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Gender differentiates how facial expressions are processed in the brains of alcoholics
Should treatment of alcoholics be different based on gender? Yes, according to a new study that shows that alcoholic men and women respond differently to their disease resulting in different levels of brain activity and brain abnormalities. Research indicates that they distinguish facial expressions differently and that this is an important clue as to how treatment strategies might be tailored.
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Elemental copper and iron found within the brains of deceased Alzheimer's patients
A new study unexpectedly identified tiny deposits of elemental copper and iron within the brains of two deceased people with Alzheimer's disease. The findings could help scientists better understand how these elemental metals, which were uncovered in the cores of amyloid plaques, contribute to neurodegenerative diseases and could point to a target for alternative Alzheimer's therapies.
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Laughing gas relieves symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Chicago have found that a single, one-hour treatment that involves breathing in a mixture of oxygen and the anesthetic drug nitrous oxide -- otherwise known as laughing gas -- can significantly improve symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression.
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Low doses of "laughing gas" could be fast, effective treatment for severe depression
A new study at the University of Chicago Medicine and Washington University found that a single inhalation session with 25% nitrous oxide gas was nearly as effective as 50% nitrous oxide at rapidly relieving symptoms of treatment-resistant depression, with fewer adverse side effects.
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Climate models can predict decadal rainfall variations on Tibetan plateau
Summer rainfall on the Tibetan Plateau is highly predictable on multiyear timescales in large ensemble predictions, according to a research team led by ZHOU Tianjun from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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Pandemic quarantine acoustically contributes to mental, physical health degradation
The prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic created widespread lockdown fatigue and increased social tension in multiunit housing, but small improvements in quality-of-life routines may help people cope. During the 180th ASA Meeting, Braxton Boren from American University will discuss noise prevention techniques and the use of alterative acoustic stimulation to help those who find themselves in pandemic-related lockdowns. The session, "The Soundscape of Quarantine," will take place Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
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VUMC Team Develops Potential Treatment for Life-threatening Microbial Inflammation
Their findings, published this week in Scientific Reports, could lead to a way to protect patients at highest risk for severe complications and death from out-of-control inflammatory responses to microbial infections, including COVID-19.
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SARS-CoV-2 protease cuts human proteins; possible link to COVID-19 symptoms
The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) plays an essential role in processing viral proteins needed for replication. In addition, the enzyme can cut and inactivate some human proteins important for an immune response. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Infectious Diseases have found other targets of PLpro in the human proteome, including proteins involved in cardiovascular function, blood clotting and inflammation, suggesting a link between the inactivation of these proteins and COVID-19 symptoms.
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Acoustical evolution increases battle between predator, prey
In the battle between hunter and hunted, sound plays an integral part in success or failure. In the case of bats vs. moths, the insects are using acoustics against their winged foes. During the 180th ASA Meeting, Thomas Neil from the University of Bristol will discuss how moth wings have evolved in composition and structure to help them create anti-bat defenses. The session, "Moth wings are acoustic metamaterials," will take place Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
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Persistent insomnia symptoms since childhood associated with mood, anxiety disorders
A 15-year longitudinal study shows that childhood insomnia symptoms that persist into adulthood are strong determinants of mood and anxiety disorders in young adults.
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Having trouble falling asleep predicts cognitive impairment in later life
A study of nearly 2,500 adults found that having trouble falling asleep, as compared to other patterns of insomnia, was the main insomnia symptom that predicted cognitive impairment 14 years later.
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New adaptable nanoparticle platform enables enhanced delivery of gene therapies
Scientists have developed polypeptide-based materials that act as effective vectors for delivering gene therapies. The first-of-its-kind platform enables the vectors to be adapted to suit the specific gene therapy cargo.
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Better-fitting face masks greatly improve COVID-19 protection
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati found that while N95 masks are effective barriers against airborne diseases like COVID-19, poorly fitting masks can have substantial leaks around the face that reduce their effectiveness and increase the risk of infection.
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A link between childhood stress and early molars
Research from the University of Pennsylvania's Allyson Mackey and graduate student Cassidy McDermott shows that children from lower-income backgrounds and those who go through greater adverse childhood experiences get their first permanent molars sooner. The findings align with a broader pattern of accelerated development often seen under conditions of early-life stress.
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Heart transplants: Age is no barrier to successful surgery
A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that survival rates after heart transplant surgery are similar in adults ages 18 to 69 and adults ages 70 and older.
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Study shows adaptive brain response to stress, and its absence in people with depression
A new study identifies a novel biomarker indicating resilience to chronic stress. This biomarker is largely absent in people suffering from major depressive disorder, and this absence is further associated with pessimism in daily life, the study finds.
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Emergency care for heart attacks and strokes rebounds
The significant declines in heart attack hospitalizations and emergency care for possible strokes seen in Northern California at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic were not seen in subsequent surges, new research from Kaiser Permanente shows.
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CHIME telescope detects more than 500 mysterious fast radio bursts in its first year of operation
The large radio telescope CHIME has detected more than 500 mysterious fast radio bursts in its first year of operation, MIT researchers report. The observations quadruple the number of known radio bursts and reveal two types of FRBs: one-offs and repeaters.
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Astronomers discover a 'changing-look' blazar
A University of Oklahoma doctoral student, graduate and undergraduate research assistants, and an associate professor in the Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy in the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences are lead authors on a paper describing a 'changing-look' blazar -- a powerful active galactic nucleus powered by supermassive blackhole at the center of a galaxy. The paper is published in The Astrophysical Journal.
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Origin of fairy circles: Euphorbia hypothesis disproved
The fairy circles of the Namib are one of nature's greatest mysteries. Millions of these circular barren patches extend over vast areas along the margins of the desert in Namibia. An early hypothesis by G.K. Theron was that poisonous substances from Euphorbia damarana leaves induced fairy circles. Now new research at Göttingen University and the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute found the original experiment and, 40 years later, the researchers are able to conclusively disprove this hypothesis.
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