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| International study supports dupilumab for treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma in children Posted: 08 Dec 2021 03:25 PM PST In a late-stage clinical trial, the biologic agent dupilumab reduced the rate of severe asthma attacks and improved lung function and asthma control for children ages 6 to 11. The findings of the international multicenter Liberty Asthma VOYAGE trial supported approval of dupilumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma in this age group by the Food and Drug Administration in October. |
| Prescribing the abortion pill without restrictions is safe and effective, study finds Posted: 08 Dec 2021 03:25 PM PST Abortion remains safe after Canada removed restrictions on the medical abortion pill mifepristone in November 2017, according to a new study. The study used comprehensive government health data to examine 315,000 abortions in Ontario between 2012 and 2020. An analysis showed no increase in abortion-related health complications following the removal of restrictions on mifepristone. |
| Engineers teach AI to navigate ocean with minimal energy Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:51 PM PST New AI uses reinforcement learning to efficiently navigate oceans |
| Sunshine may shield children, young adults from MS Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST Living in sunny locations and spending time outdoors may raise the risk for skin cancer, but a new study shows that in children and young adults, sun exposure may protect against multiple sclerosis. The study follows previous work by other researchers that has demonstrated an association between increased ultraviolet exposure in childhood and lower odds of adult MS. |
| Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST Exposure to chronic, environmentally relevant concentrations of pesticides registered for use in forest management had adverse effects on the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria. |
| The impact of drugs on gut microbes is greater than we thought Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST We are one of the most medicated generations of humans to live on our planet. Cardiometabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease continue to increase in prevalence and together constitute the highest cause of mortality worldwide. Affected people often have to take multiple daily medications for months or even years. Researchers from the Bork group at EMBL Heidelberg, working together with a European consortium involving more than twenty European institutes, have now shown that many commonly used drugs have powerful effects on our gut microbes. These include drugs used to treat cardiometabolic disorders and antibiotics. The results were published in the journal Nature. |
| A new understanding of mental illness Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST The causes of psychiatric disorders are poorly understood. Now there is evidence that a wide range of early onset psychiatric problems (from depression, anxiety and addictions to dyslexia, bulimia, and ADHD) may be largely due to the combination of just three factors. The first is biological --i n the form of individual variability in the brain's dopamine reward pathway. The second is social -- and points to the important role of early childhood neglect or abuse. And the third is psychological--and relates to temperament, and particularly to tendencies toward impulsivity and difficulty controlling emotions. These findings have implications for understanding both the causes of a wide range of psychiatric disorders and the features worth targeting in early intervention efforts. |
| Does air pollution reduce the benefits of physical activity on the brain? Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST A new study shows that people who do vigorous physical activities, like jogging or playing competitive sports, in areas with higher air pollution may show less benefit from that exercise when it comes to certain markers of brain disease. The markers examined in the study included white matter hyperintensities, which indicate injury to the brain's white matter, and gray matter volume. Larger gray matter volumes and smaller white matter hyperintensity volumes are markers of overall better brain health. |
| Research reveals how aging cells can be an underlying cause of kidney damage Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST A study in mice has found that stress and tissue damage initiated by angiotensin II, a molecule that is known to increase blood pressure and stiffening in the linings of blood vessels, leads to cellular senescence, a process by which a cell ages and permanently stops dividing but does not die. Importantly, when the researchers eliminated senescent cells from the mice, tissues returned to a normal state in spite of a continued infusion of angiotensin II. |
| Optical cavities could be key to next generation interferometers Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST A new concept has been developed that has the potential to assist new instruments in the investigation of fundamental science topics such as gravitational waves and dark matter. |
| Ammonite muscles revealed in 3D from Jurassic fossil Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST Researchers have revealed the soft tissues of a 165-million-year-old ammonite fossil using 3D imaging. |
| Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST The movement of water masses in the ocean, its circulation, is an essential component of the global climate system. Researchers have now been able to show that circulation in the deep ocean was significantly slowed down during the last glacial period. Analyses of sediment samples show that the decomposition of organic carbon in the water masses of the deep sea consumed the oxygen available there. |
| Defense or repair: How immune cells are controlled during wound healing Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST Scientists show a causal link between tissue repair, mitochondrial metabolism, and the activation and function of macrophages (scavenger cells). |
| Coping with schizophrenia, when emotions can be too much Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST Psychologists have revealed a surprising finding that could help those who struggle with schizophrenia: While people with the illness tend to manage low-level negative emotions, they struggle to do so as those negative emotions increase. |
| ESO telescope images planet around most massive star pair to date Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) has captured an image of a planet orbiting b Centauri, a two-star system that can be seen with the naked eye. This is the hottest and most massive planet-hosting star system found to date, and the planet was spotted orbiting it at 100 times the distance Jupiter orbits the Sun. Some astronomers believed planets could not exist around stars this massive and this hot -- until now. |
