About The Study: This systematic review and network meta-analysis of 601 eligible trials found that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Analysis of age × treatment interactions suggested that SGLT2 inhibitors were more cardioprotective in older than in younger people despite smaller reductions in hemoglobin A1c; GLP-1 receptor agonists were more cardioprotective in younger people.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Peter Hanlon, PhD, email peter.hanlon@glasgow.ac.uk. To access the ...

The octopus just revealed another one of its secrets: what determines its sex.  University of Oregon researchers have identified a sex chromosome in the California two-spot octopus. This chromosome has likely been around for 480 million years, since before octopuses split apart from the nautilus on the evolutionary tree. That makes it one of the oldest known animal sex chromosomes.   The finding also is evidence that octopuses and other cephalopods, a class of sea animals that includes squid and nautiluses, do use chromosomes to determine their sex, answering a longstanding mystery among biologists.   “Cephalopods are already such interesting creatures, ...

Rice cultivation is responsible for around 12% of global methane emissions, and these emissions are expected to increase with global warming and as the human population continues to grow. Now, scientists have identified chemical compounds released by rice roots that determine how much methane the plants emit. On February 3 in the Cell Press journal Molecular Plant, they report that this information enabled them to breed a new strain of rice that emits up to 70% less methane.  “This study shows that you can have low methane and ...

About The Study: In 2023, post–COVID condition (PCC) continued to affect U.S. children at similar levels as 2022 and to have similar sociodemographic patterns. The large proportion of children experiencing PCC with any activity limitation highlights the need to examine the severity of activity limitation, functional outcomes, and days lost from school. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Nicole D. Ford, PhD, MPH, email yex9@cdc.gov. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

About The Study: This cohort study of hospitalized adults identified inequities related to race and rurality in health care–associated infections (HAIs) and adverse outcomes from HAIs. These findings suggest that factors such as structural racism and disinvestment in rural communities may be associated with individual HAI risk and post-HAI outcomes. Future work to further understand the reasons underpinning these disparities and methods to address structural factors through policy and process changes are critical to ...

About The Study: The results of this cohort study revealing the robust and persistent association of headache diagnoses with attempted and completed suicide suggest that behavioral health evaluation and treatment may be important for these patients. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Holly Elser, MD, PhD, email holly.elser@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.4974) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for ...

About The Study: Using passive sensing on a sample of U.S. adolescents, this study found half of adolescents use their smartphones during school for at least 66 minutes daily, primarily using messaging and social media. These findings extend a prior study limited to Android devices that found adolescents spent a median of 43 minutes on their phones during school. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Lauren Hale, PhD, email Lauren.Hale@stonybrookmedicine.edu. To ...

Alarming Rise in Rates of Advanced Prostate Cancer in California  Following a change in screening guidelines, the incidence went up across the state, even more than it has nationally. The incidence of advanced prostate cancer in California rose markedly in the decade since doctors stopped routinely screening all men for the disease, according to a new study by UC San Francisco. After declining for many years, the death rate from the disease also plateaued in most regions across the state. The findings reinforce the need for screening that can identify potentially fatal tumors without raising false alarms about ones that pose no threat to the patient.  The ...

For years, healthy older adults were advised by doctors to take a low-dose aspirin daily as a way to reduce the risk of heart attack. But in March 2019, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (AHA) announced new guidelines and no longer routinely recommended a daily dose of aspirin for healthy adults over the age of 70 because the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding outweighs the benefits. Nearly five years later, many Americans still have not received the message. The Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania finds in a new health survey that nearly half (48%) of U.S. ...

Secondary prevention medications for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are underused globally and additional strategies to increase their use are needed to improve CVD management and reduce premature mortality rates, according to study published today in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study observed participants with CVD from 17 countries over 12 years and found that medication use remains low with little improvement. Secondary prevention of CVD focuses on preventing further health problems in people already diagnosed with CVD. This includes managing risk factors through lifestyle changes, medications and ...

Approximately half of all Americans do not take their medication as prescribed by their doctor. This medication non-adherence causes an estimated 125,000 additional deaths and as much as $300 billion a year in additional medical appointments, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open finds Amazon Pharmacy’s subscription service for common medications, RxPass, leads to significant improvements in medication adherence while reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients. This first-of-its-kind study evaluated the potential of subscription models to support prescription medication access ...

With demand for physical therapy services projected to increase 27 percent by 2030, Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and ATI Physical Therapy (ATI), a leading provider of physical therapy services across the United States, are launching a joint initiative aimed at expanding the physical therapist workforce and making the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Programs at TUSM more accessible. As part of the first-of-its-kind collaboration, TUSM and ATI will contribute scholarships each semester for up to 45 ATI employees in TUSM’s DPT programs each academic year. The accelerated ...

Emerging evidence suggests that lycopene—a natural plant extract—may have antidepressant properties. New research in Food Science & Nutrition reveals the mechanisms behind its antidepressant effects. In mice with depressive-like behaviors, brain analyses revealed impairments in the hippocampus. Lycopene treatment lessened these impairments and reversed the animals’ depressive-like traits. Lycopene treatment boosted the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein with roles in many aspects of brain function. Experiments indicated that a signaling pathway involving BDNF (called the BDNF-TrkB pathway, ...

