FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s called “woody breast” and for consumers it can mean a chewier chicken sandwich, but for the industry it can mean up to $200 million annual yield loss. Work done by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is not only making woody breast easier to detect in chicken meat but is accurate up to 95 percent of the time. The development could help improve quality assurance and customer confidence in one of the state’s most economically important agricultural products. What allows ...

Around 1 in 5 UK medical students considers dropping out of medical school, with mental health issues a key contributor to their intention to abandon medicine, suggest the results of an observational study published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The shortage of doctors worldwide is a major cause for concern, say the researchers, with the current shortfall thought to be around 6.5 million. These shortages not only affect the quality of patient care, but also doctors’ wellbeing as a result of increased workload and chronic stress, which further undermine recruitment and retention, creating a vicious circle, they add. Given that medical ...

The combination of poorly developed social and cognitive skills during childhood is linked to poor exam results by the age of 16, with those for whom these  issues persist throughout their childhood more than 4 times as likely not to pass at least 5 GCSEs, finds research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The findings, which are based on a large set of nationally representative data, suggest that childhood cognitive and behavioural issues may be behind 17% of GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exam fails among 16 year olds, conclude the researchers. “Years in school matter, not just for exam results, but for skills and capacity development. ...

A poorly positioned menstrual cup to capture monthly blood flow may lead to more serious complications than leakage alone, warn doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports, after treating a young woman with uterohydronephrosis—a swollen kidney caused by blocked urine flow into the bladder. The use of menstrual cups as a sustainable alternative to other methods of controlling period blood flow is rising, note the report authors. While reported complications are rare, the evidence suggests that pain, vaginal wounds, allergic reactions, ...

New Haven, Conn. — Synthetic biologists from Yale were able to re-write the genetic code of an organism — a novel genomically recoded organism (GRO) with one stop codon — using a cellular platform that they developed enabling the production of new classes of synthetic proteins. These synthetic proteins, researchers say, offer the promise of innumerable medical and industrial applications that can benefit society and human health. The creation of the landmark GRO, known as “Ochre” — which fully compresses redundant, or “degenerate” codons, into a single codon — is ...

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/AMM-2024-0053 Announcing a new publication for Acta Materia Medica journal. Estrogens have been reported to cause dysfunction in biliary transport systems, thereby inducing cholestasis. Multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) is a transporter responsible for independent bile flow. Emerging evidence indicates that PDZ domain containing 1 (PDZK1) regulates localization of MRP2; however, PDZK1’s role and regulatory machinery in MRP2-mediated estrogen-induced cholestasis (EIC) remain unclear. The authors of this article observed, in a mouse model of EIC, downregulated PDZK1 expression in the liver and enhanced intracellular ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 10 February 2025    @Annalsofim          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. ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. This issue includes studies to be presented this week at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Metastasis-directed therapy shows favorable ...

MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. EAST LANSING, Mich. – Feeling ready for a committed relationship is a key step in dating. But do your friends agree that you’re ready for a long-term relationship? As this week is Valentine’s Day, newer couples may be considering just how serious their relationship is together. A new study from Michigan State University found that friends significantly agreed on who was ready for committed relationships — and who wasn’t. The ...

Integrated care – a coordinated approach that addresses patients’ physical, mental and social health needs – has been shown to improve patient outcomes, reduce health care costs and address health disparities.   Since 2019, the Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care’s Center for Integrated Care has served as a hub for integrated care education and training at Rutgers Health while providing clinical services with partners throughout New Jersey.   Researchers at the center have published ...

Like most aquatic vegetation, kelp is being negatively impacted by climate change. Warming ocean temperatures have led to shorter growing and harvesting seasons, including for sugar kelp, one of the most commonly farmed kelp species. The loss of kelp populations can significantly impact ecosystems, and potentially the growing demand for sustainably farming food, feed, fertilizer, medicine, and cosmetics. To give kelp a chance against climate change, scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have identified kelp species with natural adaptations to cope with heat. In a new study published in the Journal of Applied Phycology[RM1] , WHOI experts identify new strains ...

HOUSTON – (Feb. 10, 2025) – Rice University scientists and collaborators at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) have demonstrated a new method for detecting the presence of dangerous chemicals from tobacco smoke in human placenta with unprecedented speed and precision. The research team used a combination of light-based imaging techniques and machine learning (ML) algorithms to identify and label polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives (PACs) ⎯ toxic compounds generated through the incomplete combustion ...

No exhaust means no emissions, right?  Not quite. It is commonly known that while electric vehicles do not produce tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions while driving, they do create debris from tire and brake abrasion. However, the degree to which they do and how that compares to internal combustion engine vehicles was largely unknown until the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute's Hesham Rakha investigated it. In an article published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Rakha, alongside institute research associate Mohamed Farag and Associate Professor of civil and environmental engineering Hosein Foroutan, reported findings ...

