A solution to injuries from slips and falls may be found underfoot — literally. The footpads of geckos have hydrophilic (water-loving) mechanisms that allow the little animals to easily move over moist, slick surfaces. Researchers in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces report using silicone rubber enhanced with zirconia nanoparticles to create a gecko-inspired slip-resistant polymer. They say the material, which sticks to ice, could be incorporated into shoe soles to reduce injuries in humans.  Slips ...

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) present a revolutionary leap in renewable energy technology with their high efficiency, lightweight, and flexible nature. But their commercial applications are often hindered by their sensitivity to environmental factors like heat and humidity. To address this, a team of researchers led by Professor Takashi Minemoto, a Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy Fellow from the College of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Japan, along with Dr. Abdurashid Mavlonov from the Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, and Dr. Akinobu Hayakawa from Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd., recently conducted pioneering ...

As dairy farmers dwindle every year, the demand for high-quality milk remains steadfast, driving a surge in dairy farming. Although this shift improves efficiency, it makes managing the health of individual cows more challenging. Effective health management has thereby become a critical issue in the dairy industry. Early detection of abnormalities, swift diagnosis, prevention of disease spread, and maintaining proper breeding cycles are essential for desirable and stable milk production. While there are invasive methods, like using mechanical devices attached to dairy cows for health ...

Researchers from the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged (Hungary), have made a concerning discovery about the future of antibiotics. Two recent studies, published just days apart in Nature Microbiology and Science Translational Medicine found that resistance can develop against new antibiotics even before they are widely used, compromising their effectiveness from the start. The studies focused on five critical bacterial species that cause major hospital infections and examined 18 new antibiotics, some already on the market and ...

PULLMAN, Wash. — A new variety of Kentucky bluegrass has been commercially released by researchers at Washington State University. “Matchless,” developed from another bluegrass variety called “Kenblue,” offers seed growers higher yields without the harmful impacts of burning. It also provides consumers with the option of a more environmentally friendly grass. For several decades in the 1900s, Kentucky bluegrass growers burned fields to remove stubble after harvest, reduce thatch buildup, prevent disease, and for a number ...

Research Highlights: Propranolol, a beta blocker medication used for treating high blood pressure and preventing migraines, may lower ischemic stroke risk in women who experience migraines frequently. In the large analysis of more than 3 million medical records, the protective effect of propranolol was stronger for ischemic stroke compared to other stroke types and in women with migraine without aura. However, it did not have the same effect on men. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific ...

Research Highlights: Children who have had a stroke may be at higher risk for developing anxiety, depression and related physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach aches than their peers. Among the study participants, the most common age for emotional challenges in young stroke survivors was around age 9. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings are considered preliminary until published as full manuscripts in a peer-reviewed scientific ...

Research Highlights: Closely following a Mediterranean-style diet — rich in fruits, vegetables, beans, olive oil and some fish and chicken — was associated with improved brain health in a study of Hispanic/Latino adults in the U.S. The Mediterranean diet provided benefits that extended beyond heart health, researchers said. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings are considered preliminary until published ...

Research Highlights: People with brain bleeds had nearly 7 times higher blood levels of a specific brain protein, called glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), than those who had strokes caused by clots in a study conducted in Germany. A blood test that detects the GFAP brain protein may help doctors determine the stroke type faster and allow them to start safe treatment for people before they get to the hospital. This could reduce brain damage and lead to better outcomes for stroke patients. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings ...

Research Highlights: By integrating 30 minutes a day of progressive walking exercise into standard stroke rehabilitation (30 to 60 minutes of physical therapy five days a week) stroke patients had a measurable improved quality of life and mobility at hospital discharge compared to a control group. In the study, all therapists in 12 units successfully implemented the new protocol in a real-world setting with their patients as part of an improved standard of care. Each unit was responsible for onboarding new therapists and maintaining the protocol. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented ...

Research Highlights: An artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to predict a person’s biological age (age of body cells and tissues) based on electrocardiogram (ECG) data found a strong association between ECG-age and cognitive performance. In an analysis of more than 63,000 people in the United Kingdom, those with accelerated ECG aging had lower cognitive test scores than those with normal aging. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American ...

Research Highlights: Both F.A.S.T. and BE-FAST acronyms motivated people to call 911 right away for a possible stroke, and this impact lasted for 30 days. F.A.S.T. outperformed BE-FAST in the ability for people to remember key stroke warning signs (face, arm and speech), suggesting the additional letters of B and E hinder memory recall. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings ...

Research Highlights: People who regularly floss their teeth (one or more times per week) may lower their risk of stroke caused by a blood clot traveling from the heart and a stroke associated with an irregular heartbeat such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). The benefits of regular flossing may be independent of tooth brushing and other oral hygiene behaviors. Researchers suggest that flossing is a healthy habit that is affordable, easy to adopt and accessible everywhere. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart ...

