HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Epigenetic targets and genomic stem cell pathways drive adult hair regeneration Retrotransposons are interspersed repeating sequences that make up over 40% of the human genome. Proper tissue regeneration requires ...

Toronto, ON, October 30, 2024 – Three Baycrest leaders are among those named winners of Women Executive Network’s (WXN) prestigious 2024 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards, celebrating exceptional leadership and groundbreaking achievements that have meaningfully transformed their industries, companies, communities and country. Dr. Allison Sekuler, President and Chief Scientist, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education and President and Chief Scientist, Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, powered by Baycrest (CABHI) Dr. ...

Cold damage is a major challenge in rice production, and identifying key gene modules in signaling pathways is a crucial means of addressing this issue. A Chinese research team has recently discovered a part of the plant’s cell membrane that helps plants sense when it's cold. This cell membrane component, known as the COLD6-OSM1 module, triggers the production of a special molecule, 2',3'-cAMP, which helps plants sense and respond to low temperatures. This secondary messenger is a key upstream component that mediates the signaling pathway by directly responding to signals ...

A new study in Nature finds that up to 215 million hectares of land (an area larger than Mexico) in humid tropical regions around the world has the potential to naturally regrow. That much forest could store 23.4 gigatons of carbon over 30 years and also have a significant impact on concerns like biodiversity loss and water quality. The study showed that more than half of the area with strong potential for regrowth was in five countries: Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, China, and Colombia.  “Tree planting in degraded landscapes can be costly. By leveraging natural regeneration techniques, nations can meet their ...

A heart attack can trigger a desire to get more sleep, allowing the heart to heal and reduce inflammation—and this happens because the heart sends special signals to the brain, according to a new Mount Sinai study. This research is the first to demonstrate how the heart and brain communicate with each other through the immune system to promote sleep and recovery after a major cardiovascular event. The novel findings, published October 30 in Nature, emphasize the importance of increased sleep after a heart attack, and suggest that sufficient sleep should be a focus of post-heart-attack clinical management ...

A new analysis led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has revealed detailed 3D maps of the internal structures of multiple tumor types. These cancer atlases reveal how different tumor cells — and the cells of a tumor’s surrounding environment — are organized, in 3D, and how that organization changes when a tumor spreads to other organs. The detailed findings offer scientists valuable blueprints of tumors that could lead to new approaches to therapy and spark a new era in the field of cancer biology, according to the researchers. The study is part of a group of 12 papers published Oct. 30 in the Nature suite of journals by members ...

The wider Caucasus region, between the Black and the Caspian Seas, connects Europe, the Near East and Asia. It displays a huge geographic, ecological, economic, cultural, and linguistic range today, from the steppe zone in the north, the Caucasus mountains in the center, to the highlands of today’s Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran in the south. This diversity was no different in the past, where the archaeological record attests to many different influences from many surrounding regions. “It is precisely this interface of different eco-geographic features ...

Cancers are diseases of abnormal cellular growth, and although many are treatable or even curable, their origins are not necessarily clear. Understanding the precise timing of cellular events—as cells transition from normal to cancerous conditions—is key to uncovering new treatments or diagnostic opportunities. Scientists from Vanderbilt University, led by Mirazul Islam, a graduate student mentored by Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Ken Lau and Professor of Medicine Robert Coffey, have laid the groundwork for understanding and predicting the natural transition between precancers and cancer.  They showed that colorectal cancer is likely to ...

The brain constantly engages in dialogue with the body’s immune system. Such communication appears aimed at ensuring a delicate balance between defending against injury and infection and guarding healthy tissue. Now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have revealed how the two strike a healthy balance. The study, in mice, found that fragments of immune-stimulating proteins – dubbed guardian peptides – are produced by the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system to maintain ...

A new study published in Nature unveils a surprising discovery: a substantial amount of meltwater is temporarily stored within the Greenland Ice Sheet during summer months. For the first time, an international group of researchers was able to quantify meltwater with positioning data. The finding challenges current models of how ice sheets contribute to global sea level rise. The Greenland Ice Sheet is currently the largest single contributor to global sea-level rise, with the potential to raise the mean sea level by up to seven meters if it fully melts. While ...

Geneticists from Trinity College Dublin, together with an international team of researchers, have deciphered the prehistory of aurochs – the animals that were the focus of some of the most iconic early human art – by analysing 38 genomes harvested from bones dating across 50 millennia and stretching from Siberia to Britain.  The aurochs roamed in Europe, Asia and Africa for hundreds of thousands of years. Adorned as paintings on many a cave wall, their domestication to create cattle gave us a harnessed source of muscle, meat and milk. Such ...

In rural Africa, where livelihoods are often tied directly to the land, environmental degradation poses a critical threat to both ecosystems and people’s well-being. New research reveals ways to tackle the dual challenges of land degradation and poverty. In rural Africa, where livelihoods are often tied directly to the land, environmental degradation poses a critical threat to both ecosystems and people’s well-being. A new study co-authored by researchers at Stanford University and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) analyzes how ...

