The metal nickel is one of the most common triggers of allergic contact dermatitis in humans. This skin inflammation results from a gradual immune reaction in allergic people, e.g. if the skin repeatedly comes into contact with nickel-containing jewellery, piercings or jeans buttons. BfR scientists have gained new insights into how the body's defences react to nickel....

Consumers can take up aluminium compounds from various sources, including antiperspirants containing aluminium. As stated in the BfR Opinion of 2019 (045/2019) on aluminium intake, the total burden resulting from all sources of exposure is too high in some population groups. This finding is not affected by the current reassessment of the contribution of aluminium chlorohydrate in antiperspirants,...

Trimetazidine administered after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) does not improve outcomes in patients with chronic or acute coronary syndromes, according to results of the ATPCI trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2020.

A hyperinflammatory response following infection or trauma can cause the life-threatening condition cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Researchers led by Osaka University found that IL-6 signaling induces the expression of inflammatory cytokines and PAI-1 in CRS patients, causing respiratory distress and multiple organ failure, which are also observed in severe COVID-19 patients. Blockade of IL-6...

Differences in the shape and texture of men and women's hearts could potentially explain why their risk of heart disease differs, according to research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). The findings are being presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress.

A new research letter published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines whether asthma is a significant risk factor for developing COVID-19 that is severe enough to warrant hospitalization and intubation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals with asthma are at higher risk for hospitalization and other severe effects from COVID-19, similar...

'Nature' publication: The GRAVITY instrument developed for the Very Large Telescope in Chile probes deep into the TW Hydrae system to shape our view of accretion processes in young stars similar to the young Sun

Two studies provide empirical evidence to settle the question of whether being aggressively Machiavellian helps people get ahead. The studies concluded that being a jerk provides no advantage in career advancement. Any power boost disagreeable people get from being intimidating is offset by their poor interpersonal relationships, the studies concluded.

Photothermal nanotheranostics, especially in the NIR-II region, exhibits a great potential in precision and personalized medicine, owing to high tissue penetration of NIR-II light. The development of NIR-II-photothermal theranostic nanoplatforms with high biocompatibility and photothermal efficiency are urgently needed. In this work, researchers propose a nano-alloying strategy to dop Se into Te...

Losing weight could prevent or even reverse diabetes, according to late breaking research presented today at ESC Congress 2020.

A team led by a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside has found a new mechanism responsible for the abnormal development of neuronal connections in the mouse brain that leads to seizures and abnormal social behaviors.

Exercise fights off stress by increasing levels of the brain protein galanin, according to research in mice recently published in JNeurosci.

Radio astronomers have detected jets of hot gas blasted out by a black hole in the galaxy at the heart of the Phoenix Galaxy Cluster, located 5.9 billion light-years away in the constellation Phoenix. This is an important result for understanding the coevolution of galaxies, gas, and black holes in galaxy clusters.

Cell phone location data shows that in counties where activity declined at workplaces and increased at home, coronavirus infection rates were lower.

Heterostyly is a floral polymorphism promoting pollen transfer between plant individuals. The purpose of heterostyly was puzzling already Charles Darwin. Now, nearly 160 years after Darwin's landmark study on the heterostyly of cowslips, a large-scale citizen science campaign in Estonia has brought novel insights into this fascinating but complex 'marriage arrangement' of heterostylous plants and...

Studying college women with eating disorders, a team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that a phone-based app that delivers a form of cognitive behavioral therapy was an effective means of intervention in addressing specific disorders.

A major clinical trial involving 5,500 patients in Australia and the Netherlands found heart attacks and the need for coronary stenting or bypass surgery reduced by 30% in patients taking low dose colchicine, an old and widely available drug commonly used to treat gout.

Frieseomelitta varia is a docile species of economic interest as a pollinator. Its workers are sterile, and some of its genetic sequences are identical to those found in other eusocial bees, pointing to the conservation of ancestral traits.

A little understood region of the cerebellum plays a critical role in making split-second 'go-no go' decisions, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Electrifying research by Clemson University scientists could lead to the creation of lighter, faster-charging batteries suitable for powering a spacesuit, or even a Mars rover.

Dapagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney failure, death from cardiovascular causes or heart failure hospitalisation and all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease patients with or without type 2 diabetes. That's the main result of the DAPA-CKD trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2020.

Data presented at one of the opening sessions at this year's European and International Congress on Obesity (ECOICO 2020) held online this year (1-4 September) will show the clear relationship between obesity and the severity of COVID-19 disease.

Quantum-physical fundamentals can be studied particularly well by the interactions between electrons and photons. Excited with laser light, for example, the energy, mass or velocity of the electrons changes. Professor Nahid Talebi from the Institute for Experimental and Applied Physics at Kiel University has invented a new toolbox to extend the theoretical description of electron-light...

In a study published in PNAS, researchers used conservation biology and genomics to discover that the New Guinea singing dog, thought to be extinct for 50 years, still thrives. This finding opens new doors for protecting a remarkable creature that can teach biologists about human vocal learning.