Published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases Oxford Academic, research led by the University of Minnesota Medical School offers a new avenue of hope in the fight against chronic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.  The researchers explored the use of Natural Killer (NK) cells aiming to restore their function for better infection control — an approach that could be used in a broader HIV cure strategy as multiple companies are working on mass production of healthy NK cells. “HIV has really excellent therapies thanks to the unprecedented progress in developing antiretroviral therapy, ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Indigenous people may be more likely to have a stroke than non-Indigenous people, according to a systematic review that looked at populations around the world. The review is published in the February 14, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers looked at countries with a very high Human Development Index, which measures average achievements in three areas: health, knowledge ...

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 14, 2024 — A research team led by the University of California, Irvine has created 20 new recombinant rabies viral vectors for neural circuit mapping that offer a range of significant advantages over existing tools, including the ability to detect microstructural changes in models of aging and Alzheimer’s disease brain neurons.   The study published today online in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, introduced proof-of-concept data demonstrating the power of these new vectors, which express a range of improved ...

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard is now accepting applications for its 2024 Media Boot Camp. This annual program connects health/science journalists and editors with faculty from the Broad Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Harvard’s teaching hospitals for a two-day event exploring the latest advances in genomics and biomedicine. Journalists will explore possible future storylines, gain fundamental background knowledge, and build relationships with researchers. The program format ...

(New York, NY – February 9, 2024) – High-risk pregnancy specialists from the Mount Sinai Health System are presenting research at the Annual Pregnancy Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) in Fort Washington, MD from February 10-14. Mount Sinai experts are available for interview about their research findings, and can also provide commentary on other women’s health topics, breaking news, and studies. PRESENTATIONS and POSTER SESSIONS (*All abstracts are under embargo until the below listed times*) Sunday, February 11, 2024 FGR prevention: Is there a role for aspirin, heparin, ...

Significantly more babies were born on a weekday instead of weekend day or holiday, reveals a large-scale analysis of 21 million births in Japan over almost four decades published February 14, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Miho Sassa from the University of Tokyo, Japan, and colleagues. Medical resources are generally stretched during holidays (including weekends) due to factors like staffing and hospital policies. This may amplify holiday effects: disparities and variations of health outcomes between holidays and weekdays. Dr. Sassa and colleagues studied this holiday effect with a focus on birth, especially high-risk births as measured by babies born preterm ...

Vittrup Man was born along the Scandinavian coast before moving to Denmark, where he was later sacrificed, according to a study published February 14, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Anders Fischer of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and colleagues. Vittrup Man is the nickname of a Stone Age skeleton recovered from a peat bog in Northwest Denmark, dating to between 3300-3100 BC. The fragmented nature of the remains, including a smashed skull, indicate that he was killed in a ritualistic sacrifice, a common practice in this region at this time. After a DNA study found Vittrup Man’s genetic ...

Some people from an ancient community in what is now northern Italy were interred with animals and animal parts from species such as dogs, horses and pigs. The reasons remain mysterious, but might indicate an enduring companion relationship between these humans and animals, or religious sacrificial practices, according to a study published February 14, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Zita Laffranchi from the University of Bern, Stefania Zingale from the Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research Bozen, ...

Australian adults who report a good relationship that meets their original expectations tend to score higher in mental health, while adults who report loving their spouse but wished they had never entered the relationship and note relationship problems tend to score significantly lower in mental health, according to a survey of almost 7000 Australian adults published February 14, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Bernard Kwadwo Yeboah Asiamah-Asare and colleagues. Many recent studies have examined the possible social determinants of mental health. In this study, Yeboah Asiamah-Asare and colleagues looked specifically at how one’s ...

Just a few sites of exceptional fossil preservation may significantly distort the phylogenetic record for birds, scaly reptiles and dinosaurs ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297637 Article Title: Quantifying the effects of exceptional fossil preservation on the global availability of phylogenetic data in deep time Author Countries: USA Funding: CHW: Richard Estes Memorial Award (No grant number); Society of Vertebrate Paleontology; www.vertpaleo.org; NO - CHW: Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant (No grant number); American Museum of Natural History; www.amnh.org; NO - CHW: EAR-PF 2305564; ...

Gender, culture, and age all appear to play a role in how emojis are interpreted, according to a study published February 14, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Yihua Chen, Xingchen Yang and colleagues from the University of Nottingham, UK. Stylized images of faces expressing different emotions, emojis can add both emotional nuance as well as potential ambiguity to electronic messages.   To understand how gender, age, and culture may influence emoji interpretation, Chen, Yang and colleagues recruited a group of 253 Chinese and 270 UK adults (51 percent women and 49 percent ...

Global health photography is often caught between photojournalistic intentions of accurately reflect local communities, and marketing directives to create attention-grabbing imagery, according to a study published February 14, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Arsenii Alenichev from Oxford Population Health, the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and colleagues. Standing at such representational crossroads, photographers are forced to engage with numerous—and often unresolvable — ethical and practical dilemmas. Photographers ...

Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) and the 12 de Octubre University Hospital have developed a new cell-based immunotherapy to treat multiple myeloma   The new immunotherapy is based on STAb cells and has yet to pass clinical trials.   The study is published in Science Translational Medicine, with head of the H12O-CNIO Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Research Unit Luis Álvarez-Vallina as senior author.   Immunotherapy is already improving treatment options for many cancer types, but research groups keep exploring ...

Laval, February 14, 2024 – A research team of Canadian and French scientists, led by INRS professor Maya Saleh, has been investigating immunotherapy resistance in certain patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with steatotic liver disease. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports. Hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with known risk factors such as chronic hepatitis B or C infection, alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction. It is the most common type of liver cancer. ...

The 17th World Congress on Polyphenols Applications 2024, scheduled for September 19-20, 2024, at Università degli Studi di Milano Statale in Italy, has revealed its program. This congress aims to bridge the latest scientific research on polyphenols with their potential to promote health. Goals The Polyphenols Applications 2024 Congress aims to share novel insights into polyphenols and their impact on human health, with the goal of finding practical ways to enhance well-being. Highlighted Program Polyphenols in Health & Diseases: Understanding the effects of polyphenols on health. Polyphenols, Microbiota & ...

The 15th World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria is set to take place in Berlin from October 28-30, 2024, promising a platform for front-line discussions and major insights into mitochondrial research. Prof. Volkmar Weissig, president of the World Mitochondria Society stated: "In this 15th edition, we'll explore the fundamental and mechanistic research of mitochondria. But what really sets this year apart is our special focus on how mitochondria can be applied in real-world medical settings. We'll be ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A novel three-drug combination achieved notable responses in patients with advanced HER2-negative breast cancer, according to new research directed by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The treatment included a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor — a drug that causes a chemical change to stop tumor cells from dividing — with two types of immunotherapy known as checkpoint inhibitors, which unharness the power of the immune response against cancer.  The multicenter ...

More than one hundred key genes linked to DNA damage have been uncovered through systematic screening of nearly 1,000 genetically modified mouse lines, in a new study published today (14 February) in Nature. The work provides insights into cancer progression and neurodegenerative diseases as well as a potential therapeutic avenue in the form of a protein inhibitor. The genome contains all the genes and genetic material within an organism's cells. When the genome is stable, cells can accurately replicate and divide, passing on correct genetic ...

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL:  Feb. 14, 2024, 11:45 AM EST Media Contacts: Karen Addis, APR, karen@addispr.com, +1 (301) 787-2394; Kerri Wade, MPA, kwade@smfm.org, +1 (202) 236-1780 National Harbor, Md. -- Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrate that Black women in the United States are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than are white women. Health disparities among people of color are the result of broader social and economic inequities rooted in racism and discrimination.  In a new study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, researchers ...

Boston, MA (February 13, 2024) – Science and technology awards were announced during the SLAS2024 International Conference and Exhibition, the annual flagship event of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, which attracted a record-setting 7500 attendees and 400 exhibitors. Each year SLAS recognizes several exceptional presenters and exhibitors who represent the best of the Society’s programs and mission. The complete list of the 2024 award descriptions and winners follow: SLAS Innovation Award The most ...

Global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon, pushing it towards partial or total collapse.  Research published today [14 February 2024] in Nature, has identified the potential thresholds of these stressors, showing where their combined effects could produce a ‘tipping point’ - in which the forest is so fragile that just a small disturbance could cause an abrupt shift in the state of the ecosystem.  The study was led by the Federal University ...

About The Study: The findings of this survey study of U.S. adults suggest that cognitive symptoms are common among individuals with post–COVID-19 condition and associated with greater self-reported functional impairment, lesser likelihood of full-time employment, and greater depressive symptom severity. Screening for and addressing cognitive symptoms is an important component of the public health response to post–COVID-19 condition.  Authors: Roy H. Perlis, M.D., M.Sc., of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, is the corresponding ...

About The Study: In this study of 251,000 pregnant patients with Tennessee Medicaid and without opioid use disorder, a positive association was found between total prescription opioid dose dispensed and the odds of spontaneous preterm birth. These findings support guidance to minimize opioid exposure during pregnancy and prescribe the lowest dose necessary. Authors: Sarah S. Osmundson, M.D., M.S., of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

New York, NY [February 14, 2024]—Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium of the National Institutes of Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and others, have unveiled a detailed understanding of immune responses in cancer, marking a significant development in the field. The findings were published in the February ...

There is now a new addition to the magnetic family: thanks to experiments at the Swiss Light Source SLS, researchers have proved the existence of altermagnetism. The experimental discovery of this new branch of magnetism is reported in Nature and signifies new fundamental physics, with major implications for spintronics. Magnetism is a lot more than just things that stick to the fridge. This understanding came with the discovery of antiferromagnets nearly a century ago. Since then, the family of magnetic materials has been divided into two fundamental phases: the ferromagnetic branch known for several millennia and the antiferromagnetic branch. The experimental proof of a third branch of ...