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Health - Life Sciences - 11.09.2023

HIV: two autopsies reveal where the virus hides
A Canadian research team shows for the first time that HIV reservoirs are concentrated in the spleen and lymph nodes, and that they can travel throughout the body. A small number of HIV-infected cells remain in the tissues of people living with the virus and who are undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

Health - Politics - 11.09.2023

’Every research project improves if you add some citizen science’
More and more often Utrecht researchers experiment with citizen science, research that involves collaboration with citizens. For instance, by having them collect data. PhD candidate Fleur Froeling went one step further: she asked Dutch people which subject they would like to research scientifically, and involved a group of citizens in every step of the process.

Health - Life Sciences - 11.09.2023

AI to predict recovery after serious brain injury
Two graduate students from Western University have developed a ground-breaking method for predicting which intensive care unit (ICU) patients will survive a severe brain injury. Matthew Kolisnyk and Karnig Kazazian combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with state-of-the art machine learning techniques to tackle one of the most complex issues in critical care.

Health - Media - 11.09.2023

How our number of sexual partners changes as we age
A new study involving UCL that aims to inform mathematical models of sexually transmitted infections shows how the number of sexual partners we have changes as we age, with some surprising findings. A team from the UCL Institute of Health Informatics, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and King's College London surveyed more than 5,000 people aged 18 years and older during the 2022 mpox (previously known as "monkeypox") outbreak.

Health - Social Sciences - 11.09.2023

Hobbies linked to lower depression levels among older people
Having a hobby is linked to fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of happiness, self-reported health and life satisfaction among people aged 65 and over, and this holds true across 16 countries on three continents, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine , aimed to see if the benefits of hobbies were consistent in different national settings, and looked at data from 93,263 people aged 65 or over who had enrolled in five existing longitudinal studies in England, Japan, United States, China and 12 other European countries.

Health - 11.09.2023

Cardiovascular disease and complex health issues almost double COVID-19 infection risk
The risk of COVID-19 infection is around two times higher in older adults with cardiovascular disease and complex comorbidities than in their healthier peers, according to a new study from UCL. The study, published in Gerontology, analysed data from 4,428 individuals over the age of 50 who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) COVID-19 Sub Study in 2020.

Life Sciences - Health - 11.09.2023

’Invisible’ Cell Types and Gene Expression Revealed with Sequencing Data Analysis Improvement
In 2018, researchers in the Caltech laboratory of Yuki Oka , professor of biology and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, made a major discovery: they identified a type of neuron, or brain cell, that mediates thirst satiation. But they were running into a problem: a state-of-the-art technique called single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) could not find those thirst-related neurons in samples of brain tissue (specifically, from a region called the media preoptic nucleus) that were known to contain them.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.09.2023

Using MRI scans to improve the lives of dementia patients
The Conservatives have seized on cars as a political wedge - it's a bet on the public turning against climate action 07 Researchers at the University of Manchester are using MRI scans to better predict the progression of dementia In the UK, 5-20% of over 60s population experience mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a decline in one cognitive area, such as memory, language, spatial orientation, or forward planning, over time.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.09.2023

Breakthrough on preeclampsia cure
Researchers have made groundbreaking progress towards identifying the root cause and potential therapy for preeclampsia. The pregnancy complication affects up to eight per cent of pregnancies globally and is the leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality due to premature delivery, complications with the placenta and lack of oxygen.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.09.2023

Smart pill can track key biological markers in real-time
Coupling engineered bacteria with low-power electronics could be highly effective in diagnosis, treatment of bowel diseases. Close Researchers from MIT, Boston University, and elsewhere report a smart pill the size of a blueberry that could be a game changer in the diagnosis and treatment of bowel diseases.

Life Sciences - Health - 07.09.2023

How ribosome production and cell division rate are coupled
Scientists at Heidelberg University investigate functional details of a ribonucleoprotein complex for this circuitry. In order for cancer cells to divide continuously and unchecked, they have to outsmart the cellular mechanisms that normally ensure tight control of cell division. One of the elementary cellular processes is the production of ribosomes, which is manipulated by cancer cells in such a way that the ribosome production rate is ramped up, thus enabling the necessary high cell division rate.

