Eurekalert


The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Updated: 3 years 8 months ago
Depression in dads of preemies deserves more attention
A large study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that both parents with a baby in the NICU are at risk, with depression symptoms identified in 33 percent of mothers and 17 percent of fathers. Strikingly, the probability of reporting depression symptoms declined significantly for mothers but not for fathers after the baby came home.
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Blocking IL-11 signalling can help liver regenerate after injury from paracetamol toxicity
A signaling protein thought to be able to treat liver damage in paracetamol toxicity could actually worsen it. Instead, Singapore scientists discovered, blocking its effects could be the way forward.
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Start-stop system of hunting immune cells
Researchers from the MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics decipher the basic biology of neutrophil swarming and now show that the cells also evolved an intrinsic molecular program to self-limit their swarming activity. The study elucidates how swarming neutrophils become insensitive to their own secreted signals that brought the swarm together in the first place. This process is crucial for the efficient elimination of bacteria in tissues.
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New study finds SARS-CoV-2 can infect testes
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have found SARS-CoV-2 in the testes of infected hamsters. The authors think this may represent what could occur in men with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease.
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Sacred natural sites protect biodiversity in Iran
How much do traditional practices contribute to the protection of local biodiversity? Why and how are sacred groves locally valued and protected, and how can this be promoted and harnessed for environmental protection? Working together with the University of Kurdistan, researchers of the University of Göttingen and the University of Kassel have examined the backgrounds of this form of local environmental protection in Baneh County, Iran.
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Managed retreat: A must in the war against climate change
Climate change will shape the future of coastal communities, with flood walls, elevated structures and possibly even floating cities used to combat sea level rise. New research has found that managed retreat -- moving buildings, homes or communities off of the coast or away from floodplains -- must be part of any solution.
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Vaccination, previous infection, protect against gamma variant in animal model
In a new study using variant virus recovered from one of the original travelers, researchers in the US and Japan have found that vaccination with an mRNA vaccine induces antibody responses that would protect humans from infection with the gamma/P.1 variant.
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Controlling brain states with a ray of light
A study led by researchers from IBEC and IDIBAPS achieves, for the first time, the control of brain state transitions using a molecule responsive to light, named PAI. The results not only pave the way to act on the brain patterns activity and to understand their connection to cognition and behavior, but they also could lead to the development of photomodulated drugs for the treatment of brain lesions or diseases such as depression, bipolar disorders or Parkinson's or Alzheimer's diseases.
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Tug-of-war receptors for sour taste in fruit flies sheds light on human taste biology
His team, including authors Tingwei Mi, John Mack, and Christopher Lee from the Monell Center and University of Pennsylvania, found that flies use two distinct types of gustatory (taste) receptor neurons (GRNs), which are analogous to taste receptor cells in mammals, to discriminate slightly from highly sour foods. One group of GRNs are maximally activated by low acidity, while the other group displayed its best responses to high acidity.
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For the first time, researchers visualize metabolic process at the single-cell level
Researchers at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Biological Sciences Division have developed a combined imaging and machine learning technique that can, for the first time, measure a metabolic process at both the cellular and sub-cellular levels.
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Tailored laser fields reveal properties of transparent crystals
The surface of a material often has properties that are very different from the properties within the material. An international research team from the University of Göttingen, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry Göttingen and the National Research Council Canada has now succeeded in investigating the surfaces of transparent crystals using powerful irradiation from lasers. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications.
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New analysis discusses role of managed retreat as a climate change response
MIAMI--In a new analysis on managed retreat--the climate adaptation response of moving people and property out of harm's way--researchers explore what it would take for managed retreat to be supportive of people and their priorities. A key starting point is considering retreat alongside other responses like coastal armoring and not just as an option of last resort.
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Altered microstructure improves organic-based, solid state lithium EV battery
Researchers at the University of Houston, in collaboration with Rice University, published a paper detailing how to improve energy density in a novel electric vehicle battery - a step toward a more cost-effective, easily recycled battery that would allow EVs to travel farther and charge faster at a low cost.
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Incidents of serious parasitic disease on the rise in Alberta, Canada
A rare parasitic infection imported from Europe continues to take root in Alberta. The province is now the North American hotspot for human alveolar echinococcosis (AE), which takes the form of a growth in the liver, causing serious and potentially deadly health complications.
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Anti-science, partisan tweets could flag an outbreak
Anti-science attitudes and political ideology often go hand in hand, a new USC study finds, which means machine-analyzed data on platforms such as Twitter could offer clues as to where diseases like COVID-19 might spread.
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Printable Purdue biosensor simultaneously records, makes images of tissues and organs
Purdue innovators have created a biosensor that allows for simultaneous recording and imaging of tissues and organs during a surgical operation. Traditional methods to simultaneously record and image tissues and organs have proven difficult because other sensors used for recording typically interrupt the imaging process. The ultra-soft, thin and stretchable Purdue biosensor is capable of seamlessly interfacing with the curvilinear surface of organs even under large mechanical deformations.
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FDA advisory panelist outlines issues with aducanumab's approval for Alzheimer's disease
Despite near unanimous objection from its advisory panel, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted aducanumab approval to treat Alzheimer's disease on June 7, 2021. In a commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine, a member and former Chair of the advisory panel and an aducanumab site investigator explain why this unprecedented "accelerated approval" is problematic for clinical research and patient care.
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Reduced-dose gadobutrol vs standard-dose gadoterate for contrast-enhanced brain MRI
In the international prospective multicenter crossover LEADER-75 trial, comparison of reduced-dose gadobutrol and standard-dose gadoterate versus unenhanced imaging demonstrated noninferiority using 20% margin for three primary efficacy measures; mean readings differed by less than 1%, supporting equivalence using a narrow ±5% margin. Various secondary variables also supported non-inferiority of reduced-dose gadobutrol.
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Algorithm uses mass spectrometry data to predict identity of molecules
An algorithm designed by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Computational Biology Department and St. Petersburg State University in Russia could help scientists identify unknown molecules. The algorithm, called MolDiscovery, uses mass spectrometry data from molecules to predict the identity of unknown substances, telling scientists early in their research whether they have stumbled on something new or merely rediscovered something already known. This development could save time and money in the search for new naturally occurring products that could be used in medicine.
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Most cancer cells grown in a dish have little in common with cancer cells in people
In a bid to find or refine laboratory research models for cancer that better compare with what happens in living people, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists report they have developed a new computer-based technique showing that human cancer cells grown in culture dishes are the least genetically similar to their human sources.
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