The world's largest conditional cash transfer programme, the Bolsa Família Programme (BFP), is associated with a substantial reduction in AIDS cases and deaths, especially among brown and black women with lower income and limited education. This was the main conclusion of a study coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by ”la Caixa” Foundation, in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAIDS/NIH). The ...

Oh, Rats! Rodent study reveals different signaling codes for learned skills and clues about human movement disorders By Kermit Pattison / Harvard Staff Writer   Among the many wonders of the brain is its ability to master learned movements—a dance step, piano sonata, or tying our shoes—acquired through trial-and-error practice. For decades, neuroscientists have known that these tasks require a cluster of brain areas known as the basal ganglia. According to a new study [link will go live when study published 11 August] led by Harvard researchers in Nature Neuroscience, this so-called “learning machine” ...

A study led by researchers at the University of Oxford, working closely with colleagues from Duurzame Zuivelketen (DZK), among others, has developed a framework to help agricultural sectors better contribute to global biodiversity targets without causing unintended harms. Published today (11 August) in npj Biodiversity, the study is based upon data from the Dutch dairy sector in 2020, covering nearly 8,950 farms (approximately 1.6 million cows). They first established a single combined score to track biodiversity impacts against possible sectoral targets; but found that while using such a score can be helpful to track overall progress, such methods can mask important local impacts (such as ...

Lakes have long been viewed as sources of carbon dioxide emissions, but new research suggests they may actually act as carbon sinks. A study led by Uppsala University reveals that lake shorelines store more carbon than previously believed, highlighting the need to include these littoral zones in calculations of the continental carbon balance. The ‘coastlines’ of lakes, called littoral zones, are often surrounded by aquatic plants that are among the fastest growing plants in the world. They take up a large amount of carbon from the atmosphere ...

PHOENIX, Ariz. (August 11, 2025) — Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have identified a potential biomarker for long COVID. If the findings of their study are confirmed by other research centers, the biomarker could be the first specific and quantifiable indicator for confirming long COVID. Currently, clinicians confer a diagnosis of long COVID based upon a collection of symptoms that patients develop after SARS-CoV-2 infection. “If a patient arrives in clinic and they relate the persistence of typical signs and ...

Experts have created a customizable, web-based tool that provides state and local leaders with tailored resources to reduce lung cancer mortality rates and advance treatment. The tool’s development and features are described in an article published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer and cancer deaths worldwide, screening rates have remained low, leading to delayed diagnoses and care and ultimately resulting in high mortality rates. To reduce lung cancer deaths, the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable (ACS NLCRT) was founded in 2017 to unite ...

Ann Arbor, August 11, 2025 – A new analysis using data from a longitudinal study that followed children between the ages of 5 and 17 has revealed a surprising association; kids who engaged in kind, caring, and helpful behaviors (being prosocial), were more likely to sustain healthy eating habits as teenagers. The findings from the study appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, suggest that fostering prosociality throughout childhood may be a novel intervention strategy to promote healthy eating. Researchers analyzed data from the Millennium Cohort Study, ...

Media Advisory University Communications Contact: Blaire Weiman, University Communications bweiman@virginia.edu Marshall Eckblad, University Communications marshalle@virginia.edu   Researchers show persistent psychological toll on residents exposed to chemical spill in Ohio, Pennsylvania, andWest Virginia, with half of those living near the disaster also reporting worsening physical health symptoms anddistrust in government information. ...

Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declined in Michigan between 2017 and 2023, particularly among counties with lower household income and higher uninsurance rates, a new study suggests. For many key pediatric vaccines, completion rates dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not yet recovered, according to Michigan Medicine led findings in Pediatrics.   “Our findings show that progress towards increasing childhood and adolescent immunizations is stalling in Michigan, increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases,” said senior author Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatrician and researcher at University of Michigan ...

VIEW EMBARGOED ARTICLE “Pharmacotherapy can help people living with obesity improve overall health, not just lose weight,” says Dr. Sue D. Pedersen, MD, endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist in Calgary, and lead author of this guideline. “The goal of obesity medications is to improve metabolic, mechanical, and/or mental health, and improve quality of life, incorporating treatment goals that are important to each individual patient.” The guideline includes 6 new and 7 revised recommendations, reflecting the latest evidence since the 2022 and 2020 versions of the guideline. It takes the ...

VIEW EMBARGOED ARTICLE Cannabis potency is increasing — The concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has increased fivefold in the last 20 years in Canada from about 4% to 20% in most legal dried cannabis. High-potency and regular cannabis use is linked to increased risk of psychosis — The risk of psychosis is increased in people using high-potency THC (more than 10% THC), people using it frequently, and those who are younger and male. A history of mental disorders (depression, anxiety, etc.) also appears to increase ...

People who practised blowing through a conch shell regularly for six months experienced a reduction in their symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a small randomised controlled trial published today (Monday) in ERJ Open Research [1].   OSA is a common sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops during the night due to a blocked airway. It leads to loud snoring, restless sleep and daytime sleepiness. It also increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.   Blowing ...

Research by sports scientists reveals that high-performance athletes face unique mental health challenges despite the well-established benefits of physical activity for depression prevention and treatment. While moderate exercise is widely recognized for its positive impact on mental health, elite athletes experience specific pressures that can contribute to depression, including performance nerves, injury concerns and identity crises. These findings are detailed in the comprehensive new book, Physical ...

