295 articles from WEDNESDAY 19.8.2020

No more playing with fire: Study offers insight into 'safer' rechargeable batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are used in various electronic devices. But, they also come with potential hazards, particularly if the battery is damaged or overcharged. This usually occurs because, in its overcharged state, spiky structures called 'lithium dendrites' get deposited in the battery. Now, scientists at Okayama University use a technique called 'operando nuclear magnetic resonance' to track...

Observational study identifies drug that improves survival in sickest COVID-19 patients

A drug normally used in rheumatoid arthritis and cancer treatments, tocilizumab, improves hospital survival in critically-ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The findings were published in The Lancet Rheumatology on Aug. 14, and Hackensack Meridian Health researchers have updated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other national leaders of the findings to potentially...

One in 10 Tennessee families were food insufficient during early months of COVID-19

The latest research from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture indicates that during late April and early May 2020, approximately 525,000 Tennessee households were food insufficient, meaning they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat - that's one in 10 families. About 30% of these struggling households were food sufficient prior to the onset of the pandemic.

Osteoarthritis: Conservative therapy delays need for knee and hip joint replacement surgery

With implementation of conservative treatment methods like physiotherapy and individually tailored, adjusted exercises, quality of osteoarthritis care can improve and patients can delay the need for an artificial hip or knee joint. This has been demonstrated by a clinical study from Norway that was recently presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR 2020) Online Annual Congress.

Out of sync: Ecologists report climate change affecting bee, plant life cycles

Reporting on the first community-wide assessment of 67 bee species of the Colorado Rockies, ecologists Michael Stemkovski of Utah State University and Rebecca Irwin of North Carolina State University say "phenological mismatch," changing timing of life cycles between bees and flowers, caused by climate change, has the potential to disrupt a mutually beneficial relationship.

Plastic debris releases potentially harmful chemicals into seabird stomach fluid

A recent study has found that plastic ingested by northern fulmars, a common seabird, could release potentially toxic chemicals in their stomachs. Using plastic waste from the shore and stomach fluid from fulmars, the researchers closely mimicked fulmar plastic consumption. The findings highlight that plastic waste in the sea not only poses physical risks for seabirds, but could also have toxic...

Portrait of a virus

Researchers create a centralized electronic medical records tool to gather, monitor, analyze clinical trends in COVID-19 across multiple countries. Proof-of-concept platform overcomes key hurdles of decentralized EMR systems.

Prevention of heart disease can start before birth

Babies that experience low oxygen levels in the womb due to pregnancy complications often go on to develop heart disease in adulthood. A study using sheep has discovered that a specialised antioxidant called MitoQ can prevent heart disease at its very onset. The results are published today in the journal Science Advances.

Protein influences regeneration of vascular cells

Through their basic research, physicians at the Heart Center of the University Hospital Bonn have discovered how the communication between individual cells can be influenced with the help of a specific protein. These findings are an important approach to improving the treatment of diseases such as arteriosclerosis (calcified blood vessels), which causes heart attacks. The study was published...

Pumice arrives delivering "vitamin boost" to the reef

The giant pumice raft created by an underwater volcanic eruption last August in Tonga has begun arriving on the Australian eastern seaboard, delivering millions of reef-building organisms that researchers say could be a "vitamin boost" for the Great Barrier Reef.

Researchers discovered new information on the regulation of cancer cell motility

PIM kinases are enzymes that promote metastatic growth and spread of cancer cells. Researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, have obtained new information on how the PIM kinases enhance cancer cell motility by regulating the formation of actin fibres in the cytoskeleton. The published results support the development of PIM-targeted therapies to prevent metastasis formation in cancer...

Researchers find link between gut microbiome and cancer treatment outcomes

City of Hope and TGen have found that greater gut microbial diversity in patients with metastatic kidney cancer is associated with better treatment outcomes on FDA-approved immunotherapy regimens. A potential takeaway: Oncologists might encourage patients to eat a high-fiber diet, including fruits and vegetables high in fructo-oligosaccharides such as bananas, dried fruit, onions, leeks, garlic,...