NEW ORLEANS, La. – Ochsner Health, a leader in patient care, research and education, has been named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Mental Wellbeing 2024 by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group. The ranking survey conducted included responses from more than 250,000 young professionals and more than 1.5 million company reviews. Ochsner Health is committed to fostering an environment that prioritizes the mental well-being of each employee through innovative health initiatives, comprehensive support services and a culture ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Scripps Research professor emeritus John Johnson, PhD, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences—one of the highest honors given to scientists. According to the Academy, members are selected “in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.” “Becoming a member of the Academy is a great honor for me and the 70 graduate students and post docs that have worked in my lab since 1978, as well as numerous collaborators at Scripps and around the world,” says Johnson, who is also the Eldon R. Strahm Professor of Structural Virology in the Department of Integrative Structural ...

Construction of the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture at Nebraska Innovation Campus launched with a ceremonial turning of dirt on May 6. The state-of-the-art research center is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Nebraska Innovation Campus. The center will focus on the challenges and opportunities in agricultural innovation for the 21st century. “There is a long history of scientific innovation and collaboration between ARS and UNL, typical of the USDA-land-grant ...

UPTON, N.Y. — The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has recognized two staff scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory with the distinction of Fellow: Deputy Associate Laboratory Director for High Energy Physics Dmitri Denisov and Senior Chemist Anatoly Frenkel. Each year, AAAS bestows this honor on select members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially distinguished.” Marking the 150th anniversary of the program, new fellows ...

Chimpanzees continue to learn and hone their skills well into adulthood, a capacity that might be essential for the evolution of complex and varied tool use, according to a study publishing May 7th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Mathieu Malherbe of the Institute of Cognitive Sciences, France and colleagues. Humans have the capacity to continue learning throughout our entire lifespan. It has been hypothesized that this ability is responsible for the extraordinary flexibility with which humans use tools, a key factor in the evolution of human cognition and culture. ...

MAY 7, 2024, NEW YORK – Using artificial intelligence, Ludwig Cancer Research scientists have developed a powerful predictive model for identifying the most potent cancer killing immune cells for use in cancer immunotherapies. Combined with additional algorithms, the predictive model, described in the current issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, can be applied to personalized cancer treatments that tailor therapy to the unique cellular makeup of each patient's tumors. “The implementation of artificial intelligence in cellular therapy is new and may be a game-changer, offering new clinical options to patients,” said Ludwig Lausanne’s Alexandre ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A new analysis revealed the frequency of potentially lethal substances, such as fentanyl and xylazine, in counterfeit pills that had been circulating in Rhode Island’s illicit drug supply. Study author Dr. Rachel Wightman, an associate professor of epidemiology and emergency medicine at Brown University, said the analysis provides important information about the composition of counterfeit pills, which are designed to replicate legitimate pharmaceutical pills but often lead to adverse health effects. “The level of detail found in our analysis can help inform treatment conversations and improve patient care,” ...

INDIANAPOLIS – Researchers have discovered a protein marker to help identify cells able to repopulate in patients with damaged blood vessels. Their findings, recently published in Circulation, could lead to new therapies for people with endothelial dysfunction, a type of disorder that contributes to coronary artery disease that may occlude with plaque and lack ability to carry sufficient blood into the heart tissue causing a heart attack. “This study is the first to establish that a single, prospective marker identifies vascular clonal repopulating endothelial cells ...

As part of the University of Colorado Department of Medicine’s annual Research Day, held on April 23, faculty member Christine Swanson, MD, MCR, described her National Institutes of Health-funded clinical research on whether adequate sleep can help prevent osteoporosis.  “Osteoporosis can occur for many reasons such as hormonal changes, aging, and lifestyle factors,” said Swanson, an associate professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes. “But some patients I ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — LyoWave Inc., a high-tech startup, is commercializing innovative microwave heating technologies developed at Purdue University that improve upon traditional lyophilization — or the process of freeze-drying perishable products — by increasing speed, cost-effectiveness and product throughput. CEO and co-founder Drew Strongrich said LyoWave’s microwave energy innovations open new possibilities for a variety of products. “Our technology overcomes the historic issues associated with microwave systems such as nonuniform heating, poor ...

Cheers erupted from a crowd gathered at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on April 19 as leaders at the CU School of Medicine and the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) signed an educational partnership agreement, a historic moment that will open a breadth of opportunities for both institutions. “This is a very happy occasion for us and formalizes something that we always seek to have, which is a mutually beneficial partnership with colleagues in the state,” said John J. Reilly Jr., MD, dean ...

“The independent research groups, led by Prof. Scott W. Lowe and Christina Curtis,respectively, have uncovered a similar definitive pathway in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) initiated with loss of the TP53 gene, representing a milstone in understanding the early stages of this deadly disease”. Dr. Zhaocai Zhou, head of a GC laboratory from Fudan University, stated.“Their study offers detailed insights into how genetic changes drive the transformation from preneoplastic conditions to full-blown cancer. Their findings revealed that loss of TP53 is not merely a common genetic anomaly but a pivotal event that propels ...

