April 18, 2024, TORONTO – A new round of clinical trials supported by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) will harness a unique opportunity to test some of the newest treatment strategies for a range of different cancers. OICR has announced two new clinical trials as part of its Window-of-Opportunity (WOO) Network, which brings together Ontario researchers, clinicians and patients to study the biology of newly diagnosed and recurrent tumours. “‘Window-of-opportunity’ clinical trials take advantage of the two-to-eight-week period between the diagnosis of cancer and the surgery to remove the cancer, at ...

Over the next 25 years, as the world shifts away from fossil fuels, the oil and gas wells that have sustained the fossil fuel age will have to be plugged. No big deal, you might think, drilling those wells was the hard part. Plugging them should be no problem. But think again. The Norwegian Continental Shelf, as an example, is punctured by more than 2000 wells. Harald Linga, centre director for SWIPA (see box), a Centre for Research Based Innovation based at SINTEF, Scandinavia’s largest independent research institute, estimates that plugging them using today’s technology will cost upwards of NOK 800 billion – that’s USD 73 billion. And while oil ...

Sulfur and chlorine isotopes in the atmosphere of Jupiter’s moon Io indicate that it has been volcanically active for the entire 4.57 billion-year history of the Solar System, according to a new study. The findings offer new insights into the moon’s history. Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System. This extreme level of volcanic activity is the result of tidal heating from friction generated within the moon’s interior as it is pulled between Jupiter and its neighboring moons of Europa and Ganymede. However, how long Io has hosted such extensive ...

For engineers working on soft robotics or wearable devices, keeping things light is a constant challenge: heavier materials require more energy to move around, and – in the case of wearables or prostheses – cause discomfort. Elastomers are synthetic polymers that can be manufactured with a range of mechanical properties, from stiff to stretchy, making them a popular material for such applications. But manufacturing elastomers that can be shaped into complex 3D structures that go from rigid to rubbery has been unfeasible until now. “Elastomers are usually cast so that their composition cannot be changed in all three dimensions over short length scales. To overcome ...

Media Contact: Dr. Alissa Nolden, Chair - Public Information & Affairs Committee, anolden@umass.edu Bonita Springs, FL— The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) stands as a premier organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of chemosensory systems. With a rich history spanning over four decades, AChemS has played a pivotal role in fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration in the fields of taste, smell, and chemical senses. AChemS provides a platform for scientists, clinicians, and industry members from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas, present cutting-edge research findings, and address pressing challenges ...

A novel approach to drug discovery is enabling University of Birmingham researchers to overcome the ‘valley of death’, where projects fail due to the funding gap between original research and commercial investment.  The approach, detailed in a feature published in the April issue of Drug Discovery Today, has attracted more than £4m in industry funding, grants and industry awards, on the back of just £0.2m investment from the University’s Dynamic Investment Fund (DIF).  The Birmingham Drug Discovery Hub ...

In posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intrusive thoughts, changes in mood, and other symptoms after exposure to trauma can greatly impact a person’s quality of life. About 6 percent of people who experience trauma develop the disorder, but scientists don’t yet understand the neurobiology underlying PTSD.  Now, a new genetic study of more than 1.2 million people has pinpointed 95 loci, or locations in the genome, that are associated with risk of developing PTSD, including 80 that had not been previously identified. The study, from the PTSD working group within the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC - PTSD) together with Cohen ...

With more than 200 types of cancer and every cancer individually unique, ongoing efforts to develop precision oncology treatments remain daunting. Most of the focus has been on developing genetic sequencing assays or analyses to identify mutations in cancer driver genes, then trying to match treatments that may work against those mutations. But many, if not most, cancer patients do not benefit from these early targeted therapies. In a new study published on April 18, 2024, in the journal Nature Cancer, first author Sanju Sinha, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Cancer Molecular Therapeutics ...

Compassionate leadership has tangible benefits: CEOs’ expressions of empathy correlate with positive stock performance, a study led by the University of Zurich shows. The researchers analyzed data from conference calls between CEOs and financial analysts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an unprecedented financial crisis. Between 24 February 2020, and 20 March 2020, the value of U.S. companies on the stock market decreased significantly, surpassing the decline during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. At the onset of the pandemic, several CEOs made statements ...

A new study has found that by offering stop smoking support as part of the national lung cancer screening programme, there is potential to save lives, and dedicated funding must be considered by policy makers. The results of the study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, showed that offering stop smoking support at the same time and in the same place as lung screening, resulted in a high uptake of support across a range of demographic characteristics. This has the potential to reduce smoking-related illness and death in a high-risk ...

To pass or not to pass, that is the question faced by soccer players the world over in every match. It might be unsurprising that higher skilled players exhibit better execution of actions than lower skilled ones, but now an Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team has evidence that the neural process to suppress actions also plays an important role. Research Center for Urban Health and Sports Assistant Professor Takahiro Matsutake and colleagues conducted an experiment to see how three levels of soccer players perform when faced with the same tasks. The ...

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are lighter and stronger than metal and are used in a variety of industries, including aviation, aerospace, automotive, marine, and sporting goods. In recent years, it has also been applied to new industries such as air mobility, which has led to an increase in its use and a waste disposal problem. However, CFRP is not naturally degradable, and high-temperature incineration methods emit toxic substances and cause environmental pollution, so it is urgent to develop ...

