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Science10 Sep 2024

UT microbiologist Wilhelm honored as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Steven Wilhelm joins a distinguished roster this year with his election as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) Academy of Science. This recognition is the RSC’s highest honor in areas of arts, social sciences, humanities, and science. “The RSC inducts fellows to help them build a better future in Canada and the world. As a native Canadian, this honor is the pinnacle of what I could have hoped for in my career,” said Wilhelm, the Kenneth and Blaire Mossman Professor in UT’s Department of Microbiology. “It also provides an opportunity for me to work with my collaborators ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

NCCN Policy Summit explores how to build an inclusive cancer center workplace culture that better serves everybody

WASHINGTON, D.C. [September 10, 2024] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) held an oncology policy summit today in Washington, D.C., focused on Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Cancer Workforce. The event featured a keynote address from Tiffany Wallace, PhD, Branch Director, Disparities Research Branch, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Cancer Health Equity. Panel discussions focused on how to establish and prioritize a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and maintain the commitment through a changing policy landscape. A series of ...

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Social Science10 Sep 2024

Games, puzzles and reading can slow cognitive decline in the elderly — even in those with mild cognitive impairment

By Ann Kellett, Texas A&M University School of Public Health The aging process can lead to diminished cognitive functioning for older adults. In addition, about 10 percent of people previously diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment develop Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia every year. Although a few studies have found that activities such as putting together jigsaw puzzles can protect against cognitive aging, the benefits of these activities in preventing or postponing cognitive ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

An antidiabetic helps the immune system recognize reservoirs of HIV

Researchers at Université de Montréal’s affiliated hospital research centre, the CRCHUM, say the discovery could help lessen and even eliminate viral loads in people undergoing antiretroviral therapy. Metformin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, could help deplete the viral reservoir and eliminate it entirely in people living with HIV who receive antiretroviral therapy, Canadian researchers say in a new study. In 2021, a team led by immunologist Petronela Ancuta of Université de Montréal’s affiliated hospital research centre, ...

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Energy10 Sep 2024

Department of Energy grant advances clean energy studies

Dr. Berna Hascakir, professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University, was selected as part of a $17 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. The investment will support university-led projects that advance decarbonization and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. In partnership with Texas A&M, Texas Tech University, Howard University, and the University at Buffalo, this initiative unites three minority-serving ...

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Science10 Sep 2024

Finding the right path(way) to reduce fat accumulation in the liver

Using a novel stem cell platform, a team of Medical University of South Carolina researchers has identified a pathway that could be targeted by drugs to reduce fat accumulation in patients with a common form of fatty liver disease known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD. The MUSC team was led by Stephen Duncan, Ph.D., SmartState Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine at MUSC, and Caren Doueiry, an M.D., Ph.D. candidate in Duncan’s laboratory. The team reports its findings in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Almost a quarter of Americans have MASLD, formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

MicroDicer and MicroGrater make quick work of tumor dissection

As fascinating as it is to work in a modern biology lab, in many cases a lot of repetitive, detailed work is necessary before the research can start. For example, cancer researchers are now capable of using hundreds or even thousands of small, lab-grown tumor samples – known as organoids – to test multiple cancer therapies, including immunotherapies, at once. To produce organoids, researchers often need to mince a fresh tumor into small pieces by hand, using scissors to snip, snip, snip the specimen down to submillimeter size. This dissection work is tedious and yet often done by skilled – and usually overqualified ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

Phase II study of taletrectinib shows clinically meaningful overall response and favorable safety in patients with ROS1+ non-small cell lung cancer

(San Diego, Calif.--September 10, 2024, 10:35 a.m. PCT) – The ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) taletrectinib demonstrated high overall and intracranial responses, and a favorable safety profile with low incidence of neurologic adverse events in TKI-naive and TKI-pretreated patients with ROS1+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These results were presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer by Dr. Geoffrey Liu, from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

LUMINOSITY trial demonstrates telisotuzumab vedotin shows durable response in Asian patients with c-Met protein-overexpressing EGFR WT nonsquamous NSCLC

