Living in a murky lake around Mexico City, surrounded by aggressive and cannibalistic neighbors, the axolotl lives at constant risk of losing a limb to a neighbor’s nibble. Fortunately, lost limbs regrow and are functional in as few as eight weeks. To achieve this feat, the regrowing body parts must “know” their position within the axolotl body to regenerate the right structure for a specific location. A long-sought code that tells the cells where they are located and thereby gives body parts their identity has now been cracked by Elly Tanaka and her group at IMBA, the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology ...

An international group of scientists has identified a key molecular process that drives a deadly form of childhood brain cancer, potentially offering a much-needed, new therapeutic target. Published in leading international journal Molecular Cell, the new study has revealed how a rare but devastating childhood brain cancer—called Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG)—hijacks the cell’s gene control machinery to fuel its growth. The findings could point the way to urgently needed new treatments for this currently incurable disease. DMG is a tumour that develops deep in the brain and primarily ...

Embargoed for Release May 21, 2025 11am ET   CONTACT: NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison NIHpress@nih.gov (301) 496-5787     Scientists design gene delivery systems for cells in the brain and spinal cord NIH-funded breakthrough could enable targeted therapies for many neurological disorders   Research teams funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have created a versatile set of gene delivery systems that can reach different neural cell types in the human brain and spinal cord with exceptional accuracy. These delivery systems are a significant step toward future precise gene therapy to ...

In a study published in Nature today “Sequence diversity lost in early pregnancy,” scientists from deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, estimate that around one in 136 pregnancies are lost due to new mutations in the fetus. In other words, millions of pregnancies worldwide are lost because of mutations every year. The human genome varies between individuals, but there are some locations in the genome where there seems to be little or no sequence variation between individuals. This raises the question whether the sequences at these locations are essential for human development? It is known that mutations ...

Background and objectives circPVT1 has emerged as a key regulator in disease progression and clinical outcomes. However, its prognostic relevance and association with clinicopathological parameters in solid malignancies remain to be fully elucidated. To address this, we conducted a meta-analysis to elucidate the clinical significance of circPVT1 in solid tumors. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and CNKI, with a cutoff date of December 31, 2024. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA 12.0 to calculate pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and ...

VINCI. Italy — For over five centuries, Leonardo Da Vinci has been celebrated as a visionary artist, scientist, and inventor, known for his extraordinary talent and groundbreaking experiments. Today, an international collaboration known as the Leonardo DNA Project is closer than ever to uncovering the biological secrets of the greatest genius of the Renaissance. In their new book “Genìa Da Vinci. Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo’s DNA,” published by Angelo Pontecorboli Editore, experts Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato of the Leonardo Da Vinci Heritage ...

Wednesday, May 21, 2025, CLEVELAND: Cleveland Clinic has been awarded a $5 million grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to continue its role as the Biorepository Coordinating Center for the Cystic Fibrosis Lung Transplant Consortium until 2030. The coordinating center provides the infrastructure to support research to improve understanding of the factors that affect lung transplant outcomes.  The initiative, which includes 15 participating institutions in North America, is led by Maryam Valapour, M.D., M.P.P., director of Lung Transplant Outcomes at Cleveland Clinic, and Suzy Comhair, Ph.D., scientific director of Cleveland ...

NEW ORLEANS, May 21, 2025 – When pollinators visit flowers, they produce a variety of characteristic sounds, from wing flapping during hovering, to landing and takeoff. However, these sounds are extremely small compared to other vibrations and acoustics of insect life, causing researchers to overlook these insects’ acoustic signals often related to wing and body buzzing. Francesca Barbero, a professor of zoology at the University of Turin, and her collaborators — an interdisciplinary mix of entomologists, sound engineers, and plant physiologists ...

An international study led by the University of Colorado Cancer Center has uncovered why a widely used treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) doesn’t work for everyone. The findings could help doctors better match patients with the therapies most likely to work for them. The study was published today in Blood Cancer Discovery. Researchers analyzed data from 678 AML patients, the largest group studied to date for this treatment and found that both gene mutations and the maturity of leukemia cells affect ...

PULLMAN, Wash. – The way people express emotions while helping others can influence whether their assistance is welcomed, resented, or reciprocated, according to new research from Washington State University’s Carson College of Business. The study, led by Stephen Lee, assistant professor of management, found that helpers who express emotions like gratitude and sympathy are more likely to be seen as having genuine motives and are more likely to foster trust and future collaboration. Conversely, when helpers display pride or contempt, their motives are often questioned, weakening relationships and reducing the likelihood of reciprocation. “In ...

Highlights: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing issue in aquaculture. Vaccines don’t work on fish larvae because they have no developed immune system, so alternatives are necessary. Researchers in Denmark discovered that mixtures of bacteria from live-feed microalgae are capable of inhibiting fish pathogens. Washington, D.C.—A new study by Danish researchers has demonstrated that it is possible to develop a consortium of bacteria that can inhibit bacterial pathogens in aquaculture. This could potentially reduce ...

Herndon, VA, May 21, 2025 -- Hurricane winds are a major contributor to storm-related losses for people living in the southeastern coastal states. As the global temperature continues to rise, scientists predict that hurricanes will get more destructive -- packing higher winds and torrential rainfall. A new study, published in the journal Risk Analysis, projects that wind losses for homeowners in the Southeastern coastal states could be 76 percent higher by the year 2060 and 102 percent higher by 2100.  University of Illinois civil engineer ...

