University of Texas at Arlington physicist Ben Jones has received an international honor for his contributions to developing advanced instruments used in particle physics research. Dr. Jones, an associate professor of physics, was awarded the 2025 International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA) Early Career Researcher Instrumentation Award. Presented by the ICFA Instrumentation Innovation and Development Panel, the award recognizes significant advancements in the innovation and development of new instrumentation for future accelerator experiments. He accepted the award last week at the 2025 Vienna ...

Mutations in the BRCA1 gene that are either inherited (germline) or acquired (somatic) might not be key to the initiation of prostate cancer, as previously thought, suggests the first study of its kind, published online in the open access journal BMJ Oncology.   If confirmed in further studies, the findings suggest that it may be time to reassess current treatment with PARP (poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitor drugs, which block the ability of cells, including cancer cells, to repair DNA damage, in men with BRCA1 genetic variants, say the researchers. A linked editorial suggests that the findings pave the way for greater refinement of genetic ...

Melatonin supplementation may help offset the DNA damage associated with night shift work by boosting the body’s ability to repair it, suggest the findings of a small clinical trial published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.   Larger studies looking at varying doses and the potential long term effects of melatonin supplementation are now warranted, conclude the researchers. Normal night-time production of the body clock hormone, melatonin, is suppressed in night shift workers. This compromises the body’s ability to repair oxidative DNA damage, the by-product of normal cellular processes, heightening the risk of ...

Having one or more common gynaecological disorders, such as endometriosis or heavy or irregular periods, may be linked to a heightened risk of heart disease and conditions that affect blood flow to the brain (cerebrovascular disease), finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence published online in the journal Heart. Although the quality of the studies included in the analysis was variable, the researchers nevertheless conclude that clinicians and the public need to be more aware of these associations to potentially mitigate the risks. Long term non-cancerous gynaecological disorders ...

The brain may play a role in helping the ear regulate its sensitivity to sound and compensate for hearing loss by sending a signal to a structure in the inner ear known as the cochlea, according to a study that was just published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The discovery could help researchers develop treatments for tough-to-treat hearing disorders such as hyperacusis, where everyday sounds seem uncomfortably loud, and tinnitus, a sensation of ringing, buzzing or other sound in the ear when there is no external source. The findings were powered by a new ...

Embargo: 25 February 2025 00.01 AM GMT ECMWF – Europe’s leading centre for weather prediction makes forecast data from AI model available to all A newly operational model, known as the Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System (AIFS), has been launched by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), an intergovernmental centre and leader in numerical weather prediction. For many measures including tropical cyclone tracks, the AIFS outperforms state-of-the-art physics-based models, with gains ...

In parts of the world where traveling to a clinic for routine blood tests is a financial and logistical challenge, HIV patients increasingly have the option to collect and ship a drop of their blood in paper-based devices that absorb the sample and store it for analysis in far-away labs.  While this technology is helpful for tracking someone’s adherence to their drug regimen or monitoring disease progression, the most frequently used devices don’t control how much blood they collect, potentially leading to inaccurate readings of a person’s infection. Understanding this limitation, Charlie Mace, an associate professor at Tufts University’s ...

Pay-for-Performance Metrics Must Be More Impactful and Physician-Controlled Background: This editorial builds on a study by Brulin and Teoh, released ahead of the March/April 2025 issue of Annals of Family Medicine, which found that performance-based reimbursement is associated with lower perceived quality of care by increasing illegitimate tasks and moral distress for primary care physicians. Editorial Stance: Quality metrics and pay-for-performance initiatives are far more expensive than many patients, clinicians, or administrators realize. The authors call for more rigorous review through cluster randomized controlled trials both before and after implementation—and ...

Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, threads, and Linkedin         Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.          ----------------------------       1. ...

Performance-Based Reimbursement Increases Administrative Burden and  Moral Distress, Lowers Perceived Quality of Care Background and Goal: Performance-based reimbursement (PBR) is a payment system in which clinics receive compensation based on the quality and outcomes of care they deliver, rather than the volume of services provided. Although designed to improve efficiency and effectiveness, the growth of PBR systems has been linked to increased administrative work for physicians. This study examined how PBR affects doctors' perceived ability to provide quality ...

Survey Finds Many Americans Greatly Overestimate Primary Care Spending Background and Goal: This study, based on an online survey of 1,135 adults demographically representative of the U.S. population, aimed to measure public perceptions of primary care spending. Key Insights: Respondents believed that 51.8% of overall health care spending goes to primary care—more than 10 times the documented share of 4.7%. Additionally, respondents believed that primary care addresses 58.7% of health care needs, very close to actual primary care utilization as a percentage of all ambulatory physician ...

Ribonucleic acid, commonly known as RNA, is involved in many biological functions, and some, including gene silencing, are utilitized to cure diseases. RNA has recently gained attention as a promising drug target. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of RNA structures have been determined experimentally, and the process of uncovering these structures requires significant time and effort. Using this time scale, the structures of many life saving RNA may not be discovered for years. As a result, there is a significant gap between the types of known ...

Your immune system harbors a lifetime’s worth of information about threats it’s encountered — a biological Rolodex of baddies. Often the perpetrators are viruses and bacteria you’ve conquered; others are undercover agents like vaccines given to trigger protective immune responses or even red herrings in the form of healthy tissue caught in immunological crossfire. Now researchers at Stanford Medicine have devised a way to mine this rich internal database to diagnose diseases as diverse as diabetes COVID-19 responses to influenza vaccines. Although they envision the approach as a way to screen for multiple diseases ...

