Toronto, Canada, November 13, 2024 - In science, the most fascinating breakthroughs often come from unexpected places. For Dr. Etienne Sibille, professor at the University of Toronto, and director of the Neurobiology of Depression and Aging program at CAMH, and co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Damona Pharmaceuticals, the path to revolutionizing mental health treatment began not in a laboratory, but through a camera lens in New York City.  "I grew up in France and went to medical school, but it was not for me. I was too restless and moved to ...

The findings, which were published in the Journal of American College Health, uncover an alarming rise in depression rates among all higher education students in the United States, but especially among sexual and gender minorities. This population includes those who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+), non-binary or gender non-conforming, and other identities.    “This study highlights the critical need for targeted interventions to support the mental health and well-being ...

Over 60 percent of Illinois parents had never asked another parent about an unlocked firearm in their home before allowing their child to visit for a playdate, according to a survey from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago published in Pediatrics. Many parents reported they had not asked about firearms because it never occurred to them to do so, which highlights a critical need to raise awareness of this important safety concern. Among children 0-14 years old, almost 20 percent of unintentional firearm-related deaths occur at a friend’s home. ...

SAN DIEGO, California (Nov. 13, 2024) — Beer drinkers have lower-quality diets, are less active, and are more likely to smoke cigarettes than people who drink wine, liquor, or a combination, according to a study scheduled for presentation at The Liver Meeting, held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. “Alcohol overuse is the leading cause of cirrhosis in the U.S., and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is rapidly increasing,” said Madeline Novack, chief resident at Tulane School of Medicine’s internal medicine residency program and lead author of the study. “Both ...

As global demand for sustainable energy solutions increases, bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass is gaining traction. However, traditional methods face limitations due to high processing costs and waste issues. A recent study led by Xinchuan Yuan, published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, presents an innovative biomass pretreatment method that not only improves bioethanol production efficiency but also utilizes biomass residues as bio-adsorbents for wastewater treatment, potentially transforming the industry.   Producing ...

Graph convolutional networks (GCNs) have become prevalent in recommender system (RS) due to their superiority in modeling collaborative patterns. Although improving the overall accuracy, GCNs unfortunately amplify popularity bias --- tail items are less likely to be recommended. This effect prevents the GCN-based RS from making precise and fair recommendations, decreasing the effectiveness of recommender systems in the long run.   Performance change of LightGCN with different graph convolution layers on Gowalla. Recall@20 and TR@20 ...

As the demand for advanced wound healing and drug delivery materials grows, scientists are turning to sustainable, bioactive materials for innovative solutions. A recent study by Bowei Wang et al., published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, presents a breakthrough in lignin-based hydrogels designed to combine mechanical strength with bioactivity. This research reveals a controlled-release polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS) hydrogel, augmented with sulfonated lignin, which could revolutionize the treatment of complex wounds and enable sustained drug ...

With an increasing focus on environmental sustainability, researchers are seeking ways to improve the biodegradability and mechanical properties of bioplastics, particularly polylactic acid (PLA). A recent study by June-Ho Choi and colleagues, published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, presents a promising approach that enhances the compatibility and decomposition of PLA when combined with biomass through a process called torrefaction. This innovation offers practical improvements for sustainable material applications, positioning PLA as a viable, eco-friendly alternative in various industries. PLA, ...

Scientists detect a heightened “threat vigilance” reaction in adolescents after a few hours of isolation, which socialising online doesn’t appear to ameliorate.   They say the findings might shed light on the link between loneliness and mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, which are on the rise in young people.   Experiment is the first to find an increased threat response triggered by isolation in humans (previous studies have found the effect in animals such as mice). People ...

Migratory birds are known for their ability to traverse thousands of kilometres to reach their breeding or wintering grounds. Research by Bangor University found that these birds, in this case, Eurasian reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) are using only the Earth's magnetic inclination and declination to determine their position and direction. This challenges the long-held belief that all components of the Earth's magnetic field, especially total intensity, are essential for accurate navigation. Scientists have long believed that these birds use a 'map-and-compass' system: they first ...

The ketogenic “keto” diet and intermittent fasting have surged in popularity, embraced by everyone from weekend warriors to endurance athletes. These trends promise to harness the power of ketosis — a metabolic state where the body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. Advocates tout its benefits, from weight loss to neuroprotection. A collaborative research team is now tackling the unanswered questions surrounding ketosis.  Rather than adding to the growing, and often confusing, literature on the effects of ketogenic ...

Niigata, Japan – Dr. Watanabe and his teams from Niigata University have revealed that PET/CT image analysis using artificial intelligence (AI) can predict the occurrence of interstitial lung disease, known as a serious side effect of immunotherapy in lung cancer. Immunotherapy has dramatically improved the treatment outcomes of primary lung cancer; however, it sometimes causes a serious side effect called interstitial lung disease. Interstitial lung disease is characterized by scarring (fibrosis) of the ...

There is a large window-lined laboratory in the back of one of Clemson University’s most storied buildings, Newman Hall, filled with machines that look like they were extracted straight from Dr. Jekyll’s lab. On one wall a contraption made of pullies and wires attached to the ceiling waits to drop objects and measure the impact; in the middle of the room, a giant metal base shakes a pallet of boxes in perpetuity; on the other side of the room sits what looks like a gigantic nut cracker big enough to squish a small car –  but the most Medieval-looking area is the bay on the east side of the room full of machines designed to smack heads. This is the Clemson Headgear ...

