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Medicine5 Apr 2021

DNA methylation from bacteria & mircobiome using nanopore technology discovered

Journal Name: Nature Methods Title of the Article: Discovering multiple types of DNA methylation from individual bacteria and microbiome using nanopore sequencing Corresponding Author: Gang Fang, PhD Bottom Line: Bacterial DNA methylation occurs at diverse sequence contexts and plays important functional roles in cellular defense and gene regulation. An increasing number of studies have reported that bacterial DNA methylation has important roles affecting clinically relevant phenotypes such as virulence, host colonization, sporulation, biofilm formation, among others. Bacterial methylomes contain three ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

Predicting critical illness among patients hospitalized with COVID-19

What The Study Did: A clinical risk assessment tool developed in China was tested with a group of patients in Spain to evaluate its ability to predict critical illness among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Europe. Authors: Oscar Moreno-Perez, M.D., Ph.D., of the Alicante General University Hospital-Alicante Institute of Sanitary and Biomedical Research in Alicante, Spain, 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/jamainternmed.2021.0491) Editor's Note: The article includes conflicts of interest disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

Incidence of blood clots in adults tested for SARS-CoV-2

What The Study Did: The 30-day incidence of outpatient and hospital-associated blood clots following SARS-CoV-2 testing among adults in a large health system was examined in this study. Authors: Nareg H. Roubinian, M.D., of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, 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/jamainternmed.2021.0488) Editor's Note: The article includes conflicts of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

Association of sociodemographic factors, blood type with risk of COVID-19

What The Study Did: Researchers investigated the association of sociodemographic factors and blood group type with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity of COVID-19. Authors: Jeffrey L. Anderson, M.D., of the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, 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/jamanetworkopen.2021.7429) Editor's Note: The article includes conflicts of interest disclosures. Please see the ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

Patient use, clinical practice patterns of remote cardiology clinic visits during COVID-19

What The Study Did: Electronic health record data were used to examine whether the transition to remote cardiology clinic visits during COVID-19 is associated with disparities in patient use of care, diagnostic test ordering and medication prescribing. Authors: Neal Yuan, M.D., of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 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/jamanetworkopen.2021.4157) Editor's Note: The article includes conflicts of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author ...

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Science5 Apr 2021

Increased winter snowmelt threatens western water resources

More snow is melting during winter across the West, a concerning trend that could impact everything from ski conditions to fire danger and agriculture, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder analysis of 40 years of data. Researchers found that since the late 1970s, winter's boundary with spring has been slowly disappearing, with one-third of 1,065 snow measurement stations from the Mexican border to the Alaskan Arctic recording increasing winter snowmelt. While stations with significant melt increases have recorded them mostly in November and March, the researchers found that melt is increasing in all cold season ...

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Energy5 Apr 2021

This hydrogen fuel machine could be the ultimate guide to self-improvement

Three years ago, scientists at the University of Michigan discovered an artificial photosynthesis device made of silicon and gallium nitride (Si/GaN) that harnesses sunlight into carbon-free hydrogen for fuel cells with twice the efficiency and stability of some previous technologies. Now, scientists at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) - in collaboration with the University of Michigan and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) - have uncovered a surprising, self-improving property in Si/GaN that contributes to the material's highly efficient and stable performance ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

New blueprint of brain connections reveals extensive reach of central regulator

Thousands of our daily activities, from making coffee to taking a walk to saying hello to a neighbor, are made possible through an ancient collection of brain structures tucked away near the center of the cranium. The cluster of neurons known as the basal ganglia is a central hub for regulating a vast array of routine motor and behavior functions. But when signaling in the basal ganglia is weakened or broken, debilitating movement and psychiatric disorders can emerge, including Parkinson's disease, Tourette's syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

USC study projects significant savings from potential Alzheimer's disease treatment

Alzheimer's disease treatments that slow progression of the disease could significantly reduce the financial burden to U.S. state budgets, according to a new USC study. The study outlines how states -- which have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic -- would see relief: Medicare would cover the costs of treating the disease, while Medicaid expenditures would be reduced due to fewer patients entering nursing homes. Assuming a 40% relative reduction of Alzheimer's disease progression rates with treatment, researchers projected two decades of savings beginning in 2021, using a simulation model of state Medicaid programs. They forecast annual savings for Medicaid programs of $7.4 billion in 2030; by 2040, the annual savings would be more than $22 billion. All ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