A Chinese rover that landed on Mars in 2021 detected evidence of underground beach deposits in an area thought to have once been the site of an ancient sea, providing further evidence that the planet long ago had a large ocean. The now-inactive rover, called Zhurong, operated for a year, between May 2021 and May 2022. It traveled 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) roughly perpendicular to escarpments thought to be an ancient shoreline from a time — 4 billion years ago — when Mars had a thicker atmosphere and a warmer climate. Along its path, the rover used ground penetrating radar (GPR) to probe up to 80 meters (260 feet) beneath the surface. This ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mars may have once been home to sun-soaked, sandy beaches with gentle, lapping waves according to a new study published today (Feb. 24) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). An international team of scientists, including Penn State researchers, used data from the Zhurong Mars rover to identify hidden layers of rock under the planet’s surface that strongly suggest the presence of an ancient northern ocean. The new research offers the clearest evidence yet that the planet ...

Feb. 24, 2025  MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request.   Contact: Emilie Lorditch: 517-355-4082, lorditch@msu.edu   Images  MSU researchers use open-access data to study climate change effects in 24,000 US lakes  EAST LANSING, Mich. – Each summer, more and more lake beaches are forced to close due to toxic algae blooms. While climate change is often blamed, new research suggests a more complex story: climate interacts with human activities like agriculture and urban runoff, which funnel excess ...

Fukuoka, Japan - Kyushu University researchers have uncovered a surprising layer of complexity in aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs)—adrenal gland tumors that drive high blood pressure. Using cutting-edge analysis techniques, they discovered that these tumors harbor at least four distinct cell types, including ones that produce cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. Published in the week beginning 24 February in PNAS, their findings not only explain why some patients with APAs develop unexpected health issues, like weakened bones, but also pave the way toward new treatment strategies. “Currently, the only ...

The Huns suddenly appeared in Europe in the 370s, establishing one of the most influential although short-lived empires in Europe. Scholars have long debated whether the Huns were descended from the Xiongnu. In fact, the Xiongnu Empire dissolved around 100 CE, leaving a 300-year gap before the Huns appeared in Europe. Can DNA lineages that bridge these three centuries be found? To address this question, researchers analyzed the DNA of 370 individuals that lived in historical periods spanning around 800 years, from 2nd century BCE to 6th century CE, encompassing sites in the Mongolian steppe, Central Asia, and the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe. ...

A new artificial intelligence model measures how fast a patient’s brain is aging and could be a powerful new tool for understanding, preventing and treating cognitive decline and dementia, according to USC researchers. The first-of-its-kind tool can non-invasively track the pace of brain changes by analyzing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Faster brain aging closely correlates with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, said Andrei Irimia, associate professor of gerontology, biomedical engineering, quantitative ...

Starting today, people with Parkinson’s disease will have a new treatment option, thanks to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of groundbreaking new technology.   The therapy, known as adaptive deep brain stimulation, or aDBS, uses an implanted device that continuously monitors the brain for signs that Parkinson’s symptoms are developing. When it detects specific patterns of brain activity, it delivers precisely calibrated electric pulses to keep symptoms at bay.   The FDA approval covers two treatment algorithms that run on a device made by Medtronic, a medical device company. Both work by monitoring the same part of the brain, called the subthalamic nucleus. ...

Elephants, giraffes, pythons and other large species have higher cancer rates than smaller ones like mice, bats, and frogs, a new study has shown, overturning a 45-year-old belief about cancer in the animal kingdom. The research, conducted by researchers from the University of Reading, University College London and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, examined cancer data from 263 species across four major animal groups - amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles. The findings challenge "Peto's paradox," a longstanding idea based on observations from 1977 that suggested ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Children who experience multiple cases of dengue virus develop an army of dengue-fighting T cells, according to a new study led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI).  The findings, published recently in JCI Insights, suggest that these T cells are key to dengue virus immunity. In fact, most children who experienced two or more dengue infections showed very minor symptoms—or no symptoms at all—when they caught the virus again. "We saw a significant T cell response in children who had been infected more than once before," says study leader and LJI Assistant Professor Daniela Weiskopf, Ph.D. Dengue virus infects up ...

Smart artificial microswimmers—small robots that resemble microorganisms like bacteria or human sperm—could potentially be used for targeted drug delivery, minimally invasive surgery, and even in fertility treatments. These types of complicated tasks won’t be accomplished by a single microswimmer. Multiple swimmers will be necessary; however, it’s unclear how such groups will move within the chemically and mechanically complex environment of the body’s fluids.  “We know that whenever a swimmer has a neighbor, it swims differently,” says Ebru Demir, an assistant ...

(Charlottesville, VA, Feb. 24, 2025) –  The Center for Open Science (COS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Correa, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of American Scientists, and Amanda Montoya, Associate Professor of Quantitative Psychology at UCLA, to the COS Board of Directors. Both will serve three-year terms from 2025 to 2027, bringing valuable expertise in science policy, innovation, research methodology, and open science advocacy. Daniel Correa is the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of American Scientists, ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Researchers say they found that infection with a common virus that can be transmitted from mother to fetus before birth significantly worsens an often-fatal complication of premature birth called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in experiments with mice. The research team, led by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center investigators and funded by the National Institutes of Health, says the new findings advance the search for better treatments for NEC — a relatively rare condition, but still the most common emergency intestinal complication in preemies. A report on the study published Feb. 13 in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology ...