Background and Aims T lymphocytes play a pivotal role in resolving hepatitis B virus infection. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets during peginterferon alpha (peg-IFN-α) therapy and their association with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance in inactive HBsAg carriers (IHCs). Methods This prospective observational study enrolled 197 IHCs treated with peg-IFNα-2a/2b for 48 weeks and followed for 24 weeks (treatment group), and 221 IHCs who were regularly monitored for 72 weeks without treatment (IHC control group). ...

January 16, 2024 - The MIT Press is pleased to announce that Direct to Open (D2O) has reached its full funding goal for 2025 and will open access to 80 new monographs and edited book collections in the spring and fall publishing seasons.  “It has been one of the greatest privileges of my career to contribute to this program and demonstrate that our academic community can unite to publish high-quality open access monographs at scale,” said Amy Harris, Senior Manager of Library Relations ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [January 16, 2025] — Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—an alliance of leading cancer centers—published a new resource to inform people about the latest recommendations around hereditary and familial cancer risk. This essential guide is based on the latest evidence and expert consensus in the rapidly advancing field of cancer genetics. It provides guidance on how best to assess, and test for, inherited genetic mutations that can raise the ...

Reservoir computing (RC) is a powerful machine learning module designed to handle tasks involving time-based or sequential data, like tracking patterns over time or analyzing sequences. It is widely used in areas such as finance, robotics, speech recognition, weather forecasting, natural language processing, and predicting complex nonlinear dynamical systems. What sets RC apart is its efficiency—it delivers powerful results with much lower training costs compared to other methods. RC uses a fixed, randomly connected network layer, known as the reservoir, to turn input data into a more complex representation. ...

Infertility is a major global challenge associated with physiological and psychological impact. Genetic mutations that affect early embryonic development, oocyte (egg cell) maturation, and fertilization have recently been studied as causes of infertility. One of the most well-studied causes of early embryonic infertility is mutations in the subcortical maternal complex (SCMC)-related genes. SCMC participates in embryo development and cleavage by maintaining the structure of the egg cytoplasm and recruiting proteins that assist proper embryo formation. SCMC is composed of multiple proteins, of which the transducin-like ...

Paper-thin optical lenses simple enough to mass produce like microchips could enable a new generation of compact optical devices. A team with researchers at the University of Tokyo and JSR Corp. fabricated and tested flat lenses called Fresnel zone plates (FZPs), but did so for the first time using only common semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the i-line stepper, for the first time. These flat lenses currently lack the efficiency of in-production lenses, but have the potential to reshape optics for industries ranging from astronomy to health care and consumer electronics. Flat lenses, such as metalenses, exist, but they come with hefty price tags ...

Throughout history, volcanic eruptions have had serious consequences for human societies such as cold weather, lack of sun, and low crop yields. In the year 43 BC when a volcano in Alaska spewed large quantities of sulphur into the stratosphere, harvests failed the following years in the countries around the Mediterranean, causing famine and disease. This is well-documented in written sources from ancient Greece and Rome.  We do not have written sources from the Neolithic. But climate scientists from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen have analysed ice cores from the Greenland ice sheet and can now document that around 2,900 ...

Two new studies led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a possible way to block the progression of several forms of blood cancer using a drug already in clinical trials against breast cancer. The studies — both conducted in patient samples and animal models — found that inhibiting a protein called RSK1 reduces inflammation and stops the progression of blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) as well as an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). With the RSK1 inhibitor already in clinical testing, the path to expanded use as a treatment for blood ...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that disproportionally affects postmenopausal women, and the millions affected can attest to the pain, reduced mobility and diminished quality of life that comes from this disease. While the hormonal changes associated with menopause have long been known to accelerate the development and progression of OA, a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie this correlation is crucial for developing effective treatments. A new study led by researchers at Spaulding Rehabilitation, a member of the Mass General Brigham ...

A new study documents the dramatic change in America’s material diet from 1900 to 2020 – ongoing shifts in US commodity consumption patterns with profound environmental, economic, and geopolitical implications. Published by Iddo K. Wernick of The Rockefeller University’s Program for the Human Environment in the Elsevier journal Resources Policy, the paper details the consumption of 100 key commodities used to build cities, power cars, produce everyday products, and connect people. It charts transformative changes since the start of the 20th century in both absolute ...

Approximately 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid, estimated to be 10-15 kilometer in diameter, struck the Yucatán Peninsula (in current-day Mexico), creating a 200-kilometer-wide impact crater. This impact triggered a chain reaction of destructive events including a rapid climate change that eventually led to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and in total about 75% of species on Earth. The main culprit is most likely the “impact winter”, which was caused by massive release of dust, soot, and sulfur into the atmosphere, leading to extreme cold, darkness, and a collapse ...

WESTMINSTER, Colorado – 16 January 2025 – Recently published research in the journal Weed Science shows promise for controlling herbicide-resistant weeds in soybean fields by using a seed impact mill at harvest. When installed on a combine, this harvest weed-seed control system (HWSC) mechanically damages weed seeds as they move through the mill to render them non-viable. Iowa State University Researchers Alexis Meadows and Ram (Ramawatar) Yadav conducted seed impact mill field experiments ...

Amid an increase in suicidal behavior among teen girls, new research links this phenomenon to the significant increase in the number of female students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ).   “This finding suggests that the overall increase in female suicidality is not due to all female students becoming more suicidal, but rather to a larger proportion of students being part of a group that has historically experienced higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors due to social and structural pressures,” says lead author Joseph Cimpian, ...

