Some neurological disorders can be improved through photobiomodulation, a non-invasive technique based on the application of low-intensity light to stimulate altered functions in specific regions of the body. Now, a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders reveals how photobiomodulation applied to the brain-gut axis is effective in recovering some cognitive alterations and sequelae caused by chronic stress. The study opens up new perspectives for applying the technique in future therapies for the treatment of neurological diseases in patients. The article, based on the study of laboratory animal models, ...

American Geophysical Union Press Release 24-19 2 May 2024 For Immediate Release This press release is available online at: https://news.agu.org/press-release/africa-forest-fires-doubled-drying Wildfires in wet African forests have doubled in recent decades Climate change and human activities like deforestation are causing more fires in central and west Africa’s wet, tropical forests, according to the first-ever comprehensive survey there. The fires have long been overlooked. AGU press contact: Rebecca Dzombak, news@agu.org (UTC-4 hours) Contact information ...

Blood vessels in the lungs aren’t like the others in the body. This difference becomes clear in pulmonary hypertension, in which only the lungs’ blood vessels stiffen progressively, leading to chronic lung disease, heart failure and death. The underlying reasons for this organ-specific vessel stiffening remained a mystery until University of Pittsburgh researcher Stephen Chan and colleagues made a surprising discovery about these blood vessel cells in patients with pulmonary hypertension—they’re hungry. Chan, Vitalant Chair in Vascular Medicine and Professor of Medicine in the Division ...

Einstein’s theory of general relativity explains that gravity is caused by a curvature of the directions of space and time. The most familiar manifestation of this is the Earth’s gravity, which keeps us on the ground and explains why balls fall to the floor and individuals have weight when stepping on a scale. In the field of high-energy physics, on the other hand, scientists study tiny invisible objects that obey the laws of quantum mechanics—characterized by random fluctuations that create ...

Today, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) announced the recipients of the 3rd Annual SCAI Early Career Research Grants. SCAI offers this initiative to support the next generation of interventional cardiologists, providing a platform for junior-level investigators within 10 years of completing an interventional cardiology fellowship to study high-priority, clinically important topics and have their findings disseminated through various professional channels. This year’s grants are funded by support from Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Shockwave Medical.   “Research funding is often ...

Researchers at UBC and BC Cancer have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can accurately predict if a person receiving cancer care will require mental health services during their treatment journey. The AI uses natural language processing and advanced neural networks to analyze an oncologist’s notes from their first consultation appointment with a patient. While these appointments are typically highly focused on a patient’s medical history and treatment options, the AI picks ...

The world’s leading stem cell scientists will convene in Hong Kong, SAR, 11-14 June 2025 for the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 2025 Annual Meeting, illuminating the future of stem cell science and highlighting the most compelling research and clinical advances of the year. The meeting is co-sponsored by The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre provided significant support to enable the ISSCR to bring its hallmark event to the city of ...

A wild male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) has been observed applying chewed leaves from Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria) — a climbing plant used in traditional medicine to treat wounds and  conditions such as dysentery, diabetes, and malaria — to a wound on his cheek. The findings, which are published in Scientific Reports, represent the first report of suspected wound treatment by a wild animal using a plant with known medicinal properties. Prior to this study, multiple ...

About The Study: This cohort study found that for the population without a family history of colorectal cancer (CRC), the 10-year interval between colonoscopy screenings for individuals with a first colonoscopy with findings negative for CRC could potentially be extended to 15 years. A longer interval between colonoscopy screenings could be beneficial in avoiding unnecessary invasive examinations.  Authors: Mahdi Fallah, M.D., Ph.D., of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, is the corresponding ...

About The Study: For individuals who smoked but did not achieve abstinence after treatment with varenicline, increasing the dosage enhanced abstinence versus continuing, whereas for nonabstainers initially treated with combined nicotine replacement therapy, a dosage increase or switch to varenicline enhanced abstinence and may be viable rescue strategies.  Authors: Paul M. Cinciripini, Ph.D., of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.4183) Editor’s Note: Please see the article ...

The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small region of the brainstem that produces norepinephrine, a chemical with powerful effects on arousal and wakefulness which plays an important role in the body’s response to stress or panic. Now, research from the University of Chicago shows it plays a specific role in visual sensory processing as well. In a new study published in Neuron, neuroscientists artificially increased neuronal activity in the LC by briefly shining light on genetically modified neurons. They saw that this manipulation selectively enhanced performance in non-human primates performing a visual attention task, underscoring the crucial role that attention plays in sensory ...

HOUSTON ― For most smokers, quitting on the first attempt is likely to be unsuccessful, but a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found patients were more likely to quit if their cessation regimen was altered and doses were increased. Researchers also found that varenicline, a cessation medication, was more effective than combined nicotine replacement therapy (CNRT), such as patches or lozenges. The study, published today in JAMA, revealed smokers who failed to quit with varenicline in the trial’s first phase were seven times more likely to quit by the end of the second phase if varenicline ...

Long Beach, Calif. – May 2, 2024 – New insights from the AI-ENCODE study showed artificial intelligence (AI) successfully allowed the automated extraction of key functional and physiological data from routine angiograms. The late-breaking results were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2024 Scientific Sessions.   Coronary angiography is a widely used diagnostic procedure for identifying coronary artery disease (CAD), performed in over one million patients annually in the United States. Currently, data extracted from coronary angiograms are confined to detecting blockages in the coronary arteries. However, AI technology ...

