Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Prevencasa free clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, have confirmed the presence of xylazine in the illicit drug supply at the U.S.-Mexico border. While xylazine remains less common in the Western U.S., border cities serve as key trafficking hubs and may have higher rates of emerging substances. The findings, published on March 20, 2025 in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, highlight the urgent need for public health intervention. “Xylazine is a veterinary anesthetic that is not approved for human use and is increasingly detected alongside illicit fentanyl in parts of the United States ...

Lithium-6 is essential for producing nuclear fusion fuel, but isolating it from the much more common isotope, lithium-7, usually requires liquid mercury, which is extremely toxic. Now, researchers have developed a mercury-free method to isolate lithium-6 that is as effective as the conventional method. The new method is presented March 20 in the Cell Press journal Chem. “This is a step towards addressing a major roadblock to nuclear energy,” says chemist and senior author Sarbajit Banerjee of ETH Zürich and Texas A&M University. “Lithium-6 is a critical material for the renaissance of nuclear energy, ...

Adverse genetic mutations can cause harm and are due to various circumstances. “Jumping genes” are one cause of mutations, but cells try and combat them with a specialized RNA called piRNA. For the first time, researchers from the University of Tokyo and their collaborators have identified how the sites responsible for piRNA production evolve effective behaviors against jumping genes. This research could lead to downstream diagnostic or therapeutic applications. The word mutation can mean different things in different situations. ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of patients with ovarian cancer, American Indian and Black patients were 23% less likely to have an elevated cancer antigen (CA)-125 level at diagnosis. Current CA-125 thresholds may miss racially and ethnically diverse patients with ovarian cancer. International guidelines use CA-125 thresholds to recommend which patients with pelvic masses should undergo evaluation by gynecologic oncologists for ovarian cancer. However, CA-125 thresholds were developed from white populations. Work is needed to develop inclusive CA-125 thresholds and ...

About The Study: In this study, lifestyle changes after the pandemic were associated with an increase in the prevalence and severity of child astigmatisms, likely associated with changes in the developing cornea. The potential impact of higher degrees of astigmatism may warrant dedicated efforts to elucidate the relationship between environmental and/or lifestyle factors, as well as the pathophysiology of astigmatism. Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Jason C. Yam, MD (yamcheuksing@cuhk.edu.hk) and Li ...

MIAMI, FLORIDA (STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL MARCH 20, 2025, AT 11 A.M. EDT) – Since 2021, when lung cancer screening guidelines began to include younger people and those with a lower smoking history, the number of screenings climbed, but significant gaps remain, especially among people with limited access to healthcare, according to a new study led by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "The updated guidelines substantially increased lung cancer screenings overall, even as ...

A team of researchers from Cleveland Clinic Genomic Medicine share insights from an early set of 19,000 patients to receive immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments for colorectal cancer in the U.S.   The report comes from the laboratory of Stephanie Schmit, PhD, MPH, and was published in JAMA Network Open. It serves as an opportunity to better understand how immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments, including PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors, work in a larger population that reflects real-world settings. Dr. Schmit collaborated with a team of ...

The earliest days after fertilization, once a sperm cell meets an egg, are shrouded in scientific mystery.  The process of how a humble single cell becomes an organism fascinates scientists across disciplines. For some animals, the entire process of cellular multiplication, generation of specialized cells, and their organization into an ordered multicellular embryo takes place in the protective environment of the uterus, making direct observation and studies challenging. This makes it difficult for scientists to understand what can go wrong during that process, and how specific risk factors and the surrounding environment may prevent ...

Boston – An international team of clinical collaborators, led by physician scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, performed a first-ever clinical test of the targeted therapy avapritinib in pediatric and young patients with a form of high-grade glioma. They found that the drug, already FDA-approved for certain adult cancers, was generally safe and resulted in tumor reduction visible on brain scans, as well as clinical improvement, in 3 out of 7 patients. The study was published in Cancer Cell. Pediatric-type high-grade gliomas are currently incurable brain tumors with median survival times less than 18 months after initial diagnosis. Avapritinib ...

POMs are a class of inorganic metal-oxygen cluster compounds with broad-spectrum antitumor potential. However, their strong hydrophilicity and poor lipophilicity result in insufficient cell membrane permeability, and high doses are required to achieve therapeutic effects, which severely limits their clinical application. To address this challenge, the research team proposes a covalent modification strategy: the construction of an amphipathic drug molecule PPT-POM-PPT by linking the hydrophobic anti-tumor drug Podophyllotoxin (PPT) with hydrophilic POMs. This molecule ...

Circadian rhythms are endogenous time-keeping mechanisms that regulate physiological processes in response to external light-dark cycles. These rhythms are orchestrated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus and involve a network of genes, including CLOCK and BMAL1, that influence metabolism, immune responses, and cell proliferation. Recent research has highlighted the crucial role of circadian rhythms in tumor biology, demonstrating that their dysregulation contributes to tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis. Additionally, circadian rhythms influence the tumor immune microenvironment and the ...

