207 articles from FRIDAY 12.2.2021
Gene-based blood test for melanoma spread evaluates treatment progress
A test that monitors blood levels of DNA fragments released by dying tumor cells may serve as an accurate early indicator of treatment success in people in late stages of one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, a new study finds.
Going the distance--insights into how cancer cells spread
In a study published in Nature Communications, cancer researchers at Kanazawa University identify mechanisms by which malignant tumor cells extend their toxicity to distinct cell types and in turn help them spread.
Grasshoppers and roadblocks: Coping with COVID-19 in rural Mexico
On the outskirts of some small Indigenous communities in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a few volunteer guards keep watch along roads blocked by makeshift barricades of chains, stones and wood.The invader they are trying to stop is COVID-19.For many of Mexico's Indigenous people, poor and ignored by state and federal governments, the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is one that rests primarily...
Green tea compound aids p53, 'guardian of the genome' and tumor suppressor
An antioxidant found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein, known as the "guardian of the genome" for its ability to repair DNA damage or destroy cancerous cells.
Here comes the new generation of climate models: the future of rainfall in the Alps
Learning about the future of extreme events thanks to very high-resolution climate simulations. Understanding how their distribution will change in limited areas at hourly scale. This is frontier research: the new generation of climate models. A study of precipitation in the Alpine region conducted by the CMCC Foundation.
How comparable different stress tests are
Scientists use many different tests to investigate what happens in the brain in people experiencing stress. It is unclear to what extent the various methods with which subjects are placed under stress are comparable to each other. In a meta-analysis, researchers compared 31 previous studies that had investigated stress using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The team worked out which regions...
Hubble uncovers concentration of small black holes
Astronomers found something they weren't expecting at the heart of the globular cluster NGC 6397: a concentration of smaller black holes lurking there instead of one massive black hole.
Identifying risk factors for elevated anxiety in young adults during COVID-19 pandemic
A new study has identified early risk factors that predicted heightened anxiety in young adults during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The findings from the study, supported by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, could help predict who is at greatest risk of developing anxiety during stressful life events...
Increasing hurricane intensity around Bermuda linked to rising ocean temperatures
New research shows that hurricane maximum wind speeds in the subtropical Atlantic around Bermuda have more than doubled on average over the last 60 years due to rising ocean temperatures in the region.
Instant death from heart attack more common in people who do not exercise
An active lifestyle is linked with a lower chance of dying immediately from a heart attack, according to a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally and prevention is a major public health priority.
Interaction between iodonium and silver cation was demonstrated for the first time
An international research team led by Professor Kari Rissanen of the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland) and Professor Antonio Frontera of the University of Balearic Islands (Spain) has demonstrated that positively charged iodine (termed iodonium) is able to favorably interact with a silver cation (Ag+), overcoming the strong electrostatic repulsion. The research was published online in Chem...
Lemurs show there's no single formula for lasting love
Humans aren't the only mammals that form long-term bonds with a single, special mate -- some lemurs and other animals do, too. Duke researchers are mapping the hormone receptors that underlie these primates' ability to pair up for the long haul. Their findings suggest the brain circuitry that makes love last in some species may not be the same in others.
Limited transmission of Covid-19 from open schools but teachers were affected
In Sweden, upper-secondary schools moved online while lower-secondary schools remained open during the spring of 2020. A comparison of parents with children in the final year of lower-secondary and first year of upper-secondary school shows that keeping the former open had limited consequences for the overall transmission of the virus. However, the infection rate doubled among lower-secondary...
Liquid biopsy for colorectal cancer could guide therapy for tumors
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrates that a liquid biopsy examining blood or urine can help gauge the effectiveness of therapy for colorectal cancer that has just begun to spread beyond the original tumor. Such a biopsy can detect lingering disease and could serve as a guide for deciding whether a patient should undergo further treatments due to some...
Medication-based starvation of cancer cells
Immunomodulatory drugs, including the Contergan derivatives lenalidomide and pomalidomide have significantly improved the therapy of hematologic malignancies such as multiple myeloma. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now further decoded the mode of action in this class of medications. At the same time, they identified new innovative targeted cancer therapies.
Metabolic response behind reduced cancer cell growth
Researchers from Uppsala University show in a new study that inhibition of the protein EZH2 can reduce the growth of cancer cells in the blood cancer multiple myeloma. The reduction is caused by changes in the cancer cells' metabolism. These changes can be used as markers to discriminate whether a patient would respond to treatment by EZH2 inhibition. The study has been published in the journal...
More trees do not always create a cooler planet, Clark University geographer finds
New research by Christopher A. Williams, an environmental scientist and professor in Clark University's Graduate School of Geography, reveals that deforestation in the U.S. does not always cause planetary warming, as is commonly assumed; instead, in some places, it actually cools the planet. A peer-reviewed study by Williams and his team, "Climate Impacts of U.S. Forest Loss Span Net Warming to...
NASA's TESS discovers new worlds in a river of young stars
Using observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a trio of hot worlds larger than Earth orbiting a much younger version of our Sun called TOI 451. The system resides in the recently discovered Pisces-Eridanus stream, a collection of stars less than 3% the age of our solar system that stretches across one-third of the...
New class of drug leads to 30% reduced risk of death for bladder cancer patients
A new type of drug that helps target chemotherapy directly to cancer cells has been found to significantly increase survival of patients with the most common form of bladder cancer, according to results from a phase III clinical trial led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.
New discovery could pave the way for improved treatments for diabetes
Monash University researchers have uncovered the barrier to β-cell (beta cell) regeneration that could pave the way for improved treatments for diabetes and diseases that involve organ and tissue damage.
New insight into protein structures that could treat Huntington's disease
In Huntington's disease, a faulty protein aggregates in brain cells and eventually kills them. Such protein aggregates could, in principle, be prevented with a heat shock protein. However, it is not well known how these proteins interact with the Huntington's disease protein. New research by Patrick van der Wel (University of Groningen) and colleagues at the University of Texas has partially...
New study identifies the main genetic causes of autoimmune Addison's disease
Scientists from the University of Bergen (Norway) and Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) have discovered the genes involved in autoimmune Addison's disease.
New synthetic peptides could attenuate atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis, a lipid-triggered chronic inflammatory disease of our arteries, is the main cause of strokes and heart attacks. An international team of researchers led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the LMU University Hospital has developed novel synthetic peptides that can help to prevent atherosclerosis in vitro, that is in the test tube, as well as in animal models.
NIH experts discuss SARS-CoV-2 viral variants
The rise of significant variants of SARS-CoV-2 has attracted the attention of health and science experts worldwide. In an editorial published in JAMA, experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases outline how these variants have arisen, concerns about whether vaccines currently authorized for use will continue to protect against new variants, and the need for a global...
NIH research funding to support surgeon scientists is rising
Since 2010, National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to support surgeon scientists has, remarkably, risen significantly while funding to support other non-surgeon physicians has significantly decreased. This growth has occurred despite an overall decrease in NIH funding and an increase in demand for clinical productivity.