For the first time, scientists have tracked what happens to stem cells decades after a transplant, lifting the lid on the procedure that has been a medical mystery for over 50 years. Insights could pave the way for new strategies in donor selection and transplant success, potentially leading to safer, more effective transplants.  Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators at the University of Zurich were able to map the behaviour of stem cells in recipients’ bodies up to three decades post-transplant, ...

A gene called COLD6 contributes to cold tolerance in rice, potentially offering a pathway to use molecular design to breed a rice variety with higher resistance to cold stress. This work appears October 30 in the Cell Press journal Molecular Cell. “Cold damage is a major challenge in rice production, and identifying key gene modules in signalling pathways is a crucial step in addressing this issue,” says senior study author Kang Chong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Our research focused on uncovering the molecular mechanism behind crops’ response to cold stress. We hope to ...

New York, NY [October 30, 2024]—Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a way that ovarian cancer tumors manipulate their environment to resist immunotherapy and identified a drug target that could overcome that resistance. The study, published in the October 30 online issue of Cell [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.006], used a cutting-edge spatial genomics technology and preclinical animal models, with tumor specimens from ovarian cancer patients further validating the findings. The researchers found that ovarian cancer cells produce a molecule called Interleukin-4 (IL-4), which is typically ...

About The Study: This study found that testosterone prescription data through prescription drug monitoring programs was accessible to law enforcement without basic safeguards (such as a warrant or subpoena) in nearly half of states. The ease of access to this sensitive medical information raises privacy, care quality, and civil liberties concerns, especially amid the proliferation of gender-affirming care bans. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Katie McCreedy, MPH, email mccreedy.k@northeastern.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.20035) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) had strong psychometric properties in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation, including reliability, responsiveness, and validity. These data support use of the KCCQ in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation as a measure of their symptoms, function, and quality of life and also for assessing the impact of interventions, such as transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention, in rigorously controlled trials.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding ...

An important new study led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and with partnership across several Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA) sites— Baycrest, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Unity Health Toronto, and University Health Network— has demonstrated that a combination therapy can slow cognitive decline in older adults at risk for dementia. The study was published today in JAMA Psychiatry: "Slowing cognitive decline in major depressive disorder and mild cognitive ...

About The Study: This study showed that cognitive remediation and transcranial direct current stimulation, both targeting the prefrontal cortex, is efficacious in slowing cognitive decline in older adults at risk of cognitive decline, particularly those with remitted major depressive disorder (with or without mild cognitive impairment) and in those at low genetic risk for Alzheimer disease.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding authors, email Benoit H. Mulsant, MD, MS, (benoit.mulsant@utoronto.ca) and Tarek K. Rajji, MD, (tarek.rajji@utsouthwestern.edu) To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3241) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of children and adults in the U.S., autism spectrum disorder diagnosis rates increased substantially between 2011 and 2022, particularly among young adults, female children and adults, and children from some racial or ethnic minority groups. Diagnosis prevalence trends generated using health system data can inform the allocation of resources to meet the service needs of this growing, medically complex population. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Luke P. Grosvenor, PhD, email luke.p.grosvenor@kp.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.42218) Editor’s ...

After a heart attack, aging adults face double or triple the risk of life-threatening complications – like a debilitating stroke or another heart attack – when they move forward with elective noncardiac surgeries too soon, according to new University of Rochester research published in JAMA Surgery. A deep dive into the Medicare database of 5.2 million surgeries from 2017 to 2020 for patients 67 and older suggests delaying surgery for three to six months following a heart attack, known as a non-ST-segmented elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Researchers aim to identify the “sweet spot” for safely scheduling additional surgical procedures ...

Philadelphia, October 30, 2024 – Researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that non-Hispanic Black children and those with public insurance and lower Child Opportunity Index (COI) scores were much more likely to seek care for concussions in the emergency department than in primary care or specialty care settings. The findings underscore the need to ensure emergency medicine physicians have specific training and education for diagnosing and managing pediatric concussion and suggest that establishing up-to-date community-level resources could improve care equity for children with possible concussion. The findings were published today by JAMA Network ...

Energy-making chloroplasts from algae have been inserted into hamster cells, enabling the cells to photosynthesize light, according to new research in Japan. It was previously thought that combining chloroplasts (chlorophyll containing structures in the cells of plants and algae) with animal cells was not possible, and that the chloroplasts would not survive or function. However, results showed that photosynthetic action continued for at least two days. This technique could be useful for artificial tissue engineering. ...

A new, large study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers found that lack of health insurance coverage accounts for a significant proportion of racial and ethnic disparities in advanced-stage diagnosis of multiple cancers. The findings are published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). “Health insurance coverage is a key determinant of access to high-quality healthcare across the cancer continuum from prevention to early detection, treatment, and survivorship in the United States,” said Dr. Parichoy Pal Choudhury, Principal Scientist, Biostatistics at the American ...

— By Jessica Scully Retrofitting a portion of the US shipping fleet from internal combustion engines to battery-electric systems could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be largely cost effective by 2035, according to a new study from Berkeley Lab researchers recently published in Nature Energy. Shipping represents 3% of total US greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, making it an important target for decarbonization. But electrifying ships is more challenging than ...