World-first genetic research from the University of South Australia shows a direct link between low levels of vitamin D and high levels of inflammation, providing an important biomarker to identify people at higher risk of or severity of chronic illnesses with an inflammatory component.
Author: sarah Jonas
Smog increases the risk of adverse health effects in pregnant mothers and babies
Mild exposure to common smog pollutants such as inhalable airborne particles and carbon monoxide during pregnancy results in adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes, a new study of women in China finds.
Fancy a side of 3D printed carrots and crickets with your meal?
As the global population continues to age and grow, the demand for protein-rich food is also expected to increase concurrently. This has also caused concerns on increasing greenhouse gases, land and water consumption associated with the conventional rearing of animals for food.
Researchers Identify Common Long COVID Symptoms and Potential Causes for The Condition
Chronic COVID, also called Long COVID, is becoming an increasingly concerning condition where people who have recovered from the initial infection are still facing a number of health problems that make it difficult to get through everyday life. A recent…
Making House Calls Guided by AI
Handheld computer vision and machine learning tool for identifying surgical wound infections debuts in rural Rwanda, enabling crucial care for women recovering from c-section in their homes. Project named first-prize winner in NIH Technology Accelerator Challenge for Maternal Health.
New recommendations aim to ease patient access to lung cancer clinical trials
A clinical trial is only as powerful as its participants. For years, researchers have struggled to fill clinical trials and enroll sufficiently diverse groups of patients for results to reflect the broader population, in part because of stringent guidelines on who can participate.
Researchers unveil key processes in marine microbial evolution
A study published recently in the prestigious journal Nature Ecology and Evolution has unveiled some of the key processes in marine microbial evolution.

‘Simple yet powerful’: Seeing cell secretion like never before
Washington University in St. Louis researchers have developed a novel method for visualizing the proteins secreted by cells with stunning resolution, making it the James Webb version for visualizing single cell protein secretion.
MSU researchers show that locusts can ‘sniff’ out human cancer
Researchers at Michigan State University have shown that locusts can not only “smell” the difference between cancer cells and healthy cells, but they can also distinguish between different cancer cell lines.

Best New Dean of Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science
Brookie Best, PharmD, has been named the next dean of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego, succeeding James McKerrow, PhD, MD, who stepped down June 30, 2022.
Exploring arcobacter risk to the food industry and human health
The increase in the discovery of Arcobacter in food samples of all types raises public health concerns, as very little is known as yet about the pathogenic potential of Arcobacter species, and the few studies that have been carried out show a large number of host species and transmission routes.

No Trace of Dark Matter Halos
Dwarf galaxies are small, faint galaxies that can usually be found in galaxy clusters or near larger galaxies.

Scott M. Sasser, MD, joins University Hospitals in Cleveland as Chief Physician Executive & President, UH Medical Group and UH Physician Services
Announcement that University Hospitals in Cleveland appointed Scott Sasser, MD, FACEP, as Chief Physician Executive and President, University Hospitals Medical Group and University Hospitals Physician Services; effective Aug. 1, 2022,

CFES Grad Continues to Support Students Across North Country as Director of Admissions at Paul Smith’s College
When Hannah Ackerman gives campus tours to prospective Paul Smith’s students, she often sees young people that remind her of when she first visited the college in 2008. Hailing from tiny Milford, NY, near Cooperstown, she knows firsthand the obstacles rural students face
How learning about wellbeing can benefit university students’ own wellbeing
Studying wellbeing science as part of their courses could be a key way of improving how today’s students cope with the barrage of stressors they face, according to research.

UChicago Medicine breaks ground on $121M multispecialty care facility in Crown Point, Indiana
The University of Chicago Medicine broke ground on a new two-story, 130,000-square-foot multispecialty care center and micro-hospital in Northwest Indiana for what will be the academic health system’s largest off-site facility and its first freestanding building in Indiana. The $121 million state-of-the-art care center, at I-65 and 109th Avenue in Crown Point, is expected to open in spring of 2024.
Fewer rural early-onset Alzheimer’s patients see specialists
Rural Americans suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s are less likely than city dwellers to be seen by specialists and receive tests that can benefit both them and their families, new research has found.
Children’s headaches and mental health worsened during pandemic
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many pediatric patients who suffer from headaches have experienced more frequent headaches and worsening anxiety and mood, and a new study finds links to stress, decreased physical activity and increased screen time.
Study Reverses Long-Held Ideas About Relationship Among Diabetes, Fat and Cardiovascular Disease
In a paper published in Circulation Research, scientists describe a series of studies designed to determine the relationship among insulin, fats and the vascular system.

