While many studies have reported a link between a mother’s health condition during pregnancy and her child’s risk of autism, a new study shows that nearly all of these “associations” can otherwise be explained by factors such as genetics, exposure to pollution, and access to healthcare. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the study revealed that, of the few conditions truly associated with autism, all were actually complications with the fetus — leading the authors to believe ...

A microbe found in the lower part of the gut that is associated with good health has been comprehensively analysed and found to have a focused diet breaking down sugars locked away in mucus..   The new study, published in Nature Microbiology today (Friday 31 January) is a complete systematic analysis of how the human colonic beneficial microbe, Akkermansia muciniphila (AM) feeds on types of sugar found in the mucus secreted in the digestive system. The study focused on 66 enzymes that the AM microbe uses to break down mucus that is an essential part of the mucus layer that lines the human ...

A 240-year-old drug called digoxin could save the National Health Service (NHS) at least £100 million each year when treating older patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure.  This was compared to usual treatment with a beta-blocker according to a new study from the University of Birmingham, the city where digoxin was first used in 1785.   In a paper published in the journal Heart, researchers conducted an economic analysis on a clinical trial called RATE-AF to look at the differences between two widely used drugs for older patients with a common heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation (AF) and symptoms ...

Between September and December 2024, four countries in the EU/EEA (Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain) and the United Kingdom reported detections of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in sewage samples. This is the first time cVDPV2 has been detected in EU/EEA countries from environmental surveillance. To date, no human polio cases have been reported and the EU/EEA continues to be polio-free, but such findings call for increased vigilance. Laboratory analyses likely indicate that the virus has been repeatedly introduced from an unknown area where that specific form of the virus is still in circulation. These recent importations may pose a threat to public ...

Polar bear fur’s natural ability to resist ice formation could pave the way for safer, more sustainable solutions to prevent ice buildup across industries such as aviation and renewable energy, according to researchers at the University of Surrey.  An international study published in Science Advances has explored the anti-icing properties of polar bear fur in extreme Arctic conditions, revealing a unique mix of lipids in the fur’s sebum – an oily substance produced by the skin - that drastically reduces ice adhesion. ...

If you can wiggle your ears, you can use muscles that helped our distant ancestors listen closely. These auricular muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or the shell of the ear, funneling sound to the eardrums. Millions of years ago, our ancestors stopped using them, so humans’ auricular muscles are only vestigial. But now scientists examining the function of these muscles have discovered that they activate when we’re trying to listen to competing sounds.  “There are three large muscles which connect the auricle to the skull and scalp and are important for ear ...

Researchers have long known that patients who leave emergency departments before medically advised use more emergency care services, are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital and face higher costs of care—as well as increased mortality rates. Until now, however, little has been known about national, multi-year trends, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this phenomenon. “In addition, most studies have focused on specific subgroups of patients, such as those with stroke or those with appendicitis who leave after surgery,” said Elena Andreyeva, PhD, a faculty member with the Texas A&M University School of Public ...

As grasslands get abandoned, controlled burning is discussed as a labor-saving method of keeping forests at bay. A Kobe University research team found that this method results in higher biodiversity and a higher prevalence of endangered plant species in some grasslands compared to others, depending on what soils they grow on. Humans have been keeping grasslands since millennia by grazing, mowing and controlled burning, all of these are means to keep forests from overgrowing the grasslands. Grazing and mowing are, however, labor intensive and as rural areas become increasingly depopulated, grasslands have been disappearing worldwide. One consequence ...

Increased use of ventilation and air cleaners, designed to mitigate the spread of viral infections in hospitals, is likely to have unpredictable effects and may cause viral particles to move around more, according to a new study from researchers at UCL and UCLH. In the study, published in Aerosol Science & Technology, researchers investigated the effect of using built-in mechanical ventilation and portable air cleaners (PACs)1 upon the spread of airborne particles, which are similar to those breathed ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL: Jan. 30, 2025, 3:30 p.m. MST Media Contact: Karen Addis, APR, karen@addispr.com, +1 (301) 787-2394 Denver, Colo. ― Microplastics, which are less than 5 millimeters, and nanoplastics, which are invisible to the naked eye, are widespread throughout our environment. Research has shown that exposure to plastics in general is harmful to both the environment and humans. Now, in a new study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, researchers will unveil findings that suggest that microplastics and nanoplastics have been found ...

SALT LAKE CITY— Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) proudly announces the addition of two da Vinci 5 robotic surgical systems. This state-of-the-art technology is designed to enhance precision, control, and safety during minimally invasive surgeries, setting a new standard in patient care. These advancements align with Huntsman Cancer Institute’s focus on successfully delivering world-class cancer care through innovative treatments. “This is a significant leap forward in robotic surgery,” says Brian Mitzman, MD, MS, FACS, FCCP, Huntsman ...

CAR T cell therapy is one of the most promising new cancer treatments to emerge in recent years. It involves removing a patient’s own immune T cells and engineering them to recognize specific targets on the surface of the cancer cell. A major limitation of this type of CAR T cell therapy, called autologous therapy, is that the cells are taken from the patient and must be custom-made into a treatment. This requires patients to wait until their cells are modified for infusion — precious time they may not have. Now research done at Memorial Sloan ...

