Sandia National Laboratories has successfully completed another milestone in the B61-12 gravity bomb refurbishment program, demonstrating the labs is meeting important nuclear safety and use-control requirements.
Month: June 2020
Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana’s ‘Heartbeat bill,’ Roe v. Wade remains intact
The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down Louisiana so-called “heartbeat bill,” essentially aiming to make abortion illegal once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The law was unconstitutional, says B. Jessie Hill, said professor and associate dean for research and faculty…
The Gut Shields the Liver from Fructose-Induced Damage
After one consumes food or a beverage containing fructose, the gut helps to shield the liver from damage by breaking down the sugar. However, the consumption of too much fructose can overwhelm the gut, causing fructose to “spill over” into the liver, where it wreaks havoc and causes fatty liver, researchers discovered.
Wearable Health
There is more than cool looks about hip clothing for top performance: Thanks to a variety of smart technologies, high-tech clothing today is capable of analyzing body functions or actively optimizing the microclimate. The basis of these novel textiles are “smart” fibers and biocompatible composites that also contribute to innovations in biomedical research such as sensors, drug delivery systems or tissue engineering.
8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS (MSVirtual2020) Meeting to Be Held Virtually September 11-13, 2020 with an Encore Event on September 26th with Late Breakers and Special Session on COVID-19
Registered media to MSVirtual2020 will have access to the full program including plenary sessions, invited speakers and platform presentations of abstracts, poster presentations, teaching courses, and industry supported satellite symposia, both scheduled and on-demand
Letter from ACTRIMS President on MSVirtual2020
I am pleased to announce that the 8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting will be held from September 11-13, 2020, with a special encore featuring Late-Breaking News and a COVID-19 Session on September 26.
Hackensack Meridian CDI Scientists Uncover Signposts in DNA that Pinpoint Risks for Cancers and other Diseases
The most strongly disease-relevant genetic variants can be hard to localize in widespread scanning of the genome – but by zooming in on key genetic locations associated with these DNA methylation imbalances in multiple normal and cancer tissues, the scientists report they have uncovered promising new leads beneath the broader statistical signals.
Faster processing makes cutting-edge fluorescence microscopy more accessible
Scientists at NIBIB have developed new image processing techniques for microscopes that can reduce post-processing time up to several thousand-fold.
June’s jobs report to show companies not in ‘hiring mode’
On Thursday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release figures for unemployment in the month of June. Cornell experts are available for interviews about the report and the challenges facing the U.S. job market. Erica Groshen is a senior…
UCLA survey seeks public opinion on allocating resources during COVID-19
As California prepares for a potential surge of COVID-19, there is a pressing need to determine how critical care resources should be allocated, especially if there is an extreme shortage of those resources.
New 3D model shows how paradise tree snake uses aerial undulation to fly
For more than 20 years, Virginia Tech biomedical engineering and mechanics professor Jake Socha has sought to measure and model the biomechanics of snake flight and answer questions about them, like that of aerial undulation’s functional role.
Showing pro-diversity feelings are the norm makes individuals more tolerant
Showing people how their peers feel about diversity in their community can make their actions more inclusive, make members of marginalized groups feel more like they belong, and even help close racial achievement gaps in education, according to a new study. Drawing on strategies that have worked in anti-smoking, safe-sex and energy-saving campaigns, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers decided to try to change behavior by showing people that positive feelings about diversity are the norm.
WFIRM Scientists Prove Bioengineered Uteri Support Pregnancy
WFIRM scientists were able to show that bioengineered uteri in an animal model developed the native tissue-like structures needed to support normal reproductive function.
Rising Latino studies scholars named IUPLR/UIC Mellon Fellows
Presented by the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, or IUPLR, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, each fellow will receive a yearly stipend of $25,000, a faculty mentor in Latino studies, monthly teleconferences with other fellows and opportunities to present their research.
An Understanding of Relaxor Ferroelectric Properties Could Lead to Advances in Multiple Fields
A new fundamental understanding of the behavior of polymeric relaxor ferroelectrics could lead to advances in flexible electronics, actuators and transducers, energy storage, piezoelectric sensors and electrocaloric cooling, according to a team of researchers at Penn State and North Carolina State.
Clues to COVID-19 Complications Come from NET-like Inflammatory Response
An overactive defense response may lead to increased blood clotting, disease severity, and death from COVID-19. A phenomenon called NETosis—in which infection-fighting cells emit a web-like substance to trap invading viruses—is part of an immune response that becomes increasingly hyperactive in people on ventilators and people who die from the disease.
ACR Releases Position Statement on Telemedicine
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released an official position statement supporting the role of telemedicine as a tool with the potential to increase access and improve care for patients with rheumatic diseases. It also highlights the significant barriers and opportunities presented to patients and rheumatology professionals.
Studies examine how race affects perceptions of law-involved Blacks, school discipline
The extent of discriminatory treatment Black adults and children experience at every point of contact within the legal system and the biases that result in Black children’s behavior being managed more harshly in school are detailed in two new analyses from researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Benefits of Backyard Composting
New Brunswick, N.J. (June 29, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Michele Bakacs can discuss the benefits of composting for soil health and reducing waste going to landfills, how to get started with composting in your backyard, the correct ingredients for success…
Social Distancing and Dying Alone
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to drastic changes in how hospitals provide end-of-life care to patients and their families. With strict no-visiting limitations in place in an effort to stem contagion, patients have been dying alone.
Study Validates Combination Therapy for Aggressive Endometrial Cancer
Yale Cancer Center (YCC) scientists have found that combining the targeted drug trastuzumab with chemotherapy significantly improves survival rates for women with a rare, aggressive form of endometrial cancer.
Mount Sinai Researchers Find That COVID-19 Patients with HIV Did Not Experience Poorer Outcomes
Patients with HIV who were hospitalized with COVID-19 did not experience poorer outcomes compared to a similar comparison group of patients.
One-third of jobs lost to COVID-19 were back online in May
About one-third of U.S. workers who were laid off or absent from work in April because of COVID-19 were back to work in May, according to a new analysis of employment data.
Researchers use machine learning to build COVID-19 predictions
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York are using machine learning to track the coronavirus and predict where it might surge next.
Intense Light Pulses Bounce on a Crystalline Bed without Rumpling the Atomic Blanket
Scientists developed a new technique that uses intense X-ray pulses to measure how atoms move in a sheet of material one molecule thick. Scientists showed that movement of the atoms in a tungsten-selenium “blanket” layer caused the layer to stretch but not wrinkle. The research can help produce materials with new optical and electronic properties.
Supporting LGBTQ+ youth who are Black, Indigenous and people of color
Youth who are Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) that also identify as LGBTQ+ representation of sexual orientations and gender identities experience higher rates of social discrimination and isolation, including bullying, family rejection and a lack of social support. Here are ways that family and friends can support them.
Researchers control elusive spin fluctuations in 2D magnets
A Cornell team developed a new imaging technique that is fast and sensitive enough to observe these elusive critical fluctuations in two-dimensional magnets. This real-time imaging allows researchers to control the fluctuations and switch magnetism via a “passive” mechanism that could eventually lead to more energy-efficient magnetic storage devices.
UNC Researcher Leads National Survey on Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
CHAPEL HILL, NC – The findings of a nationwide survey assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional wellbeing of the U.S. adult population have been released online. The survey was a collaboration between UNC School of Medicine…
How to Recognize Side-Effects from Immunotherapy? New NCCN Guidelines for Patients can Help
New NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Immunotherapy Side Effects – Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors from National Comprehensive Cancer Network and NCCN Foundation shares information for patients and caregivers on how to recognize and manage adverse events from immune checkpoint inhibitors.
At-Risk Twin Pregnancies Benefit from an Intervention Called Cerclage
New evidence upturns long-held medical practice, showing the efficacy of an intervention to prevent premature labor and miscarriage for mothers carrying twins.
What Is Kawasaki Disease?
Kawasaki disease, sometimes called Kawasaki syndrome, is a serious inflammation of the blood vessels which affects young children, often under 5 years of age. Marked by fever, swelling and other symptoms, it can lead to coronary artery aneurysms in approximately 25% of cases if untreated.