COVID-19 convalescent plasma with greater antibody levels is safe and shows promise

March 10, 2021 - Hackensack, NJ - Convalescent plasma, the use of survivors' antibodies transfused into sick COVID-19 patients is safe and significantly improves clinical outcomes when using high levels of antibodies, according to a new publication by scientists at Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive health network. The treatment was safe, transferred the survivors' antibodies, and did not prevent the recipients from making their own antibodies, according to the results published recently in the journal JCI Insights. "We have developed this technique and methodology to save the lives of patients," said Michele Donato, ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

Public trust in the CDC falls during coronavirus pandemic

Public trust in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has fallen during the coronavirus pandemic, with the decline bringing overall population-level trust in the agency to the same lower level of trust long held by Black Americans about the agency, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Surveys done among a representative group of Americans in May and October of 2020 show about a 10% decline in trust of the CDC over that period. In contrast, the same research found that public trust in the U.S. Postal Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency increased significantly over the period, despite those agencies facing their own challenges. "The Biden administration will have an uphill ...

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Science5 Apr 2021

Anxiety among fathers is higher than recently reported, new study suggests

New research suggests anxiety among men transitioning into parenthood is significantly higher than reported by the global World Health Organization (WHO) regional prevalence rates. In a new study published in The Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus studied the prevalence of anxiety among fathers during the perinatal period, which includes pregnancy through the first year of postpartum. "The transition to parenthood is a major life event that's often accompanied with new challenges related to financial, relationship, and work-life balance concerns. Despite those changes happening for both men and women, not much is known about the prevalence of anxiety ...

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Physics5 Apr 2021

Nonlinear wave mixing facilitates subwavelength imaging

The diffraction limit, also known as Abbe diffraction limit in optics, poses a great challenge in many systems that involve wave dynamics, such as imaging, astronomy, and photolithography. For example, the best optical microscope only possesses resolution around 200 nm, but the physical size of the photolithography process with an excimer laser is around tens of nanometers. Meanwhile, physical sizes in current research and applications in biology and the semiconductor industry have scaled down to several nanometers, which is far beyond the ability of optical waves. According ...

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Engineering5 Apr 2021

New paper explores possible effects of bridge construction on manatees

A new publication from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Marine Mammal Research Program (DISL) examines how bridge-building and in-water construction activities may affect manatees and other large aquatic species. The article, which was recently published in END ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

UCF study shows masks, ventilation stop COVID spread better than social distancing

ORLANDO, April 5, 2021 - A new study from the University of Central Florida suggests that masks and a good ventilation system are more important than social distancing for reducing the airborne spread of COVID-19 in classrooms. The research, published recently in the journal Physics of Fluids, comes at a critical time when schools and universities are considering returning to more in-person classes in the fall. "The research is important as it provides guidance on how we are understanding safety in indoor environments," says Michael Kinzel, an assistant professor in UCF's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and study co-author. "The study finds that aerosol transmission routes do not display ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

Maddening itch of liver disease comes from a surprising source

DURHAM, N.C. - A devastating itching of the skin driven by severe liver disease turns out to have a surprising cause. Its discovery points toward possible new therapies for itching, and shows that the outer layer of the skin is so much more than insulation. The finding, which appears April 2 in Gastroenterology, indicates that the keratinocyte cells of the skin surface are acting as what lead researcher Wolfgang Liedtke, MD PhD, calls 'pre-neurons.' "The skin cells themselves are sensory under certain conditions, specifically the outermost layer of cells, the keratinocytes," said Liedtke, who is a professor of neurology ...

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Technology5 Apr 2021

Development of source technology for the use of wearable devices without recharging

Despite the continued development and commercialization of various wearable electronic devices, such as smart bands, progress with these devices has been curbed by one major limitation, as they regularly need to be recharged. However, a new technology developed by a South Korean research team has become a hot topic, as it shows significant potential to overcome this limitation for wearable electronic devices. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), or KIST, announced that a research team led by Director Jin-Sang Kim of the Jeonbuk Institute of Advanced Composite ...

