Breast cancer remains a predominant global health challenge for women, with late-stage diagnosis being a key contributor to its high mortality. This is particularly pronounced in low-resource settings where access to advanced, costly diagnostic tools is limited. There is a pressing need for affordable, non-invasive, and accessible diagnostic strategies. This review underscores the significant potential of hematological and biochemical serum markers as pivotal tools to bridge this diagnostic gap, offering insights into diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring for breast cancer. Hematological Markers Associated with Breast Cancer Hematological ...

Japan is facing the urgent challenge of aging infrastructure, amidst ineffective linking of on-site experience and expertise with vast amounts of digital data in maintenance operations. This is especially the case for bridges across Japan. With a large number of bridges constructed during the rapid economic growth period, aging simultaneously, extensive inspection data and repair histories have been managed disparately across paper ledgers or departmental systems thus far, leading to inadequate integration between the experience of skilled engineers and digital data. To address this inefficiency, it is vital to leverage cutting-edge ...

Biliary tract cancers, including intrahepatic, perihilar, and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, are among the most aggressive gastrointestinal malignancies.  Treatment options remain limited once the disease progresses after first-line chemotherapy, and survival rarely exceeds one year. To address this, the team of researchers led by Professor Yun Hak Kim from Pusan National University, analyzed 12 years of clinical data from 54 patients treated at Yonsei Severance Hospital and combined the results with a systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies from around the world. This paper was made available ...

A comprehensive new analysis by researchers at Queen Mary University of London warns that England has lost the substantial gains made in high blood pressure prevention, diagnosis and management during the 2000s.  Drawing on data from more than 67,000 adults who participated in the annual Health Survey for England between 2003 and 2021, researchers report that the rates of high blood pressure, undiagnosed hypertension and inadequate treatment control have plateaued since 2011 and deteriorated sharply in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Findings ...

Life’s instructions are written in DNA, but it is the enzyme RNA polymerase II (Pol II) that reads the script, transcribing RNA in eukaryotic cells and eventually giving rise to proteins. Scientists know that Pol II must advance down the gene in perfect sync with other biological processes; aberrations in the movement of this enzyme have been linked to cancer and aging. But technical hurdles prevented them from precisely determining how this important molecular machine moves along DNA, and what governs its pauses and accelerations. A new ...

Key Findings Drones can be a valuable, non-invasive tool for observing elephant families and aiding long-term conservation efforts. Elephants can habituate to drones - showing fewer signs of disturbance both during a single flight and after repeated exposures. Disturbance behaviours were 70% less likely on successive drone flights. Careful flight protocols matter - when flown high (120 m or above), with a downwind approach, and steadily, drones cause minimal stress. Just under half of all trials showed no signs of disturbance, and those that did quickly returned to levels comparable with pre-exposure. The ...

Press Release Under embargo until 27 November, 11:00 AM, CET RNA in action: filming ribozyme self-assembly Researchers have visualised, in unprecedented detail, how a large RNA molecule assembles itself into a functional machine RNA is a central biological macromolecule, now widely harnessed in medicine and nanotechnology. Like proteins, RNA function often depends on  its precise three-dimensional structure. A recent study published in Nature Communications by Marcia group, has captured, for the first time, a ribozyme in ...

The nucleus accumbens is a tiny element of the human brain triggered when we experience something enjoyable, and used to help us learn behaviours that lead to rewards. A new study has shown for the first time that its influence on human behaviour can be altered using transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS). Applying the technique for just over a minute at a time, researchers were able to influence how people learned the links between certain cues and rewards. The result was that they were more likely to repeat a choice that had previously paid off, their learning rates following positive outcomes increased and they were more likely to make ...

An international team of researchers led by the Francis Crick Institute, working with the Paul Scherrer Institute, have developed a new imaging protocol to capture mouse brain cell connections in precise detail. In work published today in Nature Methods, they combined the use of X-rays with radiation-resistant materials sourced from the aerospace industry. The images acquired using this technique allowed the team to see how nerve cells connect in the mouse brain, without needing to thinly slice biological tissue samples. Volume electron microscopy (volume EM) has been the gold standard for imaging how nerve cells connect as ‘circuitry’ ...

A new review published in Frontiers in Science is calling for urgent action to avoid irreversible ecological damage by stemming the tide of microplastics entering the environment.  Climate change conditions turn plastics into more mobile, persistent, and hazardous pollutants. This is done by speeding up plastic breakdown into microplastics - microscopic fragments of plastic - spreading them considerable distances, and increasing exposure and impact within the environment. This is set to worsen as both plastic manufacturing and climate effects increase. Global annual plastic ...

Europe is failing to test and treat HIV early, with over half (54%) of all diagnoses in 2024 being made too late for optimal treatment. New data released today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the WHO Regional Office for Europe warns that this critical testing failure, combined with a growing number of undiagnosed cases, is severely jeopardising the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat. According to the annual HIV/AIDS surveillance report, 105 922 HIV diagnoses were made in the ...

With its “Flightpath 2050” strategy, the European Commission has outlined a framework for the aviation industry that aims to reduce emissions as well as fuel and energy consumption. Among other things, this requires more efficient engines. In the ARIADNE project, an interdisciplinary team at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has created the basis for achieving the desired efficiency gains more quickly. To this end, the researchers have combined years of flow data on intermediate turbine ...

