Cardiac arrhythmias affect millions across the world and are responsible for a fifth of all deaths in the Netherlands. Currently there are multiple treatment options, ranging from life-long medication to invasive surgical procedures. Research from Amsterdam UMC and Johns Hopkins University, published today in the European Heart Journal, sets another important step in the hunt for a one-off gene therapy that could improve heart function and protect against arrhythmias. "Arrhythmias often occur due to slowing of conduction of the electrical impulse through the heart. Rapid impulse conduction is needed for ...

With less annual rainfall than 1 mm per year, Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places in the world. The main water source of cities in the region are underground rock layers that contain water-filled pore spaces which last recharged between 17,000 and 10,000 years ago. Now, local researchers have assessed if ‘fog harvesting,’ a method where fog water is collected and saved, is a feasible way to provide the residents of informal settlements with much needed water. “This research represents a notable shift in the ...

Oxysterols are a class of molecules derived from cholesterol via oxidation or as byproducts of cholesterol synthesis. Despite their relatively low concentration within our bodies, oxysterols are known to play many important biological roles, acting as transcriptional regulators, precursors for bile acid, and key players in brain development. On the flip side, some pathologies are associated with imbalances in oxysterols. In particular, 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-OHC) has been shown to contribute to arteriosclerosis, cancer development, central nervous system ...

Growing plants can be a joyous, yet frustrating process as plants require a delicate balance of nutrients, sun, and water to be productive.  Phosphorus and nitrogen, which are essential for plant growth, are often supplemented by chemical fertilizers to assure proper balance and output of produce. However, the amount of these nutrients on the planet is increasing due to excessive use, which in turn is causing various environmental problems. For this reason, there is a growing movement to promote sustainable agriculture through the recycling of phosphorus and nitrogen. In Japan, a target has been ...

Studying the social behavior of animals in their natural environments is necessary for advancing our understanding of neurological processes. To achieve this, tracking multiple individuals simultaneously and accurately as they interact in shared spaces is crucial. Traditional multi-animal tracking systems, such as multi-animal DeepLabCut (maDLC) and Social LEAP Estimates Animal Poses (SLEAP), use frame-by-frame identification to predict movements without the need for markers. While these tools effectively track poses, such as head direction, in simple scenarios, ...

Air pollution is a global environmental problem with serious impacts on human health, climate change, and ecological systems. In China, rapid development in the last several decades has led to a drastic increase in coal consumption and the number of vehicles. As a result, air pollution in China is complicated by the coexistence of high concentrations of primary and secondary trace gases and aerosol particles from multiple sources.   Air pollution complex is a term used to characterize the formation mechanisms of air pollution, and was first proposed by Professor Xiaoyan Tang in 1997. A better understanding of these complex mechanisms is critical for meeting the urgent societal ...

This study is led by Dr. Lianyong Han and Dr. Tobias Stoeger in Germany (Institute of Lung Health and Immunity (LHI), Comprehensive Pneumology Center (CPC), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health). By analyzing multiple emphysema and COPD patient datasets, SPP1 is significantly upregulated in the lungs of patients, compared to healthy individuals. “These findings pointed out the clinical relevance of SPP1 induction during COPD development and has motivated us to understand their contributions ...

With New Year resolutions in full swing and health tracking apps at our fingertips, new research reveals concerning links between health and fitness apps and disordered eating, body image concerns and excessive exercise. “Diet and fitness apps are marketed as tools to improve health, however they may also have unintended negative consequences, such as creating pressure to meet goals, concerns about body image as well as provoking feelings of guilt if goals aren’t achieved,” says Ms Isabella Anderberg in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work. “Whilst there is evidence that these tools can be effective in increasing physical activity, we’re ...

Singapore, 20 February 2025—A discovery at Duke-NUS Medical School offers new hope in the battle against pulmonary fibrosis, a debilitating lung condition that progressively makes it harder for patients to breathe. Scientists have pinpointed proteins in immune cells that, when blocked, could significantly reduce lung tissue scarring. Current treatments primarily manage symptoms and improving quality of life, without addressing the underlying cause of pulmonary fibrosis. Although macrophages, a type of immune cell, had previously been known to contribute to inflammation ...

Greaux Healthy—a public service initiative powered by Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in partnership with the State of Louisiana—is proud to announce the release of the Childhood Obesity Prevention, Evaluation and Treatment Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to equip healthcare providers with practical, evidence-based guidance for preventing, evaluating, and treating childhood obesity and its related comorbidities. Developed in alignment with the 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical practice guidelines, the toolkit synthesizes the latest scientific evidence and ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Children’s Hospital have announced a transformational collaboration dedicated solely to pediatric cancer care. Approved by the UT System Board of Regents and the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees, this new, first-of-its-kind joint venture will unite the nation’s largest comprehensive pediatric system and a top pediatric cancer program with the nation’s leading comprehensive cancer center. The collaboration has a single ...

HOUSTON, TX (February 19, 2025) – Texas Children’s Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced a transformational collaboration dedicated solely to pediatric cancer care. Approved by the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees and the UT System Board of Regents, this new, first-of-its-kind joint venture will unite the nation’s largest comprehensive pediatric system and a top pediatric cancer program with the nation’s leading comprehensive cancer center. The collaboration has a single mission: to end childhood cancer. “The scope and scale of our combined effort will build the world’s preeminent pediatric cancer ...

