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 ...

Despite increased concerns about doctors spreading false medical claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical boards rarely take disciplinary action against physicians for spreading misinformation, according to a new study by Richard S. Saver, Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law and Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, published in JAMA Network Open.  Through analysis of over 3,100 medical board disciplinary proceedings across the nation’s five most populous states, Saver found that spreading misinformation to the public was the least common reason for ...

BALTIMORE, November 12, 2024— Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (ICSCI) have made a remarkable advancement in treating children with Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), a rare but severe neurological condition that causes sudden paralysis. A new study, published in the journal Children, demonstrates that a combination of Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation (TSS) and movement training can help children with AFM improve their ability to walk. TSS is a non-invasive therapy ...

A new teacher prep initiative from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s College of Education & Human Development received a $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Quality Partnership grant program to establish and strengthen a Grow Your Own Network across Acadiana. This initiative, designed to address teacher shortages in the south-central region of Louisiana, will build a regional network connecting local school districts with higher education institutions ...

To better understand why some cancer patients struggle to fight off infections, Georgia Tech researchers have created tiny lab-grown models of human immune systems. These miniature models — known as human immune organoids — mimic the real-life environment where immune cells learn to recognize and attack harmful invaders and respond to vaccines. Not only are these organoids powerful new tools for studying and observing immune function in cancer, their use is likely to accelerate vaccine development, better predict disease treatment response for patients, and even speed up clinical trials.  “Our synthetic ...

Acupuncture. Ketamine infusions. “Electroshock” or electroconvulsive therapy. The existing treatment options for those diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), may sometimes feel daunting or expensive alternatives to medication. However, a groundbreaking study from Emory University demonstrates how psilocybin-assisted therapy could impact more than 5 million people in the U.S. pending approval from the FDA. The findings highlight both the ...

While great strides have been made to ensure children have access to proper asthma care in their home and community, linking those environments to the care that children receive while in school has been a challenge. In a new study, researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) demonstrate that community health workers can play a critical role in integrating all environments where children encounter asthma triggers, and care coordination provided by these workers may be a cost-effective way to achieve that. The findings were recently published by JAMA ...

RENTON, Wash. [Nov. 12, 2024] – New real-world data from Providence, Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN), and Microsoft Research reveals that Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (CGP), when done early in a cancer patient’s diagnosis, leads to better personalized treatment and patient outcomes. The findings come out of the first two years of a five-year, real-world study, which was published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology - Oncology Practice (JCO-OP).  Through a novel approach, the study employed pathologist-driven CGP testing ...