CLEVELAND, Ohio (Jan 29, 2025)—Thanks to advances in treatment options, a COVID-19 diagnosis is no longer as scary as it once was, at least for most people. A new study, however, suggests that it may now be easier to predict who is most likely to suffer with more serious disease symptoms based on leukocyte (white blood cell) count. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Millions of people worldwide suffer from the ongoing effects of COVID-19—which is caused by the SARs-CoV-2 ...

A recent study involving researchers at Murdoch University’s Health Futures Institute has revealed that moderate-intensity exercise can significantly influence appetite-related hormones and perceptions in males with obesity. The study, titled “Acute effect of exercise on appetite-related factors in males with obesity,” provides new insights into how exercise can aid appetite control and weight management.  One of the study authors, Associate Professor Timothy Fairchild from Murdoch’s School ...

Worldwide, cancer chemotherapy is linked to persistent severe peripheral nerve pain (neuropathy) for around 4 in every 10 patients treated with these drugs, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. Notwithstanding wide regional variations, platinum based drugs, taxanes, and lung cancer seem to be associated with the highest rates of persistent painful neuropathy, lasting at least 3 months, the findings suggest, prompting the researchers to call for tailored approaches to pain ...

Micronutrient deficiency, whereby levels of vitamins and minerals essential for healthy bodily function are far too low, is common in people with type 2 diabetes, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health. A lack of vitamin D is the most common ‘missing’ micronutrient, overall, the findings indicate, with women at greater risk than men of these deficiencies, dubbed 'hidden hunger.' Genetic predisposition, various environmental factors, sedentary ...

Calorie labels on restaurant menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders, according to a new study published today in the BMJ Public Health. The review, which is the first of its kind, is led by researchers at King’s College London. It found that individuals who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder changed their behaviours if presented with a menu featuring calorie labels. This included avoiding restaurants, triggering eating disorder thoughts and paying more attention to calorie labels as identified by eye tracking research. The research found that some people with eating disorders reported that seeing menu labels reinforced ...

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center have successfully applied advanced artificial intelligence (AI) genetics models to Parkinson’s disease. Researchers identified genetic factors in progression and FDA-approved drugs that can potentially be repurposed for PD treatment.  The npj Parkinson’s Disease report uses an approach called “systems biology,” which uses AI to integrate and analyze multiple different forms of information from genetic, proteomic, pharmaceutical and patient datasets to identify patterns that may not be obvious from analyzing ...

In a groundbreaking achievement for quantum technologies, researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, have created a functional quantum register using the atoms inside a semiconductor quantum dot.   Published in Nature Physics, the work demonstrates the introduction of a new type of optically connected qubits—a critical advance in the development of quantum networks, where stable, scalable, and versatile quantum nodes are essential.  Quantum dots are nanoscale objects with unique optical and electronic properties that come from quantum mechanical effects. These systems are already used in technologies ...

Qubits are the basic building blocks of information processing in quantum technology. An important research question is what material they will actually consist of in technical applications. Molecular spin qubits are considered promising qubit candidates for molecular spintronics, in particular for quantum sensing. The materials studied here can be stimulated by light; this creates a second spin centre and, subsequently, a light-induced quartet state. Until now, research has assumed that the interaction between two spin centres can only be strong enough for ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), January 28, 2025 – The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory highlighted the rapid growth of space-based R&D in its annual report, released today by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®). Over the past fiscal year, the ISS National Lab sponsored more than 100 payloads delivered to the orbiting laboratory—the second-highest annual total to date. Also this year, ISS National Lab-related results were published in 51 peer-reviewed articles—the most ever in a year—underscoring the vital role of the ISS National Lab in advancing scientific discovery and innovation. Since 2011, ...

With every bite of food we take, our intestinal immune system must make a big decision. Tasked with defending us from foreign pathogens, these exquisitely sensitive cells somehow distinguish friend from foe—destroying invaders while tolerating food and helpful bacteria. How the gut separates the good from the bad has long puzzled scientists. Now, new research identifies specific gut cell types that communicate with T cells—prompting them to tolerate, attack, or simply ignore—and explains how these opposing responses are triggered. The findings, published in Science, give scientists ...

Cambridge, Mass.— An exciting collaboration between the Ragon Institute and the Jameel Clinic at MIT has achieved a significant milestone in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to aid the development of T cell vaccine candidates. Ragon faculty member Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil, and MIT Professor Regina Barzilay, PhD, AI lead of the Jameel Clinic for AI and Health, have published research in Nature Machine Intelligence introducing MUNIS—a deep learning tool designed to predict CD8+ T cell epitopes with unprecedented accuracy. This advancement has the potential to accelerate vaccine development against various ...

TAMPA, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2025) — A new study led by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center shows that asymptomatic brain metastasis is more common in stage 4 breast cancer patients than previously believed. The study, published in Neuro-Oncology, suggests that doctors may need to rethink current screening guidelines for detecting brain metastasis in patients without symptoms. Researchers examined 101 asymptomatic patients diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, including triple-negative, HER2-positive and hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A study by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health shows that nearly half of all primary care providers (PCPs) in the United States are affiliated with hospitals, while the number of PCPs affiliated with private equity firms is growing and concentrated in certain regional markets. Compared with PCPs at independent practices, those affiliated with hospitals or private equity firms charged higher prices for the same services. The findings were published in JAMA Health Forum. Health care consolidation is a driving force behind ...

