AMES, Iowa – Ravindra Singh has spent years studying a gene that when missing or mutated causes spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a deadly disease that’s among the most common genetic disorders in children. His team’s latest work will make the search for treatments even more effective in the years to come. Singh, a professor of biomedical science at Iowa State University, led an eight-year project to create a truncated version of the Survival Motor Neuron 2 (SMN2) gene to facilitate quicker, cheaper and less fragmented research. Nucleic Acids Research, a peer-reviewed ...

Researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering have revealed critical shortcomings in recently proposed methods aimed at making powerful text-to-image generative AI systems safer for public use.  In a paper that will be presented at the Twelfth International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), taking place in Vienna on May 7 - 11, 2024, the research team demonstrates how techniques that claim to "erase" the ability of models like Stable Diffusion to generate explicit, copyrighted, or otherwise unsafe ...

*Note – this is an early press release from the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy 12-15 May. Please credit the congress when using this research* Tirzepatide, a medication authorised to treat obesity and/or type 2 diabetes, consistently reduces bodyweight regardless of the patient’s body mass index (BMI before treatment), from the range of overweight to class III obesity. The study, to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (Venice, Italy, 12-15 May) is by Prof Carel Le Roux, University ...

*Note – this is an early press release from the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy 12-15 May. Please credit the congress when using this research* New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (Venice, Italy, May 12-15) shows that the obesity medication tirzepatide consistently reduces bodyweight and waist circumference regardless of the length of time the person has been living with overweight or obesity. The study is by Dr Giovanna Muscogiuri, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, and colleagues. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) was approved by the US Food and ...

Breakthrough could help lead to the development of new low-power semiconductors or quantum devices. As the integrated circuits that power our electronic devices get more powerful, they are also getting smaller. This trend of microelectronics has only accelerated in recent years as scientists try to fit increasingly more semiconducting components on a chip. Microelectronics face a key challenge because of their small size. To avoid overheating, microelectronics need to consume only a fraction of the electricity of conventional electronics while still operating at peak performance. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. — In fourth grade, Jay Sexton first encountered one of James McPherson’s most influential works, “Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.” That experience would ignite a lifelong passion for studying history and establish an ongoing legacy as a preeminent scholar in the study of the American story. As director of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri — a world-renowned academic center devoted to the study of the American founding, including constitutional ...

Toronto – A leading academic expert in household finance, Claire Célérier, who is an associate professor of finance at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, has been named by the Government of Canada as the Canada Research Chair in Household Finance. Prof. Célérier’s research explores how finance can benefit households, investigating the role of innovation and the impact on diversity and inclusion. She addresses these questions taking different ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Mechanical engineers at Duke University have devised a new type of diagnostic platform that uses sound waves to spin an individual drop of water up to 6,000 revolutions per minute. These speeds separate tiny biological particles within samples to enable new diagnostics based on exosomes. A very light disc placed on top of the spinning drop features etched channels that are equipped with star-shaped nanoparticles tailored to enable the label-free detection of specific disease-relevant bioparticles called exosomes. The technique ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new paper co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign business professors found that default testing of K-12 students for COVID-19 during the pandemic could have saved up to one out of every five school days lost to the coronavirus during the fall 2021 semester. Schools adopting an “opt-out model” – in which students were regularly tested for COVID-19 unless they proactively declined or “opted out” of testing – experienced a 30% lower positivity rate than schools ...

A new study by researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences identified a link between poor sleep and migraine attacks that suggests improving sleep health may diminish migraine attacks in people with migraine. Many people with migraine report having sleeping disorders, including insomnia, trouble falling or staying asleep, poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, waking up from sleep and being forced to sleep because of a migraine headache. Until now, it was unknown ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- A study of more than 21,000 average risk patients at 186 sites across the U.S., led by Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine research scientist Thomas Imperiale, M.D., has found that the next generation multi-target stool DNA colorectal cancer screening test detects 94 percent of colorectal cancers. This test has the best performance for detection of both colorectal cancer and advanced precancerous polyps of any noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test. Study results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine. “We found that the next generation stool DNA test ...

SEATTLE — March 14, 2024 — A blood test intended for screening for colorectal cancer in people who are of average risk and not experiencing symptoms correctly detected colorectal cancer in 83% of people confirmed to have the disease, according to a study published March 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The accuracy rate for colorectal cancer is similar to at-home stool tests used for early detection of colorectal cancer. “The results of the study are a promising step toward developing more convenient tools to detect colorectal cancer early while it is more easily treated,” said corresponding ...

A collaborative project to bring the promise of cell therapy to patients with a deadly form of brain cancer has shown dramatic results among the first patients to receive the novel treatment. In a paper published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Mass General Cancer Center, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, shared the results for the first three patient cases from a phase 1 clinical trial evaluating a new approach to CAR-T therapy for glioblastoma (GBM). The trial, known as INCIPIENT, is designed to evaluate the safety of CARv3-TEAM-E T cells in patients with recurrent GBM. Just days after a single ...

