A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrates that a liquid biopsy examining blood or urine can help gauge the effectiveness of therapy for colorectal cancer that has just begun to spread beyond the original tumor. Such a biopsy can detect lingering disease and could serve as a guide for deciding whether a patient should undergo further treatments.
Category: Research Results
New skin patch brings us closer to wearable, all-in-one health monitor
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearer’s levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol or caffeine. This one patch performs as well as commercial monitoring devices such as a blood pressure cuff, blood lactate meter, glucometer and breathalyzer.
Study contradicts belief that whales learn songs from one another.
A new study by a University at Buffalo researcher is directly contradicting the widely accepted cultural transmission hypothesis suggesting that whales learn their songs from other whales.
“It seems like that is not correct,” says Eduardo Mercado, a professor of psychology in UB’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Our findings indicate that neither cultural transmission nor social learning contributes significantly to how humpback whales change their songs over time.
UTEP Professor’s Study May Lead to Solutions for Overeating
The 10-member team made discoveries about a specific area of the brain tied to recollection and the desire to seek and consume food. It could lead to a way to inhibit the desire to overeat.
Limited transmission of Covid-19 from open schools but teachers were affected
Most countries introduced school closures during the spring of 2020 despite substantial uncertainty regarding the effectiveness in containing SARS-CoV-2.
Lemurs show there’s no single formula for lasting love
Humans aren’t the only mammals that form long-term bonds with a single, special mate — some bats, wolves, beavers, foxes and other animals do, too. But new research suggests the brain circuitry that makes love last in some species may not be the same in others.
Random twists of place: How quiet is quantum space-time at the Planck scale?
Fermilab scientist and University of Chicago professor of astronomy and astrophysics Craig Hogan gives perspective on how the Holometer program aimed at a tiny scale — the Planck length — to help answer one of the universe’s most basic questions: Why does everything appear to happen at definite times and places? He contextualizes the results and offers optimism for future researchers.
Citizens versus the internet
The Internet has revolutionized our lives – whether in terms of working, finding information or entertainment, connecting with others, or shopping.
Scientists identify how harmless gut bacteria “turn bad”
An international team of scientists has determined how harmless E. coli gut bacteria in chickens can easily pick up the genes required to evolve to cause a life-threatening infection.
Instant death from heart attack more common in people who do not exercise
An active lifestyle is linked with a lower chance of dying immediately from a heart attack, according to a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1
Studies highlight ‘unprecedented and unique dangers’ for children during COVID-19
Two new studies investigating child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal “concerning results” that confirm warning signs seen early in the pandemic, according to researchers at UAB and the University of Michigan.
Humanity’s best friend
For some 15,000 years, dogs have been our hunting partners, workmates, helpers and companions. Could they also be our next allies in the fight against COVID-19?
Cleveland Clinic Study Reveals Zinc and Vitamin C Not Effective Treatments for COVID-19
Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic researchers have found that zinc or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) – or a combination of the two – do not significantly decrease the severity or duration of symptoms in COVID-19-positive patients, when compared to standard care. The study was published today in JAMA Open Network.
‘Honey, I’m home – all the time:’ Pandemic life for married couples can lead to sadness, anger
Kevin Knoster, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Communication Studies, led a study examining 165 married individuals and how their partners interfered with their daily routines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Death by suicide? Drug overdoses muddy waters for investigators, amplify national mental health crisis
Broadening the definition of self-inflicted mortality to encompass most drug overdose deaths, WVU emeritus professor Ian Rockett led a study finding that the entire nation is afflicted by a mental health crisis. In recent years, western states have reported more suicides but Rockett’s research revealed that many drug overdose deaths in non-western states should have been classified as suicides.
The Scarred Villain: Study Explores Neurocognitive Basis of Bias Against People Who Look Different
A new brain-and-behavior study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania clarifies how the “anomalous-is-bad” stereotype manifests, and implicates a brain region called the amygdala as one of the likely mediators of this stereotype.
Green Tea Compound Aids p53, “Guardian of the Genome” and Tumor Suppressor
An antioxidant found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein, known as the “guardian of the genome” for its ability to repair DNA damage or destroy cancerous cells.
