A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health. The study, published today in Microbiome, looked at coral reefs specifically, but the researchers say it could be widely applicable as a method for measuring how ecosystems are responding to human activities. Understanding how ecosystems are changing in response to human activity allows predictions of their future, and how to conserve them. Although microbes are crucial for ecosystems – supporting critical functions such as nutrition and immune system modulation – changes ...

Spending too much time online to the point of compulsion and the neglect of other necessary activities, plus not sleeping or exercising enough, are linked to a heightened risk of both truancy and school absence due to illness among teens, finds research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.   Teenage girls seem to be more vulnerable than teenage boys to excessive internet use, but getting the recommended quota of shut eye and exercise and having a trusting relationship with parents all seem to be protective, the findings indicate. Although differences in how excessive internet use is assessed and categorised can make it difficult to quantify, digital media ...

Working arrangements for locum doctors pose significant patient safety challenges for the NHS in England, although there are opportunities to be grasped too, finds qualitative research involving a broad spectrum of health professionals, published online in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety.   NHS leaders need to rethink how these professionals are engaged, supported, and used, while healthcare organisations and locums themselves need to reflect on whether their practices provide a collective approach to patient safety and quality of care, conclude the researchers. Locum doctors are a vital resource ...

Age related and contractual factors seem to be stronger drivers of NHS hospital clinical staff retention than organisational factors, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open.   Efforts to keep staff in post need to be tailored to age and profession, rather than applying a ‘one-size fits all’ approach, the findings indicate. And much better reward systems are needed to boost staff retention and ensure the sustainability of the NHS amid increasing demand for healthcare and an ageing workforce, conclude the researchers. To explore the range of factors informing healthcare professionals’ desire ...

While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar Medium (ISM). The ISM has fascinated scientists for decades, as at least 200 unique molecules form in its cold, low-pressure environment. It’s a subject that ties together the fields of chemistry, physics, and astronomy, as scientists from each field work to determine what types of chemical reactions happen there.  Now, in the recently published cover article of the Journal of Physical Chemistry A, JILA Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics Professor ...

The majority of female athletes (58%) support categorisation by biological sex, rather than gender identity, but views differ according to sporting context, a new study shows. The peer-reviewed study is the largest of its kind and, based on comprehensive and rigorous analysis of data, is published in the Journal of Sports Sciences. It reports the opinions of 175 national, elite and world-class female athletes from a range of sports and countries regarding the eligibility and inclusion of transgender athletes. Respondents included 26 World champions, ...

University of Oxford Press Release UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01 BST WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2024 / 19:01 ET TUESDAY 16 APRIL 2024 Study reveals how humanity could unite to address global challenges New research led by the University of Oxford has found that perceptions of globally shared life experiences and globally shared biology can strengthen psychological bonding with humanity at large, which can motivate prosocial action on a global scale and help to tackle global problems. The findings have been published ...

A group of researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine led an investigation that offers new insight into the development of the human forebrain. The study, led by Changuk Chung, Ph.D., and Xiaoxu Yang, Ph.D., both from the laboratory of Joseph G. Gleeson, M.D., at the  School of Medicine Department of Neurosciences and the Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, provide a greater understanding of how the human brain develops at the cellular level. The study also presents evidence for the existence of the source of inhibitory neurons (dInNs) in the human brain that differ from origins ...

Nearly all adults with Down syndrome will develop evidence of Alzheimer’s disease by late middle age. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the disease both starts earlier and moves faster in people with Down syndrome, a finding that may have important implications for the treatment and care of this vulnerable group of patients. The findings were part of a study, available online in Lancet Neurology, comparing how Alzheimer’s develops and ...

    Gender stereotypes mean that girls can be celebrated for their emotional openness and maturity in school, while boys are seen as likely to mask their emotional distress through silence or disruptive behaviours.   Children and teachers who took part in the study said they feared the mental health needs of boys might be missed at school, which makes them an ‘at risk’ group.   Researchers have warned of the negative impacts on girls where the manifestation of emotional ...

Searching for evidence for health technology assessments (HTAs) is time-consuming because the evidence identified must be a reliable basis for robust assessment results: The scientific knowledge about the benefits and harms for patients must be completely available. This is why IQWiG's in-formation specialists regularly review the effectiveness and efficiency of information retrieval con-ducted for the Institute's HTAs. In an IQWiG working paper, the search portal "International Clinical Trials Registry Platform" (IC-TRP), a WHO meta-registry, was systematically analysed for its relevance to information retrieval at IQWiG. The key question was: “Which ...

*Please mention the ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) Barcelona, 27-30 April) if using this material* New data from an implementation programme to be presented at this year’s the ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April)  stress that the global HIV epidemic cannot be ended without keeping former prisoners and other patients engaged in care, and outlines the efforts made by HIV care clinics in Chicago to locate formerly incarcerated individuals living with HIV who dropped out of care and to reconnect them ...