Specific combinations of long term conditions have a major role in the additional pressures the NHS faces every winter, because they are associated with significantly higher risks of  hospital admissions and death, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.   The risk of hospital admission was 11 times higher among those with the quartet of cancer, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes than it was among those without any of these long term conditions, the findings show. And ...

Men often struggle with the transition to fatherhood amid a lack of information and emotional support targeted to their needs, suggests a review of the available qualitative evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.   Greater focus is needed in clinical practice, antenatal services, and research on men’s unique experiences of the perinatal period, which encompasses pregnancy and the first 12 months after the birth, say the researchers. Pregnancy and childbirth can be an anxious time for new parents, and the transition to fatherhood—defined ...

The provision of just 1% more green space in the most deprived urban neighbourhoods in 3 out of the 4 UK nations may be linked to around 40% fewer preventable deaths in these areas, finds research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Green space is unequally distributed in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with the lowest amounts in the most deprived areas, the findings show, prompting the researchers to suggest that green space investment might be an important public health strategy for tackling health inequalities. Spending time ...

Addition of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to standard of care for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma of the limb significantly improved disease-free survival, according to the results of the SU2C-SARC032 clinical trial led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Duke University and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. The findings, published today in The Lancet, establish pembrolizumab as a new option for patients with this disease. “Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare and complex disease with over 50 different subtypes, which makes it hard to study in large clinical trials,” said lead author ...

The chances of intelligent life emerging in our Universe – and in any hypothetical ones beyond it – can be estimated by a new theoretical model which has echoes of the famous Drake Equation. This was the formula that American astronomer Dr Frank Drake came up with in the 1960s to calculate the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilisations in our Milky Way galaxy. More than 60 years on, astrophysicists led by Durham University have produced a different model which instead focuses on the conditions created by the acceleration of the Universe's expansion and the amount ...

The work provides novel genetic insights into dietary preferences and opens the possibility of targeting SI to selectively reduce sucrose intake at the population level. The study was led by Dr. Peter Aldiss, now a group leader in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, alongside Assistant Professor  Mette K Andersen, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research in Copenhagen and Professor Mauro D’Amato at CIC bioGUNE in Spain and LUM University in Italy. It also involves scientists internationally from Copenhagen, Greenland, Italy and Spain as part of the ‘Sucrase-isomaltase working group’. Dr Aldiss said: “Excess ...

[Vienna, November 13, 2024] — With artificial intelligence increasingly permeating every aspect of our lives, experts are becoming more and more concerned about its dangers. In some cases, the risks are pressing, in others they won't emerge until many months or even years from now. Scientists point out in The Royal Society’s journal that a coherent approach to understanding these threats is still elusive. They call for a complex systems perspective to better assess and mitigate these risks, particularly in light of long-term uncertainties and complex interactions between A.I. and society. "Understanding the risks of A.I. requires recognizing the intricate interplay ...

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have reached a record high in 2024, according to new research by the Global Carbon Project science team. The 2024 Global Carbon Budget projects fossil carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions of 37.4 billion tonnes, up 0.8% from 2023. Despite the urgent need to cut emissions to slow climate change, the researchers say there is still “no sign” that the world has reached a peak in fossil CO2 emissions. With projected emissions from land-use change (such as deforestation) of 4.2 billion tonnes, total CO2 emissions are projected to be 41.6 billion tonnes in 2024, up from 40.6 billion tonnes last year. Over the last 10 years, fossil ...

The winners of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 have been announced. The prizes, awarded by the learned society Applied Microbiology International (AMI), celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology. The One Health Microbiome Center at Penn State has been named as this year’s winner of the WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize 2024. This award acknowledges and celebrates individuals, teams, or organisations that have made groundbreaking contributions to global challenges through applied microbiology. The One Health Microbiome ...

The opioid crisis has left an estimated 2.5 million people 18 and older in the U.S. with opioid use disorder, or OUD. Despite increased attention to the heavy toll taken by OUD, key risk factors such as intimate partner violence (IPV) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often overlooked. Both increase the risk of OUD and complicate recovery efforts. A team of MUSC researchers led by clinical psychologists Amber Jarnecke, Ph.D., and Tanya Saraiya, Ph.D., both of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral ...

HERSHEY, Pa — Exercise has been shown to improve brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia over the long-term. But engaging in everyday physical activity has immediate benefits for brain health, according to a new study from researchers in the Penn State College of Medicine. The team found that middle-aged people who participated in everyday movement showed improvement in cognitive processing speed equivalent to being four years younger, regardless of whether the activity was lower intensity, like walking the dog or doing household chores, or higher intensity, like jogging. The findings were published ...

Updated Guideline Highlights: The American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics update recommendations for untrained lay rescuers and trained rescuers resuscitating adults and children who have drowned. One important update is the recommendation to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with rescue breaths and chest compressions to all persons in cardiac arrest following drowning after removal from the water. The updated recommendations for resuscitation following drowning are, for the first time, well codified, accompanied ...