New INFORMS Organization Science Study Key Takeaways: Integrating work-related learning into leisure activities can enhance confidence, build new skills and support professional growth. Leisure-work synergizing is most effective for individuals who prefer blending work and personal life rather than keeping them separate. Overdoing leisure-work synergizing may lead to fatigue, emphasizing the importance of balance to maintain its benefits. BALTIMORE, MD, January 28, 2025 – Could your favorite hobbies help you get ahead at work? New research published in the INFORMS journal Organization Science explores “leisure-work ...

African nations have grand ambitions to green up landscapes with trees; the Kenyan government, for example, launched an initiative to plant 15 billion trees by 2032. The hope is that new trees could help fight desertification, create opportunities for livelihood diversification, support nutritional diets, restore biodiversity in highly degraded land and capture planet-heating carbon. Restoring lands using trees could empower millions whose livelihoods depend on working the land while generating multiple environmental and social benefits. Yet tree planting projects often fall short because ...

A study of men with a family history of prostate cancer has discovered an inherited form of prostate cancer. The inherited mutated gene WNT9B, which functions normally in embryonic prostate development, increases risk of adult prostate cancer, according to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in JCO Precision Oncology. This discovery was replicated in five independent study populations collectively encompassing one-half million patients from the U.S. and Europe, with the increased prostate cancer risk estimates ranging from two- to 12-fold, according to lead author Jeffrey Smith, MD, PhD, associate ...

Rice University chemist and director of the university’s Synthesis X Center Han Xiao and cancer biologist Dihua Yu of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, allowing them to do further research on overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for the treatment of brain metastasis. This hurdle blocks most cancer therapies from reaching the brain, but the scientists’ innovative approach could transform the treatment of brain ...

‘Astonishing’ findings in mice suggest microbial product could restore skin pigmentation Offers hope for a disease that affects all skin tones, but is more visible and severe in darker skin Vitiligo affects 0.5% to 2% of the global population Patients available for interviews upon request CHICAGO --- A natural compound derived from gut-friendly bacteria significantly slows the progression of vitiligo and may restore pigmentation, reports a new Northwestern University pre-clinical study in mice. The findings could offer hope to millions affected by the autoimmune ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts that are directly related to a hospitality company’s core business operations and competencies can help companies create both social and business value, according to researchers in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. Led by Penn State Professor of Hospitality Management Seoki Lee, the research team developed a strategic framework to help hospitality companies optimize their CSR activities — like environmental and social initiatives — to obtain greater social and business value. The researchers published their ...

Antibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis responsible for more than a million deaths annually. By 2050, the World Health Organization estimates it could surpass cancer and heart disease as the leading cause of death as more bacteria develop defenses to the drugs designed to combat them. Now Tulane University researchers have identified a unique genetic signature in bacteria that can predict their likelihood of developing antibiotic resistance, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The findings could help researchers more quickly identify precision-based treatments that are more effective ...

The fact that the cold, dry Mars of today had flowing rivers and lakes several billion years ago has puzzled scientists for decades. Now, Harvard researchers think they have a good explanation for a warmer, wetter ancient Mars.     Building on prior theories describing the Mars of yore as a hot again, cold again place, a team led by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have determined the chemical mechanisms by which ancient Mars was able to sustain enough warmth in its early days ...

By Diana Setterberg, MSU News Service BOZEMAN – Two recently published studies by a Montana State University ecologist reveal new findings about the relationship between population dynamics of two species of large African carnivores and the availability of their prey. “The studies are related in a lot of ways,” said Scott Creel, lead author of a paper about the effects of prey depletion on endangered African wild dogs that was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and co-lead author of another paper about the effects of poaching controls on African lion demographics that was featured ...

Data from nations around the world can be used to develop strategies for dementia prevention, treatment, and care, according to “Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Dementia and Related Population Health Trends,” a new supplemental issue of The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s-disease-related dementias are a set of conditions involving impaired memory and other cognitive processes that interfere with daily functioning. Worldwide, significant increases in the number of older adults living with dementia are ...

Professor Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, will lead the launch of the University of Bath’s new Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour (IDSB), on Wednesday 29 January, at Bath’s Guildhall, in a keynote speech on Securing the Future. The Institute marks a new research collaboration, bringing together behavioural and social scientists to address the risks to society posed by digital technology. Researchers will study the fundamental causes of vulnerability to harm and the factors that can make people, organisations and societies safer and more ...

Arecent study conducted by University of Florida geologists and geographers has shed new light on the effects of climate change on Antarctic ice shelves. It found that while there has been broad ice shelf loss due to warming temperatures, the frequency and size of major iceberg calving events has not changed significantly. This study was led by Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences Emma MacKie, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Geography Katy Serafin, Ph.D., along with a collaborator at the Colorado School of Mines. “Our results suggest that the primary threat ...