Long Beach, Calif. – May 2, 2024 – New data from the CALORI Cardiac Catheterization trial shows significant improvement in patient well-being and satisfaction without compromising safety after implementation of a liberal non-fasting strategy prior to a cardiac catheterization procedures. The late-breaking results were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2024 Scientific Sessions.    More than one million cardiac catheterizations are performed each year in the U.S. to diagnose heart problems. The risk of complications ...

Long Beach, Calif. – May 2, 2024 – Final 12-month data from the EXACT trial demonstrates safety and efficacy results for a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene therapy treatment for patients who have advanced coronary artery disease (CAD). The late-breaking results were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2024 Scientific Sessions.    CAD, also known as coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease, affects about 20.5 million U.S. adults – making it the most common type of heart disease in the ...

Long Beach, Calif. – May 2, 2024 – New data demonstrated that a left main (LM) bifurcation-specific novel scoring system (LM V-RESOLVE), based on three simple baseline angiographic findings, could help to rapidly discriminate lesions at risk of side branch (SB) occlusion during LM bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) – reducing risk during the procedure. The results from the prospective trial were presented today as late-breaking science at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) ...

BALTIMORE, May 2, 2024: Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) affects about one-quarter of reproductive-age women and is linked to adverse health outcomes, such as increased HIV risk. Yet for decades, BV treatment in the United States has largely relied on antibiotics, and BV recurrence is common following antibiotic therapy. Now, two European clinical trials have shown limited success with a different type of medication used to treat BV called dequalinium chloride (DQC). DQC—an antiseptic—has been in use for several decades in countries throughout Europe as an alternative treatment for BV. It is not currently approved by the U.S. ...

Recent reports of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope finding signs of life on a distant planet understandably sparked excitement. A new study challenges this finding, but also outlines how the telescope might verify the presence of the life-produced gas. The UC Riverside study, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, may be a disappointment to extraterrestrial enthusiasts but does not rule out the near-future possibility of discovery. In 2023 there were tantalizing reports of a biosignature gas in the atmosphere of planet K2-18b, ...

Long Beach, Calif. – May 2, 2024 – New data demonstrate the superiority of radial arterial access compared to femoral arterial access for coronary interventions. Findings showed radial access was associated with lower rates of in-hospital mortality, major access bleeding, and other major vascular complications compared with femoral access. The late-breaking results were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2024 Scientific Sessions.   Historically, femoral arterial access, through the groin, for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was the standard. Radial access, or ...

From medical and dental care to medications, insurance and nursing homes, health-related costs weigh heavily on the minds of older Americans of all backgrounds, a new poll suggests. Asked to rate their level of concern about 26 different health-related topics for people over 50 in their community, five of the six issues that the most people cited as very concerning involved health costs. The sixth – financial scams and fraud – also had to do with money.  Those same six topics rose to the top no matter what ...

The alarming rates of biodiversity loss worldwide have made clear that the classical way of governing biodiversity recovery based on protected areas and programmes for the protection of endangered species is not enough. To tackle this, almost 200 countries committed to the active ‘mainstreaming’ or integration of biodiversity targets into policies and plans across relevant sectors. However, research led by Utrecht University and UFZ Helmholz Centre for Environmental Research suggests that this has until now been largely ineffective due to non-binding commitments, ...

As COVID-19 becomes endemic, an important group of people who continue to require vaccination is future birth cohorts of children. Yet, in the face of ever-changing variants, as well as the waning of antibodies with time after each dose, key questions remain: What is the threshold of immune response against SARS-CoV-2 needed to protect against COVID-19 and how many doses of mRNA vaccination are required to reach that threshold?   Researchers answered this question in a joint study conducted by the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) and Duke-NUS Medical School. With parental consent ...

People with Lower Income and Pre-Existing Conditions at Greater Risk of STEMI in the United States Women, Black, and Hispanic Patients Up to 25% Less Likely to Receive Treatment for Heart Attacks Compared Men and White Patients   Long Beach, Calif. – May 3, 2024 – New data focusing on heart attack, specifically ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), uncovered socio-economic, racial, and gendered disparities associated with greater risk and are less likely to receive certain procedures. The data were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2024 Scientific Sessions.   STEMI, caused by ...

Long Beach, Calif. – May 4, 2024 – A nationwide observational analysis of patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and cardiogenic shock (CS) who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) determined that patients who underwent TAVR had lower in-hospital complications and resource utilization compared with SAVR. The results were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2024 Scientific Sessions.   As many as 300,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with AS every year. It predominantly affects those ...

Hispanic Population Largely Remains Underrepresented in Studies of Treatment Devices for PAD Despite Being Dominant Minority Population Affected by PAD Studies Evaluating Usage of Drug-Coated Balloon for PAD Include Disproportionate Amount of Women by One-Third Compared to Men Analysis Shows 51% of PAD Cases Involve Women Despite Experiencing Less Severe Outcomes   Long Beach, Calif. – May 4, 2024 – New study findings underscore gaps in clinical trial representation of women and Hispanics for peripheral artery disease (PAD) and chronic limb-threatening ...