183 articles from FRIDAY 22.5.2020
New to science newts from Vietnam with an important message for Biodiversity Day 2020
In time for the International Day for Biological Diversity 2020, the date set by the United Nations to recognize biodiversity as 'the pillars upon which we build civilizations', a new study published in the peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys describes two new to science species and one subspecies of crocodile newts from Vietnam. This manifestation of the incredible diversity of life hosted...
New urine testing method holds promise for kidney stone sufferers
An improved urine-testing system for people suffering from kidney stones inspired by nature and proposed by researchers from Penn State and Stanford University may enable patients to receive results within 30 minutes instead of the current turnaround time of a week or more.
No evidence blanket 'do-not-resuscitate' orders for COVID-19 patients are necessary
It's inappropriate to consider blanket do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients because adequate data is not yet available on US survival rates for in-hospital resuscitation of COVID-19 patients and data from China may not relate to US patients, according to a new article published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
No improvement in death rate for COVID-19 patients who received hydroxychloroquine
A research team led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital has evaluated real-world evidence related to outcomes for COVID-19 patients who were treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine analogues (with or without a macrolide). Investigators found no evidence that either drug regimen reduced the death rate among patients.
Novel biomarkers predict benefit with immunotherapy in metastatic breast cancer
Two novel biomarkers have been found to correlate with improved outcomes with immunotherapy in metastatic breast cancer and may help to identify the patients most likely to benefit from this treatment, according to exploratory studies reported at the ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Meeting 2020.
Oriented hexagonal boron nitride foster new type of information carrier
Present computers use the presence or absence of charge (0s and 1s) to encode information, where the physical motion of charges consume energy and causes heat. A novel alternative is to utilize the wave quantum number of the electrons by which the information encoding is possible without physically moving the carriers. This study shows that manipulation of the wave quantum number is possible by...
Pain doesn't take a holiday: Dental opioids study points to need for better prescribing
As dentists and their teams across America get back to their regular schedules after a sharp COVID-19-related reduction, a new study shows a key opportunity to reduce the use of opioid painkillers by patients. The analysis of four years' worth of data from two million patients show that those who had dental procedures on a Friday or day before a holiday were much more likely to fill a prescription...
Parasitic wasp discovery offers chemical-free pest control for growers
A species of parasitic wasp discovered by chance could provide growers with a chemical-free way of controlling a major pest.
Past is prologue: Genetic 'memory' of ancestral environments helps organisms readapt
Organisms carry long-term 'memories' of their ancestral homelands that help them adapt to environmental change, according to a new study that involved raising chickens on the Tibetan Plateau and an adjacent lowland site.
Placentas from COVID-19-positive pregnant women show injury
In the largest study to examine health of placentas in women who tested positive for COVID-19, findings show placentas from 16 women who tested positive for COVID-19 while pregnant showed evidence of injury, according to pathological exams completed directly following birth.
Platinum-based chemo may improve survival for some metastatic pancreatic cancer patients
Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who had germline or somatic mutations in DNA repair genes had better clinical outcomes after platinum-based chemotherapy, as compared with patients without these mutations.
Preclinical study offers hope for Hirschsprung's
Children's Hospital Los Angeles surgeon Tracy Grikscheit, MD, grows functional nervous system tissue from stem cells. This preclinical study represents an important milestone in research for Hirschsprung's disease.
Report looks to improve quality measures for medical care of homebound older adults
There are an estimated 2 million older adults who are homebound or unable to leave their homes due to multiple chronic conditions and functional impairment. Home-based primary care provides access to care for these patients and has been shown to save costs for the Medicare program.
Researchers develop high-performance cancer vaccine using novel microcapsules
Scientists from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new therapeutic tumor vaccine based on self-healing polylactic acid microcapsules, which can efficiently activate the immune system and inhibit tumor development.
Researchers identify therapeutic targets to prevent cancer-associated muscle loss
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have identified a key cell signaling pathway that drives the devastating muscle loss, or cachexia, suffered by many cancer patients. The study, which will be published May 22 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that targeting this pathway with a drug already in phase 2 clinical trials for diabetes could prevent this syndrome.
Researchers review advances in 3D printing of high-entropy alloys
SUTD collaborates with universities in Singapore and China to shine light on HEA manufacturing processes and inspire further research in this emerging field.
Researchers uncover the arks of genetic diversity in terrestrial mammals
Mapping the distribution of life on Earth, from genes to species to ecosystems, is essential in informing conservation policies and protecting biodiversity. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Adelaide developed models based on long-standing evolutionary and ecological theories to explain and map genetic diversity globally, a basal, but up-to-now hidden dimension of...
Scientists identify a temperature tipping point for tropical forests
Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas, released as fossil fuels are burned. It is absorbed by trees as they grow and stored as wood. When trees get too hot and dry, they may close the pores in their leaves to save water, but that also prevents them from taking in more carbon. And when trees die, they release stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
Skoltech team reports an important step to making optical simulators real-world devices
A group of Skoltech scientists, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Southampton (UK), developed a fully optical approach to control the couplings between polariton condensates in optical lattices. This study is an important step towards the practical application of optical polariton condensate lattices as a platform for simulating condensed matter phases.
Still not enough women and older adults in cholesterol drug trials, study finds
Although heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, and older adults are more likely to have heart and vascular disease than young people, randomized clinical trials testing medications to lower cholesterol have historically underenrolled both groups. Randomized clinical trials generate the best evidence regarding the benefits or harms of given drug, and their results are used to shape...
Study links severe childhood deprivation to neuropsychological difficulties in adulthood
A team of researchers from the University of Southampton, the University of Bath and King's College London, including Dennis Golm from the University of Southampton, have provided compelling evidence of the impact of adversity in childhood on neuropsychological functioning in adulthood. They also showed that neuropsychological difficulties may explain why early adversity is linked to attention...
Supportive care to relieve cancer-related fatigue underutilised by breast cancer survivors
Cancer-related fatigue is a prevalent and potentially persistent issue among breast cancer survivors, which can prevent them from returning to their previous life well after treatment ends and they are declared free of disease. A study, to be presented at the ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Meeting 2020 (23-24 May), has now shown that existing recommendations and proven strategies for reducing fatigue,...
The Lancet: First human trial of COVID-19 vaccine finds it is safe and induces rapid immune response
The Lancet: First human trial of COVID-19 vaccine finds it is safe and induces rapid immune response.
The Lancet: No evidence of benefit for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients
The Lancet: No evidence of benefit for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients, urgent randomised trials are needed.
The lower mantle can be oxidized in the presence of water
In regions at depths greater than 1900 kilometers, scientists found active interactions between water and mantle rocks, which are oxidizing Earth's mantle. Water may have reached and dwelled at the lowermost part of the mantle over geologic time.