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SNMMI Image of the Year: PET imaging measures cognitive impairment in COVID-19 patients

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
The effects of COVID-19 on the brain can be accurately measured with positron emission tomography (PET), according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2021 Annual Meeting. The detailed depiction of areas of cognitive impairment, neurological symptoms and comparison of impairment over a six-month time frame has been selected as SNMMI's 2021 Image of the Year.
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Online mental health therapy significantly aids the isolated, immunosuppressed in pandemic

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
People with the rare autoimmune disease scleroderma, who likely experience more serious isolation during a global pandemic, saw their anxiety and depression improve after receiving online mental health intervention through an international study. Researchers say the program could be extended to many vulnerable patient populations moving forward.
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Using microorganisms to monitor water quality within minutes

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
SUTD-led research has demonstrated a technology that allows users with camera phones to track the health of aquatic microorganisms -- assessing water quality and drinkability in the process.
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Can biodegradable polymers live up to the hype?

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
As consumers and corporations alike become more environmentally conscious, the chemical industry is working to find solutions to the plastic waste crisis. One idea is to use biodegradable polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) as replacements for traditional plastic packaging and other materials. A feature article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, explores the possibilities and pitfalls of PHA.
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Several persistent chemicals were found in fetal organs

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found industrial chemicals in the organs of fetuses conceived decades after many countries had banned the substances. In a study published in the journal Chemosphere, the researchers urge decision makers to consider the combined impact of the mix of chemicals that accumulate in people and nature.
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Bruisable artificial skin could help prosthetics, robots sense injuries

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
When someone bumps their elbow against a wall, they not only feel pain but also might experience bruising. Robots and prosthetic limbs don't have these warning signs, which could lead to further injury. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have developed an artificial skin that senses force through ionic signals and also changes color from yellow to a bruise-like purple, providing a visual cue that damage has occurred.
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New in Ethics & Human Research, May-June 2021

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Underrepresented populations in clinical research, and more in the latest issue.
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Electrohydraulic arachno-bot a fascinating lightweight

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Goodbye, bulky components and connectors: A team of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany and at the University of Boulder in Colorado in the US has now found a new way to exploit the principles of spiders' joints to create lightweight robots.
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Scientists demonstrate promising new approach for treating cystic fibrosis

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
A new CF treatment strategy involves small, nucleic acid molecules called oligonucleotides that can correct some of the gene defects that underlie CF but are not addressed by existing modulator therapies. The researchers used a new delivery method that overcomes traditional obstacles of getting oligonucleotides into lung cells.
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Research study suggests BAT's Modern Oral products have similar toxicant profile to NRT

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
New research published today indicates that BAT's modern oral (MO) products in the form of tobacco-free nicotine pouches have a toxicant profile that is comparable to nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) and much lower than traditional oral snus, a category of products that, when used as the sole nicotine product is already established as a reduced risk product compared with cigarettes.
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Pandemic planning: Government should embrace uncertainty rather than confront it or shy away from it

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
New research shows the UK's COVID-19 management decisions were based on an outdated pandemic modelling structure and suggests a more resilient approach would have been more effective.
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Contraception data 'blind spot' could hide pandemic impact on women's reproductive health

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Limited data on the uptake of contraception prior to and during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic could mean unforeseen issues for sexual and reproductive health services, research from the University of Warwick concludes.
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Like your olives bitter? Molecular breeding can make them even better!

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Olives are in high demand among plant breeders, owing to their characteristic flavor and the high-end oil derived from them. However, molecular techniques to enhance olive breeding is challenging, owing to a lack of high-quality genomic resources. To overcome this, a new study by Chinese researchers looked into a high-quality genome of a European olive variety and identified genes that can be used to enhance its taste, quality, and health benefits.
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How a bath sponge becomes a bio-based industrial filter

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Researchers at TU Bergakademie Freiberg developed an innovative material from a cultured marine sponge. When the fibers of the sponge react with a copper-containing ammonia solution, such as that found in the electronics industry, the mineral atacamite is formed. This mineral, which occurs only very rarely in nature, attaches itself so strongly to the sponge fibers that a robust material is created that has catalytic and antibacterial properties and could therefore potentially be used as a bio-based industrial filter.
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Preformed gel particles tested for enhanced oil recovery

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Petroleum, being a liquid compound, has very good migratory properties, and recovery methods take account of that - using various methods, oilers displace petroleum through cavities and vugs and extract it. However, sometimes oil is "locked" in low-permeability reservoirs, and water displacement used in such cases poses a high risk of reservoir flooding and workplace emergencies.
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How do we know where things are?

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Our eyes move three times per second. Every time we move our eyes, the world in front of us flies across the retina at the back of our eyes, dramatically shifting the image the eyes send to the brain; yet, as far as we can tell, nothing appears to move. A new study provides new insight into this process known as "visual stabilization". The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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New Cleveland Clinic research identifies link between gut microbes and stroke

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
CLEVELAND: New findings from Cleveland Clinic researchers show for the first time that the gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and functional impairment following stroke. The results, published in Cell Host & Microbe, lay the groundwork for potential new interventions to help treat or prevent stroke. The research was led by Weifei Zhu, Ph.D., and Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., of Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute.
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Early lung cancer coopts immune cell into helping tumors invade the lungs

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
Immune cells that normally repair tissues in the body can be fooled by tumors when cancer starts forming in the lungs and instead help the tumor become invasive, according to a surprising discovery reported by Mount Sinai scientists in Nature in June.
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New material could remove respiratory droplets from air

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
While air-borne droplets bounce off commonly used plexiglass dividers, they stick to surfaces coated with the new material, then get absorbed and dry up.
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The vision: Tailored optical stimulation for the blind

Eurekalert - Jun 16 2021 - 00:06
European scientists propose a personalized protocol for optimizing stimulation of optic nerve fibers, for the blind, which takes into account feedback from the viewer's brain. The protocol has been tested on artificial neural networks known to simulate the physiology of the entire visual system, from the eye to the visual cortex. The stimulation protocol will be tested in clinical trials with partners in Rome.
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