A study of men with a family history of prostate cancer has discovered an inherited form of prostate cancer. The inherited mutated gene WNT9B, which functions normally in embryonic prostate development, increases risk of adult prostate cancer, according to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in JCO Precision Oncology. This discovery was replicated in five independent study populations collectively encompassing one-half million patients from the U.S. and Europe, with the increased prostate cancer risk estimates ranging from two- to 12-fold, according to lead author Jeffrey Smith, MD, PhD, associate ...

Rice University chemist and director of the university’s Synthesis X Center Han Xiao and cancer biologist Dihua Yu of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, allowing them to do further research on overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for the treatment of brain metastasis. This hurdle blocks most cancer therapies from reaching the brain, but the scientists’ innovative approach could transform the treatment of brain ...

‘Astonishing’ findings in mice suggest microbial product could restore skin pigmentation Offers hope for a disease that affects all skin tones, but is more visible and severe in darker skin Vitiligo affects 0.5% to 2% of the global population Patients available for interviews upon request CHICAGO --- A natural compound derived from gut-friendly bacteria significantly slows the progression of vitiligo and may restore pigmentation, reports a new Northwestern University pre-clinical study in mice. The findings could offer hope to millions affected by the autoimmune ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts that are directly related to a hospitality company’s core business operations and competencies can help companies create both social and business value, according to researchers in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. Led by Penn State Professor of Hospitality Management Seoki Lee, the research team developed a strategic framework to help hospitality companies optimize their CSR activities — like environmental and social initiatives — to obtain greater social and business value. The researchers published their ...

Antibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis responsible for more than a million deaths annually. By 2050, the World Health Organization estimates it could surpass cancer and heart disease as the leading cause of death as more bacteria develop defenses to the drugs designed to combat them. Now Tulane University researchers have identified a unique genetic signature in bacteria that can predict their likelihood of developing antibiotic resistance, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The findings could help researchers more quickly identify precision-based treatments that are more effective ...

The fact that the cold, dry Mars of today had flowing rivers and lakes several billion years ago has puzzled scientists for decades. Now, Harvard researchers think they have a good explanation for a warmer, wetter ancient Mars.     Building on prior theories describing the Mars of yore as a hot again, cold again place, a team led by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have determined the chemical mechanisms by which ancient Mars was able to sustain enough warmth in its early days ...

By Diana Setterberg, MSU News Service BOZEMAN – Two recently published studies by a Montana State University ecologist reveal new findings about the relationship between population dynamics of two species of large African carnivores and the availability of their prey. “The studies are related in a lot of ways,” said Scott Creel, lead author of a paper about the effects of prey depletion on endangered African wild dogs that was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and co-lead author of another paper about the effects of poaching controls on African lion demographics that was featured ...

Data from nations around the world can be used to develop strategies for dementia prevention, treatment, and care, according to “Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Dementia and Related Population Health Trends,” a new supplemental issue of The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s-disease-related dementias are a set of conditions involving impaired memory and other cognitive processes that interfere with daily functioning. Worldwide, significant increases in the number of older adults living with dementia are ...

Professor Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, will lead the launch of the University of Bath’s new Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour (IDSB), on Wednesday 29 January, at Bath’s Guildhall, in a keynote speech on Securing the Future. The Institute marks a new research collaboration, bringing together behavioural and social scientists to address the risks to society posed by digital technology. Researchers will study the fundamental causes of vulnerability to harm and the factors that can make people, organisations and societies safer and more ...

Arecent study conducted by University of Florida geologists and geographers has shed new light on the effects of climate change on Antarctic ice shelves. It found that while there has been broad ice shelf loss due to warming temperatures, the frequency and size of major iceberg calving events has not changed significantly. This study was led by Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences Emma MacKie, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Geography Katy Serafin, Ph.D., along with a collaborator at the Colorado School of Mines. “Our results suggest that the primary threat ...

BOSTON, MA— The Matthew Perry Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, today announced the establishment of the Matthew Perry Foundation Fellowship in Addiction Medicine for the 2025/2026 academic year. The fellow will join a highly competitive Addiction Medicine fellowship program, which is one of only 105 available in the United States and trains physicians who have completed an accredited residency program to become specialists and leaders in Addiction Medicine. The fellowship focuses on developing clinical expertise, leadership skills, and training ...

A new study led by Western researchers found frequent treatment with intranasal oxytocin – a hormone in the brain associated with empathy – offers promise for addressing a key symptom among patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD): Apathy. It’s a common issue among those with FTD which affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, impacting language, behaviour and decision making. Patients with FTD lose interest in hobbies and passions that previously brought them joy and, most devastatingly, become apathetic ...

