IU experts available to discuss cardiovascular disease research and care for American Heart Month

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death worldwide.  The interdisciplinary research team at the Indiana University School of Medicine Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center investigates the pathological changes of the heart at various…

Markey Cancer Center study provides valuable insights into drivers of cancer risk

As people age, the DNA in their cells begins to accumulate genetic mutations. Mosaic chromosomal alterations (mCAs), a category of mutations acquired in blood cells, are linked with a 10-fold increased risk of developing blood cancer.  mCAs hold promise as a tool to identify people at high risk of developing certain cancers and diseases, but they have not yet been studied among a large, diverse cohort of people – a critical step required before such testing can be developed. University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researcher Yasminka A. Jakubek, Ph.D., has led the first large-scale effort to understand the co-occurrence of mCAs among individuals of diverse ancestries. The study was published in Nature Genetics Oct. 30.

Expert Available to Discuss Rise in Rare and Obscure Diseases

There’s been an uptick in the U.S. recently in relatively obscure and rare diseases — malaria, leprosy, measles –– making a comeback, with many in the health community sounding the alarm bells. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Brian DeHaven, PhD, an expert in virology and immunology,…

Wildlife experts investigate spread of ‘zombie deer disease’

A white-tailed deer afflicted with chronic wasting disease — also frequently referred to as “zombie deer disease” — will appear abnormally thin, move sluggishly, and salivate excessively. There is no cure: chronic wasting disease (CWD) is contagious and always fatal, and it has been detected with increasing frequency in Virginia and other states, raising concerns about effects on the deer population.

Chula’s AICute Innovation – An Assessment Tool for Ischemic Stroke Risk to Reduce Disability and Death

A research team from the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University has jointly developed AICute, an innovative program to assess the chances of stroke caused by heart disease (Ischemic Stroke), aimed at helping hospitals that lack cardiologists to enhance the effectiveness of stroke treatment, reduce congestion in hospitals and medical schools.

New technique makes gene editing at scale possible in animals, turning years of work into days and making new kinds of genetic experiments possible

A new gene editing technique developed by University of Oregon researchers compresses what previously would have been years of work into just a few days, making new kinds of research possible in animal models.

Say Goodbye to Fish Vaccine Injection with “FLAVO INNOVAC” Nano Vaccine for Immersion : The Effective Solution for Prevention of Bacterial Gills Diseases in Fish caused by Flavobacterium spp.

A lecturer and his research team from Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, have developed “FLAVO INNOVAC” nanovaccine for the prevention of bacterial gills diseases in freshwater fish species such as Tilapia and freshwater Asian sea bass. This nanovaccine is an effective solution that reduces the risk of death from diseases and the limitations of vaccine injections.

Current vaccine approach not enough to eradicate measles

Current vaccination strategies are unlikely to eliminate measles, according to a new study led by faculty at the University of Georgia. The paper, which published today in The Lancet Global Health, explores the feasibility of eliminating measles and rubella using predominant vaccination strategies in 93 countries with the highest disease burden.

Women already live longer. They can live better with an improved diet

Women tend to live longer than men but typically have higher rates of illness. Now, new research from University of Georgia suggests these higher rates of illness can be improved by a better diet, one that is high in pigmented carotenoids such as yams, kale, spinach, watermelon, bell peppers, tomatoes, oranges and carrots. These bright-colored fruits and vegetables are particularly important in preventing visual and cognitive loss.

Milk boost: Research shows how breastfeeding offers immune benefits

When infants breastfeed, they receive an immune boost that helps them fight off infectious diseases, according to recent research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

VUMC and Roivant Social Ventures announce collaboration to develop therapies for underserved populations

Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Roivant Social Ventures (RSV) this week announced an intention to collaborate in developing therapies for traditionally underserved populations and diseases. RSV is a not-for-profit social impact organization founded by executives from Roivant Sciences that is focused on improving health equity.

From cavefish to humans: Evolution of metabolism in cavefish may provide insight into treatments for a host of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke

New research examines how cavefish developed unique metabolic adaptations to survive in nutrient-scarce environments. The study created a genome-wide map of liver tissue for two independent colonies of cavefish along with river fish to understand how cavefish metabolism evolved and how this may be applicable for humans.

Chronic Kidney Disease is Curable if Detected Early – Chula’s User-friendly CKD Screening Strips with Results in 15 minutes!

A Chula research team has developed a screening strip kit to detect the early stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that’s easy to use, yields quick results, increasing the chance of being cured for patients, and helping to cut over 10 billion baht of the ever-increasing annual healthcare costs for CKD patients. The CKD screening strip kits are expected to be released early next year.

All About Eve

New AI model called EVE, developed by scientists at Harvard Medical School and Oxford University, outperforms other AI methods in determining whether a gene variant is benign or disease-causing.
When applied to more than 36 million variants across 3,219 disease-associated proteins and genes, EVE indicated more than 256,000 human gene variants of unknown significance that should be reclassified as benign or pathogenic.

