280 articles from WEDNESDAY 22.7.2020

NIH leadership details unprecedented effort to ramp up testing technologies for COVID-19

In a paper in NEJM, scientific leaders from the National Institutes of Health set forth a framework to increase significantly the number, quality and type of daily tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and help reduce inequities for underserved populations that have been disproportionally affected by the disease. The authors describe the current testing landscape and...

No honor among cyber thieves

A backstabbing crime boss and thousands of people looking for free tutorials on hacking and identity theft were two of the more interesting findings of a study examining user activity on two online 'carding forums,' illegal sites that specialize in stolen credit card information.

Non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose infant urinary tract obstruction

One in every 500 babies is born with ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), an obstruction of the ureter that prevents urine from flowing from one or both of the kidneys into the bladder. A group of researchers led by Linda Shapiro and Charan Kumar Devarakonda from UConn's School of Medicine developed an inexpensive, non-invasive panel of five biomarker proteins for the diagnosis and...

Novel 'on-off' switch discovered in plant defenses

Researchers investigating the ways that plants protect themselves--from insects to pathogens--have discovered an "on-off" switch that controls plant defensive mechanisms. The switch turns on immune responses minutes after an attack and later sends a deactivation signal to avoid self-inflicted damage. The finding lays the groundwork for improved plant disease resistance and food stability.

Oncotarget: Therapeutic efficacy of liposomal Grb2 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (L-Grb2)

The cover for issue 29 of Oncotarget features Figure 5, "In vivo effects of treatment with L-Grb2 in combination with anti-angiogenic therapy in an ovarian tumor model," by Lara, et al. which reported that adaptor proteins such as growth factor receptor-bound protein-2 play important roles in cancer cell signaling. In the present study, the authors examined the biological effects of liposomal...

Optimizing neural networks on a brain-inspired computer

Neural networks in both biological settings and artificial intelligence distribute computation across their neurons to solve complex tasks. New research now shows how so-called 'critical states' can be used to optimize artificial neural networks running on brain-inspired neuromorphic hardware. The study was carried out by scientists from Heidelberg University working within the Human Brain...

Photonic crystal light converter

Spectroscopy is the use of light to analyze physical objects and biological samples. Different kinds of light can provide different kinds of information. Vacuum ultraviolet light is useful as it can aid people in a broad range of research fields, but generation of that light has been difficult and expensive. Researchers created a new device to efficiently generate this special kind of light using...

Primary care physicians during the COVID-19 epidemic

Scientists from the University of Geneva has analysed clinical data from more than 1,500 ambulatory patients tested for COVID-19. Their results point out the great disparity in symptoms between inpatient and outpatient care and the diagnostic difficulties that can result. They highlight the need for greater involvement of primary care physicians in defining and implementing health policies aimed...

Putting the spring-cam back into stroke patients steps

A research group has developed a new, lightweight and motor-less device that can be easily attached to an ankle support device - otherwise known as an ankle foot orthosis (AFO). The new device will aid stroke patients in their rehabilitation, improving their walking and preventing falls.

Research shows ibuprofen does not hinder bone fracture healing in children

Doctors have traditionally avoided prescribing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen to patients with fractures. However, a new study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and MU Health Care shows ibuprofen is an effective medication for fracture pain in children and its use does not affect fracture healing.

Science sweetens native honey health claims

Examination of honey from five different stingless bee species across Neotropical and Indo-Australian regions has enabled for the first time the identification of the unusual disaccharide trehalulose as a major component representing between 13 and 44 g per 100 g of each of these honeys. The previously unrecognised abundance of trehalulose in stingless bee honeys is concrete evidence that supports...