2022 AANEM Distinguished Physician Award Winner Announced
The American Association of Neuromuscular &
Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM), is excited to announce Anthony E. Chiodo, MD, MBA,
as the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Physician Award. AANEM honors one member each
year who has provided distinguished service as a clinician and/or educator and is an active
supporter of AANEM activities.

GW Expert Available to Discuss China’s Reaction to Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan Trip
WASHINGTON (August 5, 2022)— On Friday China said it is canceling or suspending dialogue with the United States on a range of issues from climate change to military relations and anti-drug efforts in retaliation for a visit this week to…

Machine Learning Reveals Hidden Components of X-Ray Pulses
Ultrafast pulses from X-ray lasers reveal how atoms move at femtosecond timescales, but measuring the properties of the pulses is challenging. A new approach trains neural networks to analyze the pulses. Starting from low-resolution measurements, the neural networks reveal finer details with each pulse, and they can analyze pulses millions of times faster than previous methods.
Nutrition solution can help heat-stressed cows as US warms
Rising temperatures pose major challenges to the dairy industry – a Holstein’s milk production can decline 30 to 70% in warm weather – but a new Cornell University-led study has found a nutrition-based solution to restore milk production during heat-stress events, while also pinpointing the cause of the decline.
As the country experiences record high temperatures, a University of Miami dermatologist explains why sweat is a natural phenomenon that we often take for granted but that it is crucial for our bodies to remain healthy.
Dr. Scott Elman is a Harvard-trained dermatologist in the Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery at the University of Miami Health System. Why do we sweat? (miami.edu) Dr. Scott Elman, MD – Miami, FL – Dermatology –…
French Astronomer Honored as 2022 Jansky Lecturer
The 2022 Jansky Lectureship, honoring outstanding contributions to radio astronomy, has been awarded to Professor Françoise Combes, Chair of Galaxies and Cosmology at the College of France and Astronomer at the Paris Observatory.
Michigan Medicine receives grant recognizing it as a top U.S. program for spinal cord injury
Michigan Medicine’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation received a federal research grant for spinal cord injury – reflecting its comprehensive care for patients with SCI and signifying the program as a national leader in the field. Michigan Medicine rejoins the Spinal Cord Injury Model System program, a network of health systems supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.
New study calculates retreat of glacier edges in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park
A new study measured 38 years of change for glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park, which lies south of Anchorage, and found that 13 of 19 glaciers show substantial retreat, four are relatively stable, and two have advanced. It also finds trends in which glacier types are disappearing fastest.
Department of Energy Announces $3.2 Million for Plasma Science Research
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $3.2 million in funding for universities, national laboratories, and non-profit organizations to support frontier plasma science experiments at several midscale DOE collaborative research facilities (CRFs) across the nation.
WVU toxicologist calls passage of burn pit bill ‘critical step in improving veteran health’
A West Virginia University researcher with expertise in air pollution and inhalation exposures is available to discuss burn pits following this week’s U.S. Senate passage of a bill expanding health care benefits for veterans who developed illnesses after being exposed…
Does China’s research and development funding reach the right firms?
Chinese investments in research and development (R&D) have burgeoned since the turn of the century, increasing more than tenfold in absolute terms since 2000 and reaching a high of 2.4 percent of GDP in 2020.
Prostate Cancer Cases Risk Being Detected Too Late Due to Misleading Focus on Urinary Problems
Men with early, curable stages of prostate cancer are missing opportunities to have their cancer detected because national guidelines and media health campaigns focus on urinary symptoms despite a lack of scientific evidence, say experts at the University of Cambridge.
Women in STEM Careers Face Bias
Women are excluded from promotions when firms look at potential, rather than proof, says Dr. Nishtha Langer, an associate professor in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
ابتكارات مايو كلينك: بحثٌ في طليعة الطيران الأمريكي في وقت انتصار الحرب العالمية الثانية
إذا كنتم قد شاهدتم فيلم “توب غان: مافريك”، فقد رأيتم صورةً خياليةً لطيارين حربيين يقومون بمناورات جوية مذهلة في ظروف صعبة جداً تتحدّى قوة الجاذبية. لذلك، نشارككم الدور الذي لعبته مايو كلينك في مساعدة الطيارين الأمريكيين على الوصول إلى تلك الارتفاعات في الحرب العالمية الثانية.
Study: Psychological Safety Can Enable Innovation
Psychological safety has long been recognized in the context of information sharing, risk taking and collaboration, but its effects on the process of innovation have not been tested. A study published in the International Journal of Innovation Management investigates the role of…
Newly Discovered “Danger Signal” May Spur Vaccine Development and Allergy Treatment
A team of Rutgers researchers and others inject parasitic worms into mice to study how injured cells trigger an immune response.

