In this issue, Guest Editor Veli-Pekka Jaakola, Ph.D., (Confo Therapeutics, Belgium) includes a series of articles focused on new screening tools and assays that find new chemical matter for medically relevant membrane protein targets. In addition, an overview of a new and emerging protein-lipid reconstitution methodology utilizing Styrene Maleic Acid (SMA) polymers is featured.
Month: November 2019
NMU and Shimadzu Dedicate Medicinal Plant Chemistry Lab
Northern Michigan University students enrolled in the nation’s first medicinal plant chemistry program have access to cutting-edge instrumentation used in and beyond the cannabis industry through NMU’s partnership with Shimadzu. Representatives of both entities recently dedicated a new lab on campus.
Two UC San Diego Researchers Elected AAAS Fellows
Two researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine—Pamela L. Mellon and Aleem Siddiqui—have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general science organization in the world and publisher of the journal Science.
Building a better flu shot
Each year millions of Americans become sick with the flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and tens of thousands die. Getting the flu shot can reduce the chances of infection. But, at best, the vaccine is only effective 40% to 60% of the time, according to the CDC. Now Michigan State University researchers have data that show how cellular RNA levels change following infection or vaccination.
Should Santa deliver by drone?
Santa has always run a one-sleigh operation, but a new analysis could help him speed deliveries and save energy, if he ever decided to add a drone to his route.
Dietitian: Holiday dieting can backfire
It can be hard to resist a spread of decadent food over the holidays. But as much as you might prepare for gorging by dieting in advance, Natalia Groat, a registered dietitian at Harborview Medical Center, says that plan can backfire.
McMaster researcher warns plastic pollution in the Great Lakes is a growing concern to ecosystem, human health
Research from a leading international expert on the health of the Great Lakes suggests that the growing intensity and scale of pollution from plastics poses serious risks to human health and will continue to have profound consequences on the ecosystem.
Watertown native honored for steadfast engagement in Jefferson County
E. Hartley Bonisteel Schweitzer was named the latest recipient of the Cornell New York State Hometown Alumni Award for her “steadfast, proactive engagement in Jefferson County” at a Nov. 22 luncheon ceremony in Watertown attended by family, colleagues and Cornellians.
U.N. climate report shows governments, businesses lagging
A United Nations report released on Tuesday shows the world is on track to experience the worst consequences of climate change, with global temperatures rising and governments failing to adequately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Glen Dowell is a corporate sustainability…
How to Avoid Food Poisoning This Holiday Season
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year an estimated 48 million people, about one in six, contract a foodborne illness. Approximately 128,000 require hospitalization, and 3,000 cases are fatal.
Children of abused mothers 50% more likely to have low IQ
Children of women who reported domestic violence in pregnancy or during the first six years of the child’s life are almost 50% more likely to have a low IQ at age 8, research finds.
Two Rutgers Professors Named Fellows of AAAS
Two Rutgers professors have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this year, an honor awarded to AAAS members by their peers. They join 441 other AAAS members named new fellows because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. The fellows will be presented an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 15 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.
HIV: Overwhelming the enemy from the start
Virologist Eric Cohen and his team have identified a way to thwart HIV infection at its very early stages.
Six Berkeley Lab Scientists Named AAAS Fellows
Six scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Choking Deaths in U.S. Children Drop by 75 Percent in Past 50 Years
Children’s deaths from choking on small objects dropped by 75 percent from 1968 to 2017, according to a report published in JAMA. Various choking hazard regulations enacted during the past 50 years may have played a role in the large decline in choking deaths, although the study design cannot establish a direct causal link. However, despite warning label legislation and other regulations, 184 children in the U.S. died from choking in 2017.
More medical students are telling their schools about their disabilities, and schools are responding, study finds
The percentage of medical students who told their schools that they have a disability rose sharply in recent years, a new study shows. Medical schools made changes, called accommodations, for nearly all medical students who disclosed the fact that they have a condition that qualifies as a disability, the study also finds.
