LA JOLLA, CA—In most people, the lung-infecting pathogens known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) trigger mild cold-like symptoms. But in infants and seniors, these viruses can cause severe pneumonia and even death. Vaccines against both viruses, however, have been difficult to design. Now, Scripps Research scientists have analyzed the structure and stability of a critical RSV and hMPV protein to better design vaccines that target it. Their research, ...

November 19, 2024 - Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel – In a recent study, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center has shed light on physician attitudes toward novel anti-amyloid treatments (ATT) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), revealing a spectrum of opinions across key specialties. With Israel’s health system structured to provide universal healthcare, the high out-of-pocket costs for new AD therapies have raised questions among medical professionals about the feasibility and practicality of implementing these treatments. The study, conducted ...

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (11/19/2024) — Published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, a research team led by the University of Minnesota Medical School found that Creativity Camp, a two-week arts intervention delivered as a day camp, had a positive impact on mental health and well-being in adolescents with depression.  The idea behind the study is that engaging in the arts offers a pathway for exploring and expanding new ways of thinking, developing insights and sparking self-discovery. “As a clinician, I am deeply aware of the urgent need for new treatment options for teens with depression. The findings in this report are promising, and I hope they ...

Brain-imaging data collected from fetuses and infants has revealed a rapid surge in functional connectivity between brain regions on a global scale at birth, possibly reflecting neural processes that support the brain’s ability to adapt to the external world, according to a study published November 19th, in the open-access journal PLOS Biology led by Lanxin Ji and Moriah Thomason from the New York University School of Medicine, USA. Understanding the sequence and timing of brain functional network ...

Des Plaines, IL — A new study that investigates low-dose ketamine (LDK) as an adjunct to morphine for treating acute pain has been published in the October issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM). The study, titled Low-dose ketamine as an adjunct to morphine: A randomized controlled trial among patients with and without current opioid use highlights the potential of low-dose ketamine as a valuable tool in pain management, providing a safe and effective option for emergency medicine physicians managing acute pain.  Pain remains one of the most common and challenging complaints ...

Research Highlights: A clinical trial with adults who have atrial fibrillation (AFib) and an implanted heart device found similar improvements to the amount of time they experienced arrhythmia regardless of whether they received standard care (education pamphlets about healthy diet and exercise), followed a lifestyle/risk factor modification program, or took metformin and followed a lifestyle/risk factor modification program. AFib burden, a measure of how much time a patient experiences atrial arrhythmia, improved during the treatment period — particularly in the standard of care and lifestyle risk factor modification groups. Lifestyle and risk factor modification was associated ...

Cognitive neuroscientists in Trinity College Dublin have published new research describing a brand new approach to making habit change achievable and lasting.  This innovative framework has the potential to significantly improve approaches to personal development, as well as the clinical treatment of compulsive disorders (for example obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction, and eating disorders). The research was led by Dr Eike Buabang, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the lab of Professor Claire Gillan in the School of Psychology and has been published as a paper, Leveraging ...

Research Highlights: The oral medication muvalaplin may safely lower high levels of lipoprotein(a), also known as Lp(a), an independent, inherited risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Muvalaplin is a small molecule inhibitor that prevents the bonding of the two protein components that combine to make Lp(a). There are no currently FDA-approved medications to lower Lp(a) levels, though other medications are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. Muvalaplin is the first oral medication developed to lower Lp(a) levels. Results ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Eradivir, a preclinical biotech company, has developed a patent-pending antiviral therapeutic that reduces lung viral loads of advanced-stage influenza in preclinical studies quicker and more effectively than currently available therapies. A single intranasal dose of EV25, a bispecific small molecule developed by Eradivir, acts faster than the current standard of care, eliminating the detectable virus within 24 hours. EV25 also has a window of efficacy of 96 hours postinfection, which is broader than the current standard of care. A ...

Every fall, millions of Medicare beneficiaries have the chance to pick a new stand-alone prescription drug plan that may be better suited for them, but most stick with the same plan. A new study published today in Health Affairs Scholar suggests that 52% of Medicare beneficiaries with stand-alone Part D plans did not switch because they made no plan comparisons at all for 2024. Many of these beneficiaries (41%) also reported not knowing how to switch plans.   “Comparing these Medicare Part D plans is hard, so many beneficiaries just don’t do it. But beneficiaries who don’t compare plans may not notice if they are sticking with more expensive plans or ...

DALLAS, Nov. 19, 2024 —“What Would They Say?” – the powerful spoken word poem produced on video by the American Heart Association, which is celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service as the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health, has taken second place in the 4th Annual Anthem Awards winning the Silver Award in the Education, Art & Culture Campaign - Non-Profit Community Engagement category. This international recognition celebrates the Association’s impactful work and historic commitment ...

Even when their parents are lawyers, doctors, or executives, Black Britons are substantially more likely to end up in working class jobs than their White peers, a new study from the University of Kent reveals.   Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, this research shows that Black men from the most advantaged families are three times more likely than White men from similar backgrounds to be in working class jobs beyond age 30. Black women are also twice as likely as White women to experience this kind of downward mobility. This is true even after removing ...

