About The Study: Although total dietary quality scores among U.S. children improved overall during 2005-2020, the increase remained suboptimal: lower than 5 points, a significant threshold for children in this analysis of changes in diet quality. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Yongjun Zhang, Ph.D., M.D., email zhangyongjun@sjtu.edu.cn. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.1880) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

About The Study: Survey respondents reported substantial acceptability of hospital-at-home care, which did not vary across sociodemographics, health insurance coverage, health status, prior hospitalizations, or telehealth use. Approximately half of respondents agreed that hospital-at-home care was effective, safe, and convenient. Most indicated capacity to perform many caregiver tasks. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Melissa A. Frasco, Ph.D., email mfrasco@usc.edu. To access the embargoed ...

About The Study: In this population of adults with overweight or obesity, use of tirzepatide was associated with significantly greater weight loss than semaglutide. Future study is needed to understand differences in other important outcomes.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Nicholas L. Stucky, M.D., email nicholass@truveta.com. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.2525) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest ...

In 2020, suicide ranked as the third leading cause of death for adults aged 18 to 20 years in the United States.  Firearms were implicated in approximately half of these cases, and by 2017, they had surpassed motor vehicles as the leading cause of death in this age group. While ongoing debates on gun violence and mental health have increased public support for restricted firearm access, not much is known about the impact of gun control policies on young adults.   To fill this knowledge gap, a recent study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health on July 03, ...

Fukuoka, Japan —The climate crisis is hitting home with more frequent extreme weather events. Companies, particularly those in high-emission industries, are major contributors to global carbon emissions, therefore making them key players in the fight against climate change. Recognizing this responsibility, many businesses are now taking proactive measures to reduce their carbon footprint, by reducing carbon emissions and transparently sharing their environmental strategies and data. The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures ...

CLEVELAND—There’s only one U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for an inherited retinal disease, and dozens of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) genes for which no therapy is available. With a new three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Shigemi Matsuyama, an associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, will test a possible breakthrough drug that can be taken by mouth—one that may address many RP disease manifestations, regardless of the underlying genetic mutation. “We believe it can serve as the basis of an oral medicine to prevent blindness in RP ...

Cancer is insidious. Throughout tumor progression, the disease hijacks otherwise healthy biological processes—like the body’s immune response—to grow and spread. When tumors elevate levels of an immune system molecule called Interleukin-6 (IL-6), it can cause severe brain dysfunction. In about 50%-80% of cancer patients, this leads to a lethal wasting disease called cachexia. “It’s a very severe syndrome,” says Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Bo Li.  “Most people with cancer die of cachexia instead of cancer. And once the patient enters this stage, there’s ...

Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is safe for treating patients with common types of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to the largest study of its kind on this new technology, led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.   The “MANIFEST-17K” international study is the first to show important safety outcomes in a large patient population, including no significant risk of esophageal damage, with PFA. PFA is the latest ablation modality approved by the Food and Drug Administration that can be used to restore a regular heartbeat. The findings, published July 8 in Nature Medicine, could lead to more frequent use of PFA instead of conventional therapies to manage AF patients. “MANIEFST-17K ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Why do employees sometimes accept working for an abusive boss?   A new study suggests that when a leader is seen as a high performer, employees are more likely to label abuse as just “tough love.”   Results showed that workers were less likely to show hostility to abusive bosses when the leader’s performance was high, and employees were even likely to think their career could be boosted by a successful – if abusive – boss.   The findings suggest that employees may be reluctant to call a successful boss abusive – ...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Angelman syndrome is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the maternally-inherited UBE3A gene and characterized by poor muscle control, limited speech, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities. Though there isn't a cure for the condition, new research at the UNC School of Medicine is setting the stage for one. Ben Philpot, PhD, the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology at the UNC School of Medicine and associate director of the UNC Neuroscience Center, and his lab have identified a small molecule that could be safe, non-invasively delivered, and capable of ...

As climate change advances, the ocean’s overturning circulation is predicted to weaken substantially. With such a slowdown, scientists estimate the ocean will pull down less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, a slower circulation should also dredge up less carbon from the deep ocean that would otherwise be released back into the atmosphere. On balance, the ocean should maintain its role in reducing carbon emissions from the atmosphere, if at a slower pace.  However, a new study by an MIT researcher finds that scientists may have to rethink the relationship between the ocean’s circulation and its ...

The largest animals do not have proportionally bigger brains - with humans bucking this trend - a new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution has revealed. Researchers at the University of Reading and Durham University collected an enormous dataset of brain and body sizes from around 1,500 species to clarify centuries of controversy surrounding brain size evolution. Bigger brains relative to body size are linked to intelligence, sociality, and behavioural complexity – with humans having evolved exceptionally large brains. The new research, published today (Monday, 8 July), reveals the largest animals do not have proportionally bigger brains, ...

A multidisciplinary research team has developed a discovery platform to probe the function of genes involved in metabolism — the sum of all life-sustaining chemical reactions.  The investigators used the new platform, called GeneMAP (Gene-Metabolite Association Prediction), to identify a gene necessary for mitochondrial choline transport. The resource and derived findings were published July 8 in the journal Nature Genetics.  “We sought to gain insight into a fundamental question: ‘How does genetic variation determine our “chemical individuality” — the inherited differences that make us biochemically unique?” said Eric Gamazon, ...