Research Highlights: Increased levels of Streptococcus anginosus, a common type of bacteria that usually lives in the mouth and gut, was found in the gut of recent stroke survivors in Japan. Over two years, stroke patients with a significant amount of Streptococcus anginosus bacteria in their gut were more likely to die or have another major cardiovascular event than stroke patients without Streptococcus anginosus in the gut. The results suggest that analyzing mouth and gut bacteria may someday help determine stroke risk, and that targeting these harmful bacteria with new therapies and proper dental hygiene may help prevent ...

Research Highlights: Shorter protective caps on chromosomes called telomeres, a proposed marker of accelerated biological cell aging, may be associated with an increased risk of stroke, dementia and late-life depression, according to an analysis of more than 356,000 people in the United Kingdom. The study did not find that the telomere length directly causes these age-related brain diseases. However, it indicates that healthier lifestyle choices might significantly counteract the harmful effects associated with shorter telomeres. Note: The ...

Australian cancer researchers are the first to establish a next-generation gene-editing tool for modelling and interrogating human disease. A novel pre-clinical model expressing an enhanced version of a new genome-engineering enzyme called Cas12a was generated by researchers at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), WEHI and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. Cas enzymes are required to cut specific sections of DNA or RNA during CRISPR experiments. CRISPR is a revolutionary gene-editing tool widely used for cancer ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL 1000 GMT THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2025 Zika transmission has been reported more than 90 countries as the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the virus, as well as dengue and chikungunya, has increased over recent years as an effect of climate change and urbanisation. Yet surprisingly little is known about the factors that drive Zika transmission success.   A new study led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and published in Communications Biology shows that Zika ...

Key cells in the brain, neurons, form networks by exchanging signals, enabling the brain to learn and adapt at incredible speed. Researchers of the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands (TU Delft) have developed a 3D-printed ‘brain-like environment’ where neurons grow similarly to a real brain. Using tiny nanopillars, they mimic the soft neural tissue and the brain extracellular matrix fibers. This model provides new insights into how neurons form networks, as well as a novel tool to understand in future how this process may change in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, ...

The development of vehicle components is a lengthy and therefore very costly process. Researchers at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have developed a method that can shorten the development phase of the powertrain of battery electric vehicles by several months. A team led by Martin Hofstetter from the Institute of Automotive Engineering is combining simulation models of components with evolutionary optimisation algorithms. This AI system automatically optimises the entire powertrain – from the power electronics to the electric machine through to the transmission – in line with the manufacturer’s technical requirements, taking ...

The electronics of the future can be made even smaller and more efficient by getting more memory cells to fit in less space. One way to achieve this is by adding the noble gas xenon when manufacturing digital memories. This has been demonstrated by researchers at Linköping University in a study published in Nature Communications. This technology enables a more even material coating even in small cavities.  Twenty-five years ago, a camera memory card could hold 64 megabytes of information. Today, the same physical ...

New technology from Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, is helping the EU establish its own competitive computer manufacturing industry. Researchers have developed components critical for optimising on-chip memory, a key factor in enhancing the performance of next-generation computers. The research leader, Professor Per Stenström, along with colleagues, has discovered new ways to make cache memory work smarter. A cache is a local memory that temporarily stores frequently accessed data, improving a computer’s ...

The UK’s peatlands face an uncertain future amid the escalating impacts of climate change. Peatlands are critical ecosystems for carbon storage and biodiversity, containing more carbon than all the world's forests despite covering just 3% of the global land surface. But new research reveals that vast areas of the UK’s peatlands, including the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site, are likely to be unsuitable for peat accumulation by 2061–80 due to climate change. The researchers urge for a shift in conservation strategies, with the ...

‘Sleep hygiene’: How FIFO workers can get a better night's sleep     Better sleep hygiene could see fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mining shift workers get a better night’s sleep, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has shown.   Sleep hygiene includes habits and sleep environment factors that can positively influence sleep, including a healthy diet, physical exercise and limited screen time. While these all seem  obvious, the remote location of mine sites across Australia and the ...

###EMBARGOED BY BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH UNTIL 1AM GMT JAN 30 / 8PM ET JAN 29### A new AI-based analysis of almost 10,000 pregnancies has discovered previously unidentified combinations of risk factors linked to serious negative pregnancy outcomes, including stillbirth. The study also found that there may be up to a tenfold difference in risk for infants who are currently treated identically under clinical guidelines. Nathan Blue, MD, the senior author on the study, says that the AI model the researchers generated helped identify a “really unexpected” combination of factors associated with higher risk, and that the model is an important step ...

A new Cochrane review confirms that antidepressants effectively reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) under trial conditions, although there is limited data on long-term usage. GAD affects millions of people worldwide and is characterized by excessive worry about everyday issues. Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), are recognized treatments for GAD, recommended by many national bodies including the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. However, misconceptions ...