A recent review article provides critical insights into the management of acute agitation in reproductive-age females and during pregnancy within the emergency departments (EDs). The study emphasizes the importance of considering the safety of psychotropic medications in this demographic population, given the potential risks to both the patient and the fetus. Agitation in the emergency department is not uncommon and can stem from various causes, including psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and other medical ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (May 7, 2024) ― More Americans suffer from chronic pain than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. Yet, a shortage of pain medicine specialists persists, causing many pain sufferers to seek care in primary care settings.   Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that an innovative tele-mentoring program can help address reliance on opioids in the management of pain, with potential benefits for patients, families and communities.  Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) is an innovative educational and mentoring model where ...

A study has outlined the critical needs and essential technologies for a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation to augment satellite navigation systems, significantly improving the Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services. This research specifically targets the diverse demands of different users for LEO augmented GNSS, the possible contribution of LEOs to PNT performances, and the key technologies referring to the LEO-based navigation augmentation system. The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), are the most widely used in providing PNT services. However, GNSS signals from geostationary orbit (GEO), inclined ...

Earthquakes are the most dramatic and noteworthy results of tectonic plate movement. They are often destructive and deadly, or at the very least physically felt — they’re literally groundbreaking geological events. However not all tectonic movement results in effects that humans can perceive. Slow slip events occur when pent up tectonic forces are released over the course of a few days or months, like an earthquake unfolding in slow motion. The more gradual movement means people won’t feel the earth shaking beneath their feet and buildings won’t collapse. But the lack of destruction does not make slow slip events less scientifically ...

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2024 – As much as we might not want to think about it, mucus is everywhere in our bodies. It coats our airways and our digestive systems and serves as a first line of defense against pathogens, a habitat for our microbiomes, and a conveyor belt for our insides to keep everything moving smoothly. The front-line role of mucus means it is often the site of the first symptoms of infection or disease. Understanding how mucus changes, and what it changes in response to, can help diagnose illnesses and develop treatments. Designing a study to measure the physical properties of mucus, however, is nothing to sneeze at. In APL Bioengineering, by AIP Publishing, ...

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2024 – Understanding how cancerous cells spread from a primary tumor is important for any number of reasons, including determining the aggressiveness of the disease itself. The movement of cells into the extracellular matrix (ECM) of neighboring tissue is an essential step in cancer progression that directly correlates to the onset of metastasis. In APL Bioengineering, by AIP Publishing, a team of researchers from Germany and Spain used a breast cancer cell line panel and primary tumor explants from breast and cervical cancer patients to ...

About The Study: Substantial geographic disparities in cancer clinical trials availability exist throughout the United States, with the most socially vulnerable counties being far less likely to have any trial and having only a fraction of trials available, a disparity that has worsened over time.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rishi Robert Sekar, M.D., M.S., email rsekar@med.umich.edu.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.10162) Editor’s Note: Please ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that symptoms are prevalent years after young childhood cancer survivors’ initial cancer diagnosis, and interventions to reduce caregiver anxiety and neighborhood adversity and improve resilience may alleviate symptom burden.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, I-Chan Huang, Ph.D., email i-chan.huang@stjude.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/   (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.10145) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

Macquarie University researchers have debunked a 75-year-old theory about how humans determine where sounds are coming from, and it could unlock the secret to creating a next generation of more adaptable and efficient hearing devices ranging from hearing aids to smartphones. In the 1940s, an engineering model was developed to explain how humans can locate a sound source based on differences of just a few tens of millionths of a second in when the sound reaches each ear. This model worked on the theory that we must ...

The transition from the African Humid Period (AHP) to dry conditions in North Africa is the clearest example of climate tipping points in recent geological history. They occur when small perturbations trigger a large, non-linear response in the system and shift the climate to a different future state, usually with dramatic consequences for the biosphere. That was also the case in North Africa, where the grasslands, forests, and lakes favored by humans disappeared, causing them to retreat to areas like the mountains, oases, and the Nile Delta. This ...

WESTMINSTER, Colorado –  7 May 2024 – An article in the latest issue of Invasive Plant Science and Management provides new insights on a northern hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) subspecies (lithuanica) and its establishment outside the Connecticut River. Considered among the “world’s worst” aquatic weeds, northern hydrilla hinders recreational activities by forming dense canopies. If unchecked, it has the potential to displace native species and host a bacterium that produces ...

UCSF-led study finds artificial intelligence is as good as a physician at prioritizing which patients need to be seen first.  Emergency departments nationwide are overcrowded and overtaxed, but a new study suggests artificial intelligence (AI) could one day help prioritize which patients need treatment most urgently.  Using anonymized records of 251,000 adult emergency department (ED) visits, researchers at UC San Francisco evaluated how well an AI model was able to extract symptoms from patients’ ...

NEW YORK, NY -  May 7, 2024 – On World Asthma Day 2024 the message is clear: "Asthma Education Empowers." The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American Thoracic Society is a founding member, stresses the crucial role of education in empowering people with asthma to manage their condition effectively and to know when to seek medical assistance. FIRS also urges health care professionals to enhance their awareness of the preventable morbidity and mortality from asthma and of the published evidence on effective asthma management, so they are equipped to provide reliable information and optimal treatment for their patients.  Asthma ...