Some public venues may need better ventilation to prevent the spread of covid-19 following growing evidence of the potential for ‘long distance’ airborne transmission of the disease, suggests research published by The BMJ today.
Category: Research Results
New Study Finds Surprise Billing Dispute Resolution Outcomes in Texas Anchored to Median in-Network Allowed Amount
Under the No Surprises Act, disputes between payers and providers are settled through arbitration while the patient is held harmless for any surprise bill that occurs in an emergency or in-patient setting during which the patient could not have reasonably known the provider was out-of-network.
Study Finds Pre-procedure CT Imaging Beneficial for Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Cases
DETROIT (June 30, 2022) – Findings of a Henry Ford Health study published in the Journal of American Heart Association from researchers in the Center for Structural Heart Disease (Division of Cardiology and Division of Radiology) show Henry Ford’s pioneering use of 3D Computed Tomography (CT) imaging for planning left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is associated with higher successful device implantation rates, shorter procedural times, and less frequent changes in device sizes.
Global contrast media shortage: Strategies for conservation
In wake of the global shortage of iodinated contrast media, researchers modeled several ways to conserve it. They found that a combination of methods could reduce contrast media use for CT scans by approximately 80% if a moderate reduction in diagnostic accuracy could be tolerated. They say changes must be made to minimize supply chain risk in the future.
Autistic adults have become increasingly visible in media, books, television, and more in the past decade, but challenges with representation persist
Researchers documented a shift toward more representation for adults in popular portrayals of autism, which have historically focused on children.
Immune Cells Anchored in Tissues Offer Unique Defenses Against Pathogens and Cancers
Researchers are expanding their understanding of unique immune “memory” cells equipped to remember malicious invaders. They developed an atlas that describes tissue-resident memory cells in diverse settings, boosting prospects for new immune defense strategies at vulnerable infection sites.
Could Carbon Monoxide Foam Help Fight Inflammation?
Carbon monoxide is best known as a potentially deadly gas. However, in small doses it also has beneficial qualities: It has been shown to reduce inflammation and can help stimulate tissue regeneration.
Stalling Improvements in Cardiovascular Disease Rates Since 2010 Could Cost £54bn Between 2020 and 2029
New research published today suggests that the slowdown in improvements in cardiovascular diseases like heart disease and stroke seen in England and Wales since 2010 could cost £54billion in health and social care costs.
From the playroom to the landfill: DePaul University researchers examine environmental impact of children’s toys
New research from two DePaul University alumnae delves into the environmental impact of popular children’s toys. The experience working on the research helped both graduates launch careers in sustainability.
Cancer Drug Shows Potential as Treatment for Muscular Dystrophy
Researchers at the University of British Columbia’s School of Biomedical Engineering have discovered that an existing cancer drug could have potential as a treatment for muscular dystrophy.
Oregon State survey suggests charismatic songbird’s numbers have dramatically declined
The evening grosbeak, a noisy and charismatic songbird, once arrived at Oregon State University in springtime flocks so vast an OSU statistics professor estimated there were up to a quarter million of the birds on campus daily.
Romantic partners can influence each other’s beliefs and behaviors on climate change, new Yale study finds
Few would argue that romantic partners have the potential to shift each other’s beliefs and behaviors, but what about their views on climate change specifically? Up until now there’s been little analysis of the dynamics of climate change conversations in romantic relationships and how the beliefs of one partner can influence the other.
The world’s rivers are changing, here’s how
The way rivers function is significantly affected by how much sediment they transport and where it gets deposited. River sediment — mostly sand, silt, and clay — plays a critical ecological role, as it provides habitat for organisms downstream and in estuaries.
Study Finds Women Have More Brain Changes After Menopause
Women who have gone through menopause may have more of a brain biomarker called white matter hyperintensities than premenopausal women or men of the same age, according to a new study published in the June 29, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Tandon team captures an elusive shadow: state-by-state gun ownership
Policy-makers are faced with an exceptional challenge: how to reduce harm caused by firearms while maintaining citizens’ right to bear arms and protect themselves. This is especially true as the Supreme Court has hobbled New York State regulations restricting who can carry a concealed weapon.
New technique for detecting typhoid infections faster, more accurate than conventional testing, according to study
A new technique for detecting typhoid infections is faster and more accurate than conventional testing, according to a new study. The new approach can significantly help disease monitoring and vaccination planning. An estimated 11 to 20 million people get sick from typhoid every year.
Organoids Reveal Similarities Between Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 & Rett Syndrome
Using brain organoids, UC San Diego researchers discover mutational commonalities between muscular dystrophy type 1 and Rett syndrome, suggesting the potential of a similar treatment for both.
Lupin used as winter cover crop boosts summer sorghum yield
Common garden plant shows promise as valuable winter cover crop for sorghum and cotton growers in Southeastern U.S.
Study: Robots driving U.S. co-workers to substance abuse, mental health issues
A University of Pittsburgh study suggests that while American workers who work alongside industrial robots are less likely to suffer physical injury, they are more likely to suffer from adverse mental health effects — and even more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.
‘Safety in numbers’ tactic keeps Pacific salmon safe from predators
A new University of Washington study that leverages historical data has found unique support for a “safety in numbers” strategy, where Pacific salmon living in larger groups have a lower risk of being eaten by predators. But for some salmon species, schooling comes at the cost of competition for food, and those fish may trade safety for a meal.
Study looks at how friends can work together to help protect against unwanted sexual experiences in the first year of college
A new study from the University at Buffalo is helping researchers understand how women in their early college years can use friends-based strategies to help avoid unwanted sexual experiences.
Most New Jersey Parents Support Depression Screening in Schools, But They Have Some Concerns
A majority — more than 75 percent — of New Jersey parents of middle and high school students recognize the benefits of screening and early detection of depression risk in adolescents but many express concerns about potential unintended consequences of screening, according to a survey of New Jersey parents and guardians of children ages 12 to 18.
Study Reveals the Job Problems Contributing to Physician Suicide
UC San Diego Health study identifies the main job stressors contributing to physician suicides.
For Dreamers, Optimism Rules — Especially Among Americans, Researchers Find
“Social location” – where class, race, gender, stage of life, or unexpected disruptions to one’s life place a person in the broader society – influences what, when, how and if a person dreams about the future.
University of Kentucky Researchers Develop Online Portal to Show How Biases in RNA Sequences Affect Gene Expression
A recent publication from researchers at the University of Kentucky explains the importance of identifying and understanding how differences between tissues and cells alter gene expression without changing the underlying genetic code.
Climate change may be culprit in Antarctic fish disease outbreak
Climate change might be behind an unusual disease outbreak among Antarctic fish. For about a decade, University of Oregon biologists John Postlethwait and Thomas Desvignes have been visiting the West Antarctic Peninsula. They study a unique group of fish that has adapted to the harsh polar environment. But on a 2018 field excursion, they noticed something especially strange: a large number of those fish were afflicted with grotesque skin tumors.