We see color because photoreceptor cones in our eyes detect light waves corresponding to red, green, and blue, while dimness or brightness is detected by photoreceptor rods. Many non-mammalian vertebrates like fish, however, are known to detect color and brightness with the pineal gland, which is part of the brain. An Osaka Metropolitan University research group has further elucidated on how the pineal organ of fish do so. Previously, the research group led by Professor Akihisa Terakita and Professor Mitsumasa Koyanagi of the Graduate School of Science revealed that ...

Nipah virus (NiV), a zoonotic paramyxovirus with significant human health implications, has garnered considerable attention due to its high fatality rates and potential for human-to-human transmission, posing a global public health threat. Emerging in South and Southeast Asia, NiV is known for its recurrent outbreaks, with a particular focus on its genetic lineages, NiV-MY and NiV-BD, which differ in pathogenicity and transmissibility. The virus, initially isolated in Malaysia in 1998, has since caused outbreaks linked to contact with infected ...

FDA BANS RED DYE 3 IN FOOD AND INGESTED DRUGS Citing two studies linking Red Dye 3 to cancer in laboratory male rats, the FDA today revoked authorization for the use of the dye in food and ingested drugs. The move came in response to a 2022 color additive petition. “This is long overdue,” said Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN., director of Lifestyle Medicine and Prevention at Sylvester. “Red Dye 3 has been banned for use in cosmetics and topical drugs for more than three decades,” she said. “Yet it gives more than 9,000 foods in the United States their red coloring.  These colorful foods and drinks are particularly appealing to young children,” ...

KYOTO – An international team of researchers has taken an important step toward understanding how gene expression is controlled across the human genome. A new study has comprehensively analyzed “cis-regulatory elements” (CREs), which are the DNA sequences that regulate gene transcription. This work sheds light on how these elements contribute to cell-specific gene expression and how mutations within them may influence health and disease. CREs, including enhancers and promoters, are essential for controlling when and where genes are ...

In a study of more than 5,000 mothers and their children, exposure to air pollution during the three months before pregnancy predicted higher child body mass index (BMI) and related obesity risk factors up to two years of age. Findings from the study, which was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, were published in the journal Environmental Research. Past research has linked air pollution exposure during pregnancy to a broad range of health problems in children, including respiratory ...

Interpretability has drawn increasing attention in machine learning. Partially linear additive models provide an attractive middle ground between the simplicity of generalized linear model and the flexibility of generalized additive model, and are important models for addressing the two interpretability problems of feature selection and structure discovery. The existing partially linear additive models still have various imperfect performances in terms of fitting ability. To solve the problems, a research team lad by Han LI published their new research on 15 December 2024 in Frontiers of Computer Science co-published by Higher Education Press and Springer Nature. The ...

Researchers have used dung records to create high-resolution maps of herbivore distribution around the world. Their new study, recently published in Nature Food, reveals a strong positive relationship between dung presence and grazing pressure, meaning the amount of dung found in a particular location could help us understand approximately how many herbivores live there. Many people consider dung simply as the manure left behind by horses and cows at country shows, or something to be avoided when you visit the cousins’ farm. But dung is actually an important resource for millions of people worldwide. Dung ...

Senior midwives and researchers with experience in criminal and social justice are among those calling for improved maternity provision for pregnant women in UK prisons. In an article published by The BMJ today, Laura Abbott and colleagues highlight gaps in clinical care for pregnant women and say the systemic problems need tackling urgently to protect the health of pregnant women, new mothers, and babies while in criminal justice settings. Figures from April 2023 to March 2024 show that 229 pregnant women ...

The UK needs an overarching national strategy to tackle alcohol related harms, argue experts in The BMJ today, as deaths from alcohol in England reach their highest level on record. Julia Sinclair at the University of Southampton and colleagues warn that successive government cuts have led to reduced provision and quality of alcohol treatment, and say sustained funding is needed for screening and care, while industry must also shoulder some of the costs. Alcohol is widely available and drunk by around 80% of adults in the UK and is now well established as ...

Regular aerobic exercise could significantly reduce disease markers associated with Alzheimer’s, new research led by scientists at the University of Bristol (UK) and the Federal University of São Paulo (Brazil) has found. The findings provide new hope in the battle against this devastating disorder. Published in the journal Brain Research, the study highlights how physical activity not only protects healthy brain cells but also restores balance in the aging brain. The research focused on ...

Cambridge researchers are leading the first phase of a new research project that will lay the groundwork for future studies into the impact on children of smartphone and social media use. The work has been commissioned by the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology after a review by the UK Chief Medical Officer in 2019 found the evidence base around the links to children’s mental health were insufficient to provide strong conclusions suitable to inform policy. The project – led by a team at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with researchers at several leading UK universities ...

DARIEN, IL — The American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation is proud to announce a partnership with the Howard University Medical Alumni Association to support medical students at Howard University. Through the HUMAA scholarship program, the AASM Foundation is sponsoring five scholarships, each valued at $3,000. “By supporting medical students at Howard University, we’re empowering the next generation of medical professionals who will shape the future of health care,” said Dr. R. Nisha Aurora, president of the AASM Foundation. “We’re also hoping to inspire students to consider careers ...