Grasshoppers & roadblocks: Coping with COVID-19 in rural Mexico
For many of Mexico’s Indigenous people, poor and ignored by state and federal governments, the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is one that rests primarily with themselves.
Promising new approach to stop growth of brain cancer cells
Stand Up to Cancer Canada Dream Team is combining strengths of Princess Margaret, SickKids, University of Toronto researchers, and other unique partnerships, to accelerate new cures for hard-to-treat cancers, such as glioblastoma.
Applying Quantum Computing to a Particle Process
A team of researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) used a quantum computer to successfully simulate an aspect of particle collisions that is typically neglected in high-energy physics experiments, such as those that occur at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.
Mexico’s poor have little luck obtaining opioids intended for palliative care
Despite a Mexican government initiative launched in 2015 to improve access to prescription opioids among palliative care patients, the country has seen only a marginal increase in dispensing levels, and inequities in dispensing have left many of the nation’s poorest residents without comfort in their final days
Tuning the circadian clock, boosting rhythms may be key to future treatments and medicines
Subconsciously, our bodies keep time for us through an ancient means – the circadian clock. A new University of California, Irvine-led article reviews how the clock controls various aspects of homeostasis, and how organs coordinate their function over the course of a day.
Recent Efforts Haven’t Improved Access to Kidney Transplantation
• Despite wide recognition, policy reforms, and extensive research to address barriers in patients’ access to kidney transplantation, investigators found no improvement in rates of wait list placement and transplantation over 2 decades.
• Moreover, rates among vulnerable populations are especially low.
Learn what you live? Study finds watching others can reduce decision bias
New research finds first evidence that watching and learning from others can help reduce bias and improve decision-making. In business, the results could help improve hiring practices or increase cost savings.
New machine learning theory that can be applied to fusion energy raises questions about the very nature of science
A novel computer algorithm, or set of rules, that accurately predicts the orbits of planets in the solar system could be adapted to better predict and control the behavior of the plasma that fuels fusion facilities designed to harvest on Earth the fusion energy that powers the sun and stars.
How we sleep and experience psychological symptoms during pandemic
During the first confinement (18 March to 10 May 2020), people who reported worse sleep quality during a night also reported an increase in negative mood, psychotic-type like experiences and somatic complaints on the next day.
To help keep cats from killing wildlife, add more meat and play to their day
Domestic cats are a major threat to wild species, including birds and small mammals.
Study reveals mutations that drive therapy-related myeloid neoplasms in children
Research from scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found mutations up to two years before cancer developed, showing an opportunity for early interventions.
How do our memories take shape?
Your brain is constantly evaluating which aspects of your experiences to either remember for later, ignore, or forget.
Which conspiracy theory do you believe in?
Joe Biden is the new president of the United States, although half of the country’s Republicans believe he stole the election.
Protein sequences provide clues to how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was established that SARS-CoV-2 infects cells by binding to the human protein ACE2, which plays a role in regulating blood pressure.
How a Single Gene Alteration May Have Separated Modern Humans from Predecessors
UC San Diego researchers discovered a single gene alteration that may help explain cognitive differences between modern humans and our predecessor, and used that information to develop Neanderthal-like brain organoids in the lab.
Learning by observation reduces cognitive bias, research suggests
Research from the Business School (formerly Cass) suggests that observing others’ decision-making can teach people to make better decisions themselves.
Johns Hopkins Scientists Find Mammals Share Gene Pathways That Allow Zebrafish To Grow New Eyes
Working with fish, birds and mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report new evidence that some animals’ natural capacity to regrow neurons is not missing, but is instead inactivated in mammals. Specifically, the researchers found that some genetic pathways that allow many fish and other cold-blooded animals to repair specialized eye neurons after injury remain present in mammals as well, but are turned off, blocking regeneration and healing.
Southern California COVID-19 Strain Rapidly Expands Global Reach
A new strain of the coronavirus in Southern California, first reported last month by Cedars-Sinai, is rapidly spreading across the country and around the world as travelers apparently carry the virus with them to a growing list of global destinations, according to new research published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The strain now accounts for nearly half of current COVID-19 cases in Southern California.
