Barcelona, 25 February 2025 - Myeloid leukaemias are among the most aggressive blood cancers and have low survival rates. Today, leukaemia patients undergo genetic analysis to identify mutations and select the most appropriate treatment. However, even among patients with the same mutation, disease progression and response to therapy can vary significantly. A study led by ICREA researcher Dr. Alejo Rodríguez-Fraticelli at IRB Barcelona, and funded by Fundación CRIS contra el cáncer, has now revealed these differences can be explained by the fact that not all blood stem cells ...

Researchers from the Organoid group at the Hubrecht Institute have found that specific gut cells, BEST4/CA7+ cells, regulate electrolyte and water balance in response to bacterial toxins that cause diarrhea. Their findings, published in Cell Stem Cell, show that these cells greatly increase in number when exposed to the cytokine interferon-γ (IFNγ), presenting a promising target for therapeutic strategies. In the gut, a variety of cell types collaborate to keep a balance of electrolyte and water. Bacterial infections can disrupt this balance, leading ...

Working toward more effective tuberculosis (TB) vaccines, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed two strains of mycobacteria with "kill switches" that can be triggered to stop the bacteria after they activate an immune response. Two preclinical studies, published, Jan. 10 in Nature Microbiology, tackle the challenge of engineering bacteria that are safe for use in controlled human infection trials or as better vaccines. While TB is under control in most developed countries, the disease still kills over a million people a year worldwide. Spreading easily through ...

SAN ANTONIO — February 25, 2025 —Four small suitcase-sized spacecraft, designed and built by Southwest Research Institute headquartered in San Antonio, are poised to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California no earlier than Feb. 28. NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, or PUNCH, spacecraft is sharing a ride to space with the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) observatory. “The PUNCH mission will study the solar corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, and the solar wind that fills ...

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is prevalent among middle-aged and elderly populations, can cause disability and significantly impairs quality of life. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an effective treatment for end-stage KOA; however, long-term outcome and prosthesis survivorship were limited reported, particularly in Chinese cohorts.   Led by Professor Weng Xi-sheng and Professor Feng Bin, the orthopedic team at Peking Union Medical College Hospital conducted a landmark follow-up study spanning over two decades. The research analyzed KOA patients who underwent primary ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – An advanced type of MRI uncovers significant lung abnormalities in children and adolescents with long COVID, according to a new study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Post-COVID-19 condition, commonly known as long COVID, can affect individuals of all ages and is diagnosed when symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks after an initial COVID-19 infection. Children and adolescents typically experience a milder form of the condition, but common symptoms such as chronic fatigue, headaches and poor concentration can negatively impact school performance and social activities. While ...

DALLAS, February 25, 2025 — More than half of people who experiencing sudden cardiac arrest out of hospital don’t receive immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), contributing to a high death rate. A many as 9 out of 10 people who experience sudden cardiac arrest die[1]. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. To save more lives, the American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all, and National Basketball Association/NBA G League players are working to educate about the lifesaving skill. More Americans than ...

WASHINGTON—Hormones may be leveraged to treat and prevent signs of aging such as wrinkles and hair graying, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society journal Endocrine Reviews. Until now, only a limited number of hormones, mainly topical retinoids (retinol and tretinoin) and estrogen which is typically used to treat side effects of menopause, have been used in clinical practice as anti-skin aging compounds. This study reviews a new class of hormones and their anti-aging properties. “Our paper highlights key hormone players that orchestrate pathways of skin aging such as ...

It is unpleasant to have an enemy. Most people try to avoid hostilities that escalate to the point of mutual antagonism. Which raises the question: What does it take to make an enemy? One possible answer is that aversive or off-putting behaviors increase the likelihood of clashes with others that lead to lasting enmity. Yet without longitudinal data, it’s unclear which comes first – being aversive or being disliked – making it hard to distinguish between the causes and the consequences of having an enemy. New research from Florida Atlantic University clearly establishes the order of effects. The results, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, ...

Colon cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with poor dietary habits identified as a major risk factor. Ferulic acid, a phenolic compound abundant in many plant foods, has previously demonstrated potential anti-cancer properties by inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. Despite its promising effects, the impact of ferulic acid on colon cancer cells at different Duke’s progressive stages of the disease has remained largely unexplored. Given the critical need for new preventative measures, understanding the mechanisms through which ferulic acid acts on cancer cells is vital. Published (DOI: 10.26599/FMH.2025.9420063) ...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is notorious for its role in food spoilage and infections, posing a significant threat to both food safety and human health. Traditionally, antimicrobial agents have been the go-to solution for managing contamination. However, the overuse of these agents has accelerated the development of drug resistance, leading to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains that are difficult to treat. In response to this growing concern, the need for alternative methods to mitigate Pseudomonas aeruginosa’s pathogenicity ...

An autonomous underwater vehicle can propel itself efficiently by using the energy in nearby water currents. Underwater and aerial vehicles must make their way through a complex environment of gusts and currents, fighting against many flows as they attempt to stay on course. Peter Gunnarson and John O. Dabiri designed an underwater robot that makes use of these flows to cut down on the energy needed to travel, “surfing” vortices to make its way to its destination. The palm-sized robot, CARL, was equipped with an onboard inertial measurement unit, ten motors to allow movement in all three axes, and a simple but effective algorithm: if ...