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Science5 Apr 2021

Fireflies have a potential -- protective 'musical armor' against bats

A new study at Tel Aviv University reveals a possible defense mechanism developed by fireflies for protection against bats that might prey on them. According to the study, fireflies produce strong ultrasonic sounds - soundwaves that the human ear, and more importantly the fireflies themselves, cannot detect. The researchers hypothesize that these sounds are meant for the ears of bats, keeping them away from the poisonous fireflies, and thereby serving as a kind of 'musical armor'. The study was led by Prof. Yossi Yovel, Head of the Sagol School of Neuroscience, and a member of the School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Zoology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. It was conducted in collaboration with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). ...

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Science5 Apr 2021

New IT system may help film scriptwriters achieve box-office success

Could the next Hollywood blockbuster be written by a computer? Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) and the University of Cádiz (UCA) have designed the world's first computer system based on artificial intelligence techniques that can help film scriptwriters create storylines with the best chance of box-office success. The researchers focused their analysis on the "tropes" of existing films--that is, the commonplace, predictable, and even necessary clichés that repeatedly feature in film plots, based on rhetorical figures. These storytelling devices and conventions enable directors to readily convey scenarios that ...

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Social Science5 Apr 2021

People do not learn from regretting one night stands

A lot of people think regret must be a good thing because it helps you not repeat a mistake, right? But that turns out not to be the case. Not even when it comes to casual sex, according to new research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Psychology. "For the most part, people continue with the same sexual behaviour and the same level of regret," says Professor Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair. So, we repeat what we thought was a mistake, and we regret it just as much the next time around. Professor Kennair and colleagues professor Mons Bendixen and postdoctoral ...

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Science5 Apr 2021

Skoltech team used mass spectrometry to study composition of meteorites

Scientists from Russia and Germany studied the molecular composition of carbonaceous chondrites - the insoluble organic matter of the Murchison and Allende meteorites - in an attempt to identify their origin. Ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry revealed a wide diversity of chemical compositions and unexpected similarities between meteorites from different groups. The research was published in the Scientific Reports. Carbonaceous chondrites contain nearly the entire spectrum of organic molecules encountered on Earth, including nucleic acids which might have played a pivotal role in the origin of life. Since the majority of modern meteorites are of nearly the same age ...

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Medicine5 Apr 2021

'Vaccine Nationalism' is a threat to equitable access and herd immunity

WHO Ingrid Katz, MD, MHS, Associate Physician, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; lead author of a new Perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine. WHAT While the U.S. has begun to vaccinate millions of Americans each day, COVID-19 vaccine supplies around the world remain scarce. Experts estimate that 80 percent of people in low-resource countries will not receive a vaccine in 2021. At the time of the paper's writing, the global vaccination rate was 6.7 million doses per day -- a rate at which it would take 4.6 years to achieve global herd immunity. In a new Perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine, Katz and colleagues highlight the need ...

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Science5 Apr 2021

Study highlights benefits of tax planning for companies facing financial constraints

A recent study of more than 2,000 companies finds that corporations feeling the pinch of financial constraints can benefit significantly from taking a more aggressive stance in their tax planning strategies. One takeaway of the finding is that tax authorities should look closely at the activities of companies facing financial constraints to make sure their tax activities don't become too aggressive. Financial constraints aren't unusual and occur when a company can't afford to fund a project that would increase its value. Sometimes the constraints are caused by an external event - like a pandemic - that leaves companies with less income than they were anticipating. ...

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Engineering5 Apr 2021

Story tips: Mighty Mo material, fueling retooling, goods on the move, doubling concrete and more

Manufacturing - Mighty Mo Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists proved molybdenum titanium carbide, a refractory metal alloy that can withstand extreme temperature environments, can also be crack free and dense when produced with electron beam powder bed fusion. Their finding indicates the material's viability in additive manufacturing. Molybdenum, or Mo, as well as associated alloys, are difficult to process through traditional manufacturing because of their high melting temperature, reactivity with oxygen and brittleness. To address these shortcomings, the team formed a Mo metal matrix composite by mixing molybdenum and titanium carbide powders and used an electron beam to melt the ...

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Science5 Apr 2021

Piping plovers breed less and move more in the northern great plains

Piping plover breeding groups in the Northern Great Plains are notably connected through movements between habitats and show lower reproductive rates than previously thought, END ...

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