Highlights: Legionnaires’ disease is a rare and dangerous respiratory tract infection. Diagnoses and surveillance usually require culturing isolates. A new study shows how whole genome sequencing could be used when culturing isn’t an option. The work points to new avenues for public health surveillance of infectious diseases.   Washington, D.C.—Legionnaires’ disease (LD), a rare and severe type of pneumonia, is a respiratory infection caused by species of Legionella bacteria. One of the most accurate ways to diagnose LD is to perform culture on samples from a patient’s lower respiratory tract, but those samples are difficult ...

New York, NY [March 21, 2024]—Using novel genetic and genomic tools, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have shed light on the role of immune cells called macrophages in lipid-rich tissues like the brain, advancing our understanding of Alzheimer’s and other diseases. The study, published in the March 6 online issue of Nature Communications [DOI: 0.1038/s41467-024-46315-7], represents a step forward in understanding immune cell regulation and its impact on disease progression. The researchers initially studied genes controlling macrophages, also referred ...

Plants-derived essential oils (EOs) find applications in various industries, such as detergents, cosmetics, pharmacology, and food additives. Moreover, EOs have an exceptional safety profile, and their numerous bioactivities greatly benefit human health. Beyond these benefits, EOs have also been found to illicit insect-repellent responses by inducing neurotoxic effects.   Terpenoids are abundant in plant EOs and have garnered widespread attention as they can regulate plant defense responses by regulating the expression of defense genes. For example, soybean and komatsuna plants, when grown near mint, experience a significant improvement in defense properties ...

Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu ## Identifying genetic variants and the role they play in predisposing people to Alzheimer’s disease can help researchers better understand how to treat the neurodegenerative condition for which there is currently no cure. A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health has identified several genetic variants that may influence Alzheimer’s disease risk, putting researchers one step closer to uncovering biological pathways to target for future treatment and prevention. Published in the journal Alzheimer’s ...

In order for plants to grow, they absorb water and nutrients through their roots. In doing so, they rely on tiny helpers: bacteria and fungi in particular are found in a thin layer around the roots. These microbes also ward off organisms that are harmful to the plant, just as the "microbiome" in the human gut helps determine whether we fall ill or stay healthy. An international research team led by the University of Bonn and with the participation of the IPK Leibniz Institute has now demonstrated on maize plants that the genetic make-up of the host plant has a significant influence on the composition of the root microbes. "It was shown ...

Reduced snow cover and shifting vegetation patterns in the Alps, both driven by climate change, are having major combined impacts on biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems in the high mountains, according to new research published today. Mountain ranges covering vast areas of the world are warming much faster than surrounding lowland areas, triggering huge reductions in snow cover and rapid upward movement of dwarf-shrubs, such as heather. Scientists at The University of Manchester have found that these changes are disrupting the timing of crucial alpine ecosystem functions performed by ...

Microplastics are tiny, nearly indestructible fragments shed from everyday plastic products. As we learn more about microplastics, the news keeps getting worse. Already well-documented in our oceans and soil, we’re now discovering them in the unlikeliest of places: our arteries, lungs and even placentas. Microplastics can take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to break down and, in the meantime, our planet and bodies are becoming more polluted with these materials every day. Finding viable alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics and microplastics has never been more important. New research from scientists ...

In addition to their main components, the properties of crystalline and nanoporous materials often depend crucially on guest atoms or ions that are embedded in the tiny pores of their lattice structure. This applies to high-tech materials used in sensor or separation technology as well as to natural materials. The bluish gemstone aquamarine, for example, would be colourless without such guest components. Determining the type and position of guest components is difficult, as many materials react sensitively to the radiation emissions ...

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive form of blood cancer. It is caused by mutations in a large number of genes that are acquired in the course of a person’s life. One of these genes – the tumor suppressor gene TP53 – plays a key role. Normally, TP53 helps to prevent the development of tumors. Blood cancer patients in whom this gene is mutated, however, face an extremely poor prognosis, as their genes are resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Intensive research is therefore being carried out into new therapeutic approaches, ...

The worry of gaining weight is a common excuse for smokers not to quit. A new study published today in the scientific journal Addiction has found that both starting smoking and lifetime smoking may increase abdominal fat, especially visceral fat:  the unhealthy fat deep inside the abdomen that is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia. Smokers tend to have lower body weights than non-smokers, but they also have more abdominal fat, and more abdominal visceral fat. Visceral fat is hard to see; you can have ...

A cross-disciplinary University of Waterloo team has developed a new contact lens material that could act as a bandage for corneal wounds while releasing drugs in a controlled manner to help the eye heal faster. Typically, corneal abrasion patients spend seven to 10 days wearing a clear, oxygen-permeable bandage contact lens, often instilled with eyedrops containing antibiotics. However, the one-time antibiotic application makes it difficult to ensure enough drugs stay on the eye for sustained treatment.  “It’s a targeted-release drug delivery ...

High temperatures during critical periods of the reproductive cycle of sheep result in 2.1 million fewer lambs produced in Australia each year, costing sheep farmers an estimated $97 million annually. The work, funded by Meat and Livestock Australia and conducted by a transdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Adelaide and South Australian Research Development Institute (SARDI), found that days above 32°C during the week of mating caused the significant loss of potential lambs. Published in Nature Food, the study found annual losses of potential lambs would increase to 2.5 million if median global warming increased ...

This study was led by Professor Mingliang Xu (College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China). Through phylogenic analysis, the authors identified a gene encoding a calcium-dependent protein kinase, ZmCPK39, as a candidate gene for plant height regulation in maize. The function of ZmCPK39 in controlling plant height has been verified using gene editing technology. Compared to the wild-type ND101, knockout of ZmCPK39 significantly reduced plant height by 40%.   The authors further ...

