Eurekalert

DALLAS - May 21, 2021 - One member of a large protein family that is known to stop the spread of bacterial infections by prompting infected human cells to self-destruct appears to kill the infectious bacteria instead, a new study led by UT Southwestern scientists shows. However, some bacteria have their own mechanism to thwart this attack, nullifying the deadly protein by tagging it for destruction.

When one of the largest modern earthquakes struck Japan on March 11, 2011, the nuclear reactors at Fukushima-Daiichi automatically shut down, as designed. The emergency systems, which would have helped maintain the necessary cooling of the core, were destroyed by the subsequent tsunami. Because the reactor could no longer cool itself, the core overheated, resulting in a severe nuclear meltdown, the likes of which haven't been seen since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered the first fossil evidence of an ancient amphibian, Micropholis stowi, from Antarctica. Micropholis lived in the Early Triassic, shortly after Earth's largest mass extinction. It was previously known only from fossils in South Africa, and its presence in Antarctica has implications for how amphibians adapted to high-latitude regions in this dynamic period of Earth's history.

An unprecedented longitudinal study, published in the American Journal of Sociology, shows that when it comes to arrests it can come down to when someone comes of age rather than where or who they are, a theory the researchers refer to as the "birth lottery of history."

Beijing, 19 May 2021: Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications (CVIA) has just published a new issue, Volume 5 Issue 4. This issue brings together important research from leading researchers and includes two important new review papers of major interest to cardiologists.Progress in the Study of the Left Atrial Function Index in Cardiovascular Disease: A Literature Review and Better Than You Think--Appropriate Use of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators at a Single Academic Center: A Retrospective Review

Depressive disorders are among the most frequent illnesses worldwide. The causes are complex and to date only partially understood. The trace element lithium appears to play a role. Using neutrons of the research neutron source at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), a research team has now proved that the distribution of lithium in the brains of depressive people is different from the distribution found in healthy humans.

Follow-up data from the landmark SPRINT study of the effect of high blood pressure on cardiovascular disease have confirmed that aggressive blood pressure management -- lowering systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg -- dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and death from these diseases.

When Charles Darwin published Descent of Man 150 years ago, he launched scientific investigations on human origins and evolution. This week, three leading scientists in different, but related disciplines published "Modern theories of human evolution foreshadowed by Darwin's Descent of Man," in Science, in which they identify three insights from Darwin's opus on human evolution that modern science has reinforced.

Chronic skin itch affects 7% of U.S. adults but until recently neuroscientists considered the mechanisms of skin itch the same. Georgia Tech researchers have uncovered differences in itch on hairy versus non-hairy skin that could lead to more effective treatments for patients with persistent skin itching.

Scientists created clay bricks that are able to attenuate ionizing radiation to a level that is safe for the human body. These bricks can be used to building walls around nuclear facilities. It is cheap and environmentally friendly.

An international study led by the ICTA-UAB states that recognizing indigenous peoples' and local communities' rights and agency is critical to addressing the current biodiversity crisis.

Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital, Dublin clinical trials reported efficacy and safety results of upadacitinib compared with placebo for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults and adolescents. This pivotal Global Phase 3 study involved 1,600 patients and took place over a two-year period. Results show the drug to so far be the most effective treatment for atopic dermatitis in clinical trials.

Researchers from the IBMCP (UPV-CSIC) participate in a study that reveals that a system involved in the ageing of the leaves of the tomato plant also regulates the ripening of its fruit. It opens the door to producing tomatoes of a higher commercial and nutritional quality.

Micropollutants such as steroid hormones contaminate drinking water worldwide. Until now, easily scalable water treatment technologies that remove them efficiently and sustainably have been lacking. Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) developed a new chemical process for removing hormones. It takes advantage of the mechanisms of photocatalysis and transforms the pollutants into potentially safe oxidation products. The team reports on this in the scientific journal Applied Catalysis B: Environmental.

University of California, Irvine and UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers tracked medication usage patterns in UC Health medical centers throughout the coronavirus pandemic. In a new study in JAMA Network Open, the investigators show which drugs were widely used and which were not, revealing evidence-based decision making on the part of UC Health clinicians.

A new brain imaging study by Yale scientists shows that infants as young as three months are already enlisting the hippocampus to recognize and learn patterns. The findings were published May 21 in the journal Current Biology.

What The Study Did: This observational study found no association between long-term dietary intake of gluten and cognitive function among a large group of middle-age women without celiac disease.

What The Study Did: Variation in SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and socