UC Santa Cruz chemists have discovered a new way to produce biodiesel from waste oil that both simplifies the process and requires relatively mild heat. This discovery has the potential to make the alternative fuel source much more appealing to the massive industrial sectors that are the backbone of the nation’s economy. In 2022, the U.S. transportation sector alone used about 3 million barrels of diesel per day, accounting for about 75% of total consumption of the fuel in this country. That same year, ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced the launch of its Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, which will build upon longstanding MD Anderson clinical and research expertise to lead the world in developing and advancing impactful cell therapies for patients in need. The institute will bring together top scientists and clinicians to lead exceptional discovery, translational and clinical research that will deliver new insights in immunology and cell engineering, fueling the creation of transformational new treatments that can be rapidly adapted to address emerging needs in cancer, autoimmune diseases, infections ...

A recent study by researchers from CSIRO and the University of Melbourne has made progress in quantum machine learning, a field aimed at achieving quantum advantage to outperform classical machine learning. Their work demonstrates that quantum circuits for data encoding in quantum machine learning can be greatly simplified without compromising accuracy or robustness. This research was published Sept.12 in Intelligent Computing, a Science Partner Journal. The team’s results, validated through both simulations and experiments on IBM quantum devices, show that their innovative encoding methods reduced circuit ...

A University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher will examine the role of cumulative psychosocial stress – as well as race, ethnicity and gender – among U.S. military personnel to gauge their impact on cardiovascular health and healthcare utilization. The study is funded with a $1 million grant from the Defense Health Agency, part of the Department of Defense (DoD). The findings will help the military develop programs for health promotion and health readiness for active duty and Reserve/National ...

The biomarker human neutrophil lipocalin HNL, which was previously shown to be a useful indicator of bacterial infections, may also in the form of Dimeric HNL be used to effectively monitor the success of antibiotic treatment in sepsis. The first promising results in this regard were published in 2019 and now the research group has confirmed these results in a larger study. The study is published in the journal PLOS ONE. Sepsis, the costliest disease to health care, is a life-threatening condition with high mortality if not diagnosed and ...

November 8, 2024, CLEVELAND: Cleveland Clinic researchers are presenting updated findings from their novel study of a vaccine aimed at preventing triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease.   The study team found that the investigational vaccine was generally well tolerated and produced an immune response in most patients. The team described the side effects of the vaccine, showed the highest tolerated dose to date, and presented the immunologic effects of the vaccine. Findings are being presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting.   Launched in 2021 and funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the ongoing ...

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) is hosting a free webinar, “Intergenerational Effects of Adversity on Mind-Body Health: Pathways Through the Gut-Brain Axis” on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 2:00 pm ET. The presenter, Bridget Laura Callaghan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA, Dr. Callaghan directs the Brain & Body Lab in the Department of Psychology and also heads the Mental Disorders and Pain research theme at the Goodman Luskin Microbiome Center. The webinar host, Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., is the President ...

Tool use isn’t unique to humans. Chimpanzees use sticks as tools. Dolphins, crows, and elephants are known for their tool-use abilities, too. Now a report in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 8, 2024, highlights elephants’ remarkable skill in using a hose as a flexible shower head. As an unexpected bonus, researchers say they also have evidence that a fellow elephant knows how to turn the water off, perhaps as a kind of “prank.” “Elephants are amazing with hoses,” says Michael Brecht ...

When people have an audience watching them, it can change their performance for better or worse. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal iScience on November 8 have found that chimpanzees’ performance on computer tasks is influenced by the number of people watching them. The findings suggest that this “audience effect” predates the development of reputation-based human societies, the researchers say. “It was very surprising to find that chimpanzees are affected in their task performance by ...

KEY TAKEAWAYS Researchers from Mass General Brigham are leveraging artificial intelligence to help identify the signs of long COVID, track how different symptoms manifest over time, and eliminate alternative explanations for patients’ symptoms. The new approach suggests that 22.8% of the population experience the symptoms of long COVID, a figure that may paint a more realistic picture of the pandemic’s long-term toll. Through analyzing a patient’s history over time, this new AI tool ...

About The Study: In this time-series study, heat waves were associated with increased adverse health events among dually eligible individuals 65 years and older. Without adaptation strategies to address the health-related impacts of heat, dually eligible individuals are increasingly likely to face adverse outcomes.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Hyunjee Kim, PhD, email kihy@ohsu.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.3884) Editor’s Note: Please ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of U.S. patients seeking abortion, many individuals and their households were estimated to incur catastrophic health expenditures, particularly those traveling from out of state. The financial and psychological burdens of abortion seeking have likely worsened after the Dobbs decision, as more people need to cross state lines to reach abortion care. The findings suggest expansion of insurance coverage to ensure equitable access to abortion care, irrespective of people’s state of residence, ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of pregnancy-associated homicide rates, barriers to divorce were associated with higher homicide rates and access to reproductive health care was associated with lower homicide rates. This study highlights the association between state legislation and pregnancy-associated homicide in the U.S., which is important information for policymakers.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kaitlin M. Boyle, PhD, email kb49@mailbox.sc.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.44199) Editor’s ...