| Breast cancer classified into 12 unique biological groups Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated a major step forward in melding two key methods for studying breast cancer: one by genetic analysis and the second by looking at the architecture of cells, or their pathology. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas Breast Cancer Data set, they developed classification method that divides breast cancers into 12 distinct biological groups. This could aid future research efforts and enable faster translation of molecular findings into the pathology lab for clinical use, they report. |
| Detailed images of molecule associated with ALS could open door to therapies Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST Scientists have determined the structure of the molecule associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple other neurodegenerative diseases. The researchers say this discovery could enable targeted development of new medical interventions and diagnostic tests. |
| Transforming materials with light Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST Researchers have figured out a way to use lasers to alter materials without the creation of damaging heat. |
| Tau and PQBP1: Protein interaction induces inflammation in the brain Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST Researchers have clarified the relationship between the intracellular receptor PQBP1 and the structural protein Tau, which is dysregulated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Tau was found to interact with PQBP1 in immune cells of the brain, which led to activation of the inflammatory cGAS-STING pathway. PQBP1 may represent a potential target for the development of therapeutics to treat Tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases. |
| Baleens read like a whale's history book Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST Chemically analyzing sequential samples from the baleen of dead whales makes it possible to read not only the history of the diet, but also the migration route of the animals. In a new study, researchers present their results of a novel way of analyzing nitrogen isotopes in animal tissue. |
| Soft tissue destruction and lower back pain Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:31 AM PST Back pain affects many people at some point in their lives, and a common cause is damage to the squishy discs or flexible, rubbery tissues of the spine. However, observing this damage at an early stage is difficult with current imaging methods. Now, researchers report they can see microscopic soft tissue destruction in animal spines by targeting denatured collagen with fluorescent molecules. |
| Blood from marathoner mice boosts brain function in their couch-potato counterparts Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:28 AM PST Researchers have shown that blood from young adult mice that are getting lots of exercise benefits the brains of same-aged, sedentary mice. A single protein in the blood of exercising mice seems largely responsible for that benefit. |
| Gravitational waves could be key to answering why more matter was left over after Big Bang Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST If researchers can detect Q-balls in gravitational waves, it could help explain why more matter than anti-matter was left over after the Big Bang. |
| New findings about cluster headaches Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST Debilitating cluster headaches commonly begin in childhood, but patients are not typically diagnosed until they are adults, according to new research. |
| Study outlines ways to help children learn forgiveness Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST A recent study suggests that teaching children to understand other people's perspectives could make it easier for them to learn how to forgive other people. The study also found that teaching children to make sincere apologies can help them receive forgiveness from others. |
| Imagining future guilt helps athletes turn away from doping Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST Appealing to athletes' sense of 'future guilt' through psychological intervention could prove a powerful weapon in the fight against doping, according to a new study. |
| Reimagining immunity in the eye Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST Immune cells could be doing much more than we think in protecting our eyes -- researchers uncover new details. |
| UK university can reduce CO2 emissions by 4% with shorter winter semesters Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:02 AM PST Researchers found that shifting learning weeks to the summer term and extending the winter vacation period can reduce the university's yearly CO2 emissions by more than 4%. |
| These tiny liquid robots never run out of juice as long as they have food Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:02 AM PST Scientists at Berkeley Lab and the University of Massachusetts Amherst have demonstrated the first self-powered, aqueous robot that runs continuously without electricity. The technology has potential as an automated chemical synthesis or drug delivery system for pharmaceuticals. |
| Anxiety drugs and antidepressants trigger post-surgery delirium, study finds Posted: 08 Dec 2021 07:26 AM PST A new study finds that older people taking a drug used to treat anxiety and insomnia -- nitrazepam -- as well as those on antidepressants, are twice as likely to suffer postoperative delirium after hip and knee surgery. |
| Physical features boost the efficiency of quantum simulations Posted: 08 Dec 2021 07:25 AM PST Recent theoretical breakthroughs have settled two long-standing questions about the viability of simulating quantum systems on future quantum computers, overcoming challenges from complexity analyses to enable more advanced algorithms. |
| Natural infection and vaccination together provide maximum protection against COVID variants Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:49 AM PST A combination of vaccination and naturally acquired infection appears to boost the production of maximally potent antibodies against the COVID-19 virus, new research finds. |
| Devising new meat alternatives with 3D printing — and cocoa butter Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST No longer just a dream of vegetarians and vegans, fake meat is becoming more widely available in grocery stores and restaurants. And more options are almost certainly on the way. One team has now developed a new combination of plant-based ingredients tailored for 3D printing meat alternatives. Their most successful recipes required an odd-sounding addition: cocoa butter, derived from cocoa beans of chocolate fame. |
| Early warning signals could help monitor disease outbreaks Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST New research suggests early warning signals (EWSs) could help in the monitoring of disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19. The study found warnings could be detected weeks earlier than any rapid increase in cases. The findings could help governments and policy makers improve the accuracy of their decisions and allow timely interventions if needed. |
