KEY TAKEAWAYS Brigham researchers assessed data from more than 27,000 participants in the Women’s Health Study who were followed for 30 years. An initial, one-time measure of three biological markers—hsCRP, LDL-cholesterol and lipoprotein(a)—in their blood predicted their risk of major cardiovascular events over the following decades. The findings support universal screening for inflammation and lipoprotein(a) in addition to cholesterol, as well as earlier, aggressive use of targeted interventions, particularly among women for whom cardiovascular disease remains ...

Patients with heart failure, a condition affecting more than 60 million worldwide, are four times more likely to receive the optimal combination of medications after 12 weeks of digital consultations. Researchers from five Dutch hospitals, coordinated by Amsterdam UMC, found that the use of digital consults improved care while maintaining patient satisfaction. These results are published today in Nature Medicine and simultaneously presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Cardiology.   "During the COVID-pandemic almost all of our patients were suddenly digital consult patients and, to be honest, this worked well but there were also ...

Tokyo, Japan – A research team led by Professor Kotohiro Nomura from Tokyo Metropolitan University has developed a method for the depolymerization of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) using alcohols and an inexpensive, readily available iron trichloride catalyst. This method can be applied to the selective chemical recycling of both textile and plastic waste mixtures. Plastic waste is a significant environmental issue that requires urgent attention. However, the rate of plastic reuse (material recycling) remains low, particularly in the case of chemical recycling into raw materials, a process known as chemical recycling. Polyesters, which ...

A new species of Antarctic dragonfish, Akarotaxis gouldae or Banded Dragonfish, has been discovered in waters off the western Antarctic Peninsula by researchers at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The species, named in honor of the recently decommissioned Antarctic research and supply vessel (ARSV) Laurence M. Gould and its crew, exemplifies both the unknown biodiversity and fragile state of the Antarctic ecosystem. Described in the journal Zootaxa, Akarotaxis gouldae was initially identified through genetic analysis. Larval specimens collected off the coast of Antarctica while trawling for zooplankton ...

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, governments and health care centers across the country faced a difficult but important question: Should health care workers be required to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine? It was an economic quandary as much as an ethical one. Vaccine mandates could cause reductions in staff, either from workers missing time due to recovery from the vaccine or from opting to seek employment elsewhere. Additionally, health care workers are highly educated on the value of vaccines and had seen ...

AMHERST, Mass. -- New research from the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in collaboration with the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation, is helping to identify barriers to physical activity in nurses. Published in PLOS ONE, the study reports that the key factors influencing exercise include intrinsic motivation, certain types of social support, certain demographic identifiers and the use of health-tracking technology.    Nursing is a notoriously exhausting career, marked by irregular and long shifts and high physical demands. At the same time, prior studies show that about half ...

Auburn University’s Department of Physics has been awarded two significant National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, marking a major step toward transforming physics education across all levels—from introductory courses to graduate studies. The grants, led by Assistant Professor Eric Burkholder, a specialist in Physics Education Research, aim to close the gap between traditional physics instruction and the complex problem-solving skills needed for real-world scientific challenges. The cornerstone of these projects is the recognition that traditional methods of teaching physics—while ...

A recent study finds that hope appears to be more beneficial than mindfulness at helping people manage stress and stay professionally engaged during periods of prolonged stress at work. The study underscores the importance of looking ahead, rather than living “in the moment,” during hard times. Mindfulness refers to the ability of an individual to focus attention on the present, in a way that is open, curious and not judgmental. Essentially, the ability to be fully in the moment. “There’s a lot of discussion ...

Since the 1960s, astronomers have wondered how the Sun’s supersonic “solar wind,” a stream of energetic particles that flows out into the solar system, continues to receive energy once it leaves the Sun. Now, thanks to a lucky lineup of a NASA and an ESA (European Space Agency)/NASA spacecraft both currently studying the Sun, they may have discovered the answer — knowledge that is a crucial piece of the puzzle to help scientists better forecast solar activity between the Sun and Earth. A paper published in the Aug. 30, 2024, issue of the journal Science provides persuasive ...

Worldwide survey by Goethe University FrankfurtFRANKFURT. Of the estimated 10 million, mostly still undiscovered species of flora and fauna on Earth, one million could become extinct in the next decades. This loss of biodiversity would have dramatic consequences, as animals and plants are providers of multiple services: They maintain ecosystems, ensure a more balanced climate on our planet, and supply us with food and active substances for medical drugs. Put bluntly: Without biodiversity, we humans will not survive. That is why there is an urgent need for resolute political measures to counter the “sixth mass extinction” in Earth’s history. One group of people who are particularly ...

The only Injury Control Research Center in Texas has been established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at UTHealth Houston in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine.  “I’m beyond thrilled to bring an Injury Control Research Center to Texas,” said Jeff Temple, PhD, director of the new center and associate dean for clinical research at UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences. “This collaboration between the community, policymakers, UTHealth Houston, and Baylor College of Medicine will undoubtedly save lives.”  An Injury Control Research ...

