis of data, is published in the Journal of Sports Sciences. It reports the opinions of 175 national, elite and world-class female athletes from a range of sports and countries regarding the eligibility and inclusion of transgender athletes. Respondents included 26 World champions, ...

University of Oxford Press Release UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01 BST WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2024 / 19:01 ET TUESDAY 16 APRIL 2024 Study reveals how humanity could unite to address global challenges New research led by the University of Oxford has found that perceptions of globally shared life experiences and globally shared biology can strengthen psychological bonding with humanity at large, which can motivate prosocial action on a global scale and help to tackle global problems. The findings have been published ...

A group of researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine led an investigation that offers new insight into the development of the human forebrain. The study, led by Changuk Chung, Ph.D., and Xiaoxu Yang, Ph.D., both from the laboratory of Joseph G. Gleeson, M.D., at the  School of Medicine Department of Neurosciences and the Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, provide a greater understanding of how the human brain develops at the cellular level. The study also presents evidence for the existence of the source of inhibitory neurons (dInNs) in the human brain that differ from origins ...

Nearly all adults with Down syndrome will develop evidence of Alzheimer’s disease by late middle age. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the disease both starts earlier and moves faster in people with Down syndrome, a finding that may have important implications for the treatment and care of this vulnerable group of patients. The findings were part of a study, available online in Lancet Neurology, comparing how Alzheimer’s develops and ...

    Gender stereotypes mean that girls can be celebrated for their emotional openness and maturity in school, while boys are seen as likely to mask their emotional distress through silence or disruptive behaviours.   Children and teachers who took part in the study said they feared the mental health needs of boys might be missed at school, which makes them an ‘at risk’ group.   Researchers have warned of the negative impacts on girls where the manifestation of emotional ...

Searching for evidence for health technology assessments (HTAs) is time-consuming because the evidence identified must be a reliable basis for robust assessment results: The scientific knowledge about the benefits and harms for patients must be completely available. This is why IQWiG's in-formation specialists regularly review the effectiveness and efficiency of information retrieval con-ducted for the Institute's HTAs. In an IQWiG working paper, the search portal "International Clinical Trials Registry Platform" (IC-TRP), a WHO meta-registry, was systematically analysed for its relevance to information retrieval at IQWiG. The key question was: “Which ...