New study suggests better approach in search for COVID-19 drugs
Research from the University of Kent, Goethe-University in Frankfurt am Main, and the Philipps-University in Marburg has provided crucial insights into the biological composition of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, revealing vital clues for the discovery of antiviral drugs.
Study: reparations for slavery could have reduced COVID-19 infections and deaths in U.S.
New study suggests monetary reparations for Black descendants of people enslaved in the United States could have cut SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19 rates both among Black individuals and the population at large.
Researchers modeled the impact of structural racism on viral transmission and disease impact in the state of Louisiana.
The higher burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among Black people also amplified the virus’s spread in the wider population.
Reparations could have reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the overall population by as much as 68 percent.
Compared with white people, Black individuals in the United States are more likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, more likely to end up in the hospital with COVID-19, and more likely to die from the disease.
Want to hire more women? Expand your short list
As more male-dominated industries look for ways to hire women, new Cornell University research offers employers a simple solution – make your initial job candidate short list longer.
Nightly sleep of five hours, less, may increase risk of dementia, death among older adults
Sleep and health are inextricably connected.
Smartphone app to change your personality
Personality traits such as conscientiousness or sociability are patterns of experience and behavior that can change throughout our lives.
LGBT+ workers experience higher levels of conflict at work, shows new report
The CIPD is today launching a new research report, co-authored by the University of Bath’s Dr Luke Fletcher, to highlight how LGBT+ workers tend to have a more negative experience of work.
Heart Health Problems in Your 20s May Affect Brain Health Decades Later
Having health issues such as smoking, high cholesterol or a high body mass index (BMI) in your 20s may make you more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills and even the brain’s ability to properly regulate its blood flow, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020.
At least 50% of COVID-19 infections come from people who aren’t showing symptoms
A new study out of the University of Chicago has found that during the initial wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City, only 1 in 5 to 1 in 7 cases of the virus was symptomatic. The research team found that non-symptomatic cases substantially contribute to community transmission, making up at least 50% of the driving force of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Heart Structure May Play Role in Stroke Risk Disparities Between Black and White People
Researchers have found that differences in the left atrium in the hearts of Black people and white people may play a role in risk of stroke, according to a new study published in the November 25, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Low-Income Middle-Aged African-American Women with Hypertension Are Likely to Suffer from Depression
Low-income middle-aged African-American women with high blood pressure very commonly suffer from depression and should be better screened for this serious mental health condition.
Hope For Children With Bow Hunter Syndrome
DALLAS – Feb. 11, 2021 – Fusing the neck’s top two vertebrae can prevent repeat strokes in children with bow hunter syndrome, a rare condition that affects a handful of U.S. pediatric patients each year, UT Southwestern researchers suggest in a recent study. The finding, published online in Child’s Nervous System, offers a new way to treat these children and protect them from potentially lifelong neurological consequences.
Vanderbilt, Zambia Researchers Find Delirium in Hospitalized Patients Linked to Mortality, Disability in Sub-Saharan Africa
Delirium, a form of acute brain dysfunction, is widespread in critically ill patients in lower resourced hospitals, and the duration of delirium predicted both mortality and disability at six months after discharge, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.
Spanking has similar effects on kids as adverse childhood experiences
Research has shown that adverse childhood experiences including abuse, neglect and family dysfunction increase the risk on kids for future trauma in their lives.
Giant lasers compress iron oxide, revealing the secret interior structure of rocky exoplanets
Advances in astronomical observations have resulted in the discovery of an extraordinary number of extrasolar planets, some of which are believed to have a rocky composition similar to Earth. Learning more about their interior structure could provide important clues about their potential habitability. Led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a team of researchers aims to unlock some of these secrets by understanding the properties of iron oxide – one of the constituents of Earth’s mantle – at the extreme pressures and temperatures that are likely found in the interiors of these large rocky extrasolar planets.
Genomic Test Helps Estimate Risk of Prostate Cancer Metastasis, Death
A commercially available genomic test may help oncologists better determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer may benefit from hormone therapy, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 15 other medical centers.