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder with a rapidly increasing global prevalence. It is primarily characterized by insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, and impaired glucose homeostasis. Emerging research suggests that flavonoids, a diverse group of plant-derived polyphenols, may offer therapeutic potential in managing T2DM. These compounds exert antidiabetic effects through multiple mechanisms, including improving insulin sensitivity, enhancing β-cell function, modulating ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- A large scale study by researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine has found that patient pain upon arrival to the Emergency Department (ED) as well as the use of hallway beds and radiology studies in the ED are associated with patient experience, although not in the same ways. The study’s tens of thousands of observations including clinical and operational data revealed that regardless of how promptly or successfully pain was treated in the ED, the amount of pain the patient was in when they arrived was associated with patient experience ...

Giving a second life to construction materials after demolition, engineers at the University of São Paulo and Princeton have developed an approach for recycling cement waste into a sustainable, low-carbon alternative that is comparable in performance to the industry standard. In addition to lowering the carbon intensity of the cement and concrete industry, the process could enable new uses for construction and demolition waste, of which concrete is a significant component. In 2018 in the United States, the total ...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major global health burden, affecting millions worldwide and contributing significantly to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. The introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has revolutionized HCV treatment, achieving high rates of sustained virologic response (SVR) and reducing HCV-associated morbidity and mortality. Despite these advancements, the risk of HCC persists in certain populations, particularly those with pre-treatment cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis (F3). This review examines the ...

The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is proud to announce the inaugural recipients of the new Targeted Research Program on Engineered Cell Therapies for Lupus (TRP-ECT) to support the development and mechanistic understanding of safe and accessible next-generation engineered cell therapies for people with lupus. Engineered cell therapies, such as CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, involve reengineering a patient’s own T cells to recognize and attack cells that cause disease. The LRA established this program to build upon the promise already shown for engineered cell therapies in treating and potentially curing lupus, including ...

Washington, D.C.—Researchers have discovered that an enzyme can serve as an ideal target for developing new therapeutics against Lyme disease, and most likely other tick-borne diseases as well. The finding was reported in mBio, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States and Europe. Its causative pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi, has evolved unique metabolic pathways to cope with its enzootic life cycle, ...

Two different teams of astronomers have detected oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0. The discovery, reported in two separate studies, was made possible thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner. This record-breaking detection is making astronomers rethink how quickly galaxies formed in the early Universe. Discovered last year, JADES-GS-z14-0 is the most distant confirmed galaxy ever found: it is so far away, its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us, meaning we see it as it was when the Universe was less than 300 million years old, about 2% of its present age. ...

Media Contact: John Dudley (814) 490-3290 (cell) jjdudley@usf.edu Images and a PDF of the journal article are available here The study is the first to identify viruses associated with Karenia brevis, the single-celled organism that causes red tide The findings are an initial step toward exploring viruses as biocontrol agents for red tide TAMPA, Fla. (March 18, 2025) – A new study led by researchers at the University of South Florida shines light on the environmental drivers of red tide blooms. Published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal mSphere, ...

Professor Im Joo Rhyu, director of the Korea University Graduate Program for Convergence & Translational Biomedicine and faculty member in the Department of Anatomy, recently led a study investigating the medical and artistic significance of the red, blood cell-like forms in Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. Collaborating with Professors Hyunmi Park, Dae Hyun Kim, and Hwamin Lee from Korea University College of Medicine (KUCM) and Sungkyunkwan University Master's student Daeun Kwak, the research team delved into medical literature ...

People diagnosed with colorectal cancer are significantly more likely to die of cardiovascular causes than the general population, especially in the first two years after their cancer diagnosis and in people younger than 50, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25). With colorectal cancer on the rise in the United States, the study is the first to track rates of cardiovascular mortality and assess how risk changes over time. While the reasons for the linkage are not yet known, researchers say ...

Women of childbearing age who had both ovaries removed, in a procedure called bilateral oophorectomy, were more likely to develop heart failure later in life, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25). Bilateral oophorectomy is often recommended to treat and, in some cases, prevent certain health issues, including endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, heavy bleeding and ovarian cancer. The new study sheds light on the potential and unique role that this procedure might play in heightening cardiovascular risk given that it abruptly stops ...

The answer to your heart health may be on your wrist, a new study suggests. Researchers have developed a new way to assess cardiovascular health based on information routinely collected by smartwatches, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25). According to the findings, dividing the average daily heart rate by the number of steps taken per day provides a more reliable indicator of a person’s cardiovascular fitness compared with either heart rate or step count alone. “The metric we developed looks at how the heart responds to exercise, rather than exercise itself,” said Zhanlin Chen, ...

Mammograms, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) models, may reveal much more than cancer, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25). The findings highlight how these important cancer screening tools can also be used to assess the amount of calcium buildup in the arteries within breast tissue—an indicator of cardiovascular health.   The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that middle-aged and older women get a mammogram—an X-ray of the breast—to screen for breast cancer every one or two ...

DALLAS, March 20, 2025 — Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in India and the fifth leading cause of disability.[1] To establish a coordinated system of care for stroke in the country, Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad, Telangana, and Aster Hospital in Calicut, Kerala, are the first in India to be certified as Comprehensive Stroke Centers by the American Stroke Association.  Launched in India last year, certifications from American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, devoted to a world ...