Medical News & Science News

Medical News 'Mini-Guts' Offer Clues to Pediatric GI Illness Using immature stem cells to create a miniature model of the gut in the laboratory, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Pittsburgh have determined how infection-causing enteroviruses enter the in... – Washington University in St. Louis National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant number R01-A1081759; a Burroughs Wellcome Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infect Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 15:00 ET Researchers Identify Mechanism in Chikungunya Virus That Controls Infection and Severity Researchers led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have identified a mechanism by which the chikungunya virus infects healthy cells and controls how severe the disease it causes will be, a mechanism they believe can be found in a ... – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 15:00 ET Researchers Decode Rare Form of Adrenal Gland Genetic Disorder Linked to Gender Ambiguity Postnatal screening and treatment may prevent females from being raised as males. – Mount Sinai Health System Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 30, 2017; DK80459 (to M.Z. and S.L.), AG40132 (to M.Z.), AR06592 (to M.Z.), and AR06066 (to M.Z.) NIH Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 15:00 ET Online Database Aims to Collect, Organize Research on Cancer Mutations Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed an online “knowledgebase” intended for the gathering and organization of cancer genomic information so that clinicians have improved chances of identifying import... – Washington University in St. Louis Nature Genetics Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 11:00 ET Scientists Uncover Possible Therapeutic Targets for Rare Autism Spectrum Disorder Researchers have uncovered 30 genes that could, one day, serve as therapeutic targets to reverse Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that affects only girls and is a severe form of an autism spectrum disorder. – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jan. 30, 2017 Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 15:00 ET Poor Mental Health in the West Midlands Region Costs More Than £3000 Per Person, Study Finds The study was commissioned by the West Midlands Mental Health Commission, a task force set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), to assess the current costs of mental ill health and current service provision across the region. It was led... – University of Birmingham Report Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 19:05 ET MD Anderson and Guardant Health Announce Partnership to Make Comprehensive Liquid Biopsy Part of Oncology Standard of Care The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Guardant Health today announced a multi-year partnership designed to accelerate comprehensive liquid biopsy technology into the standard of care in cancer treatment. – University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Embargo expired on 31-Jan-2017 at 09:00 ET Stephen Gottschalk, M.D., Has Been Named Chair of the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Esteemed clinician and scientist will oversee one of the world’s largest pediatric bone marrow transplantation programs. – St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 10:00 ET Updated Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis Guidelines An international research group of 32 experts from nine countries has updated the guidelines for diagnosing the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. – Johns Hopkins Medicine Journal of Pediatrics How Medical Simulation Save Lives At IMSH 2017 Currently Underway in Orlando, Demonstrations Of Life-Saving Techniques Through Simulated Learning Environments – Society for Simulation in Healthcare Clue to How Cancer Cells Spread In a second human case, a Yale-led research team has found that a melanoma cell and a white blood cell can fuse to form a hybrid with the ability to metastasize. The finding provides further insight into how melanoma and other cancers spread from sol... – Yale Cancer Center PLOS One Mayo Clinic Researchers Find Mental Activities May Protect Against Mild Cognitive Impairment PHOENIX – Mayo Clinic researchers have found that engaging in mentally stimulating activities, even late in life, may protect against new-onset mild cognitive impairment, which is the intermediate stage between normal cognitive aging and dementia. ... – Mayo Clinic JAMA Neurology GOLD 2017 Report Released with New Recommendations on Assessing COPD, Drug Escalation Strategies, Non-Pharmacologic Treatments and Comorbidities The Global Initiative for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) has published its 2017 report online, ahead of print in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care ... – American Thoracic Society (ATS) American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Penn/CHOP Study Helps Inform Interventions for Global Road Traffic Injury Crisis A research team led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) worked with a major United States multinational corporation to investi... – University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion; 1243422; F31NR0113599 Kidney Function in Stroke Patients Associated with Short-Term Outcomes A routine blood test that measures kidney function can be a valuable predictor of short-term outcomes for stroke patients, according to a study led by a neurologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. – Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Stroke, Feb -2017 Programmed Proteins Might Help Prevent Malaria Malaria is still a global scourge, killing mostly children in tropical