BOSTON – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is proud to announce the launch of the Direct Connect Partnership with Massachusetts Firefighters, marking a crucial step in addressing the heightened cancer risk faced by firefighters.  Dana-Farber’s Direct Connect program partners with employers who want to support their workforce across the spectrum of oncology needs and provides guided access to world-renowned expertise from cancer care specialists. Direct Connect has more than ...

n a new paper, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Stevens Institute of Technology show a new way of thinking about the fair impacts of AI decisions. They draw on a well-established tradition known as social welfare optimization, which aims to make decisions fairer by focusing on the overall benefits and harms to individuals. This method can be used to evaluate the industry standard assessment tools for AI fairness, which look at approval rates across protected groups. "In assessing fairness, the AI community tries to ensure equitable treatment for groups that differ in economic level, race, ethnic background, gender, and other categories,” ...

A new Carnegie Mellon University study shows that many people with autism embrace ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence tools for help and advice as they confront problems in their workplaces. But the research team, led by the School of Computer Science's Andrew Begel, also found that such systems sometimes dispense questionable advice. And controversy remains within the autism community as to whether this use of chatbots is even a good idea. "What we found is there are people with autism who are already using ChatGPT to ask questions that we think ChatGPT is partly well-suited and partly poorly suited for," said Begel, an associate professor ...

When scientists want to study the long-distance movement of marine animals, they will instrument them with a small device called an acoustic transmitter – or tag – which emits unique signals or “pings.” These signals are picked up by receivers anchored to the seafloor that record the date and time of each detection when the tagged animal comes within range. Data collected by the receivers are stored until they are retrieved by researchers and shared across members of cooperative acoustic telemetry networks. This information provides valuable insights into animal behavior, migration patterns, habitat preferences and ecosystem dynamics – all of which ...

Some say the next step in human evolution will be the integration of technology with flesh. Now, researchers have used virtual reality to test whether humans can feel embodiment—the sense that something is part of one’s body—toward prosthetic “hands” that resemble a pair of tweezers. They report June 6 in the journal iScience that participants felt an equal degree of embodiment for the tweezer-hands and were also faster and more accurate in completing motor tasks in virtual reality than when they were equipped with a virtual human hand. “For our ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of U.S. Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic adults, lower moderate to vigorous physical activity levels were associated with cardiovascular disease or mortality among participants with normoglycemia but not participants with prediabetes. Adults with prediabetes may benefit from reducing sedentary behavior and improving multiple lifestyle factors beyond improving moderate to vigorous physical activity alone.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Robert C. Kaplan, Ph.D., email robert.kaplan@einsteinmed.edu. To ...

About The Study: A positive association between cardiovascular disease mortality and heavy lifetime cannabis use was observed among females in this study. Longitudinal studies are needed in general populations to investigate the potential effects of cannabis on mortality. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Alexandre Vallee, M.D., Ph.D., email al.vallee@hopital-foch.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.15227) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

1. An international research team sequenced the genomes of hundreds of horse archaeological remains to track the historical rise of horse-based mobility around 4200 years ago in the Pontic-Caspian steppes. 2. The emergence of improved breeding techniques at the time considerably enhanced the yearly capacity of horse production, which helped spreading domestic horses like a wildfire across the whole Eurasian continent. 3. The massive human migrations that spread Indo-European languages outside the steppes around 5,000 years ago were not mediated by horses, contrarily to what was previously thought. All domestic horses living on the planet today, whether racetrack ...

Low-income Black and Hispanic stroke survivors with uncontrolled hypertension had a more than two-fold reduction in blood pressure when they tracked it at home and sent their readings to a nurse case manager. The gains were in systolic blood pressure specifically at one year into the study and when compared to a similar group of patients who did not have access to a nurse.    Led by researchers at NYU Langone, the study is the first to examine differences in home blood pressure monitoring with or without nurse case management. Further, the findings, published online June 6 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), addressed controlling hypertension in low-income ...

Two independent studies by Columbia scientists suggest that research into the gut’s stem cells over the past 15 years has been marred by a case of mistaken identity: Scientists have been studying the wrong cell.  Both studies were published online today in the journal Cell.  The gut’s stem cells are some of the hardest-working stem cells in the body. They work continuously throughout our lives to replenish the short-lived cells that line our intestines. About every four days, these cells—covering a surface about the size of a tennis court—are completely replaced.   Understanding these workaholic stem cells could help scientists turn ...

SCIENCE Professor Eske Willerslev, Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Copenhagen and Prince Philip Professor at the University of Cambridge, has been selected as the winner of the Albert Einstein World Award of Science 2024.  The prize is granted in recognition of the numerous breakthroughs in evolutionary genetics Prof. Willerslev’s has made during his highly fruitful career. The award recognizes his pioneering contributions in establishing the field of Environmental DNA and the sequencing of ancient DNA to track the origins and interactions of human population groups. During his doctoral studies, Prof. Willerslev published ...

A recent study has pinpointed two key enzymes in Citrus sinensis that play a crucial role in the plant's defense mechanism against the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a vector for the lethal huanglongbing (HLB) disease. This research offers a promising lead in the battle against a disease that has caused significant losses in the citrus industry. The citrus industry faces major challenges from Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). Traditional control methods are often ineffective and environmentally harmful. The need for innovative and sustainable pest management strategies is ...