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered a new pathway by which cells counteract the action of alovudine, an important antiviral and anticancer drug. The protein flap endonuclease-1 (Fen1) was found to improve cell tolerance by counteracting the toxic accumulation of another protein, 53BP1. A renewed spotlight on the underappreciated role of Fen1 promises not only new cancer treatments, but a way to gauge the efficacy of existing treatments.   Chain-terminating nucleoside analogs (CTNAs) are molecules which closely resemble nucleosides, the building blocks of DNA. They have been used as antiviral and cancer treatments ...

A paper published in BMJ Open today (Friday 8 August) led by researchers from the University of Birmingham highlights how few studies conducted into athlete help-seeking for mental health have looked into support provided by semi-formal sources such as coaches, with the majority of research conducted on formal sources. The team reviewed 104 relevant studies conducted around the world and found that while many athletes experience mental health issues, they face unique sport-specific barriers when seeking help and ...

A blink of an eye seems natural and instantaneous, but is it? Without a functioning eyelid, the eye can become dry, irritated and eventually lose the ability to see clearly. Now, a team of UCLA biomechanical engineers and ophthalmologists has uncovered new details about the muscle that controls blinking, offering a pathway toward developing blink-assisting prostheses. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that the orbicularis oculi — the muscle that controls eyelid movement — contracts in complex patterns that vary by action and move the eyelid in more than just a simple up-and-down motion. The researchers studied how ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Touchdown airbursts — a type of cosmic impact that may be more common than the crater-forming, dinosaur-killing kind — remain somewhat less understood. UC Santa Barbara Earth Science Emeritus Professor James Kennett and collaborators continue to make the case that these high-energy events deserve closer attention.  “Touchdown events can cause extreme damage through very high temperatures and pressures,” Kennett said. “And yet they don’t necessarily form a crater, or they form ephemeral surface disturbances, but they’re ...

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A new study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health finds parents’ workplace chemical exposure may be linked to a range of behavioral challenges and developmental delays in their children with autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that is marked by challenges with social skills, communication struggles and repetitive behaviors. Autism traits can vary widely in how mild or strong they are. “Past research explored the impact of environmental factors on the likelihood of a child developing autism,” said Irva ...

Yale Study: Mobile Phone App Reduced Suicidal Behavior Among High-Risk Patients August 08, 2025 by Christopher Gardner   A mobile phone app designed to deliver suicide-specific therapy reduced suicidal behavior among high-risk psychiatric inpatients, according to a new study by scientists at Yale School of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. The study, published Aug. 8, 2025 in JAMA Network Open, found that the app, OTX-202, reduced the recurrence ...

‘A tipping point’: An update from the frontiers of Alzheimer’s disease research    One-third of people older than 85 in the United States are estimated to live with Alzheimer’s disease today, according to the National Institute on Aging. The condition’s characteristic long, slow decline places an enormous burden on families and on society. While the need for new treatments is urgent, Alzheimer’s is a complex disease that requires multidisciplinary research across a wide range of specialties.   In a new article led by Yale’s Amy Arnsten, researchers from across numerous disciplines share an ...

Key takeaways Heavy use of antibiotics has led to bacterial strains that resist them, making some infections difficult to treat. Copper antimicrobials are increasingly used to reduce the emergence of resistant strains. New research shows that heavy use of copper leads to the evolution of copper-resistant E. coli bacteria that can also resist antibiotic drugs. Fortunately, when the use of copper is stopped, bacteria quickly revert to a less-resistant state, suggesting that alternating copper with other antimicrobials could be as effective without driving resistance.​​​ Copper has emerged as an ally in the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Copper sulfate ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — New computer simulations that model every atom of a protein as it folds into its final three-dimensional form support the existence of a recently identified type of protein misfolding. Proteins must fold into precise three-dimensional shapes — called their native state — to carry out their biological functions. When proteins misfold, they can lose function and, in some cases, contribute to disease. The newly spotted misfolding results in a change to a protein’s structure — either a loop that traps another section of the protein ...

For more than 30 years, scientists have studied how the myogenic determination gene number 1 (MYOD) protein binds DNA to modify the gene expression of muscle stem cells. Similar to the instant kung fu education Keanu Reeves downloaded in “The Matrix,” MYOD plugs into muscle stem cell DNA and reprograms the cells to build muscle. MYOD also comes to the rescue when muscle tissue needs to be repaired after injury or to restore minor damage that occurs with athletic training or other physical activity. The transcription factor rallies nearby muscle stem cells to expand in number and become muscle ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – People’s perceptions of the world are easily impacted by the angle at which they view objects in it, suggests a new study.   This finding, made by researchers from The Ohio State University, was revealed by testing people’s ability to estimate the steepness of a hill. The study, recently published in the journal Perception, showed that most people, regardless of their visual orientation — or line of sight  — will consistently overestimate its steepness.  Dennis Shaffer, lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus, said his team’s research aimed to understand ...

In the wake of a wildfire, there’s often an assumption that burned landscapes will be more susceptible to landslides. But new research from the University of Oregon suggests it’s not always that simple.   An analysis of the Columbia River Gorge, which runs along the border between Oregon and Washington, shows that steep, rocky watersheds in that area have been prone to debris flows and rockfall for thousands of years. Those events didn’t measurably increase after the Eagle Creek Fire, which scorched 47,000 acres of the gorge over the course of three months in 2017.  UO ...