Can a single protein-encoding gene determine whether a vertebrate embryo develops normally? Yes, according to Osaka Metropolitan University researchers, who found that suppression of Pcdh8 is essential for the notochord to elongate properly in zebrafish. Graduate School of Medicine Dr. Masatake Kai and Professor Makoto Kondo focused on this paraxial protocadherin (PAPC), which is excluded when dividing cells migrate and form the notochord in the embryo. In the experiments with zebrafish embryo, when this PAPC is not ...

NOVEMBER TIP SHEET - SYLVESTER COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER CANCER RESEARCH Sylvester Researchers to Share Insights at ASH 2024 Annual Meeting Dozens of physician-scientists and other investigators from Sylvester Cancer will share their insights at ASH 2024, the American Society of Hematology’s 66th-annual meeting in San Diego, Dec. 7-10. Sylvester researchers will be involved in more than 130 presentations, including oral, poster and special sessions. Additionally, Sylvester Director Stephen D. Nimer, MD, will receive the 2024 ASH Mentor Award for his exemplary work in mentoring trainees and colleagues. BREAST CANCER   The Cancer Journey: Asking For and Accepting Help Journalist ...

Algorithms that can detect subtle changes in a person’s voice are emerging as a potential new diagnostic tool for Parkinson’s disease, according to researchers from Iraq and Australia. Speech impairments are often the first indicators of the fastest-growing neurological disease in the world, affecting more than 8.5 million people, but traditional diagnostic methods are often complex and slow, delaying early detection. Researchers from Middle Technical University (MTU) in Baghdad and the University of South Australia (UniSA) have recently published a conference paper reviewing ...

Findings from a Mass General Brigham-led study that has followed participants since before birth may offer clues about the origins of Alzheimer’s disease. KEY TAKEAWAYS Stress-related immune activity during the late second to early third trimester of pregnancy can have long-term sex-dependent effects on offspring memory circuitry, function, and decline that potentially increase vulnerability for memory disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, after menopause. Sex differences in immune function begin in fetal development ...

About one in five people who have stopped smoking for more than a year in England currently vape, equivalent to 2.2 million people, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers. The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that this increased prevalence was largely driven by greater use of e-cigarettes in attempts to quit smoking. However, the researchers also found a rise in vaping uptake among people who had already stopped smoking, with an estimated one in 10 ex-smokers who vape having quit smoking prior to 2011, when e-cigarettes ...

The Northern Lights were visible much farther south than usual this year, and pictures of the colorful hues filled social media. Now, imagine an aurora hundreds of times brighter – except no one would be able to snap a photo of it, as the onslaught of particles rushing in from the sun would instantly turn smartphones into bricks.  Such extreme solar storms are rare – only six are known to have left their traces on Earth in the past 14,500 years, and none have been witnessed since the height of the Assyrian Empire nearly 2,700 years ago. A research team ...

High monthly turnover rates of nurses and senior doctors are associated with higher deaths for emergency patients admitted to NHS hospitals in England, finds a study published by The BMJ today. The findings suggest that efforts to reduce staff turnover may improve patient care and hospital quality, say the researchers. The retention of healthcare workers is critical for the provision of patient care, as acknowledged by the NHS long term workforce plan. Previous research has investigated ...

Women with a history of endometriosis and uterine fibroids might have an increased long term risk of premature death, finds a large study from the United States published by The BMJ today. Endometriosis and uterine fibroids are common disorders among women of reproductive age. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, while uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths within or around the womb. Growing evidence shows that both conditions are associated with a greater ...

More than 4,000 people could be dying per year because of high turnover rates of nurses and doctors in NHS hospitals, according to new research from the University of Surrey.   The research has shown a clear association between high turnover rates of nurses and doctors in NHS hospitals and a troubling rise in patient mortality rates.   The study, published in The BMJ, analysed nearly a decade of data from 148 NHS acute hospitals in England using anonymised patient and worker records. The researchers found that a one standard deviation increase in nurse turnover is associated with 35 additional deaths per 100,000 hospital admissions within 30 days. For senior doctors, ...

The tropical coastlines of Southeast Asia are home to some of the most important and biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet. However, they are also among its most vulnerable, with areas of coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds under increasing threat from a wide range of human activities. To try and better understand those potential threats, a study by an international team of researchers has provided the first detailed assessment of activities taking place within coastal and marine habitats and the impact they have on those ecosystems. The research ...

A new book has outlined why public institutions should recognise a new human right to free internet access and what such a right could look like. Free Internet Access as a Human Right is a culmination of research from Dr Merten Reglitz, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and has been published today (21st Nov) by Cambridge University Press. The research argues that the new human right to free internet access should include protection from government censorship, surveillance and misuse, and private companies harvesting data. Dr Reglitz explained: “For most of us a world without internet access ...

Building on a decades-long partnership, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory will play a leading role in planning and rebuilding the nuclear-generated clean energy infrastructure in post-war Ukraine. Argonne will focus on developing small modular reactor applications that could play a key role in helping countries meet energy security goals.    Argonne’s work supports the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology ...