regions. Developing an affordable vaccine that can stay stable without refrigeration is a challenge. Now, a Weizmann Institute lab has reprogrammed proteins in such a way that the... – Weizmann Institute of Science PNAS, Jan-2017 White Blood Cells Get Pushy to Reach Infection How do white blood cells - the immune cells that race to the sites of infection and inflammation - actually get to their targets? The research of Prof. Ronen Alon has revealed that the white blood cells actually force their way through the blood vess... – Weizmann Institute of Science Cell, Jan-2017 New TSRI Study Shows Early Brain Changes in Fragile X Syndrome A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is giving researchers a first look at the early stages of brain development in patients with Fragile X syndrome, a disorder that causes mild to severe intellectual disability and ... – Scripps Research Institute Brain; CL1-00502; TR01250; RM1-01717 ; TR3-05603; R33MH087925-04; R21DA032975-01; KTIA_NAP_13-2014-0018; HD02274; GM113929 University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Opens First Stem Cell Study in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis News release about the first person enrolled in the first stem cell trial for cystic fibrosis. – University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center NYU Lutheran’s Unique Insight Into “Global Medicine” The diversity of Brooklyn’s population has transformed the practice of infectious diseases that is akin to global medicine at NYU Lutheran Medical Center. – NYU Lutheran Medical Center UNC Medical Center Is First in the Mid Atlantic to Treat Patients with Next Generation Cardiac Mapping System UNC Medical Center is the first in the Mid Atlantic U.S. to treat patients with the EnSite Precision™ cardiac mapping system, a next-generation platform designed to provide automation, flexibility and accuracy for diagnostic mapping used in ablatio... – University of North Carolina Health Care System How a Tech Start-Up Pioneer Found New Meaning to Life in Health Care Seeking more meaning to life, a successful entrepreneur pursues a career as a physician assistant – Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Physician First in New Jersey to Perform ACCLARENT AERA™ Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation Procedure for Managing Chronic Ear Disease Michael S. Goldrich, MD, FACS, board-certified otolaryngologist at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital recently became the first physician in New Jersey to perform a new procedure called ACCLARENT AERA™ Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation for the ... – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital What Primary Care Providers Should Know About Diabetic Neuropathy Researchers at Michigan Medicine led a group of internationally recognized endocrinologists and neurologists from both sides of the Atlantic and teamed up with the American Diabetes Association to craft a new position statement on the prevention, tre... – Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan American Society of Nephrology Statement on US President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order on Immigration American Society of Nephrology (ASN) President Eleanor D. Lederer, MD, FASN, and the Society’s leadership issued the following statement regarding the January 27, 2017, Presidential Executive Order on Immigration: – American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Only FDA-Approved Device to Repair "Hole in the Heart" Condition Now Available at Baylor Heart and Vascular Services at Fort Worth Baylor Heart and Vascular Services at Fort Worth on Tuesday, November 15, became the first program in Texas to implant the only FDA-approved device designed to prevent blood clots from entering the brain by sealing a hole in the heart. The device is ... – Baylor Scott and White Health UChicago Medicine Community Contribution Grows to $373 Million The University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) contributed $373 million in fiscal 2015 — 18 percent more than the prior year — to address the urgent health needs of the South Side and provide other assistance to the community, according to a recently r... – University of Chicago Medical Center NIH Funds UND Study of Early Formation of Cancer-Causing Viruses Barry Milavetz researches epigenetic modifications in infected cells when they’re most easily treatable – University of North Dakota NIH Awards $21 Million to Research Consortium to Study Epilepsy in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries An international consortium of academic research institutions have been awarded a $21 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop better ways to prevent epilepsy in patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. – Albert Einstein College of Medicine 1U54NS100064 UF Health Cancer Network Earns National Accreditation For Quality Care The UF Health Cancer Network, comprising UF Health and the UF Health Cancer Center at Orlando Health, has received a three-year accreditation with commendation by the Commission on Cancer, a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. – Orlando Health Loyola Urologist Robert Flanigan, MD, Receives American Urological Association’s Highest Honor The American Urological Association has given Robert C. Flanigan, MD, chair of Loyola Medicine’s department of urology, the association’s highest honor. – Loyola University Health System Personalized Cancer Therapy on the Horizon Thanks to New Genomic Cancer Research Partnership Gene Editing Institute at Christiana Care Health System partners with NovellusDx in BIRD Foundation Grant – Christiana Care Health System Science News Boxer Crabs Acquire Anemones by Stealing From Each Other, and Splitting Them