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 ...

Australian researchers have developed a new method for spotting plastic rubbish on our beaches and successfully field tested it on a remote stretch of coastline.  The satellite imagery tool developed by RMIT University scientists picks up differences in how sand, water and plastics reflect light, allowing plastics to be spotted on shorelines from more than 600km above.   Satellite technology is already used to track the massive amounts of plastic floating around our oceans – from relatively small drifts containing thousands of plastic bottles, bags and fishing nets, up to gigantic ...

Three teams led by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have received awards from the Starr Cancer Consortium in its 17th and final annual grant competition. The grants will fund research on the deep mechanisms of common cancers and related treatment strategies. The Starr Cancer Consortium, established in 2006 with generous support from The Starr Foundation, includes The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine. The consortium’s goal has been to encourage highly collaborative and transformative research on cancer biology and novel treatment strategies. ...

Homelessness among people over the age of 50 is on the rise, a phenomenon formal housing strategies often overlook -- but researchers from the University of Toronto and McGill hope to prevent this oversight in the future.  A new study published in The Gerontologist now provides a clear definition of late life homelessness informed by the lives and experiences of older adults. Drawing on interviews with older people who are unhoused and community workers in Montreal, Canada, the researchers aim to spark ...

Background and objectives Gelsemium elegans Benth (G. elegans) is a traditional medicinal plant; however, it is highly toxic, and toxicity varies significantly between species. The cause of this difference has not been clarified. Humantenirine is an important toxic alkaloid in G. elegans, and its metabolism has been poorly studied. This study aimed to compare the different metabolites formed by human liver microsomes, pig liver microsomes, and goat liver microsomes. Methods High-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to study the metabolism of humantenirine in human liver microsomes, ...

In fire-prone areas, water isn’t the only thing used to quell blazes. Wildland firefighters also apply chemical or synthetic suppressants. Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters explored whether these suppressants could be a source of elevated metal levels sometimes found in waterways after wildfires are extinguished. Several products they investigated contained high levels of at least one metal, including chromium and cadmium, and could contribute to post-fire increases in the environment. “Wildfires ...

As a leader in academic health and biomedical research training, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) covers the West Texas region that comprises half of the state’s land mass and is home to 10% of its population. Research at TTUHSC drives innovation and discovery, changing the lives of those it serves and attracting talented faculty, staff and students. During the latest reporting period (2020-2022), TTUHSC received an average of $12,539,679 annually in National Institutes ...

Societies of the past and present have given high regard to precious metals like gold and silver. Both metals remind us of nobility and luxury. However, they are quite expensive, which restricts their applications. Therefore, materials with attractive but artificial gold- and silver-like metallic lusters are popular, finding use in jewelry, reflective materials, inks, and cosmetics.   Unfortunately, typical metallic luster materials cause environmental harm, rendering them unsustainable. Thus, scientists are actively searching for metal-free alternatives. In this direction, the research fraternity ...

In space exploration, long-distance optical links can now be used to transmit images, films and data from space probes to Earth using light. But in order for the signals to reach all the way and not be disturbed along the way, hypersensitive receivers and noise-free amplifiers are required. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have created a system that, with a silent amplifier and record-sensitive receiver, paves the way for faster and improved space communication. Space communication systems are increasingly based on optical laser beams rather than radio waves, as the signal loss has been shown to be less when light is used ...

Embargoed Until 10/30/24 at 7 am PhD in Public Health candidate Elaine Russell and her mentor Kenneth Griffin, professor in the department of Global and Community Health, in George Mason University’s College of Public Health, worked with Tolulope Abidogun, also a PhD in Public Health student, and former Global and Community Health professor Lisa Lindley, now of Lehigh University, to analyze data from the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA III) in an effort to understand how university ...

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (October 30, 2024) – The first-ever camera trap study of the Central Cardamom Mountains Landscape has recorded 108 species, 23 of which are listed at risk (Vulnerable or above) on the IUCN Red List, underscoring the significance of the region as a global stronghold for biodiversity and rare and threatened species.   Editors please note: Use these links to access camera trap footage and the full report.    The report, released today by the Cambodian Ministry of Environment (MoE), the United States Agency ...

An international team of geoscientists led by a volcanologist at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has discovered that, contrary to present scientific understanding, ancient volcanoes continued to spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from deep within the Earth long past their period of eruptions. In doing so, the research team has solved a long-standing mystery over what caused prolonged episodes of warming during turning points in Earth’s climate history. The work is detailed in today’s issue of the journal Nature Geoscience. “Our ...

In the face of increased human pressures and climate change, a team of Australian scientists led by Dr Georgina Wood at Flinders University have launched a new online tool to assist marine managers and restoration experts to bolster the resilience of marine habitat-forming species. The ‘Reef Adapt’ initiative, developed by experts from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD), Flinders University and The University of Western Australia (UWA), aims to expand the tools available to promote diverse, adaptable and resilient ecosystems. Described in a new article in Communications Biology, Reef Adapt harnesses genetic data ...

"Sustainable development pathways are strategies that prevent dangerous climate change while at the same time moving towards a world that allows people to prosper on a healthy planet,” explains Bjoern Soergel, scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK and lead author of the study published in Environmental Research Letters. This is the essence of the 17 SDGs agreed by the United Nations in 2015. “Our analysis shows that all three sustainable development pathways are far more effective than our current ‘business as usual’. They drive substantial progress towards the SDGs, for example reducing the number of people in extreme poverty ...

In the past, African giant pouched rats have learned to detect explosives and the tuberculosis-causing pathogen. Now, a team of researchers have trained these rats to pick up the scent of pangolin scales, elephant ivory, rhino horn, and African blackwood. These animals and plants are listed as threatened and at high danger of extinction. “Our study shows that we can train African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife, even when it has been concealed among other substances,” ...

Electrons spin even without an electric charge and this motion in condensed matter constitutes spin current, which is attracting a great deal of attention for next-generation technology such as memory devices. An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research group has been able to gain further insight into this important topic in the field of spintronics. To investigate the characteristics of spin currents, OMU Graduate School of Science Professor Katsuichi Kanemoto’s group designed a multilayer device consisting of a ferromagnetic layer and an organic semiconductor ...

Anecdotes abound of wildlife behaving “drunk” after eating fermented fruits, but despite this, nonhuman consumption of ethanol has been assumed to be rare and accidental. Ecologists challenge this assumption in a review publishing October 30 in the Cell Press journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution. They argue that since ethanol is naturally present in nearly every ecosystem, it is likely consumed on a regular basis by most fruit- and nectar-eating animals. “We're moving away from this anthropocentric view that ethanol is just something ...

While pancreatic cancer rates are rising in people under age 50, a new survey conducted by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) shows most people continue to believe that pancreatic disease affects only the elderly – and that there is nothing they can do to reduce their risk. For this survey, respondents were asked about risk factors for pancreatic cancer. More than half (53%) of adults under age 50 said they would not recognize the early signs or symptoms of the disease, and more than one third (37%) believe there is ...