HOUSTON, Texas, USA, 29 April 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, researchers from UTHealth Houston have uncovered crucial evidence that substance use disorders (SUDs) accelerate biological aging in the brain through distinct molecular mechanisms. The groundbreaking study, published today in Genomic Psychiatry, examines how different substances, such as alcohol, opioids, and stimulants, affect the brain's aging process at the molecular level, potentially explaining why individuals with SUDs often experience early-onset age-related diseases. Accompanying the research article is an insightful editorial titled "The forgotten clockwork ...

New York, New York, USA, 29 April 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Leonard Kapcala provides a moving tribute to one of neuroendocrinology's most distinguished figures, Dr. Seymour "Si" Reichlin, MD, PhD, who celebrated his centennial birthday in June 2024. The article, published today in Brain Medicine, offers a uniquely personal perspective on Reichlin's extraordinary career and the profound impact he has had on multiple generations of scientists and physicians. The viewpoint article, ...

SHANGHAI, China, 29 April 2025 -- In a comprehensive Genomic Press perspective article published today, researchers from Fudan University and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine have highlighted remarkable advances in the development of positron emission tomography (PET) tracers capable of visualizing α-synuclein aggregates in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease and related disorders. The abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein protein is a defining pathological feature of several neurodegenerative conditions collectively known as synucleinopathies, ...

CORRECTION: Daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make plastic household items could be linked to more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease in 2018 alone, a new analysis of population surveys shows. While the chemicals, called phthalates, are in widespread use globally, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific bore a much larger share of the death toll than others — about three-fourths of the total. For decades, experts have connected health problems to exposure to certain phthalates found in cosmetics, detergents, solvents, plastic pipes, bug repellants, and other products. When these chemicals break down into microscopic particles ...

The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Seog-Hyeon Ryu, hereinafter referred to as KIMM) has developed a compact, rapid pretreatment system capable of liquefying and homogenizing solid biological samples in under one minute. This innovation simplifies the analysis of specimens that are traditionally difficult to process, offering a new diagnostic platform that complements the predominantly liquid-based landscape of in vitro diagnostics (IVD). It is expected to contribute significantly ...

Researchers pioneered the integration of CNN-LSTM with bond stress-slip constitutive modeling and proposed a deep learning-enabled numerical simulation framework to explain the complex anchorage behavior of grouted bellows connections in prefabricated structures. Published in Smart Construction, this groundbreaking work transcends the limitations of conventional machine learning approaches, offering a transformative tool for rapid assessment of wet-joint performance in prefabricated systems. A vital step ...

The global energy system may be faced with an inescapable trade-off between urgently addressing climate change versus avoiding an energy shortfall, according to a new energy scenario tool developed by University of South Australia researchers and published in the open access journal Energies. The Global Renewable Energy and Sectoral Electrification model, dubbed ‘GREaSE’, has been developed by UniSA Associate Professor James Hopeward with three civil engineering graduates. ‘In essence, it’s an exploratory tool, designed ...

Criegee intermediates (CIs)—highly reactive species formed when ozone reacts with alkenes in the atmosphere—play a crucial role in generating hydroxyl radicals (the atmosphere's "cleansing agents") and aerosols that impact climate and air quality. The syn-CH3CHOO is particularly important among these intermediates, accounting for 25-79% of all CIs depending on the season. Until now, scientists have believed that syn-CH3CHOO primarily disappeared through self-decomposition. However, in a published in Nature Chemistry, a team led ...

Ketamine addiction is linked to high levels of physical health problems and psychological consequences, with nearly half of those affected not seeking support or treatment, new research has revealed. The study, led by the University of Exeter and University College London (UCL), is the largest to date to explore the experience of people currently living with ketamine addiction in-depth. Supported by NIHR, the research included interviews with users, in which many said they were not aware of the risks of addiction until their ketamine use was already out of control, with one calling ketamine “the ...

Today, the Global Virus Network (GVN), representing eminent human and animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in 40+ countries, published a comprehensive analysis and call-to-action in The Lancet Regional Health—Americas on the North American avian influenza virus, or H5N1, outbreak. The GVN calls on world governments to address the threat of H5N1 avian influenza by enhancing surveillance, implementing biosecurity measures, and preparing for potential human-to-human transmission. "Understanding the current landscape of H5N1 infections is critical for effective prevention and response," ...

On New Year’s Day 2024, a massive 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in north central Japan, resulting in extensive damage in the region caused by uplift, when the land rises due to shifting tectonic plates. The observed uplift, however, varied significantly, with some areas experiencing as much as a 5-meter rise of the ground surface. To better understand how the characteristics of the affected fault lines impact earthquake dynamics, researchers in Japan used recently developed simulations to make a detailed model of the fault. The findings could help develop models to simulate scenarios ...

Many of the fish we eat play a key role in maintaining the seabed – and therefore our climate, new research shows. Convex Seascape Survey scientists assessed the role of fish in bioturbation (churning and reworking sediments) in shallow UK seas. The Atlantic cod – a staple in chip shops – jointly topped the list of these important “ecosystem engineers” (along with Atlantic hagfish and European eel). In total, 185 fish species were found to play a role in bioturbation – and 120 of these are targeted by commercial fishing. “Ocean ...