A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC has unlocked the details of a cellular pathway that triggers cellular inflammation and aging and is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, particularly among those who carry the APOE4 genetic risk. They have also found a way to return cells to a healthy state, revealing a new potential approach to treatment. The study, the culmination of a decade of research on a protein known as ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), was just published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. Past research ...

Kick-Off Episode with Dr. Margaret Foti, CEO of AACR, Premieres February 11 Bethesda, MD – February 7, 2025 – The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is excited to announce the official launch of its groundbreaking new podcast, All Things Cancer, premiering on February 11, 2025. Hosted by NFCR CEO, Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., this compelling series will bring together the entire ecosystem of cancer research—including leading scientists, oncologists, doctors, patient advocates, caregivers, biotech innovators, and survivors—for powerful discussions on the breakthroughs shaping the future of cancer research, treatment, and ...

At a glance: Researchers discovered the importance of an enzyme that promotes growth of certain lung cancers. The enzyme, GUK1, supports metabolism in cancer cells to help tumors grow. In the future, GUK1 could become a possible target for lung cancer therapies. Lung cancer is a particularly challenging form of cancer. It often strikes unexpectedly and aggressively with little warning, and it can shapeshift in unpredictable ways to evade treatment. While researchers have gleaned important insights into the ...

AURORA, Colo. (Feb 10, 2025) – A new study analyzing Long COVID healthcare utilization in Colorado reveals a significant shift from acute care to outpatient services following diagnosis, shedding light on evolving treatment patterns and the broader healthcare burden posed by the condition. The study, published today in BMC Public Health, was conducted using Colorado’s comprehensive All-Payer Claims Database and provides one of the most detailed population-level insights into Long COVID patients to date. Researchers examined utilization patterns of individuals diagnosed with Long COVID between October 2021 and August 2022, tracking them for one-year post-diagnosis. “The ...

When U.S. children die in mass shootings, most of the time the perpetrator is a family member, new Stanford Medicine-led research shows. The findings, which will be published online Feb. 10 in JAMA Pediatrics, come from the first analysis of the relationships between mass shooting perpetrators and pediatric victims, those who are younger than 18 years old. “It was surprising that domestic violence was so pervasive, that 59% of kids who died in mass shootings were at the hands of a family member,” said ...

Perceiving whether another person is a personal health risk requires quickly assessing their trustworthiness. With limited characteristics available, implicit assumptions often influence risk perception. Research in this area has pointed to brain regions that may be involved in perceiving others as untrustworthy or as carriers of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). However, the relationship between brain activity, perceived trustworthiness of others, and perceived likelihood of acquiring an STD was unclear prior to a recent study published in eNeuro. In the study led by Daniela Mier at ...

Understanding the neural circuits that drive anxiety may help researchers discover circuit-specific targets and therefore increase the precision of treatment strategies. Previous studies have separately suggested that increased serotonin levels and the cerebellum may play roles in anxiety. To explore the relationship between these ideas, Pei Chin, from the University of Pennsylvania, and George Augustine, from Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, probed whether serotonin in the cerebellum causes anxiety behavior in mice. Contrary to previous ...

A research team led by Prof. ZHANG Jian from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has utilized metal corrosion to prepare high-performance electrodes, enabling efficient and cost-effective upgrading of bio-based 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). This study was published in Chem Catalysis. Corrosion is a common phenomenon that can lead to material failure and economic losses. However, researchers are exploring its potential for beneficial applications, particularly in biomass upgrading. Biomass is among the most abundant renewable resources on earth. Through catalytic conversion, ...

About The Study: This study showed venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk variation across hormonal contraceptives with highest rates for combined pills, especially those containing third-generation progestins, and no significant difference in risk for intrauterine devices (IUDs) relative to no use. For patches and implants, the increased VTE risk was uncertain due to limited data. Variation in VTE risk across products underscores the importance of personalized contraceptive counseling. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Harman Gailan Hassan Yonis, MD, email harman@live.dk. To ...

About The Study: The findings of this study indicate that from 2009 through 2020, a child was most likely to be killed in a mass shooting by a parent or family member, rather than a stranger or a peer. While school shootings dominate media coverage, this study suggests that domestic violence plays a larger role in child mass shootings. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Stephanie Chao, MD, email sdchao1@stanford.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.6609) Editor’s ...

It’s widely recognized that health care is a growing expense for many Americans. However, what health care companies do with their profits — some made through government programs such as Medicare — remains murky. To investigate this question, researchers at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) analyzed financial reports from 92 large U.S. health care companies. The results were published on Feb. 10 in a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research team focused on U.S. health care companies on the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500), which follows the 500 largest companies traded on stock exchanges, to ...

About The Study: The results of this comparative effectiveness research study suggest that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors  and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) were associated with a reduced risk of moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations compared with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors in adults with type 2 diabetes and active COPD. This may inform prescribing of glucose-lowering medications among patients with type 2 diabetes and active COPD.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Elisabetta Patorno, MD, DrPH, email epatorno@bwh.harvard.edu.  To access ...