More than half of laws and policies on healthcare workers’ rights align with international standards, according to a study published December 9, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Matthew Kavanagh from Georgetown University, U.S., James Campbell from the World Health Organization, Switzerland, and colleagues. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, healthcare workers were at the forefront to stem the tide, often putting their own health at risk. Inadequate infection control measures and insufficient access to personal protective ...

University of Houston psychology researcher Jason Griffin, who has pioneered new ways of measuring eye movements to understand autism spectrum disorder, is reporting that children with autism focus on faces differently than other children, especially in the early stages of visual processing. His findings may lead to improvement in face processing for those with the neurodevelopmental condition.   For most people, looking eye-to-eye with someone while talking seems an important yet innocuous social convention – one barely thought of during polite conversation. But for those with autism, characterized ...

The majority of the known asteroids orbit within the main asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter at an average distance from Earth of about 250 millions kilometers. Since the discovery of the first asteroid in 1801, nearly 750.000 of them have already been numbered, mainly in the last decade thanks to the many optical surveys searching the sky every clear nights. Most of these asteroids are larger than 1 kilometer, the largest one, Vesta, at about 530 km in diameter, while many millions of smaller ones are expected. While these look huge numbers, the total mass of all the asteroids combined is less than that of Earth's Moon.   Sometimes, these asteroids ...

  SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 9, 2024 – Mays Cancer Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), is hosting the 47th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Dec. 10-13. Owned and initiated by Mays Cancer Center, the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is the world’s largest breast cancer research conference. More than 11,000 clinicians, researchers, and patient ...

“This study reveals the potential for prognostic features in predicting hepatic decompensation in patients with PSC.” BUFFALO, NY – December 9, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Oncotarget’s Volume 15 on November 22, 2024, entitled “Computed tomography-based radiomics and body composition model for predicting hepatic decompensation.”  Mayo Clinic researchers Yashbir Singh, John E. Eaton, Sudhakar K. Venkatesh, and Bradley J. Erickson have developed an innovative AI tool to predict hepatic decompensation in individuals with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). PSC is a chronic disease that damages ...

About The Study: This study found that adults ages 50 to 80 commonly reported loneliness and social isolation. While the pandemic disrupted social connections, rates of loneliness and isolation were substantial both before and after the early pandemic. High rates of loneliness and social isolation occurred in several sociodemographic groups, especially those with self-reported fair or poor physical or mental health. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Preeti N. Malani, MD, MSJ, email pmalani@umich.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at ...

Loneliness and isolation among older Americans have mostly returned to pre-pandemic rates, but that still means more than one third of people age 50 to 80 feel lonely, and nearly as many feel isolated, a new national study shows. And some older adults – especially those dealing with major physical health or mental health issues – still have much higher rates of loneliness and social isolation than others. The new findings, from a review of six years of data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, are published in JAMA by a team from the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Starting ...

The asteroid that extinguished the dinosaurs is estimated to have been about 10  kilometers across. That’s about as wide as Brooklyn. Such a massive impactor is predicted to hit Earth rarely, once every 100 million to 500 million years.  In contrast, much smaller asteroids, about the size of a bus, can strike Earth more frequently, every few years. These “decameter” asteroids, measuring just tens of meters across, are more likely to escape the main asteroid belt and migrate in to become near-Earth objects. ...

About The Study: This cohort study found no evidence that high dementia risk among former professional soccer players was associated with potentially modifiable general health and lifestyle dementia risk factors. These data support continuation of measures directed toward reducing exposure to repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injury in sport. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, William Stewart, MBChB, PhD, email william.stewart@glasgow.ac.uk. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For ...

About The Study: The findings of this cohort study suggest that early-life surgical removal of tonsils or adenoids is associated with a higher future risk of stress-related disorders and highlight a need to understand the role of adenotonsillar diseases or associated health conditions in the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Zhe Zhang, MD, PhD, email zhangzhe@gxmu.edu.cn. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For ...

About The Study: This analysis documented the continued high burden of medically attended respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated acute respiratory illness among young children in the U.S. Nirsevimab and maternal RSV vaccine uptake was low, but nirsevimab was effective against RSV-associated hospitalization. There is a potential for substantial public health impact with increased and equitable prevention product coverage in future seasons. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Heidi L. Moline, MD, MPH, email ick6@cdc.gov. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.5572) Editor’s ...

PHILADELPHIA— For the first time, researchers used lab-grown organoids created from tumors of individuals with glioblastoma (GBM) to accurately model a patient’s response to CAR T cell therapy in real time. The organoid’s response to therapy mirrored the response of the actual tumor in the patient’s brain. That is, if the tumor-derived organoid shrunk after treatment, so did the patient’s actual tumor, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, published today in Cell Stem Cell. “It’s hard to measure how a patient with GBM responds to treatment because we can’t regularly ...

Analyzing the sequence of proteins in cohort studies is done by comparing participant data against protein sequences predicted from the human genome. – Today, the same reference proteins are used for all participants, says associate professor Marc Vaudel at the department of Clinical Science of the University of Bergen – but we are all different! We found that the small genetic changes that make us who we are create a bias: for those who differ from the reference, current informatic methods are blind to parts of their proteins. To solve this problem, the researchers in Bergen developed new models to build sequences from large genetic ...