Cellulose, abundantly available from plant biomass, can be converted into molecules used to make a new class of recyclable polymers, to sustainably replace some plastics. Researchers at Hokkaido University have taken a significant step forward in the drive to make recyclable yet stable plastics from plant materials. This is a key requirement to reduce the burden of plastic pollution in the environment. They developed a convenient and versatile method to make a variety of polymers from chemicals derived from plant cellulose; crucially, these polymers can be fully recycled. The method was published in the journal ACS Macro Letters. Cellulose is one of the most abundant ...

Gastric cancer ranks among the most widespread diseases in Asian populations, with South Koreans experiencing the third-highest incidence globally in 2020, as reported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Recently, a collaborative research effort between Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Yonsei University achieved advancement in the realm of precision personalized medicine for gastric cancer. By using 3D bioprinting to accurately replicate the biological environment surrounding gastric cancer cells, the researchers have achieved a significant ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Neuroscientists at Scripps Research have found that inhibiting neurons involved in the body’s stress response may reduce alcohol consumption in people who have both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD)—even if they still experience trauma-related anxiety. The findings were published March 21 in Molecular Psychiatry. These discoveries are helping untangle the complex role that stress and trauma play in neurological disorders like PTSD and AUD, while also informing the development of new treatment options for people who experience both these conditions simultaneously. “Traumatic ...

Embargoed access to the paper and contact details for authors are available in Notes to Editors at the end of the release. By 2050, over three-quarters (155 of 204) of countries will not have high enough fertility rates to sustain population size over time; this will increase to 97% of countries (198 of 204) by 2100. Pronounced shifts in patterns of livebirths are also predicted, with the share of the world’s live births nearly doubling in low-income regions from 18% in 2021 to 35% in 2100; and sub-Saharan Africa accounting for one in every two children born on the planet by 2100. In low-income settings with higher fertility rates, better access to contraceptives and female education ...

The NHS needs an immediate cash injection of around £8.5bn a year over the next four years to make up a £32bn shortfall in funding and help tackle the current crisis, especially in areas such as waiting times, access to primary care, workforce and capital investment, say experts in the second report of The BMJ Commission on the Future of the NHS. John Appleby and colleagues argue that, while the government’s recent spring budget funding pledges are a start, they “certainly will not make up the significant shortfall that the NHS ...

Effective processes for reporting and responding to safeguard vulnerabilities are also lacking, warn experts Many publicly accessible artificial intelligence (AI) assistants lack adequate safeguards to consistently prevent the mass generation of health disinformation across a broad range of topics, warn experts in The BMJ today. They call for enhanced regulation, transparency, and routine auditing to help prevent advanced AI assistants from contributing to the generation of health disinformation. Large language models (LLMs) are a form of generative AI that have the potential to greatly improve many aspects of society, including ...

A new study by researchers at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science (LCDS) and Princeton University reveals that US working-age adults are dying at higher rates than their peers in high-income countries; the UK is also falling behind. The study is published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Using annual mortality data from the World Health Organization Mortality Database, the study compared trends in midlife mortality for adults aged 25-64 years between 1990 and 2019 across 15 major causes of death in 18 high-income countries, ...

Making alcohol-free beer more widely available on draught in pubs and bars may help people switch from alcoholic to alcohol-free beer, a new study published in Addiction today [21 March], has found. Pubs and bars taking part in the University of Bristol-led trial saw an increase in sales of healthier non-alcoholic draught beer. In partnership with Bristol City Council (BCC), researchers from the University’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (TARG) recruited 14 pubs and bars across the city that were willing to change the drinks that they offered on draught for a limited period. Previous research by the same group, using an online experiment as a proxy for real-world behaviour, ...

Around 32 per cent of the world's population live in countries that do not adhere to the World Health Organisation’s recommendations on safe limits of arsenic in drinking water Rice is already known to contain more inorganic arsenic than other cereals Cooking rice with water containing more than 10 µg L-1 (parts per billion) inorganic arsenic amplifies the risk of arsenic exposure Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic in water can cause serious health problems such as cancers, diabetes and pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases Rice is one of the major cereal crops ...

In a significant stride for respiratory medicine, Lundquist Institute (TLI) investigator Nicholas Jendzjowsky, PhD, has been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Institute of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID). This grant, totaling $298,800, not only underscores TLI's commitment to pioneering research and excellence in respiratory medicine and exercise physiology but also recognizes Dr. Jendzjowsky's expertise and the importance of his research. The ...

Doctors’ pay in England has declined by 25% since 2008 Independent analysis shows doctors’ salary erosion far outstrips other UK workers Doctors describe how they struggle to afford everyday essentials Trainee eye surgeon quit after worry over gas bill As doctors in England enter their 13th month of industrial action, an independent analysis of their pay confirms that the real terms value of their salaries has declined by a quarter in the 15 years since their pay was frozen. The analysis – conducted for The BMJ by the Office of Health Economics (OHE), an independent health economics research organisation – found that across ...

A researcher at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health received a $750,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study the asthma risks associated with the use of cleaning and disinfecting products among nurses. Cleaning processes in health care facilities involve an inherent “risk-risk tradeoff.” Increased use of cleaning and disinfection products leads to increased work-related asthma risks and simultaneously a decrease in occupational-infection risks. Preliminary survey data indicate that nurses are generally willing to increase infection risks to maintain lower asthma risks if they think they will recover. “Translating ...