LUMINOSITY Trial Demonstrates Telisotuzumab Vedotin Shows Durable Response in Asian Patients with c-Met Protein-Overexpressing EGFR WT Nonsquamous NSCLC (San Diego, Calif.--September 10, 2024 10:35 a.m.) -- The c-Met-directed antibody-drug conjugate telisotuzumab vedotin demonstrated durable responses and an acceptable safety profile in patients of Asian race with c-Met protein-overexpressing, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) wildtype (WT), locally advanced/metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

PM2.5 exposure may affect lung cancer in women who have never smoked

(San Diego, Calif.--September 10, 2024, 10:35 a.m. PCT) – Recent air pollution exposure in the form of particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) exposure may significantly impact lung cancer in women who have never smoked, with notable differences in stage IV diagnoses among EGFR+ patients, according to research presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorized outdoor air pollution and its key component, particulate matter PM2.5, as Group 1 carcinogens in 2013, indicating that they cause lung cancer. Associations between ...

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Science10 Sep 2024

Results from CARMEN-LC03 phase 3 study of tusamitamab ravtansine vs. docetaxel in previously treated advanced non-squamous NSCLC presented at WCLC 2024

(San Diego, Calif.--September 10, 2024, 10:35 a.m. PCT) A phase 3 study comparing tusamitamab ravtansine with docetaxel in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and immunotherapy (in combination or sequential), whose tumors highly expressed CEACAM5, is presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer in San Diego, Calf., by Dr. Benjamin Besse of Gustave Roussy, in Paris, France. As previously announced by Sanofi in December 2023, ...

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Science10 Sep 2024

Partial knee replacements for osteoarthritis performed by trainee surgeons last as long as those performed by more experienced consultants

Partial knee replacements for osteoarthritis performed by trainee surgeons last as long as those performed by more experienced consultants, according to data from England and Wales suggesting no difference in rates of subsequent revision surgery ##### In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Medicine: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004445 Article Title: Association between surgeon training grade and the risk of revision following unicompartmental knee replacement: ...

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Science10 Sep 2024

New Zealand’s kākāpō developed different feather colors to evade predatory birds

Aotearoa New Zealand’s flightless parrot, the kākāpō, evolved two different color types to potentially help them avoid detection by a now-extinct apex predator, Lara Urban at Helmholtz AI, Germany and colleagues from the Aotearoa New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Māori iwi Ngāi Tahu, report in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, publishing September 10th. The kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) is a nocturnal, flightless parrot endemic to New Zealand. It experienced severe population ...

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Science10 Sep 2024

Unaffordable food putting mums-to-be at risk

Embargoed until Tuesday September 10 at 19:00 (BST) Pregnant women who have limited access to affordable, nutritious, and healthy foods have a higher chance of developing both physical and mental health problems. New research from Newcastle University has found that women who are what is termed “food insecure” are up to four times more likely to have poor mental health - such as stress, anxiety, and depression - than those who don’t struggle to afford or access food. The mums-to-be are also at increased risk of obesity, developing diabetes during their pregnancy and dental problems, the two studies published ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

Viruses to enhance crop performance

Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not. This paradox is highlighted by an international research group led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) within the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), in an article published in the prestigious journal Nature Reviews Bioengineering. The study proposes a roadmap to use attenuated viruses to enhance performance of crops, making them more resistant to extreme and changing climate ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

Pharmacy benefit manager market concentration for prescriptions filled at US retail pharmacies

About The Study: In 2023, all 3 payer markets (commercial insurance, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid managed care) for pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) services were highly concentrated, but concentration varied and was highest in Medicare Part D. While CVS Caremark held the dominant share in all 3 payer markets, each of the PBMs appeared focused on a different payer: Express Script’s largest share was in the commercial market, while Optum Rx’s and CVS Caremark’s were in Medicare Part D and Medicaid ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

New research shows new class of once-weekly insulin as effective as daily injections for patients with type 2 diabetes

New research published in NEJM and presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid (9-13 Sept) shows that a new class of insulin that is injected once a week is as effective as daily insulin injections for effective and safe blood sugar management in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study is by Dr Carol Wysham, MultiCare Rockwood Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Spokane, WA, USA, and colleagues. When patients with type 2 diabetes find their oral medications alone can no longer control their blood sugar, insulin therapy is added and injection frequency (having daily injections) is among the main factors that can contribute ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

