Month: December 2019

University of Utah Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dan Reed announced Monday that Kerry Case has accepted an offer to serve as the U’s chief sustainability officer. Case is currently assistant provost for Integrative Learning at Westminster College and has led that institution’s sustainability initiatives for 13 years.

UCI biologists spearhead creation of Microbiome Centers Consortium

December 23, 2019 sarah JonasFeature Expert

Irvine, Calif., Dec. 23, 2019 — From probing the ocean depths to deciphering human health mysteries, researchers across scientific disciplines are increasingly including microbiomes in their work. The Microbiome Centers Consortium has been launched by two University of California, Irvine School of Bioscience faculty members to advance growth in this life science field, increasingly recognized as relevant to many other disciplines and industrial applications.

Award-winning engineer helps keep US nuclear deterrent safe from radiation

Sandia National Laboratories engineer Alan Mar ensures components made for the U.S. nuclear stockpile pass stringent standards to resist radiation and remain safe and reliable in extremely harsh environments.

Powder, not gas: A safer, more effective way to create a star on Earth

PPPL scientists have found that sprinkling a type of powder into fusion plasma could aid in harnessing the ultra-hot gas within a tokamak facility to produce heat to create electricity without producing greenhouse gases or long-term radioactive waste.

Breaking the dogma: Key cell death regulator has more than one way to get the job done

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have discovered a new way that the molecule RIPK1 leads to cell death in infected, damaged or unwanted cells showing that more than one mechanism can trigger the process. The findings appeared online today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

A Fast and Inexpensive Device to Capture and Identify Viruses

December 23, 2019 sarah JonasPolicy

A device to quickly capture and identify various strains of virus has been developed, according to researchers at Penn State and New York University.

AACI Supports NIH, NCI Funding Increases in Federal Budget

The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) applauds the budget deal passed by Congress for Fiscal Year 2020.

Plant-rich diet protects mice against foodborne infection, UTSW researchers find

Mice fed a plant-rich diet are less susceptible to gastrointestinal (GI) infection from a pathogen such as the one currently under investigation for a widespread E. coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce, UT Southwestern researchers report.

Researchers identify immune-suppressing target in glioblastoma

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a tenacious subset of immune macrophages that thwart treatment of glioblastoma with anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade, elevating a new potential target for treating the almost uniformly lethal brain tumor.

Measuring Mutations in Sperm May Reveal Risk for Autism in Future Children

Spontaneous mutations in male sperm are linked to development of autism spectrum disorder. Researchers have created a way to measure mutations and estimate risk of ASD in future children. If developed into a clinical test, the method could be a useful predictive tool in genetic counseling.

Injection of Virus-Delivered Gene Silencer Blocks ALS Degeneration, Saves Motor Function

Novel spinal therapy/delivery approach prevented disease onset in neurodegenerative ALS disease model in adult mice and blocked progression in animals already showing disease symptoms.

Gone fishin’ … for proteins

Casting lines into human cells to snag proteins, a team of Montreal researchers has solved a 20-year-old mystery of cell biology.

Two Loyola Medicine Hospitals Named to Leapfrog’s National 2019 Top Hospitals List

Two Loyola Medicine Hospitals Named to
Leapfrog’s National 2019 Top Hospitals List

5 Tips For Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

The Ohio State University’s Chief Wellness Officer shares advice for keeping those 2020 resolutions.

Lasers Learn to Accurately Spot Space Junk

Scientists have developed space junk identification systems, but it has proven tricky to pinpoint the swift, small specks of space litter. A unique set of algorithms for laser ranging telescopes, described in the Journal of Laser Applications, by AIP Publishing, has significantly improving the success rate of space debris detection.

Exposure to Ozone Pollution or Wood Smoke Worsens Lung Health of Smokers and Former Smokers

Over many years, exposure to the levels of ozone and other forms of pollution found in most U.S. cities and some rural communities can take a toll on a person’s health. Two studies led by Johns Hopkins researchers describe the impact of pollution on lung disease, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the U.S.

Researchers discover how Zika virus remodels its host cell to boost viral production

Researchers in China have discovered how a Zika virus protein reshapes its host cell to aid viral replication. The study, which will be published December 23 in the Journal of Cell Biology, reveals that the viral protein NS1 converts an interior cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into a protective region where the virus can survive and replicate. Blocking this process could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat patients infected with Zika or similar viral pathogens, such as the yellow fever and dengue viruses.

Summit Charts a Course to Uncover the Origins of Genetic Diseases

Gene mutations can interfere with how the body expresses genes and cause disease. To better understand this connection, researchers recently developed a model of the transcription preinitiation complex (PIC).

A New Twist on Controlling Magnetic Properties

Computer storage devices often use magnetic materials printed on very thin films. In this study, researchers rotated cobalt-iron alloy thin films relative to an applied magnetic field. Unexpectedly, depending on the rotation angle, a sizeable change – up to 400% – was seen in how well the material holds on to energy.

Unraveling how Tungsten Armor Erodes in Tokamak Walls

Scientists developed a new model to describe how large, periodic bursts of plasma known as edge localized modes (ELMs) erode parts of tokamak walls. Tokamaks are devices used to study the process of fusion.

Accelerating the Development of Nuclear Fusion

Researchers from TAE Technologies used the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility to support their fusion research. The company is working to develop the world’s first fusion device that can generate electricity and is commercially viable.

LLNL physicist elected to lead Division of Plasma Physics of American Physical Society

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Denise Hinkel was elected vice chair of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) during the annual meeting Oct. 21.

Computing with molecules: A big step in molecular spintronics

International research team lead by Kiel University developed more stable spin states

Calcium channels play a key role in the development of diabetes

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have deciphered the diabetogenic role of a certain type of calcium channel in insulin-secreting beta cells. The researchers believe that blockade of these channels could be a potential new treatment strategy for diabetes. The…

Looking at the good vibes of molecules

A new method for label-free metabolic imaging

3D atlas of the bone marrow — in single cell resolution

Stem cells located in the bone marrow generate and control the production of blood and immune cells. Researchers from EMBL, DKFZ and HI-STEM have now developed new methods to reveal the three-dimensional organization of the bone marrow at the single…

Capturing CO2 from trucks and reducing their emissions by 90%

In Europe, transport is responsible for nearly 30% of the total CO2 emissions, of which 72% comes from road transportation*. While the use of electric vehicles for personal transportation could help lower that number, reducing emissions from commercial transport –…

Innovative method delivers new insights into the stem cell microenvironment

Bone marrow in 3D

EMBL co-develops new method that could facilitate cancer diagnosis

Faster, cheaper and more detailed

Scientists learn what women know — and don’t know — about breast density and cancer risk

Breast density is a risk factor for cancer, but no study has asked women what they know about breast density in relation to screening. A new three-state-wide study out of Dartmouth’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center reveals varying knowledge on the topic

Could higher magnesium intake reduce fatal coronary heart disease risk in women?

New Rochelle, NY, December 23, 2019–A new prospective study based on data from the Women’s Health Initiative found a potential inverse association between dietary magnesium and fatal coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women. The study, which also showed a trend…

New treatment Strategy may thwart deadly brain tumors

BOSTON – Immune checkpoint inhibitors are important medications that boost the immune system’s response against certain cancers; however, they tend to be ineffective against glioblastoma, the most deadly primary brain tumor in adults. New research in mice led by investigators…

How whales engulf fish

A study of anchovies’ escape behavior from virtually approaching predators suggests that while anchovies’ threshold of responses is sufficient for sea lion-sized predators, it is not surpassed for approaching whales until the whale rapidly expands its jaws, allowing for simultaneous…

Obesity is a risk factor for cardiotoxicity in chemotherapy-treated patients with breast cancer

Anthracyclines remain a cornerstone of breast cancer therapy in combination with new-generation targeted drugs such as trastuzumab. Both types of drugs are major culprits in chemotherapy-induced heart disease. A recent study showed that being overweight or obese was a risk…

California’s stricter vaccine exemption policy and improved vaccination rates

California’s elimination, in 2016, of non-medical vaccine exemptions from school entry requirements was associated with an estimated increase in vaccination coverage at state and county levels, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Nathan Lo…

NASA analyzes Tropical Cyclone Phanfone’s water vapor concentration

When NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, water vapor data provided information about the intensity of Tropical Cyclone Phanfone. In the Philippines, the storm is known locally as Ursula. Tropical Depression 30W formed early on Dec. 22…

NFCR-funded translational cancer research project receives Virginia Catalyst grant

ROCKVILLE, MD – A translational research project supported by the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) has been awarded $700,000 from Virginia Catalyst to advance its lead cancer drug candidate. The funding will be used for collaboration among the laboratory…

Study finds connection between cardiac blood test before surgery and adverse outcomes

Doctors can predict who is at greater risk of heart attacks and other negative vascular events after surgery

Study reveals a role for jumping genes during times of stress

BOSTON – Only percent of human DNA codes for proteins, and approximately half of the rest of the genome is made up of what used to be called “junk” sequences that can copy themselves into RNA or DNA and jump…

Moms’ obesity in pregnancy is linked to lag in sons’ development and IQ

December 23, 2019 — A mother’s obesity in pregnancy can affect her child’s development years down the road, according to researchers who found lagging motor skills in preschoolers and lower IQ in middle childhood for boys whose mothers were severely…

A new tomato ideal for urban gardens and even outer space

Farmers could soon be growing tomatoes bunched like grapes in a storage unit, on the roof of a skyscraper, or even in space. That’s if a clutch of new gene-edited crops prove as fruitful as the first batch. The primary…

Benefits of electrification don’t accrue equally for women, finds survey of homes in India

Increasing access to clean and affordable energy and improving gender equality are two major sustainable development goals (SDGs) that are believed to be strongly linked. With electricity access, less time and effort in the developing world is needed for tasks…

National veteran dataset will help dissect mental illness, prostate cancer connections

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Dec. 23, 2019) – There appears to be an unhealthy synergy between mental illness and prostate cancer, and researchers are working to dissect the relationship by first assembling the largest dataset ever of veterans with either condition or…

Parents: Turkey makes great leftovers — opioids do not