Human breast milk regulates a baby’s mix of microbes, or microbiome, during the infant’s first year of life. This in turn lowers the child’s risk of developing asthma, a new study shows. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health and the University of Manitoba, the study results showed that breastfeeding beyond three months supports the gradual maturation of the microbiome in the infant’s digestive system and nasal cavity, the upper part of the respiratory tract. Conversely, stopping breastfeeding earlier than three months disrupts the paced development of the microbiome and ...

The GENOXPHOS (Functional Genetics of the Oxidative Phosphorylation System) group at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) has discovered a crucial role of sodium in the generation of cellular energy. The study, led by GENOPHOS group leader Dr. José Antonio Enríquez, also involved the participation of scientists from the Complutense University of Madrid, the Biomedical Research Institute at Hospital Doce de Octubre, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and the Spanish research networks on frailty and healthy aging (CIBERFES) ...

Researchers at Cranfield University have developed an innovative new method for identifying biomarkers in wastewater using origami-paper sensors, enabling the tracking of infectious diseases using the camera in a mobile phone. The new test device is low-cost and fast and could dramatically change how public health measures are directed in any future pandemics. Wastewater a key way to track infections Testing wastewater is one of the primary ways to assess the prevalence of infectious diseases in populations. Researchers take samples from various ...

About The Study: In this large cohort study of successive pregnancies, influenza vaccination was not associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, irrespective of interpregnancy interval and vaccine type. Findings support recommendations to vaccinate pregnant people or those who might be pregnant during the influenza season.   Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Darios Getahun, MD, PhD, MPH, email darios.t.getahun@kp.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.34857) Editor’s ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that optimizing body mass index (BMI) in women and men from the preconception period onward might be an important strategy to improve fertility and reduce the risk of miscarriage. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, MD, PhD, email v.jaddoe@erasmusmc.nl. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.36157) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict ...

A new international study provides a shortlist of the wildlife species present at the market from which SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, most likely arose in late 2019. The study, published Thursday in the journal Cell, is based on an analysis of genetic data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The data comes from more than 800 samples collected in and around the Huanan Seafood Wholesale market in Wuhan, China, beginning on Jan. 1, 2020, and from viral genomes from early COVID-19 patients. "This may be the last big, new set of data directly from ...

LOS ANGELES — A team of researchers from City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S., and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, have reported safety and efficacy results from a Phase 1 trial that featured a personalized vaccine to treat lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, a rare and slow-growing type of blood cancer, according to a study published recently in Nature Communications. The current approach to lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma care is active surveillance of a patient’s possible symptoms. ...

Climate change is forcing people to adapt to changing environmental conditions. But what really makes the difference is how they do it. The recently published Hamburg Climate Futures Outlook 2024 by 73 authors shows that, in the long run, only sustainable adaptation can succeed. This global assessment by University of Hamburg’s Cluster of Excellence Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CLICCS) also provides practical recommendations. “Successfully adapting to the impacts of climate change is just as difficult and challenging as reducing emissions of every kind,” says Anita Engels, Professor of Sociology ...

Carnegie Mellon University Africa announced today that the African Engineering and Technology Network (Afretec) has signed its eighth university partner, Al Akhawayn University. The network, launched in 2022, provides a vehicle for technology-focused universities in Africa to engage in deep collaboration to drive inclusive digital growth, create technology development and job growth, and shape policy change. Afretec Network members span the entire continent and include Carnegie Mellon University Africa, the American University in Cairo, Université Cheikh ...

CLEVELAND—With a new four-year, $1.14 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, will use artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the best personalized treatment for Veterans with rectal cancer. Colorectal cancers are the third-most common type of cancer in military personnel, affecting up to 8% of Veterans and 5% of active-duty Service members, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). More than 152,000 patients in the United States will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2024, with more than 46,000 localized ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the first time, scientists are able to directly compare the different kinds of injury that mechanical ventilation causes to cells in the lungs. In a new study, using a ventilator-on-a-chip model developed at The Ohio State University, researchers found that shear stress from the collapse and reopening of the air sacs is the most injurious type of damage. This miniature “organ-on-a-chip” model simulates not only lung injury during mechanical ventilation, but also repair and recovery, in human-derived cells in real time, said co-lead author ...

Enrollment of low-income, undocumented students declined by half at University of California and California State University campuses from 2016 through the 2022-23 academic year, according to a new study by the University of California Civil Rights Project at UCLA and UC Davis School of Law.  The paper, “‘California Dreamin’: DACA’s Decline and Undocumented College Student Enrollment in the Golden State” is believed to be the first to report on data collected during an era marked by increasing limitations on DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.  Further, researchers found, for UC and CSU low-income undocumented ...

One of the things that makes brains so incredibly difficult to understand is their ability to adjust and adapt. Our learning experiences can set off complex signaling cascades that reshape neurons—and their synaptic connections—at the cellular level. For example, in mammals, scientists have established that activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and the ensuing calcium ion (Ca2+)-dependent signaling cascade is essential for postsynaptic remodeling and learning. As one might reasonably expect, ...

