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Pulse oximeters more useful in COVID screening for older adults

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
People have become accustomed to having their temperature checked during the pandemic because fever is a key indicator of COVID-19. A new commentary written by faculty in Washington State University's College of Nursing proposes that taking a temperature is a less useful indicator of infection in older adults and that a pulse oximeter be used instead. It said a fever may be overlooked because older adults' baseline temperatures are lower.
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Human behavior must be factored into climate change analyses

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
A new Cornell University-led study examines how temperature affects fishing behavior and catches among inland fisher households in Cambodia, with important implications for understanding climate change.
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Microfossil found in Scottish Highlands could be 'missing link' in early animal evolution

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
A team of scientists has discovered the fossil of an organism with two distinct cell types that is likely the oldest of its kind ever recorded -- revealing multicellularity perhaps 400 million years before it first appeared in animals, they report in the journal Current Biology. The discovery in the Scottish Highlands suggests that cell differentiation and segregation occurred at least one billion years ago and may have occurred in freshwater lakes rather than the ocean.
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Study finds disparities in colorectal cancer screenings

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Patients with one or more health conditions are more likely to be screened for colorectal cancer than those without comorbidities, according to new research in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. However, patients with five or more health conditions are also less likely to be screened than patients with two to four health conditions.
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Social cognition plays a key role in everyday lives of people with multiple sclerosis

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
"We confirmed the longitudinal stability of social cognition deficits in cognitively-normal people with relapsing-remitting MS, mirroring the amygdala structural damage and psychological well-being," said Dr. Genova. "These results confirm that social cognition exerts a key role in MS, affecting individuals' everyday lives. Our research highlights the need to identify treatments to improve social cognition in this population."
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Bornean rajah scops owl rediscovered after 125 years

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
The Bornean subspecies of Rajah scops owl (Otus brookii brookii), documented in the wild for the first time since 1892, may be its own unique species and deserving of a conservation designation. Published April 28 in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center ecologist Andy Boyce reported the rediscovery and photographed this elusive subspecies in the mountainous forests of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.
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Short-term exposure to air pollution may impede cognition; Aspirin could help

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Exposure to air pollution, even over the course of just a few weeks, can impede mental performance, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. However, these adverse effects were lessened in people taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin. The study is among the first to explore short-term air pollution exposures and the use of NSAIDs to mitigate their effects. The results are published in the journal Nature Aging.
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"Colorblindness" complicates race-related conversations between white parents and children

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
When talking to their children about race, white parents' use of phrases like "I don't see race" can send mixed messages to their children about racial socialization and racial ideology.
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Review outlines approaches to deliver radiation to tumors while sparing healthy tissue

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
A comprehensive review by University of North Carolina researchers and colleagues highlights the optimal ways that focused, high-dose radiation can be delivered to various types of tumors while sparing normal tissue and mitigating long-term side effects. The review was reported as a special issue in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.
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Newly identified saber-toothed cat is one of largest in history

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
A giant saber-toothed cat lived in North America between 5 million and 9 million years ago, weighing up to 900 pounds and hunting prey that likely weighed 1,000 to 2,000 pounds, scientists reported today in a new study.
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Genetics, not the intrauterine environment, controls abnormal development

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Yale researchers have shown that developmental abnormalities, including those that lead to pregnancy loss and autism, are controlled by the genetics of the fetus and placenta -- and not the mother's intrauterine environment.
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Equipping crop plants for climate change

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Biologists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU in Munich) have significantly enhanced the tolerance of blue-green algae to high light levels -- with the aid of artificial evolution in the laboratory.
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Flatfish got weird fast due to evolutionary cascade

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Flatfishes rapidly evolved into the most asymmetric vertebrates by changing multiple traits at once, according to a new Rice University study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Stress and mental health problems during first COVID-19-lockdown

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
One-third of children and adolescents experienced mental health problems during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland. Parents and young adults also perceived considerable stress, yet the perceived stresses differed from those of children and adolescents, the first Switzerland-wide representative study by the University of Zurich and La Source School of Nursing Lausanne has shown.
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COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs increased among users of conservative and social media

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Belief in conspiracies about the COVID-19 pandemic increased through the early months of the U.S. outbreak among people who reported being heavy users of conservative and social media, according to research from the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
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New research shows long-term recovery possible for areas impacted by seagrass die-off

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
New study led by the University of South Florida finds nearly 10,000 acres of lush seagrass vanished from Florida Bay over 20 years, leading to massive ecological changes in the region near the Florida Keys.
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Mini 3D brain models could speed up search for MS treatments

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Tiny 3-D models that mimic vital aspects of the human nervous system have been developed in a step that could accelerate drug research for neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
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Scientists find small molecule cocktail to improve stem cell use in research, medicine

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
The potential uses of human pluripotent stem cells in medicine are hampered by the stress of growing in a cell culture dish, which can damage their DNA and lead to cell death. NCATS researchers have devised a small-molecule cocktail that can protect stem cells from stress. They suggest that the cocktail could enhance the potential uses of stem cells, ranging from treating diseases and conditions like Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury to genome editing.
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CityU scientists invent cryomicroneedles for intradermal therapeutic cell delivery

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
A research team led by CityU scientists recently developed a new generation of microneedles technology which allows the intradermal delivery of living cells in a minimally invasive manner. Their experiment showed that vaccination using therapeutic cells through this ground-breaking technology elicited robust immune responses against tumours in mice, paving the way for developing an easy-to-use cell therapy and other therapeutics against cancers and other diseases.
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Researchers wirelessly record human brain activity during normal life activities

Eurekalert - May 03 2021 - 00:05
Researchers are now able to wirelessly record the directly measured brain activity of patients living with Parkinson's disease and to then use that information to adjust the stimulation delivered by an implanted device. Direct recording of deep and surface brain activity offers a unique look into the underlying causes of many brain disorders; however, technological challenges up to this point have limited direct human brain recordings to relatively short periods of time in controlled clinical settings.
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