Ehrapy is intended to fill a critical gap in the analysis of health data, says Lukas Heumos, one of the main developers and a scientist at the Institute of Computational Biology at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM): “Until now, there have been no standardized tools for systematically and efficiently analyzing diverse and complex medical data. We’ve changed that with ehrapy.” The team behind ehrapy comes from biomedical research and has extensive experience in analyzing complex scientific datasets. “The healthcare sector faces similar challenges in data analysis as ...

Ozone gas is reducing the growth of tropical forests – leaving an estimated 290 million tonnes of carbon uncaptured each year, new research shows. The ozone layer in the stratosphere shields our planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation – and protecting it is one of the major successes of environmental action. But ozone at ground level – formed by the combination of pollutants from human activities in the presence of sunlight – interferes with plants’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Ozone is also harmful to human health. The new study, published in ...

BOSTON – Concerns about the environmental impact of healthcare decisions rarely enter into conversations between patients and physicians. However, evidence from a new study led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, shows there's broad interest in changing that. In a series of focus groups conducted in different areas of the United States, doctors and patients expressed openness to considering environmental factors when discussing treatment options. The findings, presented in a paper published online today by Nature Climate Change, suggest that educating physicians about the environmental costs of treatment ...

Barcelona, 12 September 2024 – Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment in recent years by enabling the immune system to attack tumour cells. However, only 20-40% of patients respond positively to immunotherapy, and these rates vary across different types of cancer. Predicting which patients will respond to immunotherapy and which will not is currently a highly active area of research. Numerous studies conducted so far have focused on the specific characteristics of tumours, their microenvironment, or the patient's immune ...

A new study finds that a trilobite species with exceptionally well-preserved fossils from upstate New York has an additional set of legs underneath its head. The research, led by the American Museum of Natural History and Nanjing University in China, suggests that having a fifth pair of head appendages might be more widespread among trilobites than once thought. Published today in the journal Palaeontology, the study helps researchers better understand how trilobite heads are segmented. Trilobites are ...

Several fields of mathematics have developed in total isolation, using their own ‘undecipherable’ coded languages. In a new study published in PNAS, Tamás Hausel, professor of mathematics at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), presents “big algebras,” a two-way mathematical ‘dictionary’ between symmetry, algebra, and geometry, that could strengthen the connection between the distant worlds of quantum physics and number theory. Technical Toolkit: Symmetry and commutativity, from esthetics to functionality Symmetry is not just a question of esthetics and equilibrium, but also a highly recurrent feature throughout the domains ...

While being overweight increases the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases, there is a phenomenon known as the obesity paradox where a decreased risk of death has been seen during cancer therapy. However, that paradox might not be the trend for all cancer therapies, an Osaka Metropolitan University team reports in JAMA Network Open, a publication of the American Medical Association. Led by graduate student Mr. Yasutaka Ihara and Professor Ayumi Shintani of the Graduate School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Statistics, ...

Screens have become ubiquitous in our daily lives — which means they’ve also become part of children’s lives too. So what effect does this have on children’s developing brains, especially critical language skills? To understand this, scientists in Estonia surveyed the parents of more than 400 children about their screen use, their children’s screen use, and their children’s language skills. They found that parents who use screens a lot also have children who use screens a lot, and that children’s higher screen time is associated with poorer language skills.  “Our ...

Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are searching for a new treatment target for a common complication of diabetes that can cause retinal blood vessels to break down, leak, or become blocked. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious eye disease and a leading cause of blindness that results when diabetes’ sustained high blood sugar levels cause damage to the retina – the part of the eye that detects light – over time. That can happen in a number of ways, from inflammation to overgrowth ...

Prescribing rates for stimulants that treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have increased significantly over the past decade, with some of the largest increases reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new study of adult emergency department admissions at Mass General Brigham, led by McLean Hospital researchers, found that individuals who are taking high doses of amphetamine (e.g. Adderall) face more than a five-fold increased risk for developing psychosis or mania. Findings were published September 12th in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Overall, individuals with past-month prescription amphetamine use had a greater likelihood of new-onset psychosis or mania ...

With flu season just around the corner and COVID-19 cases on the rise, a new nationwide survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center reveals hesitancy around vaccines this fall. The new data comes just as this year’s flu shot rolls out and following the FDA’s approval of an updated round of COVID-19 vaccines. The national poll of 1,006 people found more than one-third (37%) have gotten vaccines in the past but do not plan to this year. The same percent of respondents said they don’t need any of the vaccines surveyed in the poll, including flu, COVID-19, pneumococcal and respiratory ...

Scientists from Sun Yat-sen University's School of Biomedical Engineering have developed groundbreaking tubular scaffolds made from electrospun membranes, which significantly enhance bone regeneration in critical skull defects. These scaffolds, designed to mimic natural bone structures, create an ideal environment for adipose-derived stem cells (rADSCs) to thrive and accelerate healing. By integrating advanced materials like polycaprolactone, PLGA, and nano-hydroxyapatite, the researchers achieved remarkable results in both lab and animal studies, ...

