AMHERST, Mass. – There is a surprising dearth of research about how breast cancer cells can go dormant, spread and then resurface years or even decades later, according to a new review of in vitro breast cancer studies conducted by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.     “[Our review found that] less than 1% of all these studies that combine cells with designer environments look at dormancy,” says Shelly Peyton, Provost Professor of Chemical Engineering. “It’s ...

Texans have long endured scorching summer temperatures, so a global warming increase of about 3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 Celsius) might not sound like much to worry about. But a new study concludes that the heat index — essentially how hot it really feels — has increased much faster in Texas than has the measured temperature: about three times faster. That means that on some extreme days, what the temperature feels like is between 8 and 11 F (5 to 6 C) hotter than it would without climate change. The study, using ...

Research Highlights: Three independent, preliminary research studies have found that new Type 2 diabetes and weight-loss medications are often not prescribed or provided to patients as needed. One study of adults who had insurance covering the cost of obesity medications found that their likelihood of being prescribed the medications differed based on racial, demographic and medical factors. A second study determined that not all patients with Type 2 diabetes were equally likely to use the newest medications. A ...

Boston, MA – In the first national estimate of county-level disparities in heat-related emergencies, a new study led by investigators from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that vulnerable communities were at high risk. The study, “County-Level Disparities in Heat-Related Emergencies,” was published in the March 19 edition of JAMA Network Open. Climate change has led to significant heat waves with increasing frequency and intensity; the hottest on record occurred in July 2023. Prior studies have highlighted the role of extreme heat waves on significant health-related outcomes including cardiovascular and all-cause mortality ...

Jonathan Chen, MD, PhD, an investigator in the department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Nir Hacohen, PhD, director of the Center of Cancer Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital, are co-authors of a recently published study in Nature Immunology, Human Lung Cancer Harbors Spatially-organized Stem-immunity Hubs Associated with Response to Immunotherapy. What Question Were You Investigating? Multicellular networks are critical in mediating immune responses. How do immune cells organize within tumors to effectively eliminate malignant cells? We recently reported the discovery of a network of immune cells ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – March 19, 2024) Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is a rare liver cancer with a poor prognosis if not addressed early with surgery. The disease is caused by a single genetic mutation that creates a fusion protein. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center discovered an immune cell protein that can target and spark the destruction of FLC. Scientists found naturally occurring T cells in a patient with FLC were uniquely capable of recognizing the fusion protein. These cells provide ...

What was once a subject of public health debate is now a matter of clear scientific consensus: low-carb diets can be safe, nutritious, and should be included as an option within the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A group of experts, including leading nutrition and health researchers and healthcare professionals, reviewed the evidence and arrived at more than 15 areas of unanimous scientific agreement on the benefits, opportunities and considerations around lower carbohydrate dietary patterns. A review of the state of science and summary of the consensus ...

Oceans are subject to continuous change, mostly over extremely vast periods of time running into millions of years. Researchers from Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany now used computer simulations to demonstrate that a subduction zone originating in the Western Mediterranean will propagate into the Atlantic under the Strait of Gibraltar. According to their model, this will create a new Atlantic subduction zone 50 million years into the future, which will then move down into the Earth's mantle. The new geodynamic ...

“A wonderful book full of fascinating scientific insights explained with great clarity, inspiring us to let kindness reign in our hearts and thus accomplish the twofold benefit of others and oneself.” —Matthieu Ricard, author of Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Transform Ourselves and the World The science is in: being good is actually good for you. In this bracingly original book, The Biology of Kindness—the first in a trilogy on the topic of daily wellness—the science of mindfulness and the findings of biology come together to show how kindness and optimism improve ...

Alexandria, VA, USA – A study aiming to use a novel transgenic mouse model (TTP knock-in – TTPKI) that has a moderate elevation of TTP systemically to understand if there is a long-term benefit for bone health, thus contributing towards healthy aging was presented at the 102nd General Session of the IADR, which was held in conjunction with the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and the 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, on March 13-16, 2024, in New Orleans, ...

Voters of the Democratic party and U.S. President Joe Biden are happier than voters for the Republican party and former U.S. President Donald Trump, while older and wealthier adult voters are happier than younger and less-wealthy ones, according to a new Florida Atlantic University PolCom and Mainstreet Research happiness poll released today in advance of the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness on March 20. “Happiness is important to understand as it influences the well-being and satisfaction of citizens, which in turn shapes their voting behavior,” said Carol Bishop Mills, Ph.D., FAU’s communication professor, PolCom co-director, and expert in relational ...

Foundation models, advanced artificial intelligence systems trained on large-scale datasets, hold the potential to provide unprecedented advancements for the medical field. In computational pathology (CPath), these models may excel in diagnostic accuracy, prognostic insights, and predicting therapeutic responses. Researchers at Mass General Brigham have designed the two of the largest CPath foundation models to date: UNI and CONCH. These foundation models were adapted to over 30 clinical, diagnostic needs, including ...