Life Sciences - Health - 07.09.2023

The discovery of a new kind of cell revolutionizes neuroscience
A research team from the University of Lausanne and the Wyss Center has discovered a new type of cell essential to brain function. Hybrid in composition and function between the two hitherto known types of brain cells - neurons and glial cells - these cells of a new order are found in several brain regions from mice to humans.

Life Sciences - Health - 07.09.2023

Pioneering research by the University of Valencia and the CSIC uses bacteria viruses against Xylella fastidiosa in the Balearic Islands
Pioneering research by the University of Valencia and the CSIC uses bacteria viruses against Xylella fastidiosa in the Balearic Islands Pilar Domingo-Calap, researcher at the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), a joint centre of the University of Valencia (UV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), directs research with phages (bacterial viruses) that has started treating crop plants affected by the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa in the Balearic Islands.

Health - 07.09.2023

New compound unleashes the immune system on metastases
A new nanocomplex renders a tumor harmless - and, on top of that, it trains the immune system to detect and eliminate metastases. An international research team headed by Dr. Johannes Karges of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has developed nanoparticles that accumulate in cancer cells and eliminate them after being photoactivated.

Health - Life Sciences - 07.09.2023

Decoding Blood Platelet Production: The Intricate Role of Lipids
Disruptions in lipid metabolism might affect platelet production. Scientists unveiled a deeper understanding of megakaryocyte differentiation and blood platelet production, a process crucial for maintaining healthy blood clotting and preventing excessive bleeding. The study featured in "Nature Cardiovascular Research," led by chemist Robert Ahrends from the University of Vienna and cardiologist Oliver Borst from the University of Tübingen, sheds light on the intricate role of lipids - the building blocks of cell membranes - in the formation of these vital blood components.

Health - 07.09.2023

Association Between the Consumption of Food Additive Emulsifiers and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Emulsifiers are among the additives most widely used by the food industry, helping to improve the texture of food and extend its shelf life. Researchers from Inserm, INRAE, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité and Cnam, as part of the Nutritional epidemiology research team (EREN-CRESS), studied the impacts on cardiovascular health of the consumption of emulsifiers.

Health - Pharmacology - 07.09.2023

Engineers design more powerful RNA vaccines
The new approach could lead to intranasal vaccines for Covid-19 and other respiratory diseases. RNA vaccines against Covid-19 have proven effective at reducing the severity of disease. However, a team of researchers at MIT is working on making them even better. By tweaking the design of the vaccines, the researchers showed that they could generate Covid-19 RNA vaccines that produce a stronger immune response, at a lower dose, in mice.

Health - Environment - 07.09.2023

UW assessment finds fentanyl and methamphetamine smoke linger on public transit vehicles
Alden Woods Two years ago, as life regained its rhythm and public transit once again filled with people, train and bus operators spotted a troubling trend. Some operators reported instances of people smoking drugs on their vehicles, and worried that the haze it created could linger, potentially affecting workers- physical and mental health.

Health - Astronomy / Space Science - 07.09.2023

How to prevent biofilms in space
Microbial or fungal biofilms on spacecraft can clog hoses and filters, or make astronauts sick. Space Station tests show that a surface treatment can help. After exposure in space aboard the International Space Station, a new kind of surface treatment significantly reduced the growth of biofilms, scientists report.

Health - Pharmacology - 06.09.2023

Ablation ensures survival benefits in terminal heart failure
In contrast to treatment with medication alone, patients benefit from additional catheter ablation, a new study shows. Heart specialists from the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW (HDZ NRW), Bad Oeynhausen, have demonstrated for the first time worldwide in a monocentric, open study that patients suffering from severe heart failure (cardiac insufficiency) in combination with symptomatic atrial fibrillation benefit more from catheter ablation in combination with guideline-compliant drug therapy than from drug therapy alone.