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Social Science 2025-03-13

Area socioeconomic status, vaccination access, and female HPV vaccination

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of area deprivation, vaccination access, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination status in Osaka City, Japan, higher socioeconomic status and higher medical facility access were associated with higher cumulative HPV vaccination uptake. These findings suggest that further strategies, including a socioecologic approach, are needed to increase HPV vaccination and reduce disparities in uptake. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding ...
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Medicine 2025-03-13

Checking PSA levels too soon after prostate cancer surgery can lead to overtreatment

After surgical removal of the prostate to treat prostate cancer, clinicians monitor Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. Persistently elevated PSA levels indicate residual cancer and are linked to worse outcomes. But in a paper published in JAMA Oncology, Mass General Brigham researchers found that the current standard monitoring time of one-and-a-half to two months following surgery is too short to accurately identify recurrence and inform treatment decisions. Rather, PSA levels should be measured for at least three months to avoid overtreatment. “Checking ...
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CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring
Medicine 2025-03-13

CityUHK researchers develop an innovative bio-detection platform for cancer early screening and disease monitoring

Cancer continues to be a leading cause of mortality worldwide, highlighting the urgent need to develop more advanced, efficient, and early detection methods. Addressing this critical need, City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is leading a groundbreaking research project aimed at developing an innovative technology platform for early detection of cancer and personalised treatment. The project aims specifically to enhance the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), paving the way for significant advancements in cancer diagnosis and care. This is one of the first batch of projects that has secured funding by the RAISe+ Scheme. The RAISe+ Scheme (the Research, ...
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English translation of harnessing data for improved productivity: managing the full life cycle of data licensed at the London Book Fair
Science 2025-03-13

English translation of harnessing data for improved productivity: managing the full life cycle of data licensed at the London Book Fair

On March 11, 2025, at the China Collective Stand of the London Book Fair, Tsinghua University Press (TUP) and the University of Toronto Press (UTP) sign a licensing agreement for the English version of Harnessing Data for Improved Productivity: Managing the Full Life Cycle of Data. This collaboration is a big step forward in putting China’s data management innovations on the global map, showcasing the nation’s cutting-edge achievements through leading ...
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COVID-19 discovery opens door to new treatments for chronic lung problems
Medicine 2025-03-13

COVID-19 discovery opens door to new treatments for chronic lung problems

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have discovered how severe COVID-19 can destroy immune cells’ ability to repair the lungs, helping explain the lingering effects of long COVID. The findings suggest a new treatment approach for long COVID as well as other conditions, both short-term and chronic, caused by respiratory infections such as the flu. Led by UVA’s Jie Sun, PhD, the researchers found that severe viral infections including COVID-19 and the flu can gravely damage a key organelle inside immune cells called macrophages. Macrophages direct lung repair after tissue damage, but their ability to do so is crippled ...
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Stanford Medicine research explores the promise and perils of AI in citizen science
Medicine 2025-03-13

Stanford Medicine research explores the promise and perils of AI in citizen science

(Toronto, March 13, 2025) A new study published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance by a team from Stanford Medicine investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize citizen science and advance health equity. The study, titled “The Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Participatory Science and Health Equity in Public Health,” explores how AI technologies can empower communities to actively participate in scientific research and addresses critical ethical considerations. This research, published by JMIR Publications, examines the potential of AI to significantly enhance citizen science by enabling more inclusive ...
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New approaches to tackle coupled urban risks: a people-centric and complex systems perspective
Social Science 2025-03-13

New approaches to tackle coupled urban risks: a people-centric and complex systems perspective

As urbanization surges and climate change intensifies, cities worldwide are facing an increasing number of coupled risks. A recent paper published in Engineering offers fresh insights into understanding and managing these risks. The complexity of coupled risks in cities, which result from the compounded effects of interacting uncertainties across multiple interdependent objectives, is a major concern. A disruption in one urban subsystem can trigger a chain reaction, affecting other subsystems and leading to unforeseen consequences. For example, the extreme rainfall not only damaged infrastructure ...
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Technology 2025-03-13

OFC conference to showcase energy-efficient optical links that result in faster, low-power photonic chips

Researchers have demonstrated an integrated optical link on a silicon wafer that exhibits high-speed data transmission with very low power consumption. The advance, which was possible because of new low-energy membrane photonic devices made from indium phosphide, could help improve the power efficiency of integrated photonic circuit boards and chip packages without compromising speed. Tatsurou Hiraki from NTT Corporation in Japan will present this research at OFC, the premier global event for optical communications and networking, which will take place 30 March – 03 April 2025 at the Moscone Center ...
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Ultra-low dose CT aids pneumonia diagnosis in immunocompromised patients
Medicine 2025-03-13