ASA Monitor Relaunched to Reflect More Global, Timely Issues in Perioperative Health Care News
To bring a full range of perioperative health care news and information to physician anesthesiologists, surgical care team members and health care executives, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced its expanded partnership with Wolters Kluwer to publish and relaunch its publication the ASA Monitor
Study Reveals Presurgical Expectations of Foot and Ankle Patients Exceed Those of Their Surgeons
In the first-ever study to compare surgeon and patient expectations in foot and ankle surgery, research performed at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City has determined that two-thirds of patients have higher presurgical expectations than their surgeons. The paper, titled “Comparison of Patients’ and Surgeons’ Expectations in Foot and Ankle Surgery,” is available online as part of the AAOS 2020 Virtual Education Experience.
“For My Lung Health” Campaign Promotes Lung Health Education in Underserved Black and Latino Communities
This month the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) launched For My Lung Health, a patient-education website and media campaign. Using public service announcements and an education-based website, For My Lung Health focuses on empowering people from underserved communities who live with chronic lung disease.
Researchers print, tune graphene sensors to monitor food freshness, safety
Researchers are using high-resolution printing technology and the unique properties of graphene to make low-cost biosensors to monitor food safety and livestock health.
Sanford Burnham Prebys announces research agreement with Lilly for COVID-19 antibody research
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute today announced a research agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) to characterize Lilly’s next-generation anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. These collaborative studies aim to build on Lilly’s current portfolio of neutralizing antibodies by exploring novel cocktails, half-life extension technologies and strategies to further enhance potency.
Asymptomatic Testing Central to UC San Diego’s Return to Learn for Fall Quarter
The University of California San Diego today announced the next step in its Return to Learn program, which will guide an incremental repopulation of the campus while offering broad, asymptomatic testing for faculty, staff and students on a recurring basis to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
NUS research team develops portable COVID-19 diagnostic system for rapid on-site testing
A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has developed a portable COVID-19 micro-PCR diagnostic system, Epidax, that enables accurate on-site screening to be completed in about one hour.
Racial differences in rates of autopsy in the US
What The Study Did: Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used to assess racial differences in rates of autopsy of decedents older than age 18 from 2008 to 2017. Authors: Fumiko Chino, M.D., of Memorial Sloan…
Rethinking regional neurologic care in COVID-19 era
What The Viewpoint Says: Ways to reduce over-triage for patients with neurologic disease and finding ways to care for patients at a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed in this Viewpoint. Authors: Benjamin P. George, M.D., M..PH., and Adam…
Staying apart during a pandemic
What The Perspective Says: The loss of human connection caused by the social and physical distancing of the COVID-19 pandemic is lamented in this piece. Authors: Nathaniel P. Morris, M.D., of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, is the corresponding…
The state of coral reefs in the Solomon Islands
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation releases their latest findings from the largest coral reef survey and mapping expedition in history
Even in the worst COVID-19 cases, the body launches immune cells to fight back
International collaboration provides important piece of COVID-19 puzzle
Ohio State study finds exercise increases benefits of breast milk for babies
Even moderate exercise increases compound that reduces risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity
Women significantly more likely to be prescribed opioids, study shows
New Rochelle, NY, June 29, 2020–Women are significantly more likely to receive prescriptions of opioid analgesics. Read the study, which was performed in a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S., in Journal of Women’s Health . Click here…
Team dramatically reduces image analysis times using deep learning, other approaches
WOODS HOLE, Mass. – A picture is worth a thousand words -but only when it’s clear what it depicts. And therein lies the rub in making images or videos of microscopic life. While modern microscopes can generate huge amounts of…
Scientists devise gentle technique to study heart tissue functioning
Biophysicists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and their colleagues have proposed a simple way to observe the heart tissue. Besides being relatively uncomplicated, the new method is cheaper and produces results that are more independent, compared with…
Engineers use ‘DNA origami’ to identify vaccine design rules
In lab tests, virus-like DNA structures coated with viral proteins provoke a strong immune response in human B cells
Producing a gaseous messenger molecule inside the body, on demand
Method could shed light on nitric oxide’s role in the neural, circulatory, and immune systems
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood… or is it?
EAST LANSING, Mich. – How do you feel about your neighborhood now that you’ve been confined during a pandemic? A Michigan State University researcher conducted a study to quantify what makes people happy with their neighborhoods and discovered that it…