Researchers at Vanderbilt and the University of Michigan have shown that a simple at-home urine test for prostate cancer screening is highly accurate. The exciting new results, published in The Journal of Urology, build upon a prior Vanderbilt study of prostate cancer screening that required a digital rectal exam.   The results are important because this could enable at-home testing and increased access to testing for patients undergoing telehealth care or living in remote areas. Traditional prostate cancer screening with PSA testing and biopsy has been shown to lead to unnecessary procedures and overdiagnosis of low-grade cancers, according to ...

The world of display technology is on the cusp of a transformative breakthrough, with electrochemical stimuli-responsive materials gaining more attraction. Based on external stimuli, such as low voltage, these materials can instantaneously undergo electrochemical reactions. These electrochemical reactions can result in the production of different colors, revolutionizing the age of display solutions. An electrochemical system consists of electrodes and electrolytes. Combining the luminescent and coloration molecules on the electrodes instead of the electrolyte can offer higher efficiencies and stability for display devices.   To this end, a research team ...

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a well-known neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the brain's ability to regulate attention and control impulses. It poses many challenges to those affected, typically making it difficult for them to sustain focus, follow through with instructions, and maintain a calm and restful state. As one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, ADHD impacts individuals throughout their lives, creating a breadth of social, emotional, academic, and workplace challenges. Despite its high ...

Thioxanthones are fascinating organic compounds that have found their way into many industrial and everyday applications. In the printing industry, for example, they help inks dry faster when exposed to light thanks to their light-absorption properties, making the printing process quicker and more efficient. Some thioxanthones have been developed into FDA-approved drugs used to treat parasitic infections and cancer. Additionally, their effectiveness as photocatalysts has led some researchers to explore their potential as stabilizers against electrical breakdown. Thioxanthones have also been ...

A national study seeking more effective treatment for deadly metaplastic breast cancer has identified two inhibitor drugs with the potential to interrupt disease progression. Houston Methodist and a team of researchers from across the country examined the biology of metaplastic breast cancer, comparing it to non-metaplastic triple negative breast cancer. They discovered metaplastic breast cancers typically exhibit two unique signaling pathways in their cell interaction. Researchers were able to disrupt these pathways using a class of inhibitors typically used to treat advanced ...

PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a targeted therapy that could bring relief to people living with lichen planus, a chronic inflammatory skin condition of the skin, hair, nails, mouth and genitals. They described their findings in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that described their first-in-human, phase 2 clinical trial. The researchers identified unique molecular and cellular changes in the skin with lichen planus, particularly an overactive immune response involving specific types of T cells, a crucial immune system component. The ...

Tiny copper ‘nano-flowers’ have been attached to an artificial leaf to produce clean fuels and chemicals that are the backbone of modern energy and manufacturing. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley, developed a practical way to make hydrocarbons – molecules made of carbon and hydrogen – powered solely by the sun. The device they developed combines a light absorbing ‘leaf’ made from a high-efficiency solar cell material called perovskite, with a copper nanoflower catalyst, to convert carbon dioxide into useful molecules. Unlike most metal catalysts, which can only convert CO₂ into single-carbon ...

Embargoed until 10am GMT UK time (5am US Eastern Time) on Monday 03 February 2025 (Nature Geoscience embargo) -With pictures- The Greenland Ice Sheet is cracking open more rapidly as it responds to climate change. The warning comes in a new large-scale study of crevasses on the world’s second largest body of ice. Using 3-D surface maps, scientists led by Durham University, UK, found crevasses had significantly increased in size and depth at the fast-flowing edges of the ice sheet over the ...

*EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL MONDAY, FEB. 3, AT 5 A.M. ET* Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy have developed a computer model to help scientists identify tumor-fighting immune cells in patients with lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.    In their study published Feb. 3 in Nature Communications, the team, including first author  Zhen Zeng, Ph.D., a bioinformatics research associate at the Kimmel Cancer Center, demonstrated that their three-gene “MANAscore” computer model can identify ...

Our brain is remarkably flexible in producing different reactions to supposedly comparable situations. The same sensory information can lead to different decisions depending on the behavioral context. One example of this is a penalty kick in soccer: a player can either choose the empty corner of the goal as the target or aim directly at the goalkeeper in the hope that he will jump aside. Both decisions are based on the same perception of the goalkeeper's position, but lead to completely different actions. Neuroscientists at the German Primate Center (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have investigated how the brain implements this ...

The future of medicine may very well lie in the personalization of health care—knowing exactly what an individual needs and then delivering just the right mix of nutrients, metabolites, and medications, if necessary, to stabilize and improve their condition. To make this possible, physicians first need a way to continuously measure and monitor certain biomarkers of health.   To that end, a team of Caltech engineers has developed a technique for inkjet printing arrays of special nanoparticles that enables the mass production of long-lasting wearable sweat sensors. These sensors could be used to monitor a variety of biomarkers, ...

Yerba mate, along with tea and coffee, is one of the world’s most popular caffeinated beverages. Widely consumed in South America, this remarkable plant is rich in diverse, bioactive compounds that contribute many health benefits.   An international group of researchers has mapped the yerba mate genome, providing insights into the biosynthesis of caffeine in yerba mate. This new information provides opportunities for creating plant varieties with new characteristics.   The work, led by the ...