The study states that failing to encourage tourists to do more on behalf of wildlife represents a missed opportunity for conservation.
Category: Research Results
Financial Conflicts of Interest Are Often Not Disclosed in Spinal Surgery Journals
Many studies published by major spinal surgery journals do not include full disclosure of researchers’ financial conflicts of interest (COIs), reports a study in Spine. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
COVID-19 Fatality Risk Is Double Earlier Estimates: Study
In one of the most robust studies of COVID-19 mortality risk in the United States, researchers estimate an infection fatality rate more than double estimates from other countries, with the greatest risk to older adults. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health scientists and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene colleagues published the findings on the pre-print server medRxiv ahead of peer review.
Study Examines Limiting School Capacity for New York City Reopening
Data modeling projections by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health scientists evaluate potential policies to reduce new infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in coming months, including by limiting school capacity by 50 percent or capping capacity of certain industries to 25 percent during Phase Four, as well as by implementing an “adaptive PAUSE” system to re-implement social distancing rules during a rebound. The researchers have been working with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on COVID-19 planning. Their new report is posted on Github.
New study confirms high prevalence of depression during the menopause transition
Depression has been shown to be prevalent during menopause, affecting as many as 70% of women transitioning into menopause
New Drug Reduces Stroke Damage in Mice
Mice that received an injection of a new experimental drug, TAT-DP-2, after a stroke had smaller areas of damage, and their long-term neurological function was better than that of untreated animals.
Level of media coverage for scientific research linked to number of citations
An analysis of over 800 academic research papers on physical health and exercise suggests that the level of popular media coverage for a given paper is strongly linked to the attention it receives within the scientific community.
Jellyfish-Inspired Soft Robots Can Outswim Their Natural Counterparts
Engineering researchers have developed soft robots inspired by jellyfish that can outswim their real-life counterparts. More practically, the new jellyfish-bots highlight a technique that uses pre-stressed polymers to make soft robots more powerful.
Infant sleep problems can signal mental disorders in adolescents — Study
Specific sleep problems among babies and very young children can be linked to mental disorders in adolescents, a new study has found.
Building a harder diamond
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba used computer calculations to design a new carbon-based material even harder than diamond.
Cancer cells make blood vessels drug resistant during chemotherapy
Scientists at Hokkaido University and collaborators have identified how inflammatory changes in tumors caused by chemotherapy trigger blood vessel anomalies and thus drug-resistance, resulting in poor prognosis of cancer patients.
Study: Identifying Optimal Points of Intervention to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Fatality Rates in New York State
Results from a new COVID-19 epidemiological study have been released from the University at Albany in partnership with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH); the findings were published today in the peer-reviewed journal, Annals of Epidemiology.
A simpler way to make sensory hearing cells
USC Stem Cell scientists have pioneered a simpler way to generate the sensory cells of the inner ear. The study was published in the journal eLife.
Clinical-grade wearables offer continuous monitoring for COVID-19
Stamp-sized device comprises a suite of clinical-grade sensors, including temperature and pulse oximetry
Antibiotics in Early Life Slows Digestive Nerve Function, Alters Microbiome
A new study finds antibiotic exposure during crucial developmental periods in early childhood alters digestive tract nerve function and bacterial colonies. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology.
Researchers Observe Branched Flow of Light for the First Time
A team of researchers from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has observed branched flow of light for the very first time. The beautiful phenomenon allows for new and exciting research opportunities in the fields of Optics and Optofluidics.
Case Western Reserve University-led team develops new approach to treat certain neurological diseases
A team led by Case Western Reserve University medical researchers has developed a potential treatment method for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a fatal neurological disorder that produces severe movement, motor and cognitive dysfunction in children. It results from genetic mutations that prevent the body from properly making myelin, the protective insulation around nerve cells.
Barriers to addiction care fell because of COVID-19, experts say; now the challenge is keeping them down
The opioid epidemic didn’t go away when the coronavirus pandemic began. But rapid changes in regulations and guidance could also help many more people get care for addiction, experts say. They caution that it will take more changes to truly lower barriers that stand in the way of delivering evidence-based addiction care to more people via telemedicine.
Study Shows Breast Cancer Detected Earlier in States with Expanded Medicaid Coverage
In a new study by Yale Cancer Center, researchers have demonstrated that in states with expanded Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a higher percentage of women with breast cancer had their disease diagnosed at an early stage. No such change was seen in states that didn’t expand their coverage. The findings were published today in JAMA Surgery.