Bacteria that multiply on surfaces are a major headache in healthcare when they gain a foothold on, for example, implants or in catheters. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found a new weapon to fight these hotbeds of bacterial growth – one that does not rely on antibiotics or toxic metals. The key lies in a completely new application of this year's Nobel Prize-winning material: metal-organic frameworks. These materials can physically impale, puncture and kill bacteria before they have time to attach ...

The cherry harvest wrapped up months ago. But in northern Michigan, some growers are already anticipating the spring resurgence of a tiny raptor that could benefit next season’s crop. The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in the U.S. As birds of prey, kestrels deter smaller birds that like to snack on farmers’ fruit. But new research suggests that these winged security guards may have an additional benefit: food safety. That’s according to a study from Michigan State University, ...

Patients with diabetes have an increased risk of complications after stent implantation, according to a study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in Diabetes Care. The study, which includes over 160,000 patients, emphasises the importance of tailoring treatment strategies for this specific patient group. Researchers have conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the risk of stent complications in patients with diabetes. The study consists of data from over 160,000 patients who received drug-eluting stents (small tubes placed in the coronary arteries of the heart that slowly release drugs to reduce the risk of the vessel becoming blocked again) between ...

People who regularly consume polyphenol-rich foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee, berries, cocoa, nuts, whole grains and olive oil, may have better long-term heart health. The research, led by King’s College London, found that those with higher adherence to polyphenol-rich dietary patterns had lower predicted cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Polyphenols are natural compounds found in plants that are linked to various health benefits, including improved heart, brain, and gut health. The study, ...

Tai chi, a form of mind-body exercise widely practiced in Chinese communities, has similar benefits to talking therapy for middle aged and older people with chronic insomnia, finds a trial from Hong Kong published by The BMJ today. These results support the use of tai chi for the long term management of chronic insomnia in middle-aged and older adults, say the researchers. Chronic insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders in middle aged and older adults and has been linked to increased risks of cardiovascular ...

A monthly injection has helped 90% of severe asthma patients reduce daily steroid tablets, which are associated with long-term side effects. More than half of the participants who had received the injection were able to stop their daily steroid tablets entirely, without any impact on their symptoms. The clinical trial led by a King’s College London academic followed patients who had been injected with tezepelumab every four weeks for a year. Tezepelumab is a type of antibody which targets parts of the immune system, reducing lung inflammation. Treatment with tezepelumab was also shown to significantly improve asthma symptoms, lung function, and overall quality of life. During ...

A monthly injection for managing severe asthma could help patients safely reduce or even discontinue daily steroid medications, according to a new phase 3b clinical trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are powerful medications that help control airway inflammation and asthma symptoms. In the most severe asthma patients, OCS are needed daily. However, long-term use can lead to serious health problems, including osteoporosis, diabetes, and increased vulnerability to infections. The ...

The most comprehensive review to date of ADHD treatments has found that medication for children and adults, and cognitive behavioural therapy for adults, remain the most effective approaches, backed by the strongest short-term trial evidence. Researchers led by the Université Paris Nanterre (France), Institut Robert-Debré du Cerveau de l'Enfant (France), and the University of Southampton (UK) analysed over 200 meta-analyses covering different treatment types, participant groups, and clinical outcomes in a study published today [27 November 2027] in The BMJ. The research was funded by public and peer-reviewed research ...

A satellite deployed to measure ocean surface heights was up to the challenge when a massive earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami in late July. The Surface Water Ocean Topography or SWOT satellite captured the first high-resolution spaceborne track of a great subduction zone tsunami, researchers report in The Seismic Record. The track shows an unexpectedly complex pattern of waves dispersing and scattering across the ocean basin, one that could help tsunami scientists better understand how these events propagate and how they could threaten coastal communities. Angel Ruiz-Angulo at the University of Iceland and ...

Acid rain from fossil fuel pollution may be quietly training soil bacteria to become longer-lived, more transmissible, and more deadly, according to a new study in the journal New Contaminants that tracks how a notorious foodborne pathogen rapidly evolved under simulated acid deposition.​​ Acid deposition from burning coal, oil, and other fossil fuels has long been known to damage forests, lakes, and crops, but its impact on disease-causing microbes in soil has been largely overlooked. The new research shows that acid rain can destabilize the native soil microbiome in ways that make it easier for the pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 to invade and persist. In global soil metagenomic ...

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is the second most common inherited bleeding disorder worldwide, affecting 1 in 3,800 persons. HHT’s hallmark symptom is chronic nosebleeds, which often occur alongside other internal bleeding and vascular malformations that impact quality of life and longevity. A new study from Mass General Brigham tested the safety and efficacy of engasertib, a drug specifically designed to target the condition. This 75-participant, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found engasertib ...

A speedy new scan could improve how millions of people with high blood pressure are treated, suggests a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers. About a quarter of people with high blood pressure have been estimated to have a problem with their adrenal glands producing too much of the hormone aldosterone, which regulates levels of salt in the body. This problem is often missed, as the path to diagnosis is complex, involving multiple tests and, to guide treatment, an invasive procedure that is not always reliable. The new 10-minute scan, developed at UCL and described in a research letter in the New England Journal ...

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) announces that the 9th IOF Asia-Pacific Bone Health Conference will officially begin in just three weeks, taking place from December 11–13, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. As the Asia-Pacific region faces a rapidly growing burden of osteoporosis and fracture-related health challenges, this major scientific congress will bring together healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers to exchange knowledge and shape the future of bone health across the ...