| Guidelines may promote over-diagnosis of cow's milk allergy in infants, study finds Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST International guidelines developed to help doctors diagnose cow's milk allergy may lead to over-diagnosis, according to new research. The study found that three-quarters of infants have two or more symptoms at some point in the first year of life which guidelines say may be caused by cow's milk allergy, yet the condition only affects one in 100. |
| Impaired-driver sensor could pave the way for safer vehicles Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST The bipartisan infrastructure bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden includes a requirement for automakers to install driver monitoring systems that detect intoxicated or impaired drivers. Current systems rely on cameras, which have limitations. Now, researchers have made heat-resistant, pressure-detecting sensors that, when attached to seats, can tell whether a driver is drowsy or has a sudden illness, signaling a future smart car to take action. |
| Newly discovered fish songs demonstrate reef restoration success Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST Whoops, croaks, growls, raspberries and foghorns are among the sounds that demonstrate the success of a coral reef restoration project. |
| Streetwise bees cut corners to find food Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Bumblebees waste no time enjoying the beauty of flowers -- instead learning the bare minimum about where to land and find food, new research shows. |
| Fleshing out the bones of Quetzalcoatlus, Earth's largest flier ever Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Though discovered more than 45 years ago, fossils of Earth's largest flying animal, Quetzalcoatlus, were never thoroughly analyzed. Now, a scientific team provides the most complete picture yet of this dinosaur relative, its environment and behavior. The pterosaur, with a 40-foot wingspan, walked with a unique gait, but otherwise filled a niche much like herons today. The researchers dispel ideas that it ate carrion and walked like a vampire bat. |
| 2,700-year-old leather armor proves technology transfer happened in antiquity Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Researchers have investigated a unique leather scale armor found in the tomb of a horse rider in Northwest China. Design and construction details of the armor indicate that it originated in the Neo-Assyrian Empire between the 6th and 8th century BCE before being brought to China. |
| Trends in binge drinking among older men and women in the United States Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Binge drinking has increased in recent years among older U.S. men but not among older women, according to a new study. |
| New research makes waves tackling the future of tsunami monitoring and modeling Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Rising sea levels are already impacting coastal residents and aggravating existing coastal hazards, such as flooding during high tides and storm surges. New research indicates that future sea-level rise will also have impacts on the heights of future tsunamis. |
| Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Mere spoonsful of soil pulled from Canada's permafrost are opening vast windows into ancient life in the Yukon, revealing rich new information and rewriting previous beliefs about the extinction dynamics, dates and survival of megafauna like mammoths, horses and other long-lost life forms. |
| Wearable sensor measures airborne nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes Posted: 08 Dec 2021 05:59 AM PST Some studies have shown that nicotine, an addictive substance in electronic cigarettes, increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. But to get a full understanding of its potential health effects, a real-time nicotine monitoring device is needed. Such a device could also help vapers -- as well as non-vapers who encounter second-hand smoke -- measure their exposure. Now, researchers report that they have developed a battery-free, wearable device that could accomplish this task. |
| CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing boosts effectiveness of ultrasound cancer therapy Posted: 08 Dec 2021 05:59 AM PST Sonodynamic therapy uses ultrasound in combination with drugs to release harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the site of a tumor. However, the treatment isn't very effective because cancer cells can activate antioxidant defense systems to counteract it. Now, researchers have breached these defenses with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, allowing sonodynamic therapy to effectively shrink tumors in a mouse model of liver cancer. |
| Wastewater helps decipher the popularity of new synthetic drugs Posted: 08 Dec 2021 05:59 AM PST Over the years, hundreds of new synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of illegal and legal substances have emerged. The underground nature of each drug's development and distribution makes its international popularity hard to track. Now, using wastewater from the days near the 2021 New Year holiday, researchers report an increased international usage of some synthetic drugs, including eutylone and 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) compared to the previous year. |
| AI-powered computer model predicts disease progression during aging Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST Using artificial intelligence, a team of researchers has developed a novel system that models the progression of chronic diseases as patients age. |
| SRC-2 is at the center of survival adaptations to food shortages Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST The steroid receptor coactivator-2 (SRC-2) is crucial to coordinate the biological responses to the lack of food. |
| Research finds potential mechanism linking autism, intestinal inflammation Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST Moms infected during pregnancy who produce elevated levels of the cytokine IL-17a may have microbiome alterations that prime offspring for aberrant immune responses later in life, a mouse study suggests. |
| Large field hospital study shows rapid COVID-19 test compares solidly with PCR detection Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST Researchers report that a rapid antigen detection test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, proved more effective than expected when compared with virus detection rates using the established standard test, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. |
| Which personality traits can be improved without personal motivation? Research says 'it depends' Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:25 PM PST Could a company train an employee to become more conscientious, even if the worker isn't invested in improving that trait? A new study suggests yes. But improving someone's emotional stability without that person's commitment is not likely to happen. |
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