Health Disparities and COVID-19, Toxicity of E-cigarette Generated Aerosols, and More Featured in February 2021 Toxicological Sciences

Toxicological Sciences continues to feature leading toxicology research in the areas of developmental and reproductive toxicology; endocrine toxicology; neurotoxicology; molecular, biochemical, and systems toxicology; and more.

Fee payments to access COVID-19 relief funds threaten household financial security and economic recovery

A new round of COVID-19 relief payments is likely. These relief payments, which propose distributing $1,400 to qualifying adults, will be the third such payment offered since the beginning of the pandemic—the first round of payments occurred in the summer of 2020 offering up to $1,200 per adult and the second round of payments were distributed in the winter offering $600.

City, University of London academic tracks COVID-19 dark web marketplaces

New research carried out by City data scientist, Dr Andrea Baronchelli, and colleagues, into the dark web marketplace (DWM) trade in products related to COVID-19, has revealed the need for the continuous monitoring of dark web marketplaces (DWMs), especially in light of the current shortage and availability of coronavirus vaccines.

Machine learning algorithm may be the key to timely, inexpensive cyber-defense

Attacks on vulnerable computer networks and cyber-infrastructure — often called zero-day attacks — can quickly overwhelm traditional defenses, resulting in billions of dollars of damage and requiring weeks of manual patching work to shore up the systems after the intrusion. Now, a Penn State-led team of researchers used a machine learning approach, based on a technique known as reinforcement learning, to create an adaptive cyber defense against these attacks.

As climate change cranks up the heat in the Mojave Desert, not all species are equally affected

A new study shows how climate change is having a much greater impact on birds than small mammals in the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States. The study could inform conservation practices and shed new light on how climate change affects various species differently. The research drew on cutting-edge computer modeling as well as survey data from more than 100 years ago.

Top Pharmacologist Offers Plan to Solve Lingering Disparities in Designing Medicines that Work for All

In a new perspective piece published in the Feb. 5 issue of Science, pharmacologist Namandje Bumpus, Ph.D. — who recently became the first African American woman to head a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine department, and is the only African American woman leading a pharmacology department in the country — outlines the molecular origins for differences in how well certain drugs work among distinct populations. She also lays out a four-part plan to improve the equity of drug development.

Human immune cells have natural alarm system against HIV

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a potential way to eradicate the latent HIV infection that lies dormant inside infected immune cells. Studying human immune cells, the researchers showed that such cells have a natural alarm system that detects the activity of a specific HIV protein. Rather than attack the virus based on appearance, this strategy is to attack the virus based on what it is doing — vital activities that are required for the virus to exist.

FSU researcher finds restoring trust in government can help limit crises like COVID-19

By: Mark Blackwell Thomas | Published: February 4, 2021 | 12:31 pm | SHARE: A Florida State University researcher has found that trust in government can be restored even in places where it’s lagged for decades and in the process help limit the impact of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Dotan Haim, assistant professor of political science, studied war-torn villages in the rural Philippines where residents have little faith in the effectiveness of government.

Global warming found to be culprit for flood risk in Peruvian Andes, other glacial lakes

Human-caused warming is responsible for increasing the risk of a glacial outburst flood from Peru’s Lake Palcacocha, threatening the city below. This study is the first to directly link climate change with the risk of flooding from glacial lakes, which are growing in number and size worldwide.

Study Shows Book Developed at Cincinnati Children’s Helps Identify Risks of Reading Difficulties in Preschool-Age Kids

A study published in the journal Pediatrics expands validation evidence for a new screening tool that directly engages preschool-age children during clinic visits to assess their early literacy skills. The tool, which is the first of its kind, has the potential to identify reading difficulties as early as possible, target interventions and empower families to help their child at home, according to researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Exercise caution after working out in virtual reality

Virtual ‘exergaming’ has become a popular way to exercise – especially among younger people – since the release of virtual reality (VR) fitness games on consoles such as Nintendo and Playstation.

But while VR is undoubtedly raising fitness games to a whole new level, researchers at the University of South Australia are cautioning players about the potential side effects of VR, particularly in the first hour after playing.

New Biomarker May Predict Which Pancreatic Cancer Patients Respond to CD40 Immunotherapy

Inflammation in the blood could serve as a new biomarker to help identify patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who won’t respond to the immune-stimulating drugs known as CD40 agonists, suggests a new study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania published in JCI Insight.

Inside the battery in 3D: Powerful X-rays watch solid state batteries charging and discharging

Using high-speed X-ray tomography, researchers captured images of solid-state batteries in operation and gained new insights that may improve their efficiency.

Moms with MS at No More Risk of Pregnancy Complications than Moms Without MS

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be at a higher risk of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, emergency cesarean section or stillbirth than women who do not have the disease, according to a study in the February 3, 2021, online issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the study did find that babies born to mothers with MS had a higher chance of being delivered by elective cesarean section (c-section) or induced delivery, and being small for their age compared to babies of women who did not have the disease.