For the First Time, Study Identifies Time Trends in Pregnancy-Related Outcomes Among American Women with Type 1 Diabetes
Largest US database of pregnant women with type 1 diabetes provides a first-time, big picture view of mother’s health, and neonatal and delivery outcomes.
The analysis found a threefold increase in insulin pump use at the end of the study period, compared to the start of the study, but A1c levels remained steady across the 13-year period.
Over time the study showed a trend toward pre-pregnancy obesity and unhealthy maternal weight gain.
Moffitt Researchers Develop Tool to Detect Patients at High Risk for Poor Lung Cancer Outcomes
In a new study published in Nature Scientific Reports, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have shown how the use of radiomics can improve lung cancer screening by identifying early stage lung cancer patients who may be at high risk for poorer outcomes, and therefore require aggressive follow-up and/or adjuvant therapy.
Exercise can slow or prevent vision loss, study finds
Exercise can slow or prevent the development of macular degeneration and may benefit other common causes of vision loss, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, new research suggests.
Spanish language increasingly more relevant to presidential elections
Discourse in and about Spanish was present on both sides of the political spectrum, more so leading up to the 2016 presidential election than in previous cycles, according to research conducted by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Traffic Data Show Drastic Changes in Floridians’ Behavior at Onset of the Pandemic
A study using same-day traffic volumes for March 2019 and March 2020 across Florida examined the chronological relationship of key governmental requests for public isolation and travel limitations. Results show the drastic changes in human behavior during the onset of the pandemic. Traffic volumes by March 22, 2020, dropped by 47.5 percent compared to that same point in 2019. Moreover, traffic declined in March 2020 corresponding with the governor’s state of emergency declaration and school, restaurant, and bar closures.
Research Shows Telehealth is an Important Tool For Rural Hospitals in Treating COVID-19 Patients
A study of 3,268 hospitals in the U.S. shows that rural hospitals are more likely than urban facilities to have access to telehealth, a once-underused service that now is playing a key role in treating coronavirus patients. The research can help U.S. hospitals understand the extent to which they are prepared for another wave of the pandemic.
School absenteeism has surprising consequences for adults
Kids who miss a lot of school from kindergarten to eighth grade may suffer unexpected costs as young adults, a new study finds. Researchers found that those who were more regularly absent in these early years of school were less likely to vote and reported more economic difficulties when they were 22-23 years old.
Understanding Molecular Mechanisms of Air Pollution’s Impact on Interstitial Lung Disease is Critical to Minimizing its Effects
More research must be done to investigate the role of air pollution on the epigenome in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), in order to develop strategies that minimize the effects of these pollutants, according to a new article published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
GPS isn’t just for road trips anymore
Precision agriculture technologies can improve efficiency on smaller farms
The mystery of pollen sterility and its reversion in pigeon pea revealed in a new study
The Vienna Metabolomics Centre (VIME), University of Vienna, in collaboration with International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), based in India has made a breakthrough in pigeonpea by resolving the mystery behind fertility-sterility transition in pigeonpea.
Standardized Curriculum Introduces ICU Nurses to ECMO
Vanderbilt University Medical Center designed and rapidly deployed a curriculum specifically to equip nurses new to ECMO with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to provide proficient and safe care for patients receiving ECMO. The pre-COVID ECMO training proved to be an effective, resource-efficient and pragmatic solution that can be used across different types of ICUs and across institutions.
More than medicine: pain-relief drug delivers choices for mothers in labour
Choice and control are important factors for ensuring a positive childbirth experience, yet until recently, little was known about the impact of alternative administrations of fentanyl – one of the pain relief drugs used during labour– on both mother and baby.
An ethical eye on AI – new mathematical idea reins in AI bias towards making unethical and costly commercial choices
Researchers from the University of Warwick, Imperial College London, EPFL (Lausanne) and Sciteb Ltd have found a mathematical means of helping regulators and business manage and police Artificial Intelligence systems’ biases towards making unethical, and potentially very costly and damaging commercial choices – an ethical eye on AI.
Covid-19 Blood Clotting Cause Identified in Study
New findings led by Yale Cancer Center researchers and experts across several medical specialties at Yale identify a leading mechanism behind the pathophysiology of Covid-19 and pinpoint a biological marker for the mechanism that may aid in treating these patients.
UTEP Research Reveals More About Path Bacterial Pathogen Travels to Cause Tuberculosis
Jianjun Sun, Ph.D., associate professor in UTEP’s Department of Biological Sciences, led the research on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Sun’s lab has been investigating the mechanisms of Mtb pathogenesis for more than 10 years at UTEP with a specific focus on EsxA, which is a virulence factor essential for Mtb virulence and a preferred target for developing novel anti-TB drugs and vaccines.