Ultra-low dose CT aids pneumonia diagnosis in immunocompromised patients

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Denoised ultra-low dose CT can effectively diagnose pneumonia in immunocompromised patients using only 2% of the radiation dose of standard CT, according to a study published today in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “For patients with weakened immune systems, lung infections can be life threatening,” said lead study author Maximiliano Klug, M.D., a radiologist in the division of diagnostic imaging at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel. “CT scans are the gold standard for detecting pneumonia, but repeated ...
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US bird populations continue alarming decline, new report finds
Science 2025-03-13

US bird populations continue alarming decline, new report finds

ITHACA, NY.—The release of the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report was announced today at the 90th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The report, produced by a coalition of leading science and conservation organizations, reveals continued widespread declines in American bird populations across all mainland and marine habitats, with 229 species requiring urgent conservation action. The report comes five years after the landmark 2019 study that documented the loss of 3 ...
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RSV hospitalization risk among older adults linked to age and certain risk conditions
Medicine 2025-03-13

RSV hospitalization risk among older adults linked to age and certain risk conditions

Among older adults in Spain, hospitalisation rates from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection increases progressively with age and is more likely among people with other health issues and who live in nursing homes, according to a study published in Eurosurveillance. The hospitalisation rate varied considerably with age and the presence of risk conditions, with important implications for possible targeted interventions.  This population-based cohort study analysed patient data for adults over the age of 60 years in seasons 2016/17 to 2019/20 obtained through electronic medical records ...
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Co-authored USF study identifies ‘surprising’ cause of sargassum blooms in Caribbean
Science 2025-03-13

Co-authored USF study identifies ‘surprising’ cause of sargassum blooms in Caribbean

TAMPA, Fla. (March 13, 2025) – The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has puzzled researchers since 2011. A recent study published in Nature Communications may have identified what drove a tipping point that established the phenomenon in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Using computer modeling, a team of international researchers demonstrated that sargassum blooms were brought to the tropics by strong ocean currents and wind and thrived in ideal growing conditions. Specifically, two consecutive years of a strong negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a shift in atmospheric pressure over the Atlantic that changes circulation and wind patterns, pushed sargassum into the tropics starting ...
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Medicine 2025-03-13

Statins, aspirin may impact muscle health in smokers

Miami (March 13, 2025) – For current and former smokers, statins may reduce the amount of chest muscle loss, while aspirin may contribute to increased chest muscle loss, according to a new study. The study is published in the January 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. Many people who are current or former smokers are prescribed statins to manage high cholesterol and aspirin to manage heart disease. Research has shown that current or former smokers experience increased skeletal muscle loss, especially in people ...
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Science 2025-03-13

Retiring abroad puts older adults at risk for loneliness, study finds

Many people dream of retiring to a warmer, less expensive country. But retirees who move abroad may be at greater risk of loneliness than those who stay in their home country, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.  “International retirement migration is increasingly popular in Europe and around the world. On social media you see all the people in Europe sunbathing in Spain, American retirees are moving to Mexico and Japanese retirees to Malaysia,” said study lead author Esma Betül Savaş, MSc, of the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographics Institute. “Although these retirement migrants generally ...
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Medicine 2025-03-13

Insilico Medicine secures $110 million Series E financing to advance AI and robotics- driven drug discovery innovation

Cambridge, MA, Mar 13 — Insilico Medicine(“Insilico”), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, announced today that it has successfully secured a $110 million Series E financing led by a private equity fund of Value Partners Group (HKG:0806), one of Asia’s largest independent asset management firms, with strong participation from industry- and technology-focused new investors, as well as continued support from global existing backers.  The funds raised in this round will be directed to advance Insilico's innovative drug pipeline ...
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Researchers at Case Western Reserve University identify RNA molecule as possible driver of gastric cancer
Medicine 2025-03-13

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University identify RNA molecule as possible driver of gastric cancer

CLEVELAND—Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered molecules that present the potential to drive the development of gastric cancer—among the world’s deadliest forms of the disease. Gastric, or stomach cancer, remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths, according to the American Cancer Society, because it’s difficult to diagnose at an early stage and treatments often fail once the disease has spread. But a team of researchers led by Kishore Guda, associate professor at the Digestive ...
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Science 2025-03-13

ENDO 2025 opens media registration

WASHINGTON—Members of the media can now register to cover hormone health and science advances at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. The meeting will take place July 12-15, in San Francisco, Calif. ENDO 2025 offers journalists the opportunity to discuss groundbreaking research with world-renowned experts in diverse fields, including obesity, diabetes, reproductive health, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, bone health and thyroid cancer. The meeting is the premier global conference in endocrinology research and clinical care. The event is expected to draw thousands of people from all over the world. This year’s program will feature ...
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Study: ‘Sustainable intensification’ on the farm reduces soil nitrate losses, maintains crop yields
Environment 2025-03-13