Ternary Acceptor and Donor Materials Increase Photon Harvesting in Organic Solar Cells
Organic solar cells are steadily improving as new materials are developed for the active layer, and a paper published this week in Applied Physics Reviews presents a practical guide for selecting materials for ternary organic solar cells. The authors set out to employ component engineering to extend the light absorption and efficiency of solar cells in a simple, physical way instead of the complicated process of synthesizing new semiconductors.
Hibernating Mammals Arouse Hope for Genetic Solutions to Obesity, Metabolic Diseases
University of Utah Health scientists say they have detected new genetic clues about hibernation that could lead to better understanding and treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders that afflict millions of people worldwide.
Chemical Herders Could Impact Oil Spill Cleanup
Oil spills in the ocean can cause devastation to wildlife, so effective cleanup is a top priority. Research shows the effects of chemical herders, which are agents that may be used to concentrate oil spills, on wave breaking.
Industrial Bread Dough Kneaders Could Use Physics-Based Redesign
When making bread, it’s important not to overknead the dough, because this leads to a dense and tight dough due to a reduced water absorption capacity that impairs its ability to rise.
Saving Bats from Wind Turbine Death
Wind energy holds great promise as a source of renewable energy, but some have wondered addressing climate change has taken precedence over conservation of biodiversity. Wind turbines, for example, kill some birds, and the fatality rate for bats is even higher. In the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, scientists report the results of a survey of stakeholders in the wind energy field about attitudes toward the relative emphasis on climate change versus biodiversity issues.
From Firearms to Fish — Following Patterns to Discover Causality
Mathematicians have successfully applied a new, pictorial approach to answer complex questions that puzzle analysts, such as, do media stories on firearm legislation influence gun sales? Cause-and-effect queries like this pop up in various fields, from finance to neuroscience, and objective methods are needed to deliver reliable answers.
Holidays on the Spectrum
A short feature with a list of tips to help people with autism, and their loved ones, better navigate the holidays.
Loyola Medicine Names Regional Vice President, Finance, Loyola Medical Group
Loyola Medicine Names Regional
Vice President, Finance, Loyola Medical Group
Expert available to discuss Lassa virus and antibody therapies against the virus
Structural immunologist Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire is available to discuss Lassa virus and current efforts to develop much-needed antibody therapies to treat often lethal Lassa infections. A Dutch doctor, who was evacuated from Sierra Leone after contracting Lassa fever, died…
10 Steps to a More Sustainable Christmas
A consumer-friendly listicle.
Harvesting Fog Can Provide Fresh Water in Desert Regions
Fog harvesting is a potential practical source of fresh water in foggy coastal deserts, and current solutions rely on meter scale nets/meshes. The mesh geometry, however, presents a physiologically inappropriate shape for millimeter scale bulk bodies, like insects.
MERCY MEDICAL CENTER TO LAUNCH THE MARYLAND BARIATRIC CENTER
Noted bariatric specialist Kuldeep Singh, MD, FACS, MBA, FASMBS, has joined Mercy Medical Center to establish a new clinical program: The Maryland Bariatric Center at Mercy, scheduled to open in January 2020.
American Association of Endodontists Underscores Recommendations on Endodontic Competency and Treatment Standards
Furthering its goal to advance the best patient care, the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) distilled its white papers on competency and treatment standards into executive summaries that provide key recommendations and directives to guide the insurance industry, state boards, and other communities of interest to support appropriate endodontic care.
Can we really predict who’s at risk for addiction?
Can we really predict who’s at risk for addiction? Each year 47,000 Canadian die from substance abuse.[1] This shocking statistic is shedding light on an important issue: addiction. How do our brains function in a state of addiction? In what…
University of Vermont’s Green MBA Ranked No. 1 by Princeton Review for Third Year Straight
For the third consecutive year, the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business’ Sustainable Innovation MBA has been named the No. 1 “Best Green MBA” program by The Princeton Review.
Research: Despite What You Might Think, Sexting Isn’t Just About Sex
A new analysis from the Texas Tech University Department of Psychological Sciences shows three different, equally prevalent purposes behind sexually based messages.
What You Need to Know Before You Buy an At-Home Genetic Test
At-home genetic tests are popular holiday gifts that can be fun and interesting, but they also have limitations and risks — such as providing unexpected or upsetting results.
