SAN ANTONIO — July 30, 2024 —SwRI’s Dr. Sergey Vinogradov has been named the recipient of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Ward Rummel Engineering Excellence Award, which recognizes outstanding sustained contributions in nondestructive testing (NDT) by a single individual. NDT, also known as nondestructive evaluation (NDE), uses technology to evaluate and inspect materials and components for safety and reliability without damaging them. “Dr. Vinogradov pioneered using magnetostrictive transducer technology in NDE applications, developing the original designs as well as producing countless custom ...

A pivotal study sheds light on the evolutionary conservation of stem cell homeostasis in Solanaceae, revealing how receptor compensation mechanisms ensure the continuous and orderly formation of plant organs. This research uncovers the genetic interplay that maintains stem cell balance, offering new perspectives for crop improvement and resilience enhancement. Stem cell homeostasis is vital for the continuous formation of plant organs. This process involves intricate interactions among peptide ligands and their receptor-like kinases. Due to the dynamic nature of plant genomes, understanding ...

An international team of researchers from University of California San Diego and el Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Mexico have revealed a significant association between the use of illicit fentanyl and the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people who inject drugs in San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico. The findings, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, suggest that illicit fentanyl use could be driving recent increases in HCV incidence. "Our study provides the first evidence that illicit fentanyl ...

Clathrate hydrates are complex water structures that contain foreign guest molecules inside a host water-molecule shell. A predicted clathrate hydrate phase structure has been stably synthesized in the lab and may play an important role in future material science research. Water molecules are made up of just three atoms: two hydrogen atoms bound to a single oxygen atom. Individual water molecules can weakly bind to one another and other molecules, changing their collective physicochemical properties. Clathrate hydrates, in particular, are lattices of water molecules that self-assemble ...

An algorithm can help healthcare professionals recognize which patients have a highly aggressive form of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the face. These are the findings of a study conducted at the University of Gothenburg. If more BCCs are correctly identified as high-risk, the patients can directly receive the most effective treatment.   BCC is the most common form of skin cancer. The cancer type grows slowly and almost never spreads to other parts of the body. Most of the BCCs all are cured, but without treatment, highly ...

Three out of five youth who died by suicide in the U.S. did not have a prior mental health diagnosis, signaling missed opportunities to identify children and adolescents for suicide prevention strategies, including therapy or medications to treat depression. This finding comes from an analysis of over 40,000 suicides by youth of 10-24 years of age from 2010 to 2021, recorded in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Violent Death Reporting System. Results were published in the journal JAMA Network Open. “We discovered that certain youth who died by suicide were less likely to have a documented ...

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 – It has never been easier to spread false or misleading information online. The anonymous, impersonal nature of the internet, combined with advanced tools like artificial intelligence, makes it trivial for bad actors to manipulate the truth and challenging for everyone else to separate reality from fiction. In this modern climate of disinformation, understanding how falsehoods and rumors spread is crucial for combating them. In AIP Advances, by AIP Publishing, researchers from Shandong Normal University developed a new type of rumor propagation model, taking inspiration from nuclear reactions. Their model can provide fresh insights ...

About The Study: The findings of this study revealed a significant increase in the suicide rate among U.S. preteens between the 2001-2007 and 2008-2022 periods. Results showing a disproportionate increase in female suicide rates relative to male expand on existing evidence depicting a narrowing of the historically large gap in youth suicide rates between sexes. Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in female preteens between 2001 and 2007 and the 5th leading cause of death between 2008 and 2022, while suicide in male preteens ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, 3 of 5 youth suicide decedents did not have a documented preceding mental health diagnosis; the odds of having a mental health diagnosis were lower among racially and ethnically minoritized youths than white youths and among firearm suicides compared with other mechanisms. These findings underscore the need for equitable identification of mental health needs and universal lethal means counseling as strategies to prevent youth suicide. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Sofia Chaudhary, M.D., email sofia.s.chaudhary@emory.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

About The Study: In this serial nationally representative survey study, increased self-managed abortion (SMA) was observed following the loss of federal abortion protections. The findings revealed increased SMA use among marginalized groups, most often with ineffective methods. These findings suggest the need to expand access to alternative models of safe and effective abortion care and ensure those seeking health care post-SMA do not face legal risks. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Lauren Ralph, Ph.D., email lauren.ralph@ucsf.edu. To access the ...

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that rates of preteen suicide (ages 8-12) have been increasing by approximately 8% annually since 2008. These increases were most pronounced among female preteens, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian/Pacific Islander preteens, and Hispanic preteens. While the overall number of preteen suicides is small compared to teen and adult populations, the researchers say the findings from this analysis underscore the need for age-appropriate and culturally responsive prevention efforts that include suicide risk screening ...

URBANA, Ill. — Nanozymes are tiny, engineered substances that mimic the catalytic properties of natural enzymes, and they serve a variety of purposes in biomedicine,  chemical engineering, and environmental applications. They are typically made from inorganic materials, including metal-based elements, which makes them unsuitable for many purposes due to their toxicity and high production costs. Organic-based nanozymes partially overcome some of these problems and have the potential for a broader range of applications, including food and agriculture, but they are still in the early stages of development. A new paper from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ...

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation can break most of the chemical bonds in organic matter, and prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light can cause significant harm to humans and objects. In response, UV-shielding materials have been developed to fulfill various commercial requirements, including UV-shielding windows, food containers, contact lenses, and masks. While existing UV shielding materials are suitable for daily use, their effectiveness diminishes in high-temperature, high-pressure, corrosive, and radioactive environments. Organics fail at high temperatures, and films or coatings tend to flake under harsh conditions; glass is constrained ...