In a recent study, scientists have unlocked the genetic secrets of Cissus quadrangularis, a plant that flourishes in the harshest of desert climates. The discovery of its adaptive traits and the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) pathway marks a significant leap forward in the quest for drought-resistant crops. As water scarcity looms as a major threat to global ecosystems and food production, the quest to understand how plants like Cissus quadrangularis conquer arid landscapes is more critical than ever. The genetic blueprint of such species could hold the key to enhancing ...

(WASHINGTON, June 6, 2024) – Patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib) who took low doses of blood-thinning medications known as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) experienced more bleeding episodes during the first three months of treatment and about one in five had high blood levels of the medications, compared with similar patients who took standard doses of the same medications, according to a study published in Blood Advances.   Patients with Afib, a common type of arrhythmia, or ...

America’s poison centers are fielding increasingly severe cases that are dramatically more likely to lead to severe harm or death in both adults and children, a new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals. The number of calls about intentional exposures that resulted in death among adults increased a whopping 233.9% between the beginning of 2007 and the end of 2021, the study reveals. “Intentional exposures” include cases such as suicide attempts, use of illegal drugs and ...

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a biomedical imaging technique used for mapping brain activity by recording magnetic fields produced by the naturally occurring electrical currents generated by neurons in the brain, using very sensitive magnetometers. Currently, MEG requires a magnetically shielded room for operation. Achieving MEG that works in normal environments, without the need for magnetic shielding, is a major goal. This would enable daily diagnosis, brain-machine interfaces, and fundamental research on brain function. Magnetometers using diamond quantum sensors with nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers are promising candidates for realizing ambient ...

A novel antibacterial lipopeptide produced by the bacterium Serratia marcescens has been shown to be highly effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus – one of the most important pathogens occurring in humans. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the five most common causes of hospital-acquired infections and is often the cause of life-threatening infections following surgery. Since the introduction of antibiotics in the early 1940s, S. aureus has by now developed resistance against most classes of antibiotics, ...

The genus of Harposporium belongs to the Ascomycota of the Fungi kingdom, the class Sortariomycetes, the order Hypocreales, and the family Ophiocordyceiaceae, is a common genus of soil fungi. The species of Harposporium are pathogens of nematodes, with some also infecting rotifers or tardigrades, and has significant ecological value. In recent years, studies have shown that a few species of the genus Harposporium can also parasitize insects or other invertebrates, such as H. janus, which can infect beetles in the Coleoptera family. However, so far, it has not been found that the same species in this genus can parasitize different invertebrates in both sexual and asexual stages. Is there a ...

Bile acids are essential molecules the liver produces that play a critical role in digestion. They help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins and cholesterol from our food. However, bile acids can become a double-edged sword. While they are necessary for proper digestion, high concentrations can also be toxic to the liver. Recent research is shedding light on the complex relationship between bile acids and liver health. Scientists have identified new ways in which bile acids interact with cellular stress responses, impacting how the liver functions in diseases ...

June 6, 2024, Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic researchers found higher amounts of the sugar alcohol xylitol are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.     The team, led by Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., confirmed the association in a large-scale patient analysis, preclinical research models and a clinical intervention study. Findings were published today in the European Heart Journal.     Xylitol is a common sugar substitute used in sugar-free candy, gums, baked ...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – June 6, 2024 – People with high blood pressure have a higher risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia, but a new study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that engaging in vigorous physical activity more than once a week can lower that risk. The findings appear online today in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. “We know that physical exercise offers many benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving heart health and potentially delaying cognitive decline,” said Richard Kazibwe, ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging are working to develop a pre-symptomatic disease diagnostic tool for Alzheimer’s disease. “While the need for better treatments is clear, such treatments will not be very meaningful if they are administered after symptoms have onset. By then, Alzheimer’s disease has been ravaging the brain for decades to the point the brain can no longer compensate for the extreme cellular death,” said Mark ...

Research Highlights: Women with excess weight at age 14 or 31 may have increased ischemic (clot caused) stroke risk before age 55. The same ischemic stroke risk was not found in men. Losing excess weight after adolescence may not eliminate the stroke risk. These findings are according to a study conducted in Finland that followed more than 10,000 people from birth into their 50s. Researchers suggest health care professionals pay attention to overweight and obesity in young people and work with them to promote healthy eating and physical activity from an early age. Embargoed ...

·  Major advance for treatment of deadly brain cancer ·  Clinical trial launched at Northwestern to test treatment ·  Ultrasound microbubbles open blood-brain barrier to admit chemotherapy and immunotherapy cocktail   CHICAGO --- In a major advance for the treatment of the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma, Northwestern Medicine scientists used ultrasound technology to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and provide a small dose of a chemotherapy and immunotherapy drug cocktail. The study found that this treatment ...

New research led by Lia Siegelman, a physical oceanographer at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, shows that the roiling storms at the planet Jupiter’s polar regions are powered by processes known to physicists studying Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. The geophysical commonalities spanning the 452 million miles between the two planets could even help facilitate an improved understanding of those processes on Earth.  Siegelman first made the connection between our planet and the gas giant in 2018 when she noticed a striking similarity between images of Jupiter’s huge cyclones and the ocean turbulence she was studying. ...