New class of weekly insulin as effective as daily injections for managing blood sugar in patients with type 1 diabetes; but higher rates of hypoglycaemia means vigilance needed (QWINT-5)

New research published in The Lancet and presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid (9-13 Sept) shows that a new class of insulin that only needs to be injected once weekly is as effective as daily insulin injections for effective blood sugar management in patients with type 1 diabetes. However, higher rates of hypoglycaemia using the new class means vigilance is needed for dose initiation and optimisation. The study is by Dr Richard M Bergenstal, ...

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Science10 Sep 2024

Like father, like daughter

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- When they become fathers, men who have an unhealthy, high-cholesterol diet can cause increased risk of cardiovascular disease, or CVD, in their daughters, a University of California, Riverside-led mouse study has found. The research, published in the journal JCI Insight, is the first to demonstrate this result seen only in female offspring. CVD, the leading cause of death globally, is a group of disorders that affects the heart and blood vessels. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a leading risk factor ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

2-bromopalmitate reduces senescence in human cells: Role of palmitoylation

“For the first time, the present study revealed a critical role for protein palmitoylation in the development of a DNA damage-induced senescence phenotype.” BUFFALO, NY- September 10, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science), Volume 16, Issue 16 on August 23, 2024, entitled, “2-Bromopalmitate treatment attenuates senescence phenotype in human adult cells - possible role of palmitoylation.” As ...

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Environment10 Sep 2024

Don’t judge a fossil by its teeth: despite its toothy beak, this ancient bird ate fruit, not fish

For paleontologists who study animals that lived long ago, fossilized remains tell only part of the story of an animal’s life. While a well-preserved skeleton can provide hints at what an ancient animal ate or how it moved, irrefutable proof of these behaviors is hard to come by. But sometimes, scientists luck out with extraordinary fossils that preserve something beyond the animal’s body. Case in point: in a new study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers found fossilized seeds in the stomachs of one of the earliest birds. This discovery shows that these birds were eating ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

A new screening tool to improve telehealth access and equity

In a new study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have developed a novel screening tool to measure digital health readiness, which will be critical in addressing barriers to telehealth adoption among diverse patient populations. The COVID-19 pandemic facilitated many rapid changes in healthcare, including a shift to using telehealth services across the U.S. instead of traditional in-person doctor’s visits. This ensured that patients continued to receive vital care, while only needing access to a mobile device or computer with a webcam. But just because a ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

New law regulating out-of-pocket drug spending saves cancer patients more than $7,000 a year, study finds

For more information, contact: Nicole Fawcett, nfawcett@umich.edu EMBARGOED for release at 11 a.m. Sept. 10, 2024 New law regulating out-of-pocket drug spending saves cancer patients more than $7,000 a year, study finds The Inflation Reduction Act’s limit on Medicare Part D spending leads to significant savings for patients prescribed oral chemotherapy ANN ARBOR, Michigan — As prescription oral chemotherapies have become a common form of cancer treatment, some patients were paying more than $10,000 a year for medications. A new study ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

Estimated health and economic outcomes of racial and ethnic tuberculosis disparities in US-born persons

About The Study: In this modeling study of racial and ethnic disparities of tuberculosis (TB), these disparities were associated with substantial future health and economic outcomes of TB among U.S.-born persons without interventions beyond current efforts. Actions to eliminate disparities may reduce the excess TB burden among these persons and may contribute to accelerating TB elimination within the U.S. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Nicole A. Swartwood, MSPH, email nswartwood@hsph.harvard.edu. To ...

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Medicine10 Sep 2024

Genetic analysis sheds light on the role of IFT140 in polycystic kidney disease

Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) researchers uncover the genetic link in patients with polycystic kidney disease lacking family history Tokyo, Japan – Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is an intractable disorder that causes fluid-filled cysts to grow in the kidneys. It is typically seen in adults. As one of the most prevalent hereditary kidney diseases, the autosomal dominant form of PKD is usually caused by mutations in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes. However, one out of ten patients with this condition typically exhibit no family history of the disease and lack ...

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