Study: ‘Sustainable intensification’ on the farm reduces soil nitrate losses, maintains crop yields

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A nine-year study comparing a typical two-year corn and soybean rotation with a more intensive three-year rotation involving corn, cereal rye, soybean and winter wheat, found that the three-year system can dramatically reduce nitrogen — an important crop nutrient — in farm runoff without compromising yield. The new findings are detailed in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science. “Subterranean drainage pipes called tiles transport nitrogen, in the form of nitrate, from fields to streams, impairing downstream surface waters,” the scientists wrote. ...
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A closer look at severe tricuspid regurgitation in AFMR patients
Medicine 2025-03-13

A closer look at severe tricuspid regurgitation in AFMR patients

Atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR) is a common type of MR linked to high rates of heart failure, highlighting the need to understand its prognostic factors. Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a known prognostic factor in heart diseases like heart failure and degenerative MR. It is also frequently observed in AFMR patients, making it crucial to understand its impact on AFMR outcomes. To address this gap, a research team led by Dr. Tomohiro Kaneko and Dr. Nobuyuki Kagiyama from the Department of Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine at ...
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Watching nature scenes can reduce pain, new study shows
Science 2025-03-13

Watching nature scenes can reduce pain, new study shows

A new neuroimaging study has revealed that viewing nature can help ease how people experience pain, by reducing the brain activity linked to pain perception. Published in the journal Nature Communications and led by a team from the University of Vienna and University of Exeter, the research offers a promising foundation for new types of non-pharmacological pain treatments. Using an fMRI scanner, researchers monitored the brain activity of 49 participants in Austria, as they received pain delivered through a series of small electric shocks. When they were watching videos of a natural scene compared to ...
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Scientists from IOCB Prague are on track of finding a treatment for autoimmune hair loss
Medicine 2025-03-13

Scientists from IOCB Prague are on track of finding a treatment for autoimmune hair loss

A research group, led by Dr. Pavel Majer from IOCB Prague, in collaboration with the laboratories of Barbara Slusher and Louis Garza at Johns Hopkins University, have developed a compound that could potentially treat the autoimmune disorder alopecia areata, which causes hair loss leading to the formation of bald patches.The results of their study, recently published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, confirm the efficacy of a series of prodrugs based on derivatives of itaconic acid, simply referred to as itaconates. What is more, there is a good chance that the substances will be ...
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Literary theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak named 2025 Holberg Prize Laureate
Science 2025-03-13

Literary theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak named 2025 Holberg Prize Laureate

(BERGEN, Norway) – Today, the Holberg Prize—one of the largest international prizes awarded annually to an outstanding researcher in the humanities, social sciences, law or theology—named Indian scholar Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak as its 2025 Laureate. Spivak is University Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. She will receive the award of NOK 6,000,000 (approx. EUR 515,000) during a 5th June ceremony at the University of Bergen, Norway. Spivak is considered one of the most influential global intellectuals of our time, and she has shaped literary criticism and philosophy since the ...
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Medicine 2025-03-13

The relationship between gut microbiota, immunoglobulin A, and vaccine efficacy

Gut microbiota may be the key factor explaining why certain individuals do not respond well to the pneumococcal vaccine-a bacterium that can cause various diseases, such as pneumonia. This conclusion is drawn from a recent study led by the B Cell Biology Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, published in Science Advances. Researchers analyzed vaccine responses using genetically modified mouse models to study two types of pneumococcal vaccines-one commonly used in children and another in adults. Although these vaccines function through different mechanisms, both provide broad coverage. However, in individuals with a specific type of immunodeficiency, immunoglobulin ...
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Advancing sorghum science: drought-resilient crop for Spain's agricultural future
Environment 2025-03-13

Advancing sorghum science: drought-resilient crop for Spain's agricultural future

Press release Information embargoed until March 13, 2025, at 09:00 am (time in Barcelona, Spain)   Sorghum is an increasingly important crop for animal and human nutrition, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, due to its natural resistance to drought and high temperatures. CRAG researchers have identified the molecular mechanisms responsible for drought resistance in sorghum and developed tools that could be used in biotechnological applications. These advances could combat the effects of climate change, reduce dependence on imports and improve food security for human consumption.   Bellaterra (Barcelona), 13 March ...
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Social Science 2025-03-13

Round up, just below, or precise amount? Choosing the final price of a product may be just a cultural thing

It is well known that culture influences consumer behavior, but the impact of culture on pricing is less studied. One way culture might reflect in price tags is through price endings, which can be round (eg $10.00), just below (eg £9.99), or precise (eg €9.87). While all these price endings are common, little is known about why sellers in certain markets prefer one over the others. Now, researchers in Germany have examined whether cultural dimensions – individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation – impact how often consumers see certain types of price endings. “Given that culture significantly influences behavior, cognition, ...
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