Researchers in Japan have developed a predictive model that could improve treatment decisions for advanced pancreatic cancer patients. By combining tumor marker readings with patients' genetic information, their model predicts patient survival outcomes with greater accuracy and better identifies candidates who would benefit from surgery. The researchers found that specific genetic variations have a greater impact on tumor marker levels than the severity of the cancer.  It is expected that the new model will be used as an indicator to determine if surgery is a good option for patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation ...

A highly sensitive bone marrow test could double survival rates for some groups of younger adults with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) by helping doctors identify if they might relapse up to three months earlier. The patient-specific molecular test can detect low levels of leukaemia cells in the body, known as minimal residual disease (MRD), which when left untreated causes the disease to relapse. The trial, published today in The Lancet Haematology and led by King’s College London, showed for patients with mutations in the NPM1 and FLT3 genes – which are among the most common that cause AML in younger adults – that repeated ...

New Curtin University research has revealed that a massive meteorite struck northwestern Scotland about 200 million years later than previously thought, in a discovery that not only rewrites Scotland’s geological history but alters our understanding of the evolution of non-marine life on Earth.   Previously believed to have occurred 1.2 billion years ago, the impact created the Stac Fada Member, a layer of rock that holds vital clues to Earth’s ancient past, including how meteorite strikes may have influenced the planet’s environment and life.   Lead author Professor Chris Kirkland, from Curtin’s Frontier Institute for Geoscience Solutions within ...

Persistently high blood sugar and insulin resistance significantly increased the risk of worsening functional and structural heart damage during growth from adolescence to young adulthood, a new study shows. The study was conducted in collaboration between the Baylor College of Medicine in the US, the University of Bern in Switzerland, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia, the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK, and the University of Eastern Finland. The results were published in the highly ...

By Shawn Ballard It’s easy to solve a 3x3 Rubik’s cube, says Shantanu Chakrabartty, the Clifford W. Murphy Professor and vice dean for research and graduate education in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Just learn and memorize the steps then execute them to arrive at the solution. Computers are already good at this kind of procedural problem solving. Now, Chakrabartty and his collaborators have developed a tool that can go beyond procedure to discover new solutions to complex optimization problems in logistics to drug ...

By Beth Miller When a person sustains an injury to the spinal cord, the normal communication between the brain and the spinal circuits below the injury are interrupted, resulting in paralysis. Because the brain is functioning normally, as is the spinal cord below the injury, researchers have been working to re-establish the communication to allow for rehabilitation and potentially restore movement. Ismael Seáñez, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and of neurosurgery at WashU Medicine, and members of his ...

 UCLA Health has received a $25 million commitment from Shirley and Walter Wang to establish a center that will offer comprehensive care, support and guidance for patients and families living with gastrointestinal disorders. The UCLA Walter and Shirley Wang Center for Integrative Digestive Health, named in recognition of the longtime donors, will be one of the few holistic programs of its kind in the nation, providing whole-person care for patients to help them live healthier.  “I am grateful to Shirley and Walter Wang for their profound generosity and vision,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 28 April 2025    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, threads, and Linkedin         Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own ...

AUSTIN, Texas — Patients suffering from depression, anxiety and trauma-related disorders experienced significant relief from their symptoms after a new treatment that uses sound waves to modulate deep brain activity, according to new research from Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. The study, published this month in Molecular Psychiatry, demonstrates that low-intensity focused ultrasound technology can safely and effectively target the amygdala — a brain region known to be hyperactive in ...

About The Article: This Viewpoint proposes an analogous taxonomy for digital media use that identifies patterns of use, irrespective of content, that could be problematic but, at a minimum, should be flagged as warranting further evaluation and potential remediation. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, email dimitri.christakis@seattlechildrens.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.6113) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

New USC research offers an unseen insight into how the brain shifts gears. The researchers discovered that our innate ability to make quick changes in motor function are the result of a unique brain mechanism. In the high-stakes world of the NBA, we watch in awe as our favorite player seamlessly switches moves in the blink of an eye. A perfect layup is suddenly defended. The shooter changes course mid-air, passing to an open teammate for a corner three. Humans have a remarkable ability to rapidly switch between different motor actions when life throws us a curveball. You reach to pull open a door but suddenly see you must push to exit. In traffic, you must ...

Dangers come but dangers also go and when they do, the brain has an “all-clear” signal that teaches it to extinguish its fear. A new study in mice by MIT neuroscientists shows that the signal is the release of dopamine along a specific interregional brain circuit. The research therefore pinpoints a potentially critical mechanism of mental health, restoring calm when it works, but prolonging anxiety or even post-traumatic stress disorder when it doesn’t. “Dopamine is essential to initiate fear extinction,” said Michele Pignatelli di Spinazzola, co-author ...

Images available via the link in the notes section Scientists from China, the UK and the USA have collaborated to analyse the inner workings of Bolivia’s “zombie” volcano, Uturuncu. By combining seismology, physics models and analysis of rock composition, researchers identify the causes of Uturuncu’s unrest, alleviating fears of an imminent eruption. The findings have been published today (28 April) in the journal PNAS. Deep in the Central Andes lies Uturuncu, Bolivia’s “zombie” ...