Eurekalert

? Researchers from Tel Aviv University developed a new platform that can serve as a basis for innovative medications.? Applying processes of nanotechnology, the researchers were able to turn transparent calcite into artificial gold that can be used in thermotherapy for various types of cancer.

Medical education aspires to mitigate bias in future professionals by providing a robust curriculum that includes perspectives and practices for caring for sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTQI) persons. To provide medical schools with a more systematic, uniform approach to teaching these topics in their curriculum, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in 2014 published 30 SGM competencies and topics that curricula should address. However, implementation of these ideals remains challenging.

Maritime litter is among the most urgent global pollution issues. Marine scientist Nikoleta Bellou and her team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon have published an overview study of solutions for prevention, monitoring, and removal in the renowned scientifically journal Nature Sustainability. They found that reducing ocean pollution requires more support, integration, and creative political decisiveness.

Since the 1990s, mid-infrared testing of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) has been the most efficient and least invasive way to measure nitrogen use by dairy cows in large numbers. In a recent article in the Journal of Dairy Science, researchers from Cornell University report the development of a robust new set of MUN calibration reference samples to improve accuracy of MUN measurement.

AMP has published consensus recommendations to aid in the design and validation of clinical CYP2D6 assays, promote standardization of testing across different laboratories and improve patient care. The manuscript, "Recommendations for Clinical CYP2D6 Genotyping Allele Selection: A Joint Consensus Recommendation of the Association for Molecular Pathology, College of American Pathologists, Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group of the Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association, and European Society for Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Therapy," was released online ahead of publication in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

AP-HP Greater Paris University Hospitals and Owkin announced the recent results of their ongoing strategic collaboration at ASCO 2021. Their abstract demonstrates the first AI-based tool for predicting genomic subtypes of pancreatic cancer (PDAC) developed from machine learning applied to histology slides. The tool, a trained and validated AI model, is usable in clinical practice worldwide and opens the possibility of patient molecular stratification in routine care and for clinical trials.

Evidence suggests auditory and vestibular effects should be added to the growing list of physiological impacts of COVID-19. During the 180th Meeting, Colleen Le Prell from the University of Texas at Dallas will talk about hearing and balance disorders associated with coronavirus infection and how pandemic-related stress and anxiety may aggravate tinnitus symptoms. Her presentation, "Hearing disorders secondary to infection with SARS-CoV-2," will take place Thursday, June 10.

A Ludwig Cancer Research study adds to growing evidence that immune cells known as macrophages inhabiting the body cavities that house our vital organs can aid tumor growth by distracting the immune system's cancer-killing CD8+ T cells.

Researchers at Michigan Medicine found people with cerebral palsy have fragile bones that present high fracture risk, but at different times across the lifespan compared to the general population. The results helped them develop new sex-specific critical periods of bone health for this population.

Events of the past year have exposed the crisis of the nation's digital divide. To tackle this problem, Michigan State University researchers have developed a new tool to smooth the collection of federal broadband access data that helps pinpoint coverage gaps across the US.

Scientists have devised a novel way of tackling the mounting issue of plastic pollution... by using bacteria to transform plastic waste into vanilla flavouring.

Leading neuroscientist collaborates with TACC to democratize the field, support infrastructure.

Surgeons can ease their patients' pain from common operations without prescribing opioids, and avoid the possibility of starting someone on a path to long-term use, a pair of new studies suggests.

This study will benefit scientists and experts in brain research where new discoveries of biomarkers are needed to form part of routine clinical practice protocols. The study relies on zebrafish Parkinson's Disease model, showing how cytosolic dsDNA of mitochondrial origin can accumulate in brains cells thereby contributing to PD pathogenesis. The evidence presented in this manuscript illustrates that upregulation of DNAse II can counteract the dsDNA deposits, thereby blocking the IFI16-mediated cascade of proinflammatory responses.

Scientists say naked mole rats - a rodent native to West Africa - may hold the key to new treatments for degenerative diseases such as cancer and dementia.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is protective against several SARS-CoV-2 variants that have emerged, according to new research presented this week in the journal mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. While this is good news, the study also found that the only approved monoclonal antibody therapy for SARS-CoV-2 might be less effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants in laboratory experiments.

Black people have a higher risk of colorectal cancer than white people, but this risk is likely not due to genetics. Data from a recent study by researchers from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine adds more data to the existing evidence.

Highly dispersed platinum catalysts provide new possibilities for industrial processes, such as the flameless combustion of methane, propane, or carbon monoxide, which has fewer emissions and is more resource efficient and consistent than conventional combustion. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a team of researchers reports on which platinum species are active in high-temperature oxidations and what changes they can undergo in the course of the process--important prerequisites for the optimization of catalysts.

Until now, systemic biomarkers to measure exercise effects on brain function and that link to relevant metabolic responses were lacking. A study shows a memory biomarker, myokine Cathepsin B (CTSB), increased in older adults following a 26-week structured aerobic exercise training. The positive association between CTSB and cognition, and the substantial modulation of lipid metabolites implicated in dementia, support the beneficial effects of exercise training on brain function and brain health in asymptomatic individuals at risk for Alzheimer's.

The scientific world has been delving ever deeper into cancer, scourging for even the tiniest biomolecule that could amp up the cure for the deadly disease. A recent discovery in this regard is the gene LIM domain only 1, whose coded protein has a role in tumor formation. In a new article in Chinese Medical Journal, researchers have reviewed studies detailing molecular features of this gene for potential practical applications in cancer cure.