Samarium (Sm), a rare earth metal, is important to organic chemists because of the ability of its divalent compounds to efficiently perform single-electron transfer reductions. Samarium iodide (SmI2) is moderately stable and can operate under mild conditions at room temperature, making it highly useful for producing pharmaceuticals and biologically active materials. However, most reactions require SmI2 in quantities equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount and necessitate the use of harmful chemicals, making the process resource-intensive and expensive to manage.   Several approaches have been studied to reduce ...

Scientists have learned how plants keep viruses from being passed to their offspring, a finding that could ensure healthier crops. The discovery could also help reduce the transmission of diseases from mothers to human children. Plant viruses are often able to spread from one country to another through the seed trade. As a result, parent-to-progeny disease transmission is of global concern. “Viruses can hide in seeds for years, making this one of the most important issues in agriculture,” said UC Riverside distinguished professor Shou-Wei Ding in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology. Ding is corresponding author of a new paper about the ...

HOUSTON – (Sept. 19, 2024) – Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have received $2.8 million in funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for research on reducing inflammation and lung damage in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. The study, titled “Cell Based Immunomodulation to Suppress Lung Inflammation and Promote Repair,” will be co-led by Omid Veiseh, a professor of bioengineering and faculty director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, and Ravi Kiran Ghanta, a professor of surgery at Baylor. ...

Figshare, a leading provider of institutional repository infrastructure that supports open research, is pleased to announce that the University of Limpopo has chosen Figshare to facilitate the collection, management, sharing and preservation of its research data. The University of Limpopo – one of the top public universities in South Africa offering undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, and a variety of short learning programmes – will become the 20th institution in the country using Figshare as their data repository. Using ...

Fukuoka, Japan – Japan in spring is famous for its cherry blossoms, or sakura, which begin flowering in the southern region of Kyushu and blaze upwards to the remote north of Hokkaido. The most abundant cherry tree cultivar, Somei Yoshino, is the iconic symbol of spring, as the cloned trees flower simultaneously at each site, creating a fleeting explosion of white-pink blossom that enraptures locals and tourists alike. The flowering forecasts of Somei Yoshino are poured over for months before flowering, as visitors plan their trips and locals ...

Fukuoka, Japan—Researchers have developed a new organic thermoelectric device that can harvest energy from ambient temperature. While thermoelectric devices have several uses today, hurdles still exist to their full utilization. By combining the unique abilities of organic materials, the team succeeded in developing a framework for thermoelectric power generation at room temperature without any temperature gradient. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications. Thermoelectric devices, or thermoelectric ...

The superior colliculus is a midbrain region that is traditionally thought to help animals orient themselves toward important locations in space, like directing their eyes and head toward a bright flash of light. New research from the University of Chicago shows that this part of the brain also plays a role in complex cognitive tasks like visual categorization and decision making. In the new study, published in Nature Neuroscience, scientists measured the information contained in patterns of brain cell activity across multiple brain regions involved in visual category decisions. The researchers monitored activity in the superior colliculus (SC) and part of the posterior parietal ...

Lavas from hotspots—whether erupting in Hawaii, Samoa or Iceland—likely originate from a worldwide, uniform reservoir in Earth’s mantle, according to an evaluation of volcanic hotspots published today in Nature Geoscience. The findings indicate Earth’s mantle is far more chemically homogenous than scientists previously thought—and that lavas only acquire their unique chemical “flavours” enroute to the surface. “The discovery literally turns our view of hotspot lavas and the mantle upside down,” said Dr. Matthijs Smit, associate professor ...

The Amazon, often called the "lungs of the planet", is the world’s largest tropical forest, playing a crucial role in the global climate system due to its vast carbon storage. While it is typically warm and humid all year round, continued climate change poses the threat of more frequent and severe droughts and heat extremes. A new study, published in Nature Communications delves into future projections of the Amazon carbon cycle, focusing specifically on the impacts driven by climate change. Scientists use the latest generation of Earth system models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project which contributed to ...

A new way of making ammonia by harnessing the unique power of liquid metal could lead to significant cuts in carbon emissions caused by production of the widely-used chemical.   Ammonia is used in fertiliser to grow much of our food, but also plays a role in clean energy as a carrier to safely transport hydrogen. The global production of ammonia, however, comes at a high environmental cost: it consumes over 2% of global energy and produces up to 2% of global carbon emissions. RMIT Research Fellow and study ...

Researchers have uncovered a fascinating mechanism behind the reduction and asymmetry of emu wing bones. The wings not only show significant shortening, but the skeletal elements also fuse asymmetrically, a phenomenon traced back to the absence of muscle formation in the distal regions of the wings. During development, this lack of muscle leads to insufficient mechanical stress, which is crucial for proper bone formation. The team identified muscle progenitor cells with a unique dual identity, combining characteristics of both somite１-derived myogenic and lateral plate mesoderm2 cells. These ...

Only about ten percent of the world’s roughly 4,000 snake species have venom strong enough to seriously hurt a human, but that’s enough for snake bites to be an important public health concern. To help better understand how snakes make their venom and how venoms differ from one species to another, researchers developed a new way to zero in on the genes that snakes use in venom production. Their work was published in the journal Molecular Ecology Resources. “We’ve developed a tool that can tell us which venom-producing genes are present across an entire snake family in one fell swoop,” says Sara Ruane, the Assistant Curator of Herpetology in the ...