Zeolites are widely used in many industries. There is still a need to fully understand their intrinsic catalytic nature due to the complexity of the hydroxyl-aluminum moieties. Atomic-scale analysis of local environments for the hydroxyl species is essential for revealing the intrinsic catalytic activity of zeolites and guiding the design of high-performance catalysts. However, many unfavorable factors prohibit the elucidation of their fine structures such as low quantity, meta-stable property, structural similarity, ...

As the globe grapples with the urgent need to shift from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources, solar power stands as a beacon of hope. However, a significant challenge has been to efficiently capture and utilize the full spectrum of sunlight. Traditional photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight into electricity but can't use the entire solar spectrum, especially the infrared part which is often wasted as heat. To address this, photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems have been developed. These hybrid systems ...

How mutations impact protein stability and structure dynamics is crucial for understanding the molecular mechanism of the disease and the targeted drug design. However, probing the molecular details of mutation-induced subtle structure dynamics is still challenging. Recently, a research group led by Prof. WANG Fangjun from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a time-resolved native mass spectrometry (TR-nMS) strategy coupled with ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) analysis. This ...

As an important chemical raw material, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is widely applied in various aspects of industry and life. The industrial anthraquinone method for H2O2 production has the serious flaws, such as high pollution and energy consumption. By using ubiquitous mechanical energy, piezocatalytic H2O2 evolution has been proven as a promising strategy, but its progress is hindered by unsatisfied energy conversion efficiency. Bi4O5Br2 is regarded as a highly attractive photocatalytic material due to its unique sandwich ...

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of the most dramatically affected regions by global warming. For a long time, the region has been exposed by low temperature and soil moisture, which led to the severe inhibition of the soil biological activities and decomposition enzyme systems. As a result, the soil organic matter in this region decomposes slowly and accumulates in large quantities, underscoring its substantial potential for carbon release. In the face of climate warming, the low-temperature limiting ...

Contact: Nick Wilson 805-235-8008; nwilso28@calpoly.edu An eco-friendly glue product that was created by a California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) chemistry team in partnership with an East Coast company has earned a prestigious innovation award granted by a national industry council. D-Glue — a debondable adhesive platform created by Cal Poly Chemistry Professor Phil Costanzo in partnership with the Massachusetts-based company Geisys Ventures — earned the second runner-up 2024 Innovation Awards honor presented by the Adhesives and Sealants Council (ASC) in Louisville, Ky.  The ...

As the lunar exploration mission evolves from exploration to construction and utilization, in situ lunar construction becomes an imperative requirement. The core lies in regolith solidification and formation, aiming to maximize local resource utilization while minimizing transportation and maintenance costs. Nearly 20 techniques have been employed for preparing regolith-based construction materials, each with distinct requirements and capabilities. Professor Feng from Tsinghua University has conducted a comprehensive review, ...

A new study published in Engineering unveils the remarkable carbon storage potential of shale reservoirs utilizing CO2 fracturing technology. Conducted by a collaborative team from the PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development (Beijing), the National Key Laboratory of Continental Shale Oil (Daqing), and China University of Petroleum (Beijing), the research signifies a pivotal advancement in China’s pursuit of energy independence and carbon neutrality. Shale reservoirs play a crucial role in China’s ...

A new study from the University of South Australia is putting people’s experiences of pelvic pain at the front of pain education to develop better pain management strategies and improved outcomes.   Persistent pelvic pain is an umbrella term for pain in the pelvic area (below the belly button) which may be accompanied by symptoms suggestive of gynaecological, lower urinary tract, bowel, sexual, and pelvic floor dysfunction.   In Australia, one in two women and people assigned female at birth experience persistent pelvic pain, with one in four reporting that pelvic pain affects their ability to undertake daily activities such as work, study, or exercise.   This ...

Polypharmacy, or the concurrent use of five or more medications, is common in older adults and increases the risk of adverse drug interactions. While deprescribing unnecessary drugs can combat this risk, the decision-making process can be complex and time-consuming. Increasingly, there is a need for effective polypharmacy management tools that can support short-staffed primary care practitioners. In a new study, researchers from the Mass General Brigham MESH Incubator found that ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, showed promise as a tool to manage polypharmacy and deprescription. These findings, published ...

The lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation (a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate) has increased from one in four to one in three over the past two decades, finds a study from Denmark in The BMJ today. And among those with the condition, two in five are likely to develop heart failure over their remaining lifetime and one in five encounter a stroke, with little or no improvement in risk evident over the 20 year study period. As such, the researchers say stroke and heart failure prevention strategies are needed for people with atrial fibrillation. Atrial ...

Antipsychotic use in people with dementia is associated with elevated risks of a wide range of serious adverse outcomes including stroke, blood clots, heart attack, heart failure, fracture, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury, compared with non-use, finds a study published by The BMJ today. These findings show a considerably wider range of harms associated with antipsychotic use in people with dementia than previously acknowledged in regulatory alerts, with risks highest soon after starting the drugs, ...

Rates of early death and poor health caused by HIV/AIDS and diarrhea have been cut in half since 2010, and the rate of disease burden caused by injuries has dropped by a quarter in the same time period, after accounting for differences in age and population size across countries, based on a new study published in The Lancet. The study measures the burden of disease in years lost to early death and poor health. The findings indicate that total rates of global disease burden dropped by 14.2% between 2010 and 2019. However, the researchers found that the COVID-19 pandemic ...