Tuberculosis is a confounding scourge. It’s the leading cause of death from infectious disease in the world, and yet it’s estimated that those deaths represent perhaps 5% of infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Antibiotics can take credit for saving the lives of some of those with Mtb, but a chasm nevertheless persists between the prevalence of infection and the targeted severity of its impact. A growing body of evidence suggests genetic vulnerabilities to TB account for that gap. Now researchers from ...

Leonora Balaj, PhD, an investigator in the department of Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School, is co-senior author of a new paper in Nature Communications, Clinical Utility of a Blood Based Assay for the Detection of IDH1.R132H-Mutant Gliomas. Bob Carter, MD, chair of Neurosurgery at Mass General, is co-senior author of the study. Syeda Maheen Batool, MD, an instructor in investigation in Neurosurgery at Mass General, is lead author. Background: Glioma represents the most common central nervous system cancer in adults. The current ...

[Note: High-resolution images related to this research available for download at this link. Caption and credit information provided.]   WASHINGTON (August 30, 2024) — A team of international researchers has uncovered a surprising genetic mechanism that influences the vibrant and complex patterns on butterfly wings. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team, led by Luca Livraghi at the George Washington University and the University of Cambridge, discovered ...

Key takeaways Young griffon vultures move frequently between sleeping sites in different locations, interacting with many friends. They get set in their ways as they age and roost in the same spots with the same individuals; older vultures follow the same paths. Roosts act as information hubs; older vultures may have a more thorough knowledge of where to find food resources and less need to learn about them from other vultures. If you’d rather be watching TV on your couch than dancing at the club, you might have something in common with aging ...

A study by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital, reveals that the protein Tau – a key player implicated in several neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s disease – also plays a positive role in the brain. Tau mitigates neuronal damage caused by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals and promotes healthy aging. The study was published in Nature Neuroscience. “ROS ...

A doughnut-shaped region thousands of kilometres beneath our feet within Earth’s liquid core has been discovered by scientists from The Australian National University (ANU), providing new clues about the dynamics of our planet’s magnetic field. The structure within Earth’s liquid core is found only at low latitudes and sits parallel to the equator. According to ANU seismologists, it has remained undetected until now. The Earth has two core layers: the inner core, a solid layer, and the outer core, a liquid layer. Surrounding the Earth’s core is the mantle. The ...

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital have found a new method to increase both speed and success rates in drug discovery. The study, published Aug. 30 in the journal Science Advances, offers renewed promise when it comes to discovering new drugs. “The hope is we can speed up the timeline of drug discovery from years to months,” said Alex Thorman, PhD, co-first author and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental and Public ...

The imaging techniques currently used in biological research cannot penetrate into deeper tissue layers. In cancer treatment, this means that remnants of tumors or individual cancer cells at tumor margins and in lymph nodes are not visible. Doctors performing surgery are therefore repeatedly faced with the difficult question of whether all of the affected tissue has actually been removed. For the patient's quality of life, however, the complete removal of the tumor is just as essential as the preservation of healthy tissue ...

To the known risk factors for cardiovascular disease—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, overweight and obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity—a new one has to be added: clonal hematopoiesis. This condition is triggered by acquired mutations in blood stem cells and was already known to be associated with an elevated cardiovascular risk. However, until now it was uncertain if clonal hematopoiesis was a cause or consequence of cardiovascular disease. Now, a new study published in Nature Medicine and carried out by researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) resolves this critical debate ...

Climate change is affecting ecosystems in many different ways. One of its consequences are increasingly longer and more intense periods of heat, which affect essential natural processes –  such as pollination. A team of researchers from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) has now investigated in more detail how heat affects one particular player in these processes: The bumblebee. "Bumblebees are important pollinators in natural and agricultural systems. They therefore ...

Attracting around 1,000 participants from industry and academia, the XXVIII EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC) is supposed to take place in Rome, Italy from September 1-5, 2024. After the generative AI updates recently announced on the IMGAIA webinar, Insilico Medicine will be sharing more innovative details while exploring collaboration chances at Booth #50. EFMC-ISMC is a key symposium in the field of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, and the symposium this year features ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The invention of a tool capable of unlocking previously impossible organic chemical reactions has opened new pathways in the pharmaceutical industry to create effective drugs more quickly.   Traditionally, most drugs are assembled using molecular fragments called alkyl building blocks, organic compounds that have a wide variety of applications. However, because of how difficult it can be to combine different types of these compounds into something new, this method of creation ...

Link to Google Drive folder containing images with caption and credit information: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UM9rl47Xd_Bs-ov0HpVwC-rtUDonM3oJ?usp=sharing   Post-embargo link to release: https://www.washington.edu/news/2024/08/30/mosquito-swarm/     Embargoed by Current Biology For public release at 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (8 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time) on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024   A high-pitched buzzing sound in your ear is an unmistakable sign that a female mosquito is out on the hunt — for they, not males, drink blood. Hearing ...

Many people who receive a problematic medical bill don’t challenge it – but new USC Schaeffer Center research shows they are likely missing out on a chance for financial relief. About 1 in 5 people said they recently received a medical bill they disagreed with or couldn’t afford, including 61.5% who said they contacted a billing office to address their concern, according to survey results published Aug. 30 in JAMA Health Forum. Most who reached out said they received some form of payment help or had their bill corrected. It’s ...