Organoid technology began with Professor Hans Clevers' 2009 breakthrough in cultivating the first intestinal organoid from mice. Since then, the field has expanded exponentially, showcasing organoids' remarkable capabilities in replicating human organ physiology and pathology. Organoids, which are three-dimensional stem cell cultures, offer powerful tools for studying organ development, modeling diseases, and facilitating drug discovery. Their ability to maintain genetic diversity and mimic complex biological processes makes them invaluable in biomedical ...

WASHINGTON—The Endocrine Society, the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions, announced it is merging with the Association of Program Directors in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (APDEM). APDEM represents the academic leaders of more than 135 training programs that prepare fellows for clinical and research careers in endocrinology and metabolism. “The Endocrine Society and APDEM share a commitment to ...

(Toronto, July 30, 2024) JMIR Publications, a leading publisher in digital health research, announces the launch of JMIR XR and Spatial Computing, a cutting-edge journal dedicated to exploring the transformative potential of extended reality (XR) and spatial computing technologies in clinical practice. This new journal arrives at a pivotal moment when recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), graphical processing, display technology, and network connectivity are propelling XR and spatial ...

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifaceted disorder that impacts approximately 20–25% of the global population. This syndrome encompasses a range of conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance (IR), hypercholesterolemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and systemic metabolic inflammation. These conditions collectively lead to severe diseases and increased premature mortality. The hypothalamus, a critical brain structure regulating ...

SAN ANTONIO — July 30, 2024 — Dr. James Oxley, an Institute scientist at Southwest Research Institute’s Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division, has been named a Fellow by the Controlled Release Society. Recognized for excellence and innovation in delivery science, Oxley is an expert in microencapsulation, nanoencapsulation and other controlled-release technologies used in energy, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and consumer product applications. “I’m honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Oxley, who began his Institute career in 2004. “Encapsulation research ...

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have identified a potential treatment for the respiratory symptoms of long COVID after discovering an unknown cause of the condition inside the lungs. The UVA researchers, led by Jie Sun, PhD, found that COVID-19 infection can cause sweeping changes in immune cells inside the lung tissues, promoting scarring and driving ongoing inflammation even after the initial infection has passed. This ongoing inflammation, they believe, drives the lasting respiratory symptoms, such as cough and difficulty breathing, associated with long COVID. The new research from Sun and ...

BEER-SHEVA, Israel, July 30, 2024 – Antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens are on the rise, while fewer antibiotics are being developed. Prof. Ariel Kushmaro and his local and international colleagues tackled the need by focusing on the long pepper. Known in traditional medicine for its treatment of a variety of illnesses, the team created a derivative that disrupts bacterial chemical communication. Their findings were just published in Biofilm (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2024.100215). Many plants' secondary metabolites are essential ...

By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — Since the 1950s, researchers have used a famous method invented by Wallace Coulter known as “flow cytometry” to characterize different types of immune cells in research studies and in blood samples from human individuals. This has enabled a much deeper understanding of immune cell development as well as new ways to assess human health and diagnose various blood cancers. Later, flow cytometry was applied also to other cell types. In traditional flow cytometry, cell surface and intracellular proteins are detected with antibody molecules that are linked to fluorescent probes. However, while providing single-cell ...

Not all police misconduct is the same. Misconduct can range from offenses like homicide and sexual assault to seemingly minor infractions such as accepting free coffee from the public. Exactly what qualifies as police misconduct varies locally, and the response to this behavior is typically handled internally by law enforcement. The absence of a commonly accepted framework to assess and interpret police misconduct remains a complex and contentious issue. Moreover, progress in researching this area is hindered by the limited ...

Genetically engineered human skin bacteria can make mice less attractive to mosquitoes for 11 days. Mosquitoes transmit a host of deadly diseases, including malaria, West Nile, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. Female mosquitoes on the hunt for a blood meal tune into scents released by skin microbes that live on their targets. Omar Akbari and colleagues engineered versions of the common human skin commensals Staphylococcus epidermidis and Corynebacterium amycolatum to produce much less of a form of lactic acid known to attract mosquitoes. The authors tested the microbes alone and found the engineered version of S. epidermidis attracted about half as ...

The liver's ability to communicate with other organs is crucial for maintaining homeostasis, particularly through signaling pathways. During liver regeneration, communication with organs such as the brain, pancreas, intestine, and heart is vital, mediated by chemical messengers like hormones, cytokines, and growth factors. Among these signals, the TGF-β and HIPPO pathways are critical, functioning as tumor suppressors and regulating liver development and regeneration. The review focuses on these pathways' interplay in maintaining liver homeostasis, facilitating regeneration, and contributing to diseases like hepatitis, fibrosis, ...

A study explores the microbiome of keloids, which are treatment-resistant raised scars. Some wounds heal completely; some wounds leave a scar; and some wounds leave a noticeable raised and growing bump larger than the original wound called a keloid. These keloids can itch and cause psychological distress. Keloids are caused by hyperproliferation of cells called fibroblasts that produce collagen. Previous research had suggested that microbiota might be one of many factors influencing fibroblast production. Rui Chen, Tomasz Maj and colleagues looked for bacteria in clinical samples of keloid tissue and found higher concentrations ...