348 articles from WEDNESDAY 23.6.2021
Rising greenhouse gases pose continued threat to Arctic ozone layer
A new study including University of Maryland Professor Ross Salawitch, shows that extremely low winter temperatures high in the atmosphere over the arctic are becoming more frequent and more extreme because of climate patterns associated with global warming. The study also shows that those extreme low temperatures are causing reactions among chemicals humans pumped into the air decades ago,...
Roughness of retinal layers, a new Alzheimer's biomarker
Researchers at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Hospital ClÃnico San Carlos have designed a mathematical method to measure this. In some layers, wrinkling begins at very early stages of the illness.
Schools should strive to improve students' food literacy
An article published in the Journal of School Health stresses that food literacy--understanding the impact of food choices on our health, environment, and economy--should be a priority for K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Scientists obtain real-time look at how cancers evolve
With the help of machine learning, computational biologists are learning to predict how cancers will evolve.
Scientists uncover new mechanism that enables development of cancer
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have uncovered a mechanism that activates specific genes, leading to the development of cancers. They showed that a mutation that fuses two unrelated genes can promote a process similar to that observed when oil and water are mixed but do not blend together. The process, called liquid-liquid phase separation, can promote cancers such...
Seeking a treatment for IBS pain in tarantula venom
For patients who have inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS), the condition is literally a pain in the gut. Chronic -- or long-term -- abdominal pain is common, and there are currently no effective treatment options for this debilitating symptom. In a new study in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, researchers identify a new potential source of relief: a molecule derived from spider venom. In...
Shifting sands, creeping soils, and a new understanding of landscape evolution
A new study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University finds that piles of sand grains, even when undisturbed, are in constant motion. These experimental results challenge existing theories in both geology and physics about how soils and other types of disordered materials behave.
Single dose of Pfizer or Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine offers substantial protection to
A new study to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) (9-12 July) and published this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases shows that, for residents of long-term care homes for adults aged 65 years and over, a single dose of either the Pfizer or Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine offers around 60% protection against infection from...
Skin reactions after COVID-19 vaccination: Rare, uncommonly recur after second dose
Skin problems after a first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose occurred in 1.9% of surveyed employees from hospital system Mass General Brigham. Among employees who experienced a skin reaction to the first dose, 83% had no recurrence of symptoms following the second dose.
Smoother silicone breast implants may reduce severity of immune system reactions
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rice University in Houston, silicone breast implants with a smoother surface design have less risk of producing inflammation and other immune system reactions than those with more roughly textured coatings.
Sneeze cam reveals best fabric combos for cloth masks (video)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, cloth face masks became a way to help protect yourself and others from the virus. And for some people, they became a fashion statement, with many fabric choices available. But just how effective are they, especially in containing a sneeze? Now, researchers reporting in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering used high-speed videos of a person sneezing to identify the...
South Korean team to develop nanofilm-based "cell cage" technology
South Korean team to develop nanofilm-based "cell cage" technology
Spirituality can promote the health of breast cancer survivors
MU study finds link between forgiveness, congregational support and neuroimmune biomarkers.
Starchy snacks may increase CVD risk; fruits and veggies at certain meals decreases risk
Eating fruits with lunch, vegetables at dinner and a dairy snack in the evening was associated with a reduced risk of death by cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality, according to a study of U.S. adults.Eating a Western lunch (typically containing a high quantity of refined grains, cheese and cured meat) was associated with an elevated risk of CVD and all-cause mortalities in the...
Study explores how readers at partisan news sites respond to challenging news events
Researchers from Bentley University have been exploring how readers at partisan news sites respond to news events that challenge their worldview.
Study finds abnormal response to cellular stress is associated with Huntington's disease
A new University of California, Irvine-led study finds that the persistence of a marker of chronic cellular stress, previously associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also takes place in the brains of Huntington's disease (HD) patients.
Study links sleep apnea in children to increased risk of high blood pressure in teen years
Children with obstructive sleep apnea are nearly three times more likely to develop high blood pressure when they become teenagers than children who never experience sleep apnea, according to a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Study on fiscal policy advocates for making hay while the sun shines
A study published in Economic Inquiry that examined data from 133 countries from 1950-2014 found that a reduction in fiscal space--with fiscal space being the ability of governments to provide resources without undermining fiscal sustainability--in high income countries following the global financial crisis in 2007-2009 prevented these economies from adopting countercyclical fiscal policies.
Study reveals formation mechanism of first carbon-carbon bond in MTO process
Scientists revealed the mechanism underlying the formation of the first carbon-carbon (C-C) bond formation during the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process.
Study: Environmental risks exacerbated for vulnerable populations in small towns
A new study of small Iowa towns found that vulnerable populations within those communities face significantly more public health risks than statewide averages.
Subconscious changes in movement may predict Alzheimer's disease
The team found that FMAR was associated with preclinical AD pathology in women, suggesting that FMAR may be a new biomarker for AD before cognitive symptoms begin.
Synthesis of a near-infrared light absorbing macrocyclic aromatic compound
A ring-expanded porphyrin with no meso-bridges comprised of an odd number of pyrroles was successfully synthesized via the oxidative coupling of the corresponding terpyrrole. This porphyrin showed a 34pi aromatic character and an intense absorption at the near-infrared region. We analyzed the optical and electronic structures using magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy and time-dependent...
Systolic blood pressure above 120 mmHg increases rate of cardiovascular disease
Researchers remain perplexed on the role of the interplay between blood pressure and glucose status and the development of cardiovascular events like coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease. In a first-of-its-kind study, published in Diabetes Care, Japanese researchers discovered that cardiovascular risks gradually rose with increases in blood pressure regardless of the presence of and...
The origins of farming insects
A beetle bores a tree trunk to build a gallery in the wood in order to protect its lay. As it digs the tunnel, it spreads ambrosia fungal spores that will feed the larvae. When these bore another tree, the adult beetles will be the transmission vectors of the fungal spores in another habitat. This mutualism among insects and ambrosia fungi could be more than 100 years old, more than what was...
Theoretical proof that a strong force can create light-weight subatomic particles
Using only a pen and paper, Kavli IPMU PI Hitoshi Murayama has found theoretical proof of a decades-old claim that Quantum Chromo Dynamics leads to light-weight pions.