California must implement early retirement for existing heavy-duty vehicles as well as introducing zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) to protect Black, Latino and vulnerable communities and hit net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets by 2045. This is the outcome of a new study published in Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability by researchers from Stanford University and Arizona State University.  Stringent policies for mandating both ZEVs and early vehicle retirement could reduce cumulative emissions by two-thirds (64%) and reduce half of pollution-related mortality, particularly among disadvantaged communities.   California is the world’s 5th largest ...

This study presents a significant advancement in fuel cell technology. Researchers from Tokyo Tech identified hexagonal perovskite-related Ba5R2Al2SnO13 oxides (R = rare earth metal) as materials with exceptionally high proton conductivity and thermal stability. Their unique crystal structure and large number of oxygen vacancies enable full hydration and high proton diffusion, making these materials ideal candidates as electrolytes for next-generation protonic ceramic fuel cells that can operate at intermediate temperatures without degradation.   Fuel cells offer a promising solution for clean energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, ...

Over the past few decades, the world has witnessed tremendous progress in the tools used for genomic analysis. While it’s usually more common to associate these tools with the fields of biology and medicine, they have proven to be very valuable in agriculture as well. Using numerous DNA markers obtained from next-generation sequencing technologies, breeders can make genomic predictions and select promising individuals based on based on their predicted trait values.   Various systems and methodologies aimed at improving the ...

Immobilizing small synthetic molecules inside protein crystals proves to be a promising avenue for studying intermediate compounds formed during chemical reactions, report scientists from Tokyo Tech. By integrating this method with time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography, they successfully visualized reaction dynamics and rapid structural changes occurring within reaction centers immobilized inside protein crystals. This innovative strategy holds significant potential for the intelligent design of drugs, catalysts, and functional materials. Most complex chemical reactions, whether synthetic or biological, do not involve ...

Prejudice against fat people is endemic in our society and public health initiatives aimed at reducing obesity have only worsened the problem, according to a U.S. academic. In her new book Why It’s OK To Be Fat, Rekha Nath, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama, argues for a paradigm shift in how society approaches fatness. According to Nath, society must stop approaching fatness as a trait to rid the population of, and instead fatness should be approached through the lens of social equality, attending to the systematic ways that society penalizes fat people for their body size. Nath explains: “Being fat is seen as unattractive, as gross even. ...

Up on the “roof of the world”, one of the world’s largest ecosystem restoration projects is taking place. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) in western China is the world’s highest plateau and covers a land area roughly five times the size of France. Home to thousands of rare plants and wildlife and the source of water for more than 2.5 billion people, this vital ecosystem is under threat. The region’s grassland is degrading due to climate change and intense livestock grazing. Government ...

In a new study of politicians’ personalities, humour, charm and raw courage are listed among the most important character traits for successful leaders. Bill Jones, Honorary Professor of Political Studies at Liverpool Hope University, has combed through biographies and interviewed key political figures to understand the kind of people who enter politics, and strengths and frailties of those who occupy positions of power. Jones explains: “Why do aspiring politicians embark on such a perilous journey, involving hugely long hours, no real job security and, on occasions, high degrees ...

A pioneering study, presented today at the ESHRE 40th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam, has revealed that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) prior to the retrieval of oocytes (eggs) during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) can reduce the odds of achieving a live birth by almost 40% [1]. The study analysed PM10 exposure in the two weeks leading up to oocyte collection, finding that the odds of a live birth decreased by 38% (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.43-0.89, p=0.010) when comparing the highest quartile of exposure (18.63 to 35.42 µg/m3) to the lowest quartile (7.08 to 12.92 µg/m3). Conducted ...

Gestational carriers, also known as surrogates, experience an elevated risk of severe maternal morbidity and adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to women who conceive naturally or through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), according to new research presented today at the ESHRE 40th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam [1]. The population-based study analysed 937,938 singleton births in Ontario, Canada between 2012 and 2021, comparing outcomes among unassisted conceptions, IVF conceptions and gestational carriers. The findings uncovered marked variations in outcomes across the different conception methods. Gestational carriers faced a severe maternal morbidity rate ...

New research has demonstrated the effectiveness of a first-in-class oral, non-hormonal drug in increasing embryo implantation, pregnancy and live birth rates among infertile women who are undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) [1]. The findings, presented today at the ESHRE 40th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam, represent a significant step toward the first therapeutic tool to increase embryo implantation and live birth rate success.    Worldwide, one ...

A breakthrough for biomedical research promises new insight into immunotherapy development and disease modeling. Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have created a humanized mouse model with a human immune system and a human-like gut microbiome that is capable of mounting specific antibody responses.   The scientists were led by Paolo Casali, MD, University of Texas Ashbel Smith Professor and Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. Casali has five decades of biomedical research ...

At the upcoming SIAM Conference on Mathematics of Data Science (MDS24), a diverse mix of professionals from universities, industry, government, and research labs are set to join. The conference will showcase cutting-edge research that advances mathematical, statistical, and computational methods in the context of what we do with data and how to do it better. Presentations will range from foundational theory of data science to diverse applications. A particular focus this year is on the interaction of data science with the broader society in terms of privacy, interpretability, explainability, ...