Recently, LinkedIn announced its Hiring Assistant, an artificial intelligence “agent” that performs the most repetitious parts of recruiters’ jobs — including interacting with job candidates before and after interviews. LinkedIn’s bot is the highest-profile example in a growing group of tools — such as Tombo.ai and Moonhub.ai — that deploy large language models to interact with job seekers. Given that hiring is consequential — compared with, say, a system that recommends ...

Many scholars have examined the ways in which ancient Roman house design emphasized views and viewing within the domestic space; indeed, the role of the vista in the architecture of this period was so important that Roman law codified “the right to an unobstructed view.” Most villas were constructed on the principle of axiality, providing a view through the entire house, but other techniques were utilized, too, often to complement certain domestic rituals or patterns of movement. Parts of the interior that were visible to an outsider walking past the entrance, for instance, often favored “easily legible decorative schemes,” while rooms where a guest was intended to relax ...

Speaking today at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, Gladys E. Maestre, MD, PhD, from the Rio Grande Valley Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research testified to lawmakers about the importance of advancing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in populations worldwide. Representatives convened the hearing, titled “Meeting the Challenges of ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A dramatic, threefold reduction in repeat operations in patients surgically treated for chronic subdural hematoma was achieved when the artery supplying the brain covering was blocked, according to results of a national clinical trial led by neurosurgeons at the University at Buffalo and Weill Cornell Medicine that was published Nov. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine. “We are changing the way that we are treating this very common disease,” says Jason M. Davies, MD, PhD, corresponding author and associate professor of neurosurgery in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. “We are changing subdural ...

A novel combination of surgery and embolization used to treat subdural hematomas, bleeding between the brain and its protective membrane due to trauma, reduces the risk of follow-up surgeries, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and University at Buffalo. Embolization is a minimally invasive procedure that blocks specific blood vessels to stop abnormal bleeding. The finding is based on EMBOLISE, a multi-center, randomized, clinical study that compared chronic subdural hematoma recurrence rates in patients treated with surgery and middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization versus current standard ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today was awarded nearly $8 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in support of faculty recruitment as well as lung and colorectal cancer screening and early detection programs to address cancer incidence rates across Texas. “CPRIT’s continued support is essential for progress in our mission to end cancer, and we appreciate this important funding,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “Our unique research ecosystem enables breakthroughs across all disciplines, ...

A research team from the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has found that internet use is linked to better mental health among adults aged 50 or older across 23 countries. The findings revealed that those who engage online report fewer depressive symptoms, higher life satisfaction and better self-reported health. The researchers call for tailored interventions that utilise internet connectivity to improve overall mental health in middle-aged and older populations, taking into account the ...

Young adults at risk of psychosis show reduced brain connectivity, a deficit that cannabis use appears to worsen, a new study has found. The breakthrough paves the way for psychosis treatments targeting symptoms that current medications miss. In the first-of-its-kind study, McGill University researchers detected a marked decrease in synaptic density—the connections between neurons that enable brain communication—in individuals at risk of psychosis, compared to a healthy control group. “Not every cannabis user will develop psychosis, but for some, the risks are high. Our research helps clarify why,” said Dr. Romina Mizrahi, senior author ...

MINNEAPOLIS – For people seeing a neurologist, their age, race, ethnicity and neighborhood may play a role in whether they do so in person or virtually, via telemedicine, according to a study published in the November 20, 2024, online issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice , an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These results do not prove these factors increase or decrease a person’s likelihood to choose telemedicine, they only show an association. “There is an urgent need to develop health care options that can meet the increasing demand created by a shortage of neurologists ...

MINNEAPOLIS – Recovery from an autoimmune inflammation of the brain may take three years or more, according to a study published in the November 20, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is brain swelling caused when the immune system attacks the brain. A patient memoir titled “Brain on Fire” and a film based on the book have increased awareness of the disease first identified in 2005. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is rare and primarily affects young adults. Symptoms start with headache, fatigue and fever and progress to confusion, memory ...

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex and long-term illness characterized by extreme fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest, and can worsen with physical activity. The exhaustion is severe enough to limit a person’s ability to carry out daily activities like cooking, showering, or even getting dressed. Additional symptoms can include muscle pain, joint pain, memory issues, headaches, sleep problems, and sensitivity to light or sound.  There is no known cause or cure for CFS, which affects an estimated 3.3 million people ...

DETROIT — A new program supported by a four-year, $749,991 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will use data to study the future of agriculture and train students to better understand how to keep people fed in an ever-changing world. The project, “Nonformal Training of Michigan Youth on Intersection of Agriculture and Data Science,” will be led by Sara Masoud, Ph.D., assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering in Wayne State University’s College of Engineering. Agriculture experts say that arable land per person is projected to decrease by two-thirds of the current available ...

Hair loss significantly impacts patients’ quality of life, and it may be nonscarring or scarring. Etiologically, hair loss may be hereditary (androgenetic alopecia [AGA]); related to age; congenital (hair shaft disorders); traction induced; inflammatory (primary scarring alopecia); autoimmune (alopecia areata); or secondary to medical, surgical, or emotional stressors (telogen effluvium), infection (tinea capitis), and certain medica- tions including cancer therapies. Topical minoxidil is approved by the US Food and Drug Admin- istration (FDA) as an over-the-counter drug designed to treat male pa- tients with AGA (minoxidil, 5% ...