What if just one airborne particle was enough to infect you?

For some diseases, people exposed to just a single airborne particle containing infectious virus, bacteria or fungi can be infected. When this happens, understanding and predicting airborne disease spread can be a whole lot easier. That’s the result of a new study by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist who developed a new theory of airborne infectious disease spread.

Scientists Create a Labor-Saving Automated Method for Studying Electronic Health Records

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai described the creation of a new, automated, artificial intelligence-based algorithm that can learn to read patient data from electronic health records. In a side-by-side comparison, they showed that their method, called Phe2vec (FEE-to-vek), accurately identified patients with certain diseases as well as the traditional, “gold-standard” method, which requires much more manual labor to develop and perform

Low-cost 3D Method Rapidly Measures Disease Impacts on Florida’s Coral Reefs

A low-cost and rapid 3D technique is helping scientists to gain insight into the colony- and community-level dynamics of the poorly understood stony coral tissue loss disease responsible for widespread coral death throughout the Tropical Western Atlantic. They adapted Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to generate 3D models for tracking lesion progression and impacts on diseased coral colonies. They combined traditional diver surveys with 3D colony fate-tracking to determine the impacts of disease on coral colonies throughout Southeast Florida.

Low-cost 3D Method Rapidly Measures Disease Impacts on Florida’s Coral Reefs

A low-cost and rapid 3D technique is helping scientists to gain insight into the colony- and community-level dynamics of the poorly understood stony coral tissue loss disease responsible for widespread coral death throughout the Tropical Western Atlantic. They adapted Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to generate 3D models for tracking lesion progression and impacts on diseased coral colonies. They combined traditional diver surveys with 3D colony fate-tracking to determine the impacts of disease on coral colonies throughout Southeast Florida.

Equity and Vaccine Allocation: Beyond Ethics in Prioritization to Equitable Production, Distribution, and Consumption

In a new paper in Ethics & International Affairs, Binghamton University Professor of Philosophy Nicole Hassoun first considers existing proposals for equitable vaccine allocation focusing on the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility. She then argues that to better promote…

Are Heavy Metals Toxic? Scientists Find Surprising New Clues in Yeast

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have compiled the most complete library yet of lanthanide heavy metals and their potential toxicity – by exposing baker’s yeast to lanthanides. Their findings could help researchers uncover hidden pathways between lanthanide metals and disease.

Gut Check

At a glance:

Researchers identify links between genetic makeup of bacteria in human gut and several human diseases

Clusters of bacterial genes present in conditions including cardiovascular illness, inflammatory bowel disease, liver cirrhosis, and cancer

Work brings scientist closer to developing tests that could predict disease risk or identify disease presence based on a sampling of the genetic makeup of a person’s microbiome

Cone Snail Venom Shows Potential for Treating Severe Malaria

Using venom from the Conus nux, a sea snail, a first-of-its-kind study suggests these conotoxins could potentially treat malaria. The study provides important leads toward the development of new and cost-effective anti-adhesion or blockade-therapy drugs aimed at counteracting the pathology of severe malaria. Similarly, mitigation of emerging diseases like COVID-19 also could benefit from conotoxins as potential inhibitors of protein-protein interactions as treatment. Venom peptides from cone snails has the potential to treat myriad diseases using blockage therapies.

UCI-led study offers new approach for more accurate epidemic modeling

Irvine, Calif., Dec. 8, 2020 — A new class of epidemiological models based on alternative thinking about how contagions propagate, particularly in the early phases of a pandemic, provide a blueprint for more accurate epidemic modeling and improved disease spread predictions and responses, according to a study published recently in Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions.

Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Science and Benefits of Handwashing in COVID-19 Era

New Brunswick, N.J. (Nov. 23, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Donald W. Schaffner, a food microbiologist who has also studied handwashing for more than 20 years, is available for interviews on the science and benefits of handwashing during the COVID-19 pandemic and overall.…

Who Could Benefit From Exercise and Behavioral Treatment?

Aerobic exercise clearly benefits young adults with major depression, and a Rutgers-led study suggests it may be possible to predict those who would benefit from behavioral therapy with exercise. Unique to this precision medicine study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, is an assessment of cognitive control and reward-related brain activity, two facets of brain function that are impaired in people with depression. Like previous studies, this one showed that aerobic exercise helps young adults with major depression.

Harmful Microbes Found on Sewer Pipe Walls

Can antibiotic-resistant bacteria escape from sewers into waterways and cause a disease outbreak? A new Rutgers study, published in the journal Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, examined the microbe-laden “biofilms” that cling to sewer walls, and even built a simulated sewer to study the germs that survive within.

Next-gen nano technologies to tackle infection and diagnose disease

Next-gen nano technologies that can prevent infection and diagnose disease are set to transform the medical industry as this important UniSA research is awarded more than $2 million dollars under the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) 2021 Investigator Grants.