By Linh Truong Since the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was first monitored in 2004, it has been the focus of thousands of scientific papers and even a blockbuster movie that grossed more than $552 million worldwide. New research is hoping to add another twist to the current conversation. Published in Nature Communications, Increased Asian Aerosols Drive a Slowdown of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation identifies the effect of aerosols over Asia on the AMOC, a complex system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean. Jian Lu, Earth scientist at the Department ...

A new UCLA-led study suggests that some people living with long COVID may be able to alleviate certain symptoms by using short-term, self-regulating therapies. The small-scale study, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, recruited a group of 20 long COVID patients, many of whom had been experiencing symptoms for more than a year. Each participant underwent six sessions of biofeedback therapy, which involves the practice of breathwork and relaxation techniques paired with visual feedback to teach self-regulation of autonomic functions such as heart rate and temperature. Clinical psychologist Dr. Natacha Emerson, the study’s lead author and assistant clinical professor ...

CLEVELAND - A high impact study led by Daniel Spratt, M.D., Vincent K. Smith Chair in Radiation Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center demonstrates the safety and efficacy of a novel oral hormone therapy, relugolix, in conjunction with radiation therapy for treating men with localized and advanced prostate cancer. This work is published in JAMA Oncology. This research, encompassing an individual patient level analysis from two multinational randomized clinical trials, showcases relugolix's ability to rapidly achieve and maintain low testosterone levels, a necessary condition for some men’s prostate cancer treatment, in both short-term ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Space travel and zero gravity can take a toll on the body. A new study has found that astronauts with no prior history of headaches may experience migraine and tension-type headaches during long-haul space flight, which includes more than 10 days in space. The study was published in the March 13, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Changes in gravity caused by space flight affect the function of many parts of the body, including the brain,” said study author W. P. J. van Oosterhout, MD, PhD, of Leiden University ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2024 MINNEAPOLIS – Middle-age veterans who experienced concussions due to blasts from explosive devices may have biomarkers in their spinal fluid similar to people who develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the March 13, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or by an injury to the head caused by falls, motor vehicle ...

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — More and more states in the U.S. are legalizing recreational cannabis, leading to concerns that teen use will increase. Tobacco consumption among high school students, including vaping and e-cigarettes, is a concerning 12.6%, although trending downward. Researchers at UC Davis were interested in learning how the combined use of these two products — cannabis and tobacco — might impact high school students in California. In a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, they found high school students who use both tobacco and cannabis products miss more ...

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding and renal failure, according to a study published March 13 in Nature. The research reveals how dietary tryptophan – an amino acid found mostly in animal products, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes – can be broken down by gut bacteria into small molecules called metabolites. It turns out a few of these metabolites can bind to a receptor on gut epithelial (surface) cells, triggering ...

What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385. Although planets are not yet forming around those stars, these and other molecules detected there by Webb represent key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds. An international team of astronomers used Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) to identify a variety of icy compounds made up of complex organic molecules ...

Waltham — March 13, 2024 — Reducing the manipulation of operating room (OR) scheduling can improve scheduling accuracy and potentially maximize OR usage, avoid delays, and enhance patient satisfaction, according to a study published in the March/April issue of the Journal of Healthcare Management (JHM). An official journal of the American College of Healthcare Executives, JHM is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.  Accurate prediction of OR time is critical for maximizing OR use  "Traditional OR scheduling, based on the surgeon's self-estimation ...

Annual snow cover days in all major skiing regions are projected to decrease dramatically as a result of climate change, with 1 in 8 ski areas losing all natural snow cover this century under high emission scenarios. These results are published in a new study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Veronika Mitterwallner from the University of Bayreuth, Germany and colleagues. Popular skiing destinations experience the impacts of climate change, which include reduced snowfall in regions around the world. Despite the social, economic, and ecological significance of the skiing industry, little research exists on how ski area distributions are affected by climate change ...

In a new study, people experiencing homelessness with a pet documented their lives in photos and participated in interviews, revealing their experiences and potentially informing support initiatives. Gemina Garland-Lewis of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues present this project in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 13, 2024. Having a pet while experiencing homelessness can boost physical and mental health and provide social benefits. However, it can pose unique challenges, such as making it difficult to access medical care, shelters, and other services at facilities ...

The Wim Hof method may produce a beneficial anti-inflammatory response characterized by increased epinephrine levels and a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines, according to a systematic review published March 13, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Omar Almahayni and Lucy Hammond from the University of Warwick, UK. The Wim Hof method is touted by founder and extreme athlete Wim Hof as a practical way to improve physical and mental health. It consists of three pillars—the Wim Hof breathing method, cold therapy, and commitment. Several studies have assessed the impact of the Wim Hof method on ...