308 articles from MONDAY 17.8.2020
New study: Hydroxychloroquine ineffective as a preventive antiviral against COVID-19
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have added to the growing body of understanding about how hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is not a possible defense against COVID-19. Specifically, they found that HCQ is not effective in preventing COVID-19 in patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), suggesting a broader interpretation of HCQ as ineffective preventive medicine for the general...
New superlattice by CCNY team could lead to sustainable quantum electronics
A team of international physicists led by Lia Krusin-Elbaum of the City College of New York, has created a new topological magnetic superlattice material, that at a high temperature can conduct electrical current without dissipation and lost energy. The finding, detailed in a paper published in "Nature Physics," could be the basis of research leading to an entire new quantum materials class that...
New superlattice material for future energy efficient devices
A team of international physicists including Jennifer Cano, PhD, of Stony Brook University, has created a new material layered by two structures, forming a superlattice, that at a high temperature is a super-efficient insulator conducting current without dissipation and lost energy. The finding is detailed in a paper published in Nature Physics.
No limit yet for carbon nanotube fibers
Rice University researchers report advances in their quest to make the best carbon nanotube fibers for industry.
Novel method can efficiently create several 'building blocks' of pharmaceutical drugs
A class of organic compounds that form the backbone of several pharmaceuticals, alicyclic compounds, are difficult to synthesize. However, with a novel method developed by a team of scientists at Waseda University in Japan, a range of abundantly available aromatic compounds, such as benzene derivatives, can be readily and efficiently transformed into a variety of highly functionalized alicyclic...
Ocean microbes could interact with pollution to influence climate
Little is known about how gases and aerosols made by ocean microbes affect weather and climate, or how pollution could influence this process. Today, scientists report they've used an "ocean-in-a-lab" to show that air pollution can change the makeup of gases and aerosols that sea spray releases into the atmosphere, potentially altering weather patterns. The researchers will present their results...
Opioid use can trigger deafness
Opioid use, particularly in high doses, can cause deafness, according to Rutgers researchers. The study, published in The Journal of Medical Toxicology, reviewed records from the New Jersey Poison Control Center, based at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, from 1999 to 2018 to determine the association between opioid use and degrees of hearing loss.
Patients taking long-term opioids produce antibodies against the drugs
University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies. These antibodies may contribute to some of the negative side effects of long-term opioid use.
Patterns in daily reported infections, deaths for COVID-19
Patterns in daily reported infections and deaths for COVID-19 are investigated in this study.
Penguins are Aussies. Or are they Kiwis?
UC Berkeley and Pontifical Catholic University of Chile researchers sequenced the genomes of all 18 recognized species of penguin to assemble a family tree, showing that the largest of the penguins - king and emperor - split off from all other penguins not long after penguins arose 22 million years ago in Australia and New Zealand. Other penguins diversified after Drake's Passage opened, revving...
Photo and collage by Elle Starkman/PPPL Office of Communications
Physicists at PPPL discover a new trigger for edge localized modes (ELMs) -- instabilities that can halt fusion reactions and damage the tokamaks that house such reactions.
Policy implications of orphan drug designation for remdesivir to treat COVID-19
This Viewpoint highlights loopholes in U.S. orphan drug policy as exemplified by the use of remdesivir to treat COVID-19.
Potency-enhancing drugs linked to decreased risks in men with colorectal cancer
A new study from Lund University and Region Skåne in Sweden indicates that potency-enhancing PDE5 inhibitor drugs have an anti-cancer potential with the ability to improve the prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer. PDE5 inhibitors include a few approved drugs in which sildenafil (Viagra) is the most well-known. The article is published in Nature Communications.
Potential drug target revealed to help more children survive a lethal heart defect
Study in Cell Stem Cell led by experts at Cincinnati Children's reveals a potentially druggable target to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).
Prescription opioid use, misuse among cancer survivors
This survey study looked at the frequency of prescription opioid use and misuse among adult cancer survivors compared with individuals without cancer.
Protein produced by the nervous system may help treatments for inflammatory diseases
A Rutgers-led team discover a protein produced by nervous system may be key to treating inflammatory diseases like asthma, allergies, chronic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Quantum-mechanical interaction of two time crystals has been experimentally demonstrated
An international team of researchers have demonstrated that a new phase of matter which has, until recently, been mere speculation, obeys basic quantum mechanics laws. This offers a basis to investigate the fundamental properties of time crystals further and suggests possible applications in quantum information processing.
Realtime observation of structural dynamic of influenza A hemagglutinin during viral entry
Researchers in Kanazawa University has recently reported their study in Nano Letters regarding a high-speed atomic force microscopy study on a biological event that happens during flu virus enters infects its host cell. The real-time visualization of influenza A hemagglutinin (HA) has enhanced the understanding of fusogenic transition of HA and its interactions with host endosomes.
Regulation of cancer stemness by the best combination of nanotech and genetic engineering
Photo-active nanocomplexes are successfully developed.The nanocomplexes allow spatiotemporal controlling genetically-engineered cells that are overexpressing temperature-sensitive membrane proteins.The technology demonstrates effective cancer elimination and dramatic suppression of cancer stemness in cells and mice.
Researchers develop new detection method to protect Army networks
Army researchers developed a novel algorithm to protect networks by allowing for the detection of adversarial actions that can be missed by current analytical methods.
Researchers discover how enzyme protects cells from DNA damage
A research team from Mount Sinai has unraveled for the first time the three-dimensional structure and mechanism of a complex enzyme that protects cells from constant DNA damage, opening the door to discovery of new therapeutics for the treatment of chemotherapy-resistant cancers.
Researchers got busy: After nearly allowing the solution to a math riddle
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) thought that they were five years away from solving a math riddle from the 1980's. In reality, and without knowing, they had nearly cracked the problem and had just given away much of the solution in a research article. The solution could be used to improve tomorrow's phones and computers.
Safer, more comfortable soldier uniforms are in the works
Uniforms of U.S. Army soldiers must feel comfortable in all climates, be durable through multiple washings, resist fires and ward off insects, among other things. Existing fabrics don't check all of these boxes, so scientists have come up with a novel way of creating a flame-retardant, insect-repellent fabric that uses nontoxic substances. The researchers will present their results today at the...
Scientists develop approach to synthesize unconventional nanoalloys for electrocatalytic application
Prof. Mansoo Choi's group from Seoul National University (SNU) and Prof. Jun YANG's group from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed an approach to synthesize unconventional nanoalloys for electrocatalytic applications.
Scientists further cowpea research--boosting canopy CO2 assimilation, water-use efficiency
In a recent study published in Food and Energy Security, a research aimed to understand how much variation exists within diverse cowpea lines' canopy photosynthesis. Results from this study suggest that by optimizing canopy structures, researchers could increase cowpea yields, and yields across other crops, to improve our global food security.