Belgian researchers explain why people with lower economic status don’t trust politicians as much
The ‘anomie’ concept – that the society is disintegrating and losing moral standards – explains why people with low socio-economic status trust politics less than those with a higher one, concludes a new study published in the scientific journal Social Psychological Bulletin.
Under 30 Percent of U.S. Kids Have High Scores for Heart Health
Most children and adolescents living in the U.S. have suboptimal scores for cardiovascular health (CVH), according to the first study to use the American Heart Association’s new “Life’s Essential 8” metrics and scoring algorithm for quantifying CVH levels in adults and children. Overall, under 30 percent of 2-19-year-olds had high CVH. The proportion of children with high CVH declined markedly with older age: 56 percent of 2-5-year-old children had high CVH, compared with 33 percent of 6-11-year-olds and 14 percent of 12-19-year-olds.

Awake prone positioning does not offer benefit in reducing intubation for COVID-19 induced acute respiratory failure
A large multicenter, randomized clinical trial revealed no difference in the risk of endotracheal intubation requirement at 30 days between awake prone positioning and standard positioning for patients with COVID-19 who suffered from acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, according to research published in JAMA by researchers at UTHealth Houston.

Scientists find trigger that sets off metastasis in pancreatic cancer
Suppressing enzyme that removes oxygen from methionine sparks metastatic spread of cancer.
Carnegie Mellon University study finds toxicity in the open-source community varies from other internet forums
Trolls, haters, flamers and other ugly characters are, unfortunately, a fact of life across much of the internet. Their ugliness ruins social media networks and sites like Reddit and Wikipedia.
Measuring Levels of Proteins in Eye Fluid May Accurately Predict Need for Lifelong Macular Degeneration Therapy
In a study of eye fluid from 38 patients, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have found that levels of a specific protein appears to help accurately predict whether people with the wet form of age-related macular degeneration may need lifelong, frequent eye injections to preserve vision or if they can be safely weaned off the treatments.
Study Examines Data Transparency, Health Equity in U.S. COVID-19 Response
State governments varied widely in COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures and how they addressed immediate and long-standing health disparities and associated inequities.
Moffitt Study Shows Adaptive Therapy Improves Outcomes, Reduces Care Costs for Prostate Cancer Patients
Researchers in Center of Excellence for Evolutionary Therapy at Moffitt Cancer Center are thinking outside the box and studying an alternative approach called adaptive therapy that is based on evolutionary principles and mathematical modeling. In a new article in eLife, the researchers report updated results from a pilot clinical trial evaluating an adaptive therapy approach using the drug abiraterone to treat patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer.

Targeting a human protein to squash SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses
In ACS Infectious Diseases, scientists now report that apratoxin S4, an anticancer drug candidate that targets a human protein, can interfere with the replication of many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A, offering a possible pan-viral therapy.
Eligible younger U.S. adults less likely to meet recommended colorectal cancer screening guidelines and face greater disparities
Younger adults living in the U.S. are less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer than older U.S. adults, despite now being eligible under new screening guidelines, and face greater disparities than older U.S. adults who are eligible for screening, according to research from UTHealth Houston.

Study led by NUS researchers reveals High Mountain Asia hydropower systems are threatened by climate change
High Mountain Asia, the planet’s most extensive icy systems outside the polar regions, have the world’s largest undeveloped hydropower potential and are seeing numerous dams and reservoirs under construction or planning. However, climate change is destabilising the landscapes and threatening numerous hydropower projects according to a new study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
These red flags can let you know when you’re in an online echo chamber
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have identified specific elements of tone and style in online speech that are linked to hyperpartisan echo chambers. These language markers could also prove useful for flagging spaces where disinformation may be likely to emerge.
Sustainable practices improve farmers’ wellbeing
Small-holder farmers in rural Tanzania can improve food security and their wellbeing by adopting agroecological practices, new research funded by UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund has shown.
Study finds low vitamin D levels in young people of color
Black and Hispanic populations have high rates of deficiency
Many pain medications can be used for spine-related pain in older adults
Medications should be coupled with physical therapy, exercise programs and treatment of the underlying degenerative disease process and medical illness.
Scientists prevent “exhaustion” in cancer-fighting T cells
The new study paves the way toward more effective cancer immunotherapies.
Republicans and Democrats see their own party’s falsehoods as more acceptable
Politicians’ policy falsehoods seen as justifiable based on their signal of partisan trustworthiness.
Study shows chemical’s extent in Fairbanks winter air
A chemical compound discovered in 2019 in Fairbanks’ wintertime air accounts for a significant portion of the community’s fine particulate pollution, according to new research that seeks to better understand the causes and makeup of the dirty air.
How the pandemic and social distancing have changed our perception of time
Brazilian researchers surveyed 900 volunteers via an online platform for five months. Most reported feeling that time passed more slowly during home confinement in the early months of the pandemic, associating this perception with feelings of loneliness.
Physicists confront the neutron lifetime puzzle
To solve a long-standing puzzle about how long a neutron can “live” outside an atomic nucleus, physicists entertained a wild but testable theory positing the existence of a right-handed version of our left-handed universe.
Designed to identify wildlife by sound, the BirdNET app opens new avenues for citizen science
The BirdNET app, a free machine-learning powered tool that can identify more than 3,000 birds by sound alone, generates reliable scientific data and makes it easier for people to contribute citizen-science data on birds by simply recording sounds. Results of tests to measure the app’s accuracy are published in the open access journal PLOS Biology.
Dynamic cells linked to brain tumor growth and recurrence
Tumors are made up of many types of cells, both cancerous and benign. The specific complexity of the cells inside brain tumors has been a trademark of the disease, one that makes treatment extremely difficult. While scientists have long known about the variety of cells within a brain tumor, the ways these tumors grow has relied on the understanding that the cells are static, unmoving and relatively fixed.
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Shine a light: New research shows how low-energy light can bend plastic
A team of Florida State University researchers has uncovered a way to use low-energy light to manipulate photopolymers or plastic films — a finding that has implications for a wide range of technologies that use light as an energy source to create shape-shifting structures.