Culture | Page 1527 | Science Codex

A new 'atlas' of genetic influences on osteoporosis

A ground-breaking new study led by researchers from the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) has succeeded in compiling an atlas of genetic factors associated with estimated bone mineral density (BMD), one of the most clinically relevant factors in diagnosing osteoporosis. The paper, published in Nature Genetics, identifies 518 genome-wide loci, of which 301 are newly discovered, that explain 20% of the genetic variance associated with osteoporosis.

Unmuting large silent genes lets bacteria produce new molecules, potential drug candidates

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- By enticing away the repressors dampening unexpressed, silent genes in Streptomyces bacteria, researchers at the University of Illinois have unlocked several large gene clusters for new natural products, according to a study published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

Patients now living a median 6.8 years after stage IV ALK+ lung cancer diagnosis

According to the National Cancer Institute, patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between the years 1995 and 2001 had 15 percent chance of being alive 5 years later. For patients with stage IV disease, describing cancer that has spread to distant sites beyond the original tumor, that statistic drops to 2 percent. Now a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology tells a much more optimistic story.

Community-based HIV testing effective in reaching undiagnosed populations, new study finds

Hanoi, Vietnam, December 31, 2018--One in three people living with HIV in Vietnam remain undiagnosed, according to recent estimates. New strategies and models of HIV testing are urgently needed to reach undiagnosed populations and help them enroll in antiretroviral therapy (ART), in Vietnam and throughout the world.

NYUAD study suggests that 'Actin' is critical in genome regulation during nerve cell formation

(December 31, 2018--Abu Dhabi) -- A new NYU Abu Dhabi study suggests for the first time that Actin, which is a cytoskeleton protein found in the cell, is critical to regulating the genome - the genetic material of an organism - during the formation of "neurons" or nerve cells. The study was published today in PLOS Genetics.

Study details opioid poisoning deaths among children, teens over two decades

Bottom Line: Nearly 9,000 children and adolescents died from opioid poisonings with prescription and illicit drugs between 1999 and 2016 based on an analysis of national data. The death rate almost tripled over that time to nearly 1 per 100,000 based on the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prescription opioids were implicated in 73 percent of the deaths (6,561) and most of the deaths were unintentional (nearly 81 percent).

Adults with cerebral palsy at increased risk of depression, anxiety

Bottom Line: While cerebral palsy is considered a pediatric condition because it develops and is diagnosed in early childhood, it is a lifelong condition with the majority of children living into adulthood. Little research exists on the mental health of adults with cerebral palsy. This study included 1,700 adults 18 years or older with cerebral palsy and 5,100 adults without cerebral palsy. Those adults with cerebral palsy without an intellectual disability had a higher risk of developing depression and anxiety. The study relied on diagnostic codes for outcomes.

Sexual/gender minority patients prefer written self-report for identity info collection

Boston, MA -- Health care and government organizations call for routine collection of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) information in the clinical setting. However, what little research exists suggests that many sexual and gender minority patients find disclosing SOGI to a clinician as difficult as disclosing the same information to other people in their lives. Understanding how health care providers can collect SOGI information in a manner that is patient-centered is critical to improving health care inequities experienced by sexual and gender minorities in the U.S.

How quickly can ponds "inhale" and store carbon?

Get a sneak peek into these new scientific papers, publishing on January 3, 2019 in the Ecological Society of America's journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

Flashing lights can protect alpaca and llama herds from pumas
Does mountaintop removal in Appalachia also remove rattlesnakes?
How quickly can ponds "inhale" and store carbon?
Machine-learning shows what's changed in ecological research over forty years

Flashing lights can scare off some predators from llamas and alpacas

Marine debris study counts trash from Texas to Florida

Trash, particularly plastic, in the ocean and along the shoreline is an economic, environmental, human health, and aesthetic problem causing serious challenges to coastal communities around the world, including the Gulf of Mexico.

Abstaining from alcohol in January will mean better sleep, weight loss, and saving money

New research from the University of Sussex shows that taking part in Dry January - abstaining from booze for a month - sees people regaining control of their drinking, having more energy, better skin and losing weight. They also report drinking less months later.

The research, led by Sussex psychologist Dr Richard de Visser, was conducted with over 800 people who took part in Dry January in 2018. The results show that Dry January participants are still drinking less in August. They reported that:

After naloxone, when can opioid overdose patients be safely discharged?

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Naloxone has saved thousands of lives. But can patients be safely discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) just an hour after they receive the medication that curtails drug overdoses?

According to the St. Paul's Early Discharge Rule developed in 2000, that's how long providers should observe patients after naloxone treatment, so long as their vital signs meet specific criteria and they are ambulatory.

But the rule was never externally validated or assessed in light of the changes that have occurred in recent years with opioid use disorder.

Sleeping sickness parasite uses multiple metabolic pathways

Parasitic protozoa called trypanosomes synthesize sugars using an unexpected metabolic pathway called gluconeogenesis, according to a study published December 27 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by David Horn of the University of Dundee in the UK, and colleagues. The authors note that this metabolic flexibility may be essential for adaptation to environmental conditions and survival in mammalian host tissues.

Breaking down AGEs: Insight into how lifestyle drives ER-positive breast cancer

Poor diet and lack of exercise are associated with cancer development, but the underlying biology is not well understood. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) could offer a biological link to help us understand how certain lifestyle behaviors increase cancer risk or lessen the likelihood that an anti-cancer therapy will be effective.

Sugar-sweetened beverage pattern linked to higher kidney disease risk

Highlight

In a study of African-American men and women with normal kidney function, a pattern of higher collective consumption of soda, sweetened fruit drinks, and water was associated with a higher risk of developing kidney disease.