LAWRENCE — A new book co-edited by a researcher at the University of Kansas is a guide for early childhood education professionals to implement the Pyramid Model framework for promoting social-emotional competence in infants and young children. According to publisher Brookes, “Unpacking the Infant–Toddler Pyramid Model: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Providers” is the first book to provide “a comprehensive, step-by-step overview of the widely used Pyramid Model Practices for infants and toddlers from birth to 3. With this accessible training guide, teachers and providers will use research-based practices to meet the unique needs of ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – New Cornell University led-research challenges the long-standing belief that active volcanoes have large magma bodies that are expelled during eruptions and then dissipate over time as the volcanoes become dormant. Researchers used seismic waves to identify magma chambers beneath the surface of six volcanoes of various sizes and dormancy within the Cascade Range, which includes half of the U.S. volcanoes designated by the U.S. Geological Survey as “very high threat.” The team found that all of the volcanoes, including dormant ones, have persistent and large magma bodies. The ...

“Cats and humans share 90.9%, 77.8%, and 82.5% identities in OAT1, OATP4C1, and ABCC2 proteins, respectively.” BUFFALO, NY- January 28, 2025 – A new research paper was published in Volume 16, Issue 22  of Aging (Aging-US) on December 20, 2024, titled, “Impaired renal transporter gene expression and uremic toxin excretion as aging hallmarks in cats with naturally occurring chronic kidney disease.” This study, led by researchers Qinghong Li, James A. Holzwarth, Bethany Smith, Sonia Karaz, Mathieu Membrez, ...

A team of stem cell scientists have successfully used embryonic stem cell engineering to create a bi-paternal mouse—a mouse with two male parents—that lived until adulthood. Their results, publishing on January 28, 2025, in the Cell Press journal Cell Stem Cell, describe how targeting a particular set of genes involved in reproduction allowed the researchers to overcome previously insurmountable challenges in unisexual reproduction in mammals.   Scientists have attempted to create bi-paternal mice before, but the embryos ...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2025 – Cancer accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020 – almost one in every six deaths globally – according to the World Health Organization. Because the detection of abnormal diseased cellular growth often occurs too late, timely cancer diagnosis remains one of humanity’s most pressing and elusive medical objectives. Recent research has focused on the detection in peripheral blood of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which serve as noninvasive markers that can help inform diagnoses. It is inherently difficult to separate controllable target cells to examine. Traditional ...

A new study published today in JAMA Network Open explores the effects of both recent and lifetime cannabis use on brain function during cognitive tasks. The study, the largest of its kind ever to be completed, examined the effects of cannabis use on over 1,000 young adults aged 22 to 36 using brain imaging technology. The researchers found that 63% of heavy lifetime cannabis users exhibited reduced brain activity during a working memory task, while 68% of recent users also demonstrated a similar impact. This decline in brain activity was associated with worse performance on working memory - the ability to retain and use information to perform tasks. For example, working ...

About The Study: Lifetime history of heavy cannabis use was associated with lower brain activation during a working memory task in this study of young adults. These findings identify negative outcomes associated with heavy lifetime cannabis use and working memory in healthy young adults that may be long lasting.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Joshua L. Gowin, PhD, email joshua.gowin@cuanschutz.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.57069) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including ...

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have developed a new way to grow T cells in the lab that enables them to live longer and better destroy cancer cells in a mouse model of melanoma compared to those grown in traditional growth media. The findings, published recently in Cell Metabolism, have the potential to greatly improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies that involve taking T cells from a patient and growing them to enormous numbers in the lab before reinfusing them back into the body. “The way we traditionally grow T cells ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, exposure to cold in the Netherlands and heat in Spain were associated with more psychiatric symptoms, highlighting distinct temperature exposure and mental health associations among adolescents. Future studies should explore this across diverse climates to further quantify the intricate and multifactorial association of climate change with mental health.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Monica Guxens, MD, email monica.guxens@isglobal.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.56898) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In pregnant patients with uncomplicated chronic hypertension, prevention of preeclampsia may potentially reduce severe maternal morbidity risk comparable to normotensive patients.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Erica P. Gunderson, PhD, MPH, email erica.gunderson@kp.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.51406) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding ...

PHILADELPHIA—Standardizing an assessment process currently used by doctors during care discussions with veterans at risk for suicide in other context could shed more light on the risks related to firearms and opioids.   The findings from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania were reported today in JAMA Network Open. They found that fewer veterans reported having access to firearms than expected—either because some didn't mention it to their doctor, it wasn't ...

Fukuoka, Japan—It goes without saying that the tourism industry in Japan is booming. Walk around any major city and you’ll see people from all around the world enjoying the country’s food, culture, and hospitality. Naturally, the revenue generated by the industry has had a positive economic impact throughout Japan. However, between 2020 and 2022, the tourism industry was hit particularly hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions. While the government implemented policies ...

A new study has taken a closer look at how healthcare quality is measured in three major countries—Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom—uncovering striking similarities and critical gaps. The research delved into Israel’s Quality Indicators in Community Healthcare (QICH), the US’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), and the UK’s Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). While all three systems prioritize family medicine and process-focused metrics, the study highlights a lack of attention to structural and outcome-based ...