(Toronto, December 9, 2024) In a pivotal step toward improving research standards in health care technologies, the Journal of Medical Internet Research has published the RATE-XR guideline. This new tool aims to standardize reporting for early-phase clinical studies involving extended reality (XR) technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality. Developed through a robust, expert-driven process, RATE-XR addresses critical gaps in transparency, safety, and ethical reporting, ensuring XR applications meet the needs of patients and researchers alike. Led by a multidisciplinary team of international experts, RATE-XR offers a checklist comprising 17 XR-specific ...

A research team led by Prof. Julia Esser-von Bieren from the Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich, as well as the University of Lausanne (UNIL) has uncovered a molecular strategy employed by worm parasites (helminths) to evade host immune defenses. This discovery opens new avenues for the development of innovative vaccines and therapies. Published in Science Immunology, the study offers promising solutions for addressing major infectious diseases, allergies, and asthma by leveraging ...

AUSTIN, TX, Dec 9, 2024 – School shooting incidents have doubled in the last three years, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which tracks each time a firearm is discharged on school property. Many schools have taken measures to improve safety, including metal detectors, interior door locks, emergency drills, and undercover security. But do students and staff feel any safer?  Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) conducted a nationwide study of K-12 parents, K-12 teachers, and recently graduated high school students to test their responses ...

SAN ANTONIO — December 9, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute has announced a groundbreaking joint industry project (JIP) to help spur the growth and innovation of fueling technologies and infrastructure for hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles. SwRI’s H2HD REFUEL (Hydrogen Heavy Duty Refueling Equipment and Facilities Utilization Evaluation Laboratory) JIP aims to strengthen the acceptance of hydrogen fuel use by heavy-duty vehicles to help the mobility industry meet its decarbonization and zero-emissions goals by advancing hydrogen refueling station (HRS) technologies. Over the next four years, SwRI researchers will use hands-on ...

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest that a new feature in the universe—not a flaw in telescope measurements—may be behind the decadelong mystery of why the universe is expanding faster today than it did in its infancy billions of years ago. The new data confirms Hubble Space Telescope measurements of distances between nearby stars and galaxies, offering a crucial cross-check to address the mismatch in measurements of the universe’s mysterious expansion. Known as the Hubble tension, the discrepancy remains unexplained even by the best cosmology models. “The ...

Arlington, Va. – Children as young as age 6 develop gender stereotypes about computer science and engineering, viewing boys as more capable than girls, according to new results from an American Institutes for Research (AIR) study. However, math stereotypes are far less gendered, showing that young children do not view all science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields as the same. These new findings come from the largest-ever study on children’s gender stereotypes about STEM and verbal abilities, based on data from 145,000 children across 33 nations, synthesizing more than 40 years of ...

Hair loss during chemotherapy can cause enough distress for some women to lose self-confidence, which experts say may discourage them from seeking chemotherapy in the first place. Oral minoxidil is a commonly prescribed treatment for hair loss. The drug is also the active ingredient in over-the-counter Rogaine. The prescription treatment is known, however, to dilate blood vessels, and experts worry that this could increase the heart-related side effects of chemotherapy and lead to chest pain, shortness of breath, or fluid buildup. Now, a study in women with breast cancer suggests that low oral doses of minoxidil, taken during ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – If you feel terrible about giving a late gift to a friend for Christmas or their birthday, a new study has good news for you.   Researchers found that recipients aren’t nearly as upset about getting a late gift as givers assume they will be.   “Go ahead and send that late gift, because it doesn’t seem to bother most people as much as givers fear,” said Cory Haltman, lead author of the study and doctoral student in marketing at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.   In a series of six studies, Haltman and his colleagues explored the mismatch between givers’ ...

We tie our shoes, we put on neckties, we wrestle with power cords. Yet despite deep familiarity with knots, most people cannot tell a weak knot from a strong one by looking at them, new Johns Hopkins University research finds. Researchers showed people pictures of two knots and asked them to point to the strongest one. They couldn’t. They showed people videos of each knot, where the knots spin slowly so they could get a good long look. They still failed. People couldn’t even manage it ...

It's easy to think that machine learning is a completely digital phenomenon, made possible by computers and algorithms that can mimic brain-like behaviors. But the first machines were analog and now, a small but growing body of research is showing that mechanical systems are capable of learning, too. Physicists at the University of Michigan have provided the latest entry into that field of work.  The U-M team of Shuaifeng Li and Xiaoming Mao devised an algorithm that provides a mathematical framework for how learning works in lattices called ...

[Vienna, 09.12.2024] —Train delays are not only a common frustration for passengers but can also lead to significant economic losses, especially when they cascade through the railway network. When a train is delayed, it often triggers a chain reaction, turning minor issues into widespread delays across the system. This can be costly. A report from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) indicates that a nationwide rail disruption in the US could cost the economy over $2 billion per day. Therefore, the pressing question for railway operators is: How to manage the cascading effect of delays efficiently ...

Modeling how cars deform in a crash, how spacecraft responds to extreme environments, or how bridges resist stress could be made thousands of times faster thanks to new artificial intelligence that enables personal computers to solve massive math problems that generally require supercomputers. The new AI framework is a generic approach that can quickly predict solutions to pervasive and time-consuming math equations needed to create models of how fluids or electrical currents propagate through different ...