Mathematical noodling leads to new insights into an old fusion problem
Scientists at PPPL have gained new insight into a common type of plasma hiccup that interferes with fusion reactions. These findings could help bring fusion energy closer to reality.
Number of Hospitalizations Can Be Important Clinical Indicator for Head, Neck Cancer Patients
Patients who were unexpectedly hospitalized for dehydration, fever or other ailments while undergoing radiation treatment for head and neck cancers were at a higher risk for less favorable outcomes, a new study from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center reports.
The Magnetic History of Ice
The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Oded Aharonson found that ancient ice holds magnetic particles. The finding could shed greater light on the Earth’s magnetic field reversals, supplement magnetic field data from rocks and sediment, and identify field reversals on other bodies in our Solar System, such as Mars.
Brown School’s Race and Opportunity Lab recommends specific policing reforms
As the nation struggles with police violence, a new report from HomeGrown StL in the Race and Opportunity Lab at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis recommends reforms to build an equitable, transparent and accountable public safety approach that will include lawsuit liability, a police misconduct database and federal funding mandates.
Which Came First? An Experiment in Recreating Primordial Proteins Solves a Long-standing Riddle
How did the earliest proteins arise, given that the amino acids needed to make them are themselves produced by other proteins – enzymes? The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Dan Tawfik and colleagues recreated primordial proteins to find the answer.
COVID-19: Study Shows Virus Can Infect Heart Cells in Lab Dish
A new study shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus), can infect heart cells in a lab dish, indicating it may be possible for heart cells in COVID-19 patients to be directly infected by the virus. The discovery, published today in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, was made using heart muscle cells that were produced by stem cell technology.
Researchers study state’s firearm risk-protection orders
Since the law was enacted in 2016, 237 petitions have been filed out of concern for an individual’s risk of inflicting self-harm and/or harm to others.
Sneaky salmonella finds a backdoor into plants
Researchers have discovered that bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli have a backdoor to capitalize on our reliance on leafy greens for a healthy diet. Wild strains of salmonella are delivering foodborne illnesses by circumventing a plant’s immune defense system to get into the leaves of lettuce.
Universal Gut Microbiome-Derived Signature Predicts Cirrhosis
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers report that stool microbiomes of NAFLD patients are distinct enough to potentially be used to accurately predict which persons with NAFLD are at greatest risk for having cirrhosis.
COVID-19 Causes ‘Hyperactivity’ in Blood-Clotting Cells
Changes in blood platelets triggered by COVID-19 could contribute to the onset of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious complications in some patients who have the disease, according to University of Utah Health scientists. The researchers found that inflammatory proteins produced during infection significantly alter the function of platelets, making them “hyperactive” and more prone to form dangerous and potentially deadly blood clots.
Researchers look for answers as to why western bumblebees are declining
A University of Wyoming researcher and her Ph.D. student have spent the last three years studying the decline of the Western bumblebee.
Light drinking may protect brain function
Light to moderate drinking may preserve brain function in older age, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.
For Cardiac Rehab Patients, In-Home Portable Air Cleaners Lower Fine-Particle Pollutant Exposure
Using an in-home portable air cleaner (PAC) can significantly reduce exposure to fine-particle air pollutants – a major risk factor for cardiovascular events in people with pre-existing heart disease, reports a pilot study in the July issue of Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Residents of some cities unwilling to comply with COVID-19 prevention behaviors
Several U.S. cities may be at increased risk of surges in COVID-19 cases as they reopen their economies because their residents are unwilling to follow practices that reduce the spread of the disease, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
Countries Group into Clusters as COVID-19 Outbreak Spreads
Mathematicians based in Australia and China have developed a method to analyze the large amount of data accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The technique, described in the journal Chaos, can identify anomalous countries — those that are more successful than expected at responding to the pandemic and those that are particularly unsuccessful. The investigators analyzed the data with a variation of a statistical technique known as a cluster analysis.
Seeing is Believing: Effectiveness of Facemasks
Using flow visualization of emulated coughs and sneezes, researchers assessed the efficacy of facemasks in obstructing droplets. Loosely folded facemasks and bandana-style coverings provide minimal stopping-capability for the smallest aerosolized respiratory droplets. Well-fitted homemade masks with multiple layers of quilting fabric, and off-the-shelf cone style masks, proved to be the most effective in reducing droplet dispersal. Importantly, uncovered coughs were able to travel noticeably farther than the currently recommended 6-foot distancing guideline. Without a mask, droplets traveled more than 8 feet.