World renowned pulmonologists and experts in respiratory medicine from the Mount Sinai Health System will present new research at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference in San Francisco from May 18–May 21. Please let me know if you would like to coordinate an interview about their work. Mount Sinai doctors and researchers are also available to comment on breaking news and trending topics. Sessions and Symposiums *All abstracts listed below are under embargo until the scheduled ...

In a new study, researchers from Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City have shown that by using a computerized clinical decision support tool to guide diagnosis and treatment in emergency department patients with pneumonia, they were able to reduce mortality rates, especially in patients experiencing socioeconomic hardships.   Pneumonia, a serious infection in the lungs that causes inflammation and difficulty breathing, is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. An estimated 150,000 people are hospitalized annually for pneumococcal pneumonia, ...

A mechanism involving potassium channels in the brain that control brain cell activity could provide a new and fundamentally different way of treating depression symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder, according to two complementary papers published recently by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In two new research articles, published in Biological Psychiatry and Molecular Psychiatry, the researchers provide new insights into how a drug called ezogabine may impact the brain to improve depression.  “Depression is a devastating ...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition affecting the brain’s development and often affects the ability of a person to perceive sensory information and social cues and socialize with others. Recent studies have revealed that environmental factors and epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, are crucial to the development of ASD. Notably, immune activation and exposure to stress hormones are known to alter neuronal activity in the dorsal raphe (DR, a region of the brain involved in serotonin signaling), contributing ...

Paris, France, 20-23 May 2025. The EuroPCR Course Directors have selected 3 major late-breaking trials that will be presented for the first time during the 2025 edition of EuroPCR. These trials were selected because of their design, results, and potential to impact practice, among which is the meta-analysis of data from the PROTECTED TAVR and BHF PROTECT TAVI Trials Background  The embolisation of debris after transaortic valve implantation (TAVI) for the treatment of aortic stenosis can lead to stroke. Cerebral embolic protection (CEP) devices, which can capture this debris and thus lower the incidence of stroke, have been deployed during ...

Paris, France, 20-23 May 2025. The EuroPCR Course Directors have selected 3 major late-breaking trials that will be presented for the first time during the 2025 edition of EuroPCR. These trials were selected because of their design, results, and potential to impact practice, among them is the FAITAVI randomised clinical trial (RCT). Background  The optimal management of patients with intermediate coronary artery disease (CAD) and severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are candidates for TAVI remains unclear. Recent trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention ...

Background  While dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has long been the standard of care for the management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), there is an increasing awareness of the need to find a more patient-centred approach that strikes a balance between the ischaemic protection DAPT offers and the risk of bleeding complications it can create. The effect of DAPT in dosage and duration on cardiovascular events and bleeding after implantation of drug-coated stents (DCS) in ACS patients, ...

Research Highlights: The American Heart Association’s PREVENTTM risk calculator accurately identified participants who had calcium buildup in their heart arteries and those who had a higher future heart attack risk, in an analysis of about 7,000 adults in New York City referred for heart disease screening. The PREVENT scores also predicted future heart attack risk. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 21, 2025 DALLAS, May 21, 2025 — The PREVENTTM risk calculator helped to identify people with plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart, in addition to predicting their risk of a future heart attack, according ...

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, have developed a new, easily manufacturable solid-state thermoelectric refrigeration technology with nano-engineered materials that is twice as efficient as devices made with commercially available bulk thermoelectric materials. As global demand grows for more energy-efficient, reliable and compact cooling solutions, this advancement offers a scalable alternative to traditional compressor-based refrigeration. In a paper published in ...

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that gonadotrophs, cells in the pituitary gland with a key role in puberty and reproduction, come from two different populations, with the majority produced after birth rather than in the embryo, as previously thought. A better understanding of when these important cells develop could help researchers and clinicians understand and treat disorders that impact puberty and fertility. In the pituitary, a small gland located in the middle of the head and connected to the brain, gonadotrophs ...

By carefully placing nanostructures on a flat surface, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have significantly improved the performance of so-called optical metasurfaces in conductive plastics. This is a major step for controllable flat optics, with future applications such as video holograms, invisibility materials, and sensors, as well as in biomedical imaging. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. To control light, curved lenses are used today, that are often made of glass that is either concave or convex, ...

Halving the number of times vital signs and neurological function are checked in low-risk patients after treatment for acute ischaemic stroke does not compromise care or recovery, according to new findings presented at the 11th European Stroke Organisation Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Results from the Optimal Post rTpa-Iv Monitoring in Ischaemic Stroke Trial (OPTIMISTmain)1, simultaneously published in The Lancet, also showed that this approach also had flow-on benefits for nursing workflow and intensive care resources. The trial was led by Professor Craig Anderson from The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW ...

External walls of buildings are normally lifeless and have no additional function. An international team of researchers and companies, in which Carole Planchette from the Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer is involved, wants to change this by adding microbial life to building façades. In the project “Archibiome tattoo for resistant, responsive, and resilient cities” (REMEDY), the consortium is working on integrating specifically composed communities of beneficial microorganisms into ...