A study of the genetics of pericarditis increases understanding of newly approved drug treatment Sequence variants that protect against pericarditis have been discovered at a genomic locus encoding interleukin-1 immune cytokines. A newly approved drug treatment for pericarditis inhibits these cytokines and new a study from deCODE genetics and collaborators can contribute to the further development of this treatment. A new study called “Variants at the interleukin-1 gene locus and pericarditis” was published today in the journal JAMA Cardiology, by scientists at deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, and their collaborators from Denmark, USA, and Iceland. The study involves ...

A new iguana joins Asia’s rich reptile fauna, officially described as new to science in the open-access journal ZooKeys. “From 2009 to 2022, we conducted a series of field surveys in South China and collected a number of specimens of the Calotes versicolor species complex, and found that the population of what we thought was Calotes versicolor in South China and Northern Vietnam was a new undescribed species and two subspecies,” says Yong Huang, whose team described the new species. Wang’s garden ...

At a glance: National study of quality of care in hospitals acquired by private equity shows worsening of fall and infection risk, other measures of quality and safety. Some post-procedure adverse events increased even though private equity hospitals performed fewer procedures among younger and less disadvantaged patients. The new findings amplify existing economic concerns about the growth of this for-profit ownership model. Patients are more likely to fall, get new infections, or experience other forms of harm during their stay in a hospital after it is acquired by a private equity firm, according to a new ...

About The Study: Private equity acquisition of hospitals, on average, was associated with increased hospital-acquired adverse events despite a likely lower-risk pool of admitted Medicare beneficiaries, suggesting poorer quality of inpatient care. These findings heighten concerns about the implications of private equity on health care delivery.  Authors: Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School in Boston, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2023.23147) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional ...

About The Study: Among a national cohort of medical interns, over half experienced sexual harassment. Although harassment was prevalent across programs, institutional and specialty training variations in interns’ sexual harassment experiences exist, thereby providing additional evidence that residency programs and institutions play an important role in combating this widespread problem.  Authors: Elizabeth M. Viglianti, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is the corresponding author.  To ...

About The Study: In this study of 8,000 participants, negative wealth shock (a loss of 75% or more in total wealth over a 2-year period) was associated with accelerated cognitive decline and elevated risks of dementia among middle-aged and older U.S. adults, with modifications by age and ethnicity. These findings should be confirmed by further prospective and interventional studies.  Authors: Jing Guo, Ph.D., of the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China, is the corresponding author.  To access ...

About The Study: The findings of this prognostic study of cognitive outcomes at 2-year follow-up among 1,000 infants born very preterm suggest that predictive modeling in neonatal care could enable early and targeted intervention for very preterm infants most at risk for developing cognitive impairment.  Authors: Andrea K. Bowe, M.B., M.P.H., of University College Cork in Cork, Ireland, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.49111) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, ...

About The Study: Pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency among older adults living alone, but not among those living with others in this study of 7,900 participants age 50 and older. Pet ownership offset the associations between living alone and declining rates in verbal memory and verbal fluency. Further studies are needed to assess whether pet ownership slows the rate of cognitive decline in older adults living alone.  Authors: Ciyong Lu, Ph.D., of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, is the corresponding author.  To ...

A drug screening system that models cancers using lab-grown tissues called organoids has helped uncover a promising target for future pancreatic cancer treatments, according to a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. In the study, published Dec. 26 in Cell Stem Cell, the scientists tested more than 6,000 compounds on their pancreatic tumor organoids, which contain a common pancreatic cancer-driving mutation. They identified one compound—an existing heart drug called perhexiline maleate—that powerfully suppresses ...

December 21 Peer reviewed /observational study / in people* Strictly embargoed 4PM UK time on Tuesday December 26 Researchers have identified a wide range of risk factors for young-onset dementia. The findings challenge the notion that genetics are the sole cause of the condition, laying the groundwork for new prevention strategies. The largescale study identified 15 risk factors, which are similar to those for late-onset dementia. For the first time, they indicate that it may be possible to reduce the risk of young-onset dementia ...

They published their work on Dec. 20 in Energy Material Advances.   "Economic, efficient, and safe hydrogen storage methods play a crucial role in exploiting hydrogen energy, reducing carbon emissions, and improving the utilization efficiency of renewable clean energies," said paper author Jianxin Zou, professor in National Engineering Research Center of Light Alloys Net Forming & State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites. "Solid-state hydrogen storage in hydrides has been considered as a promising hydrogen storage technology. Although the industrial ...

Plastic waste and its buildup in nature has become a major environmental concern in recent times. While plastic pollution in the oceans is undoubtedly a concern, the presence of plastics in soils around the world is also known to cause severe environmental and health issues. As plastics fragment into smaller pieces known as microplastics (MPs) in the soil through natural and anthropogenic processes, they drastically alter soil properties. Moreover, they are also absorbed by plants, potentially entering human ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 25 December 2023   Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet    @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. ...

Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. In a study published in the journal PNAS, researchers from Linköping University have developed an electrically conductive “soil” for soilless cultivation, known as hydroponics.  “The world population is increasing, and we also have climate change. So it’s clear that we won’t be able to cover the food demands of the planet with only the already existing agricultural methods. But with hydroponics we can grow food also in ...

Gastric cancer, a significant global health burden, claims over 7% of cancer-related deaths annually. Although only 1-3% of cases have a genetic basis, understanding these genetic drivers is crucial for developing preventative strategies. Gastric cancer, a formidable foe in the global health arena, casts a long shadow over millions of lives each year. While its tendrils reach far and wide, a distinct subset – hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) – emerges as a particularly aggressive and enigmatic adversary. This group of cancers, accounting for roughly 10% ...

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University showed that visual aids which create the illusion of movement, like a screen placed in front of one’s hand showing the hand move, can improve motor performance and the early stages of motor learning. Compared to observing third-person motions, functional near-infrared spectroscopy data also showed greater changes in brain activity in regions associated with motor learning. Findings like this might inform new treatment strategies for hemiplegic stroke patients. Visual-motor illusion (VMI) is the curious illusion of watching your body move even while it is still. ...

Every holiday season, Americans buy nearly 30 million live Christmas trees. Many families enjoy not only having a live tree inside their homes but also smelling the fresh fragrance it creates. That smell comes from chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, little is known about how much is emitted and whether they have any health impacts. “Our nose is a good chemical sensor,” said Dustin Poppendieck, an environmental engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). “We know that these trees are emitting something, ...

Recent research suggests that the emergence of tuberculosis infection in human populations dates back tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known cases in the Middle East. In collaboration with an international research team, Hungarian researchers have edited and published a special issue of the journal Tuberculosis. In July 2022, the Department of Anthropology of the University of Szeged organised a conference on the paleopathology and evolution of tuberculosis. The ICEPT3 conference was closely linked to the NRDI-best funded research project of György ...

WELLESLEY, MA – Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiome in cognitive outcomes and neurodevelopmental disorders, but the influence of gut microbial metabolism on typical neurodevelopment has not been explored in detail.  Researchers from Wellesley College, in collaboration with other institutions, have demonstrated that differences in the gut microbiome are associated with overall cognitive function and brain structure in healthy children. This study – published today in Science Advances – is a part of the Environmental Influences ...

HMRI and University of Newcastle researcher, Professor Murray Cairns, along with his Precision Medicine team have discovered a way of predicting who will respond to blood pressure treatments to lower sodium in the body. Their findings were published this week in Circulation, a prestigious international cardiology journal.  Professor Cairns says, “High blood pressure – or hypertension related disease – kills up to 20 per cent of people. At least 30 per cent of the adult population has it – that’s ...

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 22, 2023 – A new study indicates that severity of amyloid deposition in the brain — not just age — may be key to determining who will benefit from new anti-amyloid therapies to delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.  University of Pittsburgh clinicians and scientists report that the accumulation of toxic amyloid beta clumps that signal Alzheimer’s disease pathology accelerates in old age but the baseline amyloid burden and the overall brain health going into this acceleration ...

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Vizient Southern States, a membership alliance for not-for-profit health care providers, awarded Jason Hill, MD, MMM, clinical innovation officer, Ochsner Health, the 2023 Brilliance Award as a result of being selected to present at the 2023 Connections Summit. This year, six Vizient Southern States’ members were selected to share their stories of success with a national audience of Vizient members. Selected abstracts showcased their organization’s projects that demonstrated ...

This whirling image features a bright spiral galaxy known as MCG-01-24-014, which is located about 275 million light-years from Earth. In addition to being a well-defined spiral galaxy, MCG-01-24-014 has an extremely energetic core known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and is categorized as a Type-2 Seyfert galaxy. Seyfert galaxies, along with quasars, host one of the most common subclasses of AGN. While the precise categorization of AGNs is nuanced, Seyfert galaxies tend to be relatively nearby and their central AGN does not outshine its host, while quasars are very distant AGNs with incredible luminosities that outshine ...

Researchers at the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Physics with colleagues from Stanford University and Oklahoma State University have introduced a quantum-inspired phase imaging method based on light intensity correlation measurements that is robust to phase noise. The results of the research have been published in the prestigious journal “Science Advances”. The new imaging method can operate even with extremely dim illumination and can prove useful in emerging applications such as in infrared and X-ray interferometric imaging and quantum and matter-wave ...

When you eat a large meal, your stomach sends signals to your brain that create a feeling of fullness, which helps you realize it’s time to stop eating. A stomach full of liquid can also send these messages, which is why dieters are often advised to drink a glass of water before eating. MIT engineers have now come up with a new way to take advantage of that phenomenon, using an ingestible capsule that vibrates within the stomach. These vibrations activate the same stretch receptors that sense when the stomach is distended, creating an illusory sense of fullness. In animals who were given this ...