Changes in pupils after asymptomatic high-acceleration head impacts indicate changes in brain function
Researchers used quantitative pupillometry to detect pupillary changes in high-school athletes after they sustained a high-acceleration head impact. These pupillary changes, indicative of changes in brain function, were evident even when the athletes had no discernible symptoms.
What Keeps Cells in Shape? New Research Points to Two Types of Motion
The health of cells is maintained, in part, by two types of movement of their nucleoli. This dual motion within surrounding fluid, it reports, adds to our understanding of what contributes to healthy cellular function and points to how its disruption could affect human health.
IMAGE: Giant Magnetic Ropes in a Galaxy’s Halo
VLA observations reveal large-scale magnetic field that spirals outward into a galaxy’s extended halo.
Johns Hopkins Experts Available in Observance of World AIDS Day
Nearly 40 million people around the world are living with HIV, and experts believe about 20% do not know their status. In the U.S., more than 1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV.
Shape-shifting metals transform lunar missions
In preparation for another lunar landing, NASA is investing $2 million in cutting-edge thermal technology to be developed by a team of researchers from Texas A&M, Boeing and Paragon.
New study analyzes viability of sustainable fuels developed through ORNL process
A technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and scaled up by Vertimass LLC to convert ethanol into fuels suitable for aviation, shipping and other heavy-duty applications can be price-competitive with conventional fuels while retaining the sustainability benefits of bio-based ethanol, according to a new analysis.
High levels of screen use associated with symptoms of anxiety in adolescence
A new study, by researchers Drs. Boers, Afzali and Conrod who are affiliated with CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal, reveals that social media use, television viewing and computer use, but not…
Three Penn faculty named 2019 AAAS Fellows
Carolyn Gibson, Sampath Kannan, and Ellen Puré are among a cohort of 443 distinguished scientists recognized with the honor from the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Doctors of the future will simply ‘switch off’ the genes that cause heart attacks
British Heart Foundation renews the first Programme Grant awarded to the region for cardiac research University of Sheffield Professor of Cardiovascular Science, Paul Evans has been awarded £800k to search for a new drug treatment that will ‘switch off’ genes…
Four USC professors named AAAS fellows
Four USC professors have been selected as fellows of the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), a top honor bestowed to leading scientists for research excellence and service to education. The new USC fellows are: Stephen Bradforth, professor of…
UT AgResearch and The Nature Conservancy to partner on working woodlands
Society to benefit from historic agreement
People who qualify for Medicare due to disability account for most opioid-related deaths
GALVESTON, Texas – New findings from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston show that patients qualifying for Medicare because of a disability have the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths compared with older Medicare beneficiaries and commercial insurance…
Hibernating mammals arouse hope for genetic solutions to obesity, metabolic diseases
Hibernation is one of nature’s strangest quirks, inducing bears and other mammals to pack on massive weight–amounts that would be unhealthy for humans–so they can survive months of slumber. Yet when these animals reemerge, they are as fit as ever.…
Crossing borders and growing resistance: a superbug from south Asia
Using whole genome sequencing, researchers have been able to trace the origins and global spread of a multi-drug resistant, community Staphylococcus aureus lineage from the Indian subcontinent, known as the Bengal Bay clone
Biotech breakthrough turns waste biomass into high value chemicals
A move towards a more sustainable bio-based economy has been given a new boost by researchers who have been able to simplify a process to transform waste materials into high value chemicals. A collaboration between the UK and Brazil has…
‘Climate change is a disability rights issue’
“Global environmental change should be considered a disability rights issue”, first author Dr Aleksandra Kosanic and her colleagues Dr Mialy Razanajatovo (also University of Konstanz), Dr Jan Petzold (Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg) and…
New method enables easier and faster detection of celiac disease antibodies
Point-of-care (POC) testing is a rapidly growing sector, bringing medical testing from central laboratories to where the patient is receiving care. Researchers from the University of Helsinki have developed a novel diagnostic method coined RFS (Rapid FRET serodiagnostics) for the…