Patients affected by sinus thrombosis are treated with blood thinners. Traditionally, these patients are prescribed vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). In order to give the correct dosage, regular check-ups at the thrombosis service are necessary. A global study, coordinated by Amsterdam UMC, now shows that new medication, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), are equally safe and effective. The study was published today in The Lancet Neurology.  A big advantage is that this medication is more user-friendly because regular thrombosis monitoring is no longer ...

Every minute, four males and six females need inpatient treatment due to suicide attempts around the world. Males die from suicide at twice the rate of females, and their attempts result in death three times more often than female attempts. Globally, 10% of suicides by males and 3% by females were with guns. In the U.S., 55% by males and 31% by females were with guns. Between 1990 and 2021, the global age-standardized death rate for suicide declined by almost 40%, indicating that intervention and prevention are ...

Spine injections should not be given to adults with chronic back pain because they provide little or no pain relief compared with sham injections, say a panel of international experts in The BMJ today. Their strong recommendations apply to procedures such as epidural steroid injections and nerve blocks for people living with chronic back pain (lasting at least 3 months) that is not associated with cancer, infection or inflammatory arthritis. Their advice is based on the latest evidence and is part of The BMJ’s ‘Rapid ...

Five years on since The BMJ’s special issue on racism in medicine, and a global pandemic, the landscape is very different, but has racism in the NHS and UK medicine got better or worse? In 2020, a BMJ investigation found that UK medical schools were failing to deal with complaints of racism. Another round of requests to the UK’s 46 medical schools has now found that eight in 10 (34 of 41 that responded) are collecting data on complaints about racism, up from half in 2020. And the number ...

The UK government should resist allowing AI companies to scrape all copyrighted works unless the holder has actively “opted out”, as it puts an unfair burden on up-and-coming creative talents who lack the skills and resources to meet legal requirements. This is according to a new report from University of Cambridge experts in economics, policy and machine learning, who also argue the UK government should clearly state that only a human author can hold copyright – even when AI has been heavily involved. A collaboration between three Cambridge initiatives – ...

New research shows almost 90% of people in England would agree to genetic testing to get the most effective medication and reduce the risk of side effects 85% thought that the NHS should offer pharmacogenomic testing to people with multiple health conditions 58% of people thought that the NHS should offer this testing to everyone 91% wanted access to their own pharmacogenomic data, with many wanting this via the NHS app Pharmacogenomics – an individual’s genetic response to medications – is an increasingly important strand of personalised healthcare but little is known about the public's views ...

University of Texas at Arlington research projects contributed $59 million to the national economy in 2024—an increase of 39% from 2023, according to a new report from the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS). UTA has invested heavily in research infrastructure, purchasing cutting-edge scientific equipment and technology, such as North Texas’ most advanced gene sequencer and a super-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging machine for the Clinical Imaging Research Center. The funds also support collaboration with other research organizations. UTA worked through 1,144 unique ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – February 19, 2025) Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder set in motion before birth. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital led the first in uterotreatment of SMA with the orally administered drug risdiplam. More than two years after the child was born, no identifiable features of SMA have been observed. This study demonstrates the feasibility of treating SMA prenatally and supports further investigation into the approach. The findings were published ...

How on Earth? It has puzzled scientists for years whether and how bacteria, that live from dissolved organic matter in marine waters, can carry out N2 fixation. It was assumed that the high levels of oxygen combined with the low amount of dissolved organic matter in the marine water column would prevent the anaerobic and energy consuming N2 fixation. Already in the 1980s it was suggested that aggregates, so-called “marine snow particles”, could possibly be suitable sites for N2fixation, ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vimseltinib (RomvimzaTM) for adult patients with a rare condition called tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). TGCT is a tumor of the tissue that lines the joints.  Sarcoma oncologist William Tap, MD, Chief of the Sarcoma Medical Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), led the international phase 3 MOTION trial that resulted in the drug’s approval. Vimseltinib is a type of targeted therapy called a kinase inhibitor and is taken as a pill.  “This approval is an exciting advance for ...

The Columbia Climate School has announced the first master’s degree program in the United States for climate finance. In close collaboration with the Columbia Business School, this interdisciplinary degree will drive impactful solutions to the climate crisis through advanced financial tools and scientific knowledge. This is the third master’s program announced by the Climate School, in addition to an M.A. in Climate and Society and an M.S. in Climate degree. “The world needs problem-solvers to address the global climate crisis,” said Alexis Abramson, dean of the Columbia Climate School. “Everyone ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today was awarded nearly $23 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in support of 20 cancer research projects to advance new breakthroughs in discovery, translational, clinical and prevention science. In addition, CPRIT awarded $2 million for the recruitment of one first-time, tenure-track faculty member. “We sincerely appreciate CPRIT’s continued funding of impactful cancer research that will help us achieve our mission to end cancer,” said ...

Electrons oscillate around the nucleus of an atom on extremely short timescales, typically completing a cycle in just a few hundred attoseconds (one attosecond is a quintillionth of a second). Because of their ultrafast motions, directly observing electron behavior in molecules has been challenging. Now researchers from UC San Diego’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have suggested a new method to make visualizing electron motion a reality. This new method describes an experimental concept called ultrafast vortex electron diffraction, which allows ...