Background and objectives Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy worldwide. The average age at diagnosis of CRC is around 70 years old. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic CRC and premalignant lesions in the colon in OSI Araba.   Methods This study included individuals aged 50–69 who were admitted to OSI Araba Health Centers. It spanned from the start of CRC screening through fecal occult blood test immunological analysis in 2009 to the publication of the latest updated data in 2021.   Results An average of 90.98% of participants obtained a definitive result. Specifically, ...

New research from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC shows that telemedicine visits conducted for children with primary care providers (PCPs) are associated with fewer antibiotic prescriptions than telemedicine visits with virtual-only direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies.   The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, highlight the importance of supporting integrated telemedicine within the primary care setting and the potential challenges and limitations of delivering virtual-only acute care to children. “Respiratory tract infections are one of the most common reasons that kids receive antibiotics, ...

A CABI-led study has revealed that there is evidence of the benefits of chatgroups to human health which can also be replicated in plant health. The research analysed the opportunities and pitfalls of using chatgroups for plant health systems and examined the conditions for strengthening chatroom functions. It also considered the possibility of replicating reported successes in healthcare settings to plant health systems. The scientists from CABI, who were joined by colleagues including from the Knowledge, Technology and ...

From solar panels on our roofs to the new OLED TV screens, many everyday electronic devices simply wouldn’t work without the interaction between light and the materials that make up semiconductors. A new category of semiconductors is based on organic molecules, which largely consist of carbon, such as buckminsterfullerene. The way organic semiconductors work is largely determined by their behaviour in the first few moments after light excites electrons, forming “excitons” in the material. Researchers from the Universities of Göttingen, Graz, ...

Genetic diversity of the malaria parasite in pregnant women and children declined in an area targeted for malaria elimination in Mozambique, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by “la Caixa” Foundation and the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM). The findings, published in Nature Communications, highlight the added value of routine sampling of pregnant women as a cost-effective strategy to enhance genomic surveillance of the parasite and detect changes in transmission within the community. Genomic surveillance of the malaria parasite P. falciparum is essential ...

​​​​​​PITTSBURGH, March 19, 2024 – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists have identified drug candidates that show promise to reverse the ability of HIV to escape detection by the immune system. The discovery, described today in Cell Chemical Biology, reveals a potential path to eliminate the viral reservoir that cannot be cleared with existing antiretroviral drugs. This reservoir is what prevents people from being completely cured of HIV even when their viral load is undetectable in standard tests. “We ...

In the most comprehensive genetic study of the people living in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea to date, researchers from Papua New Guinea and the U.K. revealed the complex population structure and migration patterns of the communities in the region. The results, published March 19 in The American Journal of Human Genetics, lay the foundation for future research on the fatal disease kuru—a disease transmitted during traditional anthropophagic mortuary practices— that devastated the area in the 20th century. “We navigated one of the most complex landscapes possible in terms of geographical, cultural and linguistic diversity and set the scene ...

The middle-aged brain could provide a window into future cognitive health, researchers write in a review publishing March 19 in the journal Trends in Neurosciences. The team reviewed evidence from human and animal studies suggesting that middle age—commonly considered as the period between 40 and 60 or 65 years of age—marks a shift in brain aging. They argue that more research should be dedicated to middle age, a period of life that is historically understudied. “Middle age is associated with specific and modifiable risk factors for future dementia risk,” write the authors, who include neuroscientist Yvonne Nolan ...

Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment. Child maltreatment, which includes child abuse and neglect, can have profound effects on health, development, survival, and well-being throughout childhood and adulthood. The prevalence of child maltreatment in the U.S. is uncertain and likely underestimated. In 2021, an estimated 600,000 children were identified by Child Protective Services as experiencing abuse ...

About The Study: Among 11,000 Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older who experienced stroke after receiving either brand of the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, there was no evidence of a significantly elevated risk for stroke during the days immediately after vaccination.  Authors: Yun Lu, Ph.D., of the Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.1059) Editor’s ...

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2024 – The thorax, the part of the body between the neck and abdomen, provides medical professionals with a valuable window into a patient’s respiratory health. By evaluating sound vibrations produced by the airflow induced within the lungs and bronchial tree during normal breathing as well as those produced by the larynx during vocalizations, doctors can identify potential disease-related abnormalities within the respiratory system. But, among other shortcomings, common respiratory assessments can be subjective and are only as good as the quality ...

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a simple, web-based decision aid called My Decision/Mi Decisión that helps empower pregnant individuals who are considering tubal sterilization to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, according to a new study published today in JAMA Network Open. With significant misunderstandings surrounding sterilization, the Pitt researchers can now offer comprehensive, engaging and accessible information to help support individuals as they make the best contraceptive decisions for themselves. “When patients are making decisions about their health and fertility, we want to make certain ...

An estimated one in six people suffer from a brain disorder worldwide, according to the American Brain Foundation. Current research has provided some insight into cell-communication inside the brain, but there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding how this crucial organ functions. What if there was a comprehensive map that took into consideration not just the biology of the brain, but the specific location where the biology occurs? Researchers in the College of Engineering have developed a powerful, cost-effective method to do just that.  Chang Lu, the Fred W. Bull Professor of Chemical Engineering, has been leading ...