EL PASO, Texas (Jan. 30, 2025) – Health sciences researcher Emre Umucu, Ph.D., associate professor and associate dean for research at The University of Texas at El Paso, has been awarded the Roger G. Barker Distinguished Research Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (APA). The award honors research in the field of rehabilitation psychology, which focuses on helping individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions improve their health, independence and social participation. “I am ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL: Jan. 30, 2025, 2:45 p.m. MST Media Contact: Karen Addis, APR, karen@addispr.com, +1 (301) 787-2394 Denver, Colo. -- In the medical community, research has traditionally focused on how to prevent and treat the leading medical causes of maternal mortality, which include bleeding, infection, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. However, new research reveals deaths by homicide and suicide are the leading causes of maternal death in the United States. In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal ...

Millions of women undergo episiotomies during childbirth every year, yet the mechanics behind these surgical cuts remain largely unstudied. A new research project is poised to change that, addressing this significant gap in women’s health. An episiotomy involves cutting the pelvic-floor muscles to aid delivery, a technique currently guided largely by a surgeon’s personal judgment and experience. While intended to prevent severe vaginal tears or other complications during delivery, the procedure itself can lead to lasting pain, incontinence, infection, ...

Experts from the global Earth science community – including a scientist from the University of Calgary – have pieced together what happened during the massive Sikkim flood to try to help others prepare for similar disasters. On Oct. 3, 2023, a multi-hazard cascade in the Sikkim Himalaya, India, was triggered by a permanently frozen (permafrost) lateral moraine – debris from erosion along a glacier – collapsing into South Lhonak Lake. “A landslide went into a lake and that triggered a wave that eroded a dam at the end of the lake, which resulted in a slurry-like flood for hundreds of kilometres,” explains Dr. Dan ...

Rush is developing an innovative data platform to improve the health of Chicagoans. Funded by a $7.5 million grant from the Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust, the project will fortify Rush’s data science infrastructure and create a research network to improve quality and equity in health care. “We believe everyone should have the chance to be healthy,” said John Rich, MD, MPH, the Harrison I. Steans Director of the RUSH BMO Institute for Health Equity. “Yet, we know from medical literature that certain groups receive ...

Your parents were right: Scratching an itchy rash really does make it worse. Now we know why, thanks to new research published today in the journal Science that uncovers how scratching aggravates inflammation and swelling in a mouse model of a type of eczema called allergic contact dermatitis. “At first, these findings seemed to introduce a paradox: If scratching an itch is bad for us, why does it feel so good?” said senior author Daniel Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh. “Scratching is often pleasurable, which suggests ...

Linking citation and retraction data aids in responsible research evaluation   In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Biology: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3002999 Article title: Linking citation and retraction data reveals the demographics of scientific retractions among highly cited authors Author countries: United States, Italy, the Netherlands Funding: The work of AC has been supported by the European Network Staff Exchange for Integrating Precision Health ...

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 30, 2025 – A prophylactic antibody-based immune therapy protects monkeys against severe disease caused by H5N1 avian flu, University of Pittsburgh and NIH Vaccine Research Center researchers report today in Science. The broadly neutralizing antibody, which recognizes a relatively stable region of the bird flu virus, is less prone to losing its efficacy than antibodies targeting influenza’s more mutation-prone structures. This feature ensures that the immune protection can withstand the possible emergence of virus variants, akin to the SARS-CoV-2 mutants that ...

  Polar bears in Western Hudson Bay have seen their population nearly halved over the last several decades, largely due to dwindling sea ice and limited hunting opportunities, according to the findings of a novel bioenergetic model using data spanning more than 40 years. The findings reveal the relationship between bears’ individual energy needs and environmental limitations in driving population trends, highlighting energy as the central limiting factor behind the decline of a key Arctic apex predator. The Arctic is warming ...

India, the world’s most populated country, has been successfully working to recover one of the largest, and most iconic, carnivores, the tiger, for decades. Protection, prey, peace, and prosperity have been key factors in the tiger recovery within this densely populated country, according to a new study. According to its authors, success in India offers a rare opportunity to explore the socio-ecological factors influencing tiger recovery more broadly. Earth’s large carnivores, crucial for maintaining ecosystem health, are among the most threatened species, impacted ...

New research uncovers the dual nature of scratching an itch; although it can worsen skin inflammation, it can also boost immune defenses against bacterial infections at the injury site. The findings shed light on a pharmacologically targetable pathway that explains how scratching triggers inflammation, resolving the paradox of scratching as both a harmful pathological process and a beneficial evolutionary adaptation. Scratching is a natural, instinctive response to the sensation of itching, and it plays a central role in many ...

In a comprehensive analysis, researchers present the divers, causes, and impacts of the catastrophic 2023 Sikkim glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). The findings stress the urgent need to enhance GLOF hazard assessments and improve prediction and early warning systems as melting glaciers steadily raise the risk of GLOFs in the Himalayan region. South Lhonak Lake – perched at 5200 meters above sea level in the Upper Teesta basin of Sikkim, India – is among the region's largest and most rapidly expanding glacial lakes, posing severe hazards due to its ...

The most complex engineering of human cell lines ever has been achieved by scientists, revealing that our genomes are more resilient to significant structural changes than was previously thought. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Imperial College London, Harvard University in the US and their collaborators used CRISPR prime editing to create multiple versions of human genomes in cell lines, each with different structural changes. Using genome sequencing, they were able to analyse the genetic effects of these structural variations on cell survival. The research, published today (30 January) in Science, ...