Into Clones Researchers have described a little known yet fascinating aspect of the behavior of Lybia crabs, a species which holds sea anemones in each of its claws (behavior which has earnt it the nickname ‘boxer’ or ‘pom-pom’ crab). In a series of expe... – PeerJ Embargo expired on 31-Jan-2017 at 07:00 ET Genomic Tools for Species Discovery Inflate Estimates of Species Numbers, U-Michigan Biologists Contend Increasingly popular techniques that infer species boundaries in animals and plants solely by analyzing genetic differences are flawed and can lead to inflated diversity estimates, according to a new study from two University of Michigan evolutionary... – University of Michigan Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 15:00 ET Vitamin B12: Power Broker to the Microbes In the microbial world, vitamin B12 is a hot commodity. It turns out that vitamin B12, a substance produced by only a few organisms but needed by nearly all of them, wields great power in microbial communities – ubiquitous structures that affect en... – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory PNAS, Jan. 30, 2017 Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 15:00 ET Scientists Unravel the Process of Meltwater in Ocean Depths An international team of researchers has discovered why fresh water, melted from Antarctic ice sheets, is often detected below the surface of the ocean, rather than rising to the top above denser seawater. – University of Southampton Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 11:00 ET Shootings in U.S. Schools Are Linked to Increased Unemployment A Northwestern University study has found that economic insecurity is related to the rate of gun violence at K-12 and postsecondary schools in the United States. When it becomes more difficult for people coming out of school to find jobs, the rate of... – Northwestern University Nature Human Behaviour, Jan. 30, 2017 Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 11:00 ET Scientists Illuminate the Neurons of Social Attraction The ancient impulse to procreate is necessary for survival and must be hardwired into our brains. Now scientists from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have discovered an important clue about the neurons involved in that wiring. – University of North Carolina Health Care System Nature Neuroscience Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 11:00 ET Lost in Translation: Traffic Noise Disrupts Communication Between Species Research by scientists at the University of Bristol has found that man-made noise can hinder the response of animals to the warning signals given by other species, putting them at greater risk of death from predators. – University of Bristol Environmental Pollution Embargo expired on 30-Jan-2017 at 19:05 ET Spider Silk Demonstrates Spider Man-Like Abilities Spider silk offers new inspiration for developments in artificial muscle technology thanks to research from a collaboration of scientists in China and the U.S., the results of which are published today in Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing.... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Applied Physics Letters Researcher Finds Limited Sign of Soil Adaptation to Climate Warming While scientists and policy experts debate the impacts of global warming, the Earth’s soil is releasing roughly nine times more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than all human activities combined. This huge carbon flux from soil, which is due to th... – University of New Hampshire Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. First-Ever GPS Data Release to Boost Space-Weather Science Today, more than 16 years of space-weather data is publicly available for the first time in history. The data comes from space-weather sensors developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory on board the nation’s Global Positioning System (GPS) satelli... – Los Alamos National Laboratory Cornell Chemists Use Their Own 'Toolset' to Probe Responses Using a chemical "toolset" it developed, a Cornell group reports the ability to track a single protein's response to a chemical, which has implications in the emerging field of precision medicine. – Cornell University Understanding Breakups As interest and demand for nanotechnology continues to rise, so will the need for nanoscale printing and spraying, which relies on depositing tiny drops of liquid onto a surface. Now researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing have developed a ne... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Move Over Bear Grylls! Academics Build Ultimate Solar-Powered Water Purifier You’ve seen Bear Grylls turn foul water into drinking water with little more than sunlight and plastic. Academics added a third element — carbon-dipped paper — to create a highly efficient and inexpensive way to turn saltwater and contaminated ... – University at Buffalo Global Challenges World Heritage Sites Getting Hammered by Human Activities A new study warns that more than 100 natural World Heritage sites are being severely damaged by encroaching human activities. – Wildlife Conservation Society Biological Conservation Study Identifies the Southeast’s Most Diverse and Imperiled Waterways After more than a year of data collection, analysis and mapping, the University of Georgia River Basin Center and the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute recently published a comprehensive survey of Southeastern watersheds and the diverse aquat... – University of Georgia Researchers Watch in 3D as Neurons Talk to Each Other in a Living Mouse Brain No single neuron produces a thought or a behavior; anything the brain accomplishes is a vast collaborative effort between cells. When at work, neurons talk rapidly to one another, forming networks as they communicate. Scientists at the Research Insti... – IMP - Research Institute of Molecular Pathology Nature Methods A New World Discovered Underground One of the most detailed genetic studies of any ecosystem to date has uncovered incredible biological diversity among subsurface bacteria. This research has nearly doubled the number of known bacterial groups. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Nature Communications 7, article 13219 (2016). [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13219] "Green Rust" in the Early Ocean? How were the Earth’s solid deposits of iron ore created? Dr. Itay Halevy suggests that, billions of years ago, “green rust” formed in seawater and sank to the ocean bed, becoming an original source of banded iron formations. While this would ha... – Weizmann Institute of Science Nature Geoscience, Jan-2017 Viral Protein Transforms as It Measures Out DNA . Jefferson researchers pieced together the three-dimensional atomic structure of a doughnut-shaped protein that acts like a door or ‘portal’ for the DNA to get in and out of the capsid, and have now discovered that this protein begins to transfo... – Thomas Jefferson University R01 GM100888 ; GM076661; P30 CA56036; S10OD017987 NUS Engineers Develop Low-Cost, Flexible Terahertz Radiation Source for Fast and Non-Invasive Screening A research team led by Associate Professor Yang Hyunsoo and Dr Wu Yang from the NUS Faculty of Engineering and NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute has successfully developed flexible, high performance and low-power driven terahertz (THz) emi... – National University of Singapore Advanced Materials UF/IFAS Citrus REC Starts Centennial Celebration Nearly a century ago, a group of Polk County citrus growers raised about $14,000 to buy land for a research station. Now, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the UF/IFAS Citrus... – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Iowa State Scientist Receives Grants to Improve Glacier-Flow Models, Sea-Level Predictions Iowa State's Neal Iverson is working with an international team on two projects that aim to build more realistic computer models of glacier flow. The researchers hope to understand how glaciers will speed up and add to sea-level rise as the climate w... – Iowa State University NSF 1643120 and 1660972 Kansas State University Is the 'Silicon Valley for Biodefense,' According to Blue Ribbon Study Panel When the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense visited Kansas State University for a series of agrodefense discussions, the university cemented its status as a national leader in animal health, biosciences and food safety research. – Kansas State University Agrodefense: Challenges and Solutions Live Webcast to Focus on How the Financial System Is Shaped by Physicists In a live webcast February 1, James Weatherall will tell the story of how innovative physicists and mathematicians have shaped global finance since the Second World War. Expert Available – Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Scientific Societies Send “Scientific Integrity” Letter to President Trump The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), and the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) sent an open letter today to President Trump, asking that he “protect and defend the scientific integrity of federal scie... – American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Cancer Research Institute Awards Grant to Develop Powerful Genomic Data Resource for Cancer Immunotherapy Researchers Three nonprofits partner to create powerful database that will aim to improve immunotherapy for many types of cancer. – Cancer Research Institute Lifestyle & Social Sciences New Study Looks at LGBT Allies in College Sports The sports world has not always been considered the most inviting place for those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Yet, college athletes can make powerful allies for the LGBT community, given their visibility and status on campu... – University of Arizona Journal of Intercollegiate Sport Simple Intervention Proves Effective in Reducing Suicide Among Active-Duty Soldiers This study’s findings show there was a 75 percent reduction in suicide attempts among participants who engaged in crisis response planning versus a contract for safety. Crisis response planning also was associated with a significantly faster declin... – University of Utah Journal of Affective Disorders YFEL Members Gain Insights from Global Sustainability Leaders UAE Higher Education Minister Dr. Belhoul and Laurene Powell-Jobs Urge Youth and Students to Remain Proactive on Sustainable Causes – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology Four Tips to Help Communities and Churches Battle Human Trafficking: Baylor Expert Baylor human trafficking expert Elizabeth Goatley, Ph.D., said large-scale national events like the Super Bowl draw attention to human trafficking, and it’s an appropriate time to make people aware of the epidemic, which victimizes hundreds of thou... Expert Available – Baylor University Black History Month at UIC The University of Illinois at Chicago celebrates Black History Month with kick off by Issa Rae. – University of Illinois at Chicago Montana State University to Host 2020 National Conference on Undergraduate Research Montana State University has been selected by the Council on Undergraduate Research to host the March 2020 National Conference on Undergraduate Research. At this annual three-day event, more than 4,000 students present scholarly research, network wit... – Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) American Dental Hygienists’ Association to Host 94th Annual Conference The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) will host North America’