A recent breakthrough study from the lab of Tanya Kalin, MD, PhD, professor of Child Health and Internal Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, has shown potential to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients suffering from lung cancers. “We have identified the novel protein FOXF1 that stabilizes blood vessels inside the lung tumors, decreases intertumoral hypoxia and prevents lung cancer metastases,” explained Dr. Kalin, the senior author on this study. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, according to the American Lung Association. In 2021 alone, the disease ...

A new study led by Neda Jahanshad, PhD, a researcher at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI), is set to illuminate the underexplored domain of brain aging and risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) adults in the United States. Addressing this research gap is important because this population is projected to significantly influence global dementia prevalence. The study, ADRD Risk Factors in Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the U.S., marks a groundbreaking effort to understand the mechanisms ...

By fueling the growth of plants that become kindling, carbon dioxide is driving an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires, according to a UC Riverside study. The worldwide surge in wildfires over the past decade is often attributed to the hotter, drier conditions of climate change. However, the study found that the effect of increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) on plants may be a bigger factor. “It’s not because it’s hotter that things are burning, it’s because there’s ...

  Experts from the University of Exeter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence have joined forces to address the urgent global challenge of clarifying and applying international law in cyberspace. As cyber operations continue to shape global security, the economy and politics the need for further discussions on how international law applies in the digital world is more pressing than ever. The project builds upon the University of Exeter’s significant prior research and contributions to the field ...

A massive new analysis of high seas salmon surveys is enhancing the understanding of salmon ecology, adding details about where various species congregate in the North Pacific Ocean and their different temperature tolerances. The project, led by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, integrates numerous international salmon studies from the North Pacific dating back to the 1950s. Although many individual reports were published by nations and agencies that funded those efforts, they were never fully compiled into ...

Fires that blaze through the wildland-urban interface (WUI) are becoming more common around the globe, a trend that is likely to continue for at least the next two decades, new research finds. The research team, led by scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR), used satellite observations and machine learning techniques to produce a unique database of WUI areas and fires worldwide, dating back about two decades. The overall number of all fires worldwide has declined, as has the total area burned.  However, the scientists ...

Canadians are no strangers to water main breaks. Aging equipment, increased demand and seasonal weather changes, along with many other factors, have added stress to the infrastructure of utilities across Canada. These challenges are not new, but the usual approach to studying them has often focused on pipe attributes and general protection strategies. In a new paper published in the journal Environmental Systems Research, a pair of Concordia researchers looks at the problem from a global, systemic perspective by identifying the driving factors behind water main breaks across Canada. They hope their work will help utilities develop better ...

MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. EAST LANSING, Mich. – Could being well-informed about politics mean you are less tolerant of differing political opinions? The answer might surprise you and be cause for pause before your next political conversation. New research from Michigan State University suggests that those who feel self-confident about their political abilities are more likely to discriminate against those who hold opposing political views. And those who are more skeptical of their political abilities ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [April 16, 2024] — New research in the April 2024 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network showcases the feasibility of improving early detection and prevention for pancreatic cancer. Global incidences of pancreatic cancer have risen dramatically in recent years, but the overall survival rate is currently only 12%. When pancreatic neoplasms are detected early enough for treatment with surgical resection, the survival rate climbs to better than 80%, but unfortunately the vast majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. The Pancreatic ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell University researchers are working to eliminate the rotten egg aroma that sometimes accompanies canned wine by ever-so-slightly altering the product’s formulation and packaging, which is also prone to corrosion. In recent research, the team – led by Gavin Sacks and Julie Goddard, both professors of food science – found that the choice of the ultrathin plastic coating inside aluminum cans can go a long way towards improving the aroma of the beverage and the lifespan of its container. The collaboration began ...

Building on the anti-tumor potential of Polθ inhibition in BRCA-deficient cancers, researchers at Insilico Medicine discovered a new class of orally bioavailable Polθ inhibitors designed using generative AI. For molecular generation, they used both ligand-based drug design (LBDD) and structure-based drug design (SBDD) strategies within the Chemistry42 generative chemistry engine. The new inhibitors demonstrated strong potency and promising druglike properties, highlighting AI’s potential in medicinal chemistry for precise molecular modifications. A crucial player in genomic integrity maintenance, DNA Polymerase Theta (Polθ) provides a potential synthetic lethal ...

Robots are increasingly being used in industry, and in future they will need to adapt to unforeseen events and changes in their environment much more than today, including when they work with humans. A new international research project is addressing this issue using artificial intelligence. The project is being funded by Horizon Europe, the EU framework programme for research and innovation, with a grant of DKK 56 million (EUR 7.5 million) and is called RoboSapiens (Robotic Safe Adaptation In Unprecedented Situations). The RoboSapiens project will reduce ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — As artificial intelligence continues to boom, scaling algorithms to ever-increasing data sets also becomes a bigger hurdle. Such is the case in the domain of natural language processing (NLP), or, the effort to get machines to understand and communicate with human language (think: ChatGPT, search engines and other text-based modalities). “A key challenge in this domain is the tradeoff between scalability and accuracy,” said UC Santa Barbara computer scientist ...