Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among U.S. women and the second leading cause of cancer death. Black women who develop breast cancer are around 40% more likely to die of the disease than white women, but it was unclear until now whether this disparity exists across all types of breast cancer. Now, a meta-analysis led by Mass General Brigham researchers shows that Black women have a higher risk of dying from breast cancer for all tumor subtypes, and the size of this disparity varies from 17-50% depending on the type of breast cancer. These findings, ...

In May, a major cyberattack disabled clinical operations for nearly a month at Ascension, a health care provider that includes 140 hospitals across the U.S. Investigators tracked the problem to malicious ransomware that had infected an employee’s computer. Health care systems offer juicy targets for cybercrime because of the valuable personal, financial, and health data they hold. A 2023 survey of health information technology and IT security professionals reported that 88% of ...

Integral Molecular, a leader in antibody discovery and characterization, has published new research in the journal mAbs, revealing that as many as one-third of antibody-based drugs exhibit nonspecific binding to unintended targets. A serious concern, off-target drug binding is a significant cause of adverse events in patients, with the potential to even cause death. Analysis of antibody off-target binding across different phases of clinical development suggests this to be a major cause of drug attrition. Early specificity testing could improve drug approvals and patient safety. Learn how antibody developers can use the Membrane Proteome Array™ to assess specificity ...

Reducing the serving size for beer, lager and cider reduces the volume of those drinks consumed in pubs, bars and restaurants, and could be a useful alcohol control measure, according to research published September 17th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Theresa Marteau and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, UK, found that over a short intervention period, venues that removed the pint and offered two third pints instead, sold 10% less beer by volume compared with when pints were available. When wine by the glass is offered in smaller servings, the amount sold ...

Lower socioeconomic status is associated with higher rates of death from coronary artery disease compared to higher socioeconomic status, and more than half of the disparities can be explained by four unhealthy behaviors. Dr. Yachen Zhu of the Alcohol Research Group, U.S., and Dr. Charlotte Probst of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada, report these findings in a new study published September 17th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease, occurs when the arteries supplying the heart cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood due to plaque buildup, and is a major cause of death in the ...

Trachomatous trichiasis, a potentially blinding condition where inward-turned eyelashes scratch the front of the eye, can successfully be treated by either of the two most common types of eyelid surgery, according to findings from a large comparison trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. In light of previous, smaller studies, which suggested that one of the commonly used surgery types had poorer outcomes, this study provides reassurance that either technique can treat the condition. The study, published in PLOS Neglected ...

DETROIT — A grant from the National Institutes of Health will support ongoing research at Wayne State University investigating the consequences environmental factors may have on fertility in males. The five-year, $3,082,404 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health is led by Richard Pilsner, Ph.D., professor and the Robert J. Sokol, M.D., Endowed Chair of Molecular Obstetrics and Gynecology in the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development in the department of Obstetrics/Gynecology at Wayne State, and faculty member in the Institute of Environmental ...

WASHINGTON (September 17, 2024) – Children’s National Hospital, widely recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care, has been chosen by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to lead the Special Populations Hub in the next generation of the BARDA Accelerator Network. BARDA, is part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).   The next generation of the BARDA Accelerator Network builds on lessons learned from the first iteration of the network ...

Norway introduced its Regular GP Scheme was introduced in 2001. This gave all citizens the right to choose a GP in their home municipality and facilitates personal continuity between the doctor and the patient. These types of long-term doctor-patient relationships are associated with reduced use of emergency health services and lower mortality, both internationally and in Norway. A widely discussed Norwegian study from 2022 showed that patients who had the same GP for more than fifteen years had a 25 per cent lower risk of dying compared to patients who had the same GP for one year or less. However, there has been an increasing shortage of GPs in recent years. As of July 2024, just over ...

Cancer cells seldom start off stealthy. Quite to the contrary, they announce their presence to the immune system by planting chemical red flags right on their membranes. Once alerted, the body’s defenses can swoop in, destroying rogue cells before they can do much damage. Lying at the heart of this early warning system are lipids, fatty compounds previously seen by cancer biologists primarily as a fuel source for burgeoning tumors. But now, a new study in Nature demonstrates that one particular lipid type is actually ...

The spacecraft bus that will deliver NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to its orbit and enable it to function once there is now complete after years of construction, installation, and testing. Now that the spacecraft is assembled, engineers will begin working to integrate the observatory’s other major components, including the science instruments and the telescope itself. “They call it a spacecraft bus for a reason — it gets the telescope to where it needs to be ...

A $5.3 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences will support advanced cancer research in Oklahoma. The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant is designed to build research capacity and help early-career researchers establish independently funded laboratories. This is the third and final phase of the COBRE grant, which was first awarded in 2012, followed by phase two in 2017. The grant has supported and paralleled the growth of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma’s ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – For many decades, the coca plant – the main ingredient in cocaine – has been grown almost exclusively in South America. But a new study shows that nearly half of northern Central America appears to be highly suitable for cultivating this lucrative cash crop.   Findings showed that 47% of Honduras, Guatemala and Belize have the right climate and soil for commercial coca growing. Most of southern Central America was not suitable.   It’s not a hypothetical concern. Researchers began ...