Study examines voters’ threshold for transgressions by political candidates
University of Illinois Chicago researchers explore voters’ decisions when they learn their favored candidates have committed moral transgressions
Vegans who lift weights may have stronger bones than other people on a plant-based diet
People on a plant-based diet who do strength training as opposed to other forms of exercise such as biking or swimming may have stronger bones than other people on a vegan diet, according to new research published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The Medical Minute: Pickleball anyone? Sport’s popularity surges, health benefits abound
Pickleball is surging in popularity. Does the sport also offer health benefits? A Penn State Health exercise physiologist and a couple passionate pickleballers pop the top on a jar’s worth of thoughts.
Children and teens getting spinal surgery don’t need so many opioids, study suggests
Children and teens with scoliosis undergoing spinal fusion can be prescribed fewer opioids while still receiving adequate pain control after surgery, a new study finds. Patients receiving preoperative education on the risks of opioids and the importance of nonopioid pain management options consumed fewer opioids after surgery.
AACN Study Underscores Pandemic Damage and the Benefits of Healthy Work Environments
Results from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ national survey of 9,000-plus nurses underscore the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses and the benefits of creating healthy work environments to support nurse staffing, retention and optimal patient care.
Pairing imaging, AI may improve colon cancer screening, diagnosis
A research team from the lab of Quing Zhu, the Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has combined optical coherence tomography (OCT) and machine learning to develop a colorectal cancer imaging tool that may one day improve the traditional endoscopy currently used by doctors.
SuPAR identifies patients at high risk of blood clot formation
Blood clots are thought to occur in as many as a third of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In many cases these clots can be deadly, such as pulmonary embolisms—blood clots that travel to the lungs. In fact, in nearly one third of patients with COVID-19, these clots led to death.

When in doubt never fear, Al is here
Partial-observation mazes in virtual reality have been used to find that they can decode from brain activity the subjects’ abilities to predict their positions and scenes within the maze, as well as the degree of confidence in their predictions. Brain activity is measured via functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, while subjects are engaged in a VR maze game. Despite having no knowledge of the final destination, subjects appear to be able to use their predictions and map memory to help estimate their positions in the maze and choose the right way to proceed.

Machine Learning Reveals Hidden Components of X-Ray Pulses
Neural networks determine the amplitude and phase of X-ray pulses, enabling new, high-resolution quantum studies.

Standing Up to Stage 4 Breast Cancer
Holly Hammond faced one of the toughest-imaginable breast cancer scenarios. Her cancer was already advanced and had spread to her liver and lymph nodes when she discovered a tumor on her right breast. The tumor was negative for all of the markers that respond to targeted therapies for cancer treatment. She was also positive for the genes that mark her as especially prone to breast cancer.
3D Study of “Gigantic Jet” Provides New Insights into Upward Lightning Bursts
A detailed 3D study of a massive electrical discharge that rose 50 miles into space above an Oklahoma thunderstorm has provided new information about an elusive atmospheric phenomenon known as gigantic jets.
Scientists have built a matmodel of the spread of infections
Scientists at the Ural Federal University (UFU) have built a mathematical model describing the process of development and spread of epidemics.
Genetics May Predict Bladder Cancer Immunotherapy Response
Investigators from Cedars-Sinai Cancer have identified genetic signatures that could predict whether tumors in patients with bladder and other cancers will respond to immunotherapy. Their results, published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of the National Cancer Institute, could one day help guide clinicians to the most effective treatments for cancer patients.
The effect of dark traits such as Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy on salesperson performance
Researchers from University of New Hampshire, University of Kentucky, Texas A&M University, and Florida State University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines the effect among salespeople of three negative personality traits – Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.
Testing success attributed to use of culturally informed methods
In a new Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open paper, researchers in the University of Oregon’s Prevention Science Institute shared their findings from a study on COVID-19 testing outreach in the Oregon Latinx community. The results could shape outreach to Latinx communities across the country as well as suggest ways to tailor outreach to any group.