Fukuoka, Japan—We all age. And while humanity’s life expectancy has increased dramatically in the modern era, we still struggle with the inevitable health issues our bodies face as we get up in the years. For example, the decrease of muscle mass and function, leading to weakness and atrophy. This is a pressing concern in a super-aging society like Japan where—while people live longer—without proper muscle strength, quality of life can be drastically diminished. In findings that may eventually lead to targeted ...

“Brain aging is a biological process that comprehends degenerative, adaptive, and regenerative brain changes that elapse through maturity until the elderly.” BUFFALO, NY- November 19, 2024 – A new review was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science), on October 29, 2024, Volume 16, Issue 20, titled, ”Brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease, a perspective from non-human primates.“ In the review, Ferrer Isidro from the University of Barcelona and Reial Acadèmia de Medicina de Catalunya, explores the differences in ...

Individual cells appear capable of learning, a behaviour once deemed exclusive to animals with brains and complex nervous systems, according to the findings of a new study led by researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona and Harvard Medical School in Boston.    The findings, published today in the journal Current Biology, could represent an important shift in how we view the fundamental units of life.   “Rather than following pre-programmed genetic instructions, cells are elevated to entities equipped ...

A dog learns to sit on command, a person hears and eventually tunes out the hum of a washing machine while reading … The capacity to learn and adapt is central to evolution and, indeed, survival. Habituation — adaptation’s less-glamorous sibling — involves the lessening response to a stimulus after repeated exposure. Think the need for a third espresso to maintain the same level of concentration you once achieved with a single shot. Up until recently, habituation — a simple form of learning — was deemed ...

Viruses are lean, mean, infection machines. Their genomes are tiny, usually limited to a handful of absolutely essential genes, and they shed extra genomic deadweight extremely fast. Usually. Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), appear at first glance to be an exception. They have some extra “accessory” genes in addition to the usual minimal viral set, and scientists don’t know what most of them do. Scientists believe these extra genes must be doing something important, though, or they would be rapidly lost as the viruses evolved. Now, University of Utah Health researchers have found that some of these viral genes have stuck around ...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2024 – Hurricanes, or tropical cyclones, can be devastating natural disasters, leveling entire cities and claiming hundreds or thousands of lives. A key aspect of their destructive potential is their unpredictability. Hurricanes are complex weather phenomena, and how strong one will be or where it will make landfall is difficult to estimate. In a paper published this week in Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, a pair of researchers from the City University of Hong Kong employed machine learning to more accurately model the boundary layer wind field of tropical cyclones. In atmospheric science, the boundary layer ...

WASHINGTON, Nov 19, 2024 – Champatis, the seeds of the Lapsi tree, are valued in Nepal for their medical, economic, social, and cultural significance. They are also popular among children as simple playthings. But for a group of physicists, these unique seeds—and the way they bounce and roll down slopes—could help them better understand landslides and avalanches, leading to research that could save lives. In a study published this week in Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, a team ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of adults with outpatient medically attended-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections from 3 large deidentified U.S. databases across 6 RSV seasons, approximately 1 in 20 adults experienced all-cause hospitalization within 28 days. The results of this study highlight the public health need for RSV prevention and treatment.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Joshua T. Swan, PharmD, MPH, email swan.joshua@gmail.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

In recent years, employers across North America have introduced or boosted equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) programs in hopes of creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace culture. But studies have shown that fostering diversity can come with a steep cost, as employees from dominant groups often felt threatened, leading to a backlash against the very groups the employers are seeking to support. But could those feelings of threat also lead to learning and change, and eventually allyship? ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Using data collected over a 10-year period from four emergency departments, researchers at the University of Toronto found that short-term exposure to ambient heat and air pollution levels was associated with increased utilization of X-rays and computed tomography (CT). Results of the study were published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “Extreme climate exposures are associated with higher demand for health care including emergency department visits,” ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – When making diagnostic decisions, radiologists and other physicians may rely too much on artificial intelligence (AI) when it points out a specific area of interest in an X-ray, according to a study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “As of 2022, 190 radiology AI software programs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” said one of the study’s senior authors, Paul H. Yi, M.D., director of intelligent imaging informatics and associate member in ...

Fukuoka, Japan— Microfluidic technology has become increasingly important in many scientific fields such as regenerative medicine, microelectronics, and environmental science. However, conventional microfabrication techniques face limitations in scale and in the construction of complex networks. These hurdles are compounded when it comes to building more intricate 3D microfluidic networks. Now, researchers from Kyushu University have developed a new and convenient technique for building such complex 3D microfluidic networks. Their tool? Plants and fungi. The team developed a ‘soil’ medium using nanoparticles of glass (silica) and a cellulose ...

A different mix of fuels with enhanced properties could overcome some of the major barriers to making fusion a more practical energy source, according to a new study.  The proposed approach would still use deuterium and tritium, which are generally accepted as the most promising pair of fuels for fusion energy production. However, the quantum properties of the fuel would be adjusted for peak efficiency using an existing process known as spin polarization. In addition to spin polarizing half the fuels, the percentage of deuterium would be increased from the usual amount of roughly 60% or more.  Models created by scientists at the U.S. Department ...