Neuroimaging can capture brain activity in response to stimuli before a person decides how to respond. Initial affective responses—broadly good or bad feelings about a stimulus—have been associated with activity in evolutionarily conserved subcortical and cortical circuits including the Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) and Anterior (AIns). Activity then continues through integrative circuits associated with more deliberative and reflective processing. Previous work has suggested that the early affective responses may be more ...

Ask a Large language model (LLM) such as ChatGPT to summarize what people are saying about a topic, and although the model might summarize the facts efficiently, it might give a false impression of how people feel about the topic. LLMs play an increasingly large role in research, but rather than being a transparent window into the world, they can present and summarize content with a different tone and emphasis than the original data, potentially skewing research results. Yi Ding and colleagues compared a climate dataset of 18,896,054 tweets that mentioned "climate change" from January 2019 to December 2021 to rephrased tweets prepared by LLMs. The authors found that the ...

Gas sensing technologies play a vital role in our modern world, from ensuring our safety in homes and workplaces to monitoring environmental pollution and industrial processes. Traditional gas sensors, while effective, often face limitations in their sensitivity, response time, and power consumption. To account for these drawbacks, recent developments in gas sensors have focused on carbon nanomaterials, including the ever-popular graphene. This versatile and relatively inexpensive material can provide exceptional sensitivity ...

New research highlighted in the journal CABI Reviews suggests that all five subregions of Africa will breach the 1.5°C climate change threshold – the limit stipulated by the Paris Agreement – by 2040 even under low emission scenarios. A team of scientists, from the University of Zimbabwe, and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya, conducted a literature review to develop a framework for just transition pathways for Africa’s agriculture towards low emission and climate resilient development under 1.5°C of global warming. They found that despite Africa ...

Investigators from Mass General Brigham have conducted a multi-ancestry, whole genome sequencing association study of Alzheimer’s disease and found evidence for 16 new susceptibility genes, expanding the study of Alzheimer’s disease in underrepresented groups. Their results are published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. For the study, co-led by Julian Daniel Sunday Willett, MD, PhD, and Mohammad Waqas, of the Genetics and Aging Research ...

A new definition of dyslexia is needed to more accurately describe the learning disorder and give those struggling with dyslexia the specific support they require, says new research. Dyslexia has had several different definitions over the years and this murky and complicated history means it can be a postcode lottery for children who may have dyslexia, or those who have been diagnosed but can’t access the support they need. The first step to fixing this issue, new research has argued, is to redefine dyslexia and adopt the new definition across the UK. The research was conducted by the University of Birmingham, the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC), Kings College London, ...

More than half of women ages 30 to 35 are already suffering moderate to severe symptoms associated with menopause, yet most women are waiting decades before seeking treatment, new research from UVA Health and the Flo women’s health app reveals. The research sheds important light on “perimenopause,” the transition period leading to menopause. Many women in perimenopause assume they’re too young to be suffering symptoms related to menopause, believing that symptoms won’t appear until they reach their 50s. But this ...

Rebels of health care use technology to connect with clinicians, information, and each other Cambridge, MA – February 25, 2025 – The future of health care is being forged in the crucible of rare disease. A new survey led by Susannah Fox, author of Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care (The MIT Press),  finds that 15% of U.S. households are affected by rare disease or an undiagnosed illness. Their lives are characterized by extreme stress, often matched by their resourcefulness. “People living with rare diseases push the edges of what is possible by using technology ...

The Beatles said it best: Love is all you need. And according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU), the same is true in the animal kingdom. Well, at least for mosquitofish – a matchstick-sized fish endemic to Central America and now found globally.  According to the ANU scientists, male mosquitofish possess impressive problem-solving skills and can successfully navigate mazes and other tests. Males that perform better have a higher chance of mating.  Lead author Dr Ivan Vinogradov said male mosquitofish ...

Mars is easily identifiable in the night sky by its prominent red hue. Thanks to the fleet of spacecraft that have studied the planet over the last decades, we know that this red colour is due to rusted iron minerals in the dust. That is, iron bound up in Mars’s rocks has at some point reacted with liquid water, or water and oxygen in the air, similar to how rust forms on Earth. Over billions of years this rusty material – iron oxide – has been broken down into dust and spread all around the planet by winds, a process that continues today. But iron ...

Statement Highlights: It is essential for health care professionals to routinely screen pregnant and postpartum women for depression and anxiety, address modifiable risk factors and consider behavioral and pharmacological interventions to improve long-term maternal health outcomes.  Multidisciplinary care teams, including psychologists and other behavioral health professionals, are important to monitor and provide appropriate mental health support during pregnancy and after birth. The new ...

New research from Emory University indicates that childhood trauma physically alters the hearts of Black women.  The study, which examined the relationship between childhood exposure to trauma and vascular dysfunction among more than 400 Black adults in Atlanta ages 30 to 70, found that women who experienced childhood trauma had a worse vascular function, a preclinical marker of heart disease, while men had none. In addition, the findings show women may be more vulnerable to a larger cumulative stress burden, eliciting varying physiological ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Mars has captivated scientists and the public alike for centuries. One of the biggest reasons is the planet’s reddish hue, earning the third rock from the sun one its most popular nicknames — the “Red Planet.” But what exactly gives the planet its iconic color? Scientists have wondered this for as long as they’ve studied the planet. Today, they may finally have a concrete answer, one that ties into Mar’s watery past.  Results from a new study published in the journal Nature Communications and led by researchers from Brown University and the University of Bern suggest that the water-rich iron mineral ...