SAN ANTONIO — September 17, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is collaborating with The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to explore and develop a novel platform or chemical process for synthesizing antibiotic compounds with a $125,000 grant. The project, one of two winning proposals this cycle, is supported by the Connecting through Research Partnerships (Connect) program designed to foster collaboration between SwRI and UTSA. “SwRI and UTSA will work together to combat the growing threat antimicrobial resistance poses to global health by developing a proof-of-concept platform to potentially create a whole ...

From 2001 to 2021, roughly 9200 Norwegian soldiers served in Afghanistan. The vast majority of them have managed well in the years that have followed. According to a new survey conducted by the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services, however, a significant number of the veterans struggle with mental health issues. “All Norwegian veterans who served in Afghanistan were invited to participate in a large health survey in 2020,” says Associate Professor Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology ...

In a paper published in Physical Review Letters this week, physicists from Amsterdam and Copenhagen argue that close observations of merging black hole pairs may unveil information about potential new particles. The research combines several new discoveries made by UvA scientists over the past six years. Gravitational waves that are emitted by the merger of two black holes carry detailed information about the shape and evolution of the orbits of the components. A new study by physicists Giovanni Maria Tomaselli and Gianfranco Bertone from ...

Staphylococcus aureus, mostly known from its antibiotic-resistant variant Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is among the leading causes of both community- and hospital-acquired infections. According to the most recent data, MRSA killed around 120,000 people in 2022 globally and far more are killed by antibiotic-susceptible strains of S. aureus. So far however, all attempts at developing a protective vaccine for S. aureus have been unsuccessful. Research from Amsterdam UMC, in collaboration with UMC Utrecht, Leiden University, and the University of California, San Diego, have discovered an important immune component that offers protection against infection, ...

A new study led by UCLA Health found that a person’s sex and their unique experiences of childhood trauma can have specific consequences for their biological health and risk of developing 20 major diseases later in life. Although a large body of research has shown that childhood adversity can have long-lasting impacts on a person’s biology and health, there has been little research looking into how different types of stressors affect specific biological functions and health risks. The new findings, published in the journal ...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2024 – Vincent van Gogh’s painting “The Starry Night” depicts a swirling blue sky with yellow moon and stars. The sky is an explosion of colors and shapes, each star encapsulated in ripples of yellow, gleaming with light like reflections on water.  Van Gogh’s brushstrokes create an illusion of sky movement so convincing it led atmospheric scientists to wonder how closely it aligns with the physics of real skies. While the atmospheric motion in the painting cannot be measured, the brushstrokes can. In an article published this week in Physics ...

About The Study: In this cohort study of older survivors of nonmetastatic cancer, those who had overweight or obesity at the time of their first cancer diagnosis were at higher risk of developing a second cancer, especially an obesity-related second cancer. Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among cancer survivors, it is important to promote survivorship care guidelines recommending weight management and increase awareness of second cancers among physicians and cancer survivors. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Clara Bodelon, Ph.D., M.S., email clara.bodelon@cancer.org To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The ...

About The Study: This cohort study shows that the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement program outcomes differed by race and ethnicity for patients covered outside traditional Medicare, with home discharge rates increasing more for Hispanic compared with non-Hispanic white patients. These findings suggest the importance of considering differential outcomes of Medicare payment policies for racial and ethnic minority patient populations beyond the initially targeted groups. Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Narae Kim, Ph.D., ...

LA JOLLA, CA—At this moment, the world has few tools to combat deadly filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburg viruses. The only approved vaccine and antibody treatments protect against just one filovirus species. Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) are working to guide the development of new antivirals by leading some clever enemy reconnaissance. These researchers use high-resolution imaging techniques to examine a virus's molecular structure—and uncover where a virus is vulnerable to new therapies. In a new Cell study, scientists in LJI's Center for Vaccine Innovation share the first ...

New Haven, Conn. — The newer, 3D form of breast screening, known as digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), is more effective at detecting breast cancer than traditional 2D digital mammography (DM). That’s the conclusion of an analysis of 13 years’ worth of screening data conducted by Yale Cancer Center researchers. The data also suggests that 3D mammograms could reduce the incidence of advanced cancer diagnoses. “Most of the time, women will do better with 3D mammograms since their ...

Many leading entrepreneurs have questioned the value of investing in an MBA if you want to run a successful start-up. But a recent survey conducted with members of the INSEAD community shows that going to business school can help ensure that any entrepreneurial scheme has a better chance of achieving greater impact and long-term success.  According to the INSEAD Alumni Entrepreneurship Report 2024, 73 percent of the INSEAD students and graduates surveyed embarked on entrepreneurial activities following their time at the global business school. More than ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – According to a new 10-year study, screening for breast cancer with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) increases cancer detection rates and significantly reduces the rate of advanced cancers compared to conventional 2D digital mammography. The findings were published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Mammography is considered the gold standard in breast cancer screening for the general population. However, conventional 2D mammography, in which a low-dose X-ray system produces pictures of the inside of the breast from two angles, fails to detect approximately 20% of breast cancers. It is ...