Nobel laureate Pierre Agostini, winner of the 2023 prize in physics, will headline a special two-day event hosted by the University of Tokyo on Sept. 26-27. The keynote lecture by Agostini, renowned for this pioneering work in attosecond science, will be part of a larger symposium bringing together researchers from around the world to celebrate the university’s planned Attosecond Laser Facility (ALFA), and discuss the latest developments and future directions of attosecond science. Have you taken a photo of a fast-moving animal or vehicle and noticed how blurry the subject can be? This is likely because the faster a moving subject is, the faster the camera’s shutter needs ...

Toronto, ON, September 11, 2024 — A single dose of the Modified vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) was 58% effective in protecting again mpox infection, according to a new study published in BMJ.  Researchers from ICES, Public Health Ontario, and the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health Toronto have conducted a target trial emulation to estimate the effectiveness of the mpox vaccine.  During the mpox outbreak in 2022, Ontario, Canada introduced the vaccine ...

One dose of modified vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) smallpox vaccine is moderately effective in preventing mpox infection and should be made available to communities at risk, finds a study published by The BMJ today. With mpox infections rising again across the globe, the researchers say these findings “strengthen the evidence that MVA-BN is effective at preventing mpox infection and should be made available and accessible to communities at risk.” No randomised clinical trials of vaccination against mpox have been conducted. Estimates of the effectiveness of a single dose of vaccination from observational studies range from ...

More than half of the experts on the UK government’s nutrition advisory panel have links to the food industry, reveals an investigation by The BMJ today. At least 11 of the 17 members of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) have conflicts of interest with the likes of Nestle, sugar manufacturer Tate and Lyle, and the world’s largest ice cream producer, Unilever, reports freelance journalist Sophie Borland. And at least six out of the 11 members of SACN’s Subgroup on Maternal and Child Nutrition have ties to food firms, including baby food manufacturers and formula milk brands. SACN ...

Giving higher doses per fraction of radiation therapy over a shorter time after breast cancer surgery significantly reduces the risk of side effects and improves quality of life compared with a conventional schedule, finds a study published by The BMJ today. Although survival and recurrence rates were similar, this approach, known as hypofractionation, is safer, more convenient for patients, and reduces costs for healthcare systems, and should be the preferred treatment option, say the researchers. Conventional fractionation radiation therapy has been the standard of care for most patients with breast ...

Obesity treatments are being restricted by cash poor local services across England with many patients being denied specialist drugs, surgery and support, an investigation by The BMJ has found. Patients in nearly half the country can’t get appointments with specialist teams for weight loss support and care, including treatment with drugs such as semaglutide. And in nearly one in five local health areas, patients don’t have access to a bariatric surgery service, reports Elisabeth Mahase. The government estimates that obesity costs the NHS in England around £6.5bn a year and is the second biggest preventable cause ...

Laughter may be as effective as eye drops in improving symptoms of dry eye disease, finds a clinical trial from China published by The BMJ today The researchers suggest that laughter exercise could be an initial treatment for relieving symptoms of dry eye disease. Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic condition estimated to affect around 360 million individuals worldwide. Common symptoms include uncomfortable, red, scratchy or irritated eyes. Evidence suggests that laughter therapy alleviates depression, anxiety, stress, and chronic pain, while strengthening immune ...

Earth will only remain able to provide even a basic standard of living for everyone in the future if economic systems and technologies are dramatically transformed and critical resources are more fairly used, managed and shared, according to an international research team including scientists from The Australian National University (ANU). The report, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, outlines how cities and businesses have the power to play a crucial role and become the “stewards” of critical Earth ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has enabled researchers to show that a long course of radiotherapy given before surgery may be a better treatment for avoiding surgery, preserving the rectum and anus, and preventing regrowth of the primary tumour than a short course of radiotherapy for patients with rectal cancer – a type of bowel cancer. However, the overall survival and survival free of recurrence of the disease remained the same for both treatments.   These findings are from a new study published in ...

As more people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are taking medications to help manage blood sugar levels and weight loss, concerns about whether these drugs are safe have emerged. Now real-world evidence from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database reveals a reassuring safety profile for tirzepatide (TZP). The findings to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Madrid (9-13 Sept), and published in the The Journal of Endocrinological Investigation (link below) reveal that, compared to the widely used class of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), TZP has similar gastrointestinal ...

All doses of tirzepatide, a medication approved in the EU to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, consistently reduced body weight in women and men, but women experienced greater weight loss, according to new post hoc research to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Madrid (9-13 Sept). The post hoc analysis, which included the four SURMOUNT trials [1], compared tirzepatide with a placebo for up to 72 to 88 weeks in 4,677 adults (2,999 females, 1,678 males) living with obesity, highlighting potential sex differences in the response. Tirzepatide, a once-weekly glucose-dependent ...

Swiftly achieving glycaemic control after a diagnosis of gestational diabetes can bring the baby’s risk obesity in childhood down to a level similar to that of children whose mothers did not have gestational diabetes, new research being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid, Spain (9-13 September), has found. Gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy, affects 14% of pregnant women globally and is becoming more common, with those who are living with obesity, have a family ...

The anti-obesity medication semaglutide may help to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) as well as death in adults with overweight or obesity who don’t have diabetes, whether or not they also have impaired kidney function, according to new research to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Madrid (9-13 Sept). The results are based on a pre-specified analysis of the SELECT trial which found that adults with overweight or obesity but not diabetes taking semaglutide for more than 3 years had a 20% lower risk of MACE or ...