Liver diseases, both acute and chronic, continue to pose significant clinical challenges due to high morbidity and mortality rates. Acute liver injury (ALI) caused by acetaminophen (APAP) overdose, hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI), and chronic conditions like nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) are influenced by HMGB1-mediated pathways. HMGB1 is released from injured or necrotic liver cells and triggers inflammatory responses. Its circulating levels have been associated with disease severity in liver conditions, marking ...

Cancer remains one of the leading global causes of mortality, with an estimated increase in cases due to lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors. Despite advancements in treatment, cancer's complexity and the side effects of conventional therapies necessitate alternative approaches. Medicinal plants, long valued for their therapeutic properties, have shown promise in cancer treatment, attributed to their natural phytoconstituents. This review focuses on the anticancer mechanisms of specific medicinal plants and discusses their potential for future therapeutic development. Anticancer Mechanisms of Selected Medicinal Plants Medicinal plants exert anticancer ...

The University of Cincinnati’s Yasmin Aziz, MD, and Joseph Broderick, MD, coauthored an editorial published Nov. 7 in the journal Neurology analyzing the current use and potential future of alternatives to traditional informed consent in acute stroke trials.    Patient informed consent is a crucial part of ethical clinical trial design and implementation, but time is of the essence for stroke trials. Approximately 2 million neurons die each minute they are deprived of oxygen, and patients are also sometimes incapacitated and therefore unable to consent ...

Scarlet macaws are a symbol of fidelity and virtue to many people because they are thought to mate for life — but it turns out that they also “play favorites” when feeding their young, making them excellent mates, but neglectful parents. Fortunately, Texas A&M scientists have developed a way to ensure the birds’ bad parenting results in fewer chick deaths.   Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have discovered that scarlet macaws purposefully neglect feeding the youngest chicks ...

An international team of researchers has provided a genetic diagnosis for 30 individuals whose condition was undiagnosed for years despite extensive clinical or genetic testing. The study, conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, National University of Singapore and collaborating institutions worldwide, appeared in Genetics in Medicine, the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. “The story of our findings began with one patient I saw in the clinic presenting an uncommon combination of problems,” said first and co-corresponding ...

The evolution of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy has transformed CRC diagnostics since its early 20th-century origins. Initial rigid endoscopes provided limited visualization, were highly uncomfortable for patients, and only partially visualized the colon. With the introduction of fiber-optic technology in the 1950s, endoscopy began transmitting real-time images, greatly enhancing diagnostic applications for GI conditions. Today, CRC remains a primary target for endoscopic screening due to its high prevalence as the second leading cause of cancer ...

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a growing global health challenge, accounting for millions of deaths each year. Its major contributors include metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), alcoholic liver disease (ALD), and hepatitis C virus infection. These conditions are closely tied to hepatic steatosis, a condition characterized by the abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified the 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) gene and its loss-of-function variant ...

Approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) each year. On average, they survive for only two to five years after being diagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease causes the death of neurons in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness, respiratory failure and dementia. Despite the devastating nature of the disease, little is known about what first triggers the deterioration of motor neurons at the onset of ALS. Now, researchers from University of California San Diego and their colleagues ...

The global burden of digestive tract tumors is profound, with these cancers accounting for nearly half of all malignant tumors worldwide. Despite advancements in endoscopic diagnostic methods, which enable earlier detection and treatment, a large portion of patients still receive diagnoses at later stages. For these patients, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapies are often the only viable options, yet resistance to treatment remains common, leading to high recurrence and mortality rates. Research increasingly shows that ferroptosis may be a key mechanism to reverse treatment tolerance. Ferroptosis, characterized by ...

In recent research published in eGastroenterology, Dr. J-Matthias Löhr and colleagues provide an in-depth review of diagnostic methods for pancreatic incidentaloma—incidental findings often detected during imaging scans intended for other conditions. These pancreatic lesions, which vary in severity, can occasionally signal pancreatic cancer in its earliest stages. However, traditional methods, including MRI and CT scans, are limited by invasiveness, cost, and variable sensitivity to early pancreatic changes. The research highlights ...

As demand surges for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, lithium-ion batteries need to deliver higher energy densities at lower costs. While conventional cathode materials like LiFePO4 and Li-Ni-Co-Mn-O are widely used, they often fail to balance performance with affordability. Lithium-rich manganese oxides (LRMOs) have emerged as a potential alternative due to their high capacity and cobalt-free composition. However, their low initial Coulombic efficiency and rapid voltage decay have limited their broader application. Addressing these challenges requires deeper research to stabilize LRMOs for widespread commercial use. In September, 2024, a team from Guangdong University of Technology, ...

Gastroschisis, a congenital abdominal wall defect, has transformed from a uniformly fatal condition to one with a 95% survival rate through surgical advancements over the past six decades. The primary goal of managing gastroschisis is to mitigate fetal and postnatal risks, including damage from herniated bowel loops and ensuring effective decompression of the gastrointestinal tract during recovery. This review focuses on both preventative and corrective aspects of gastroschisis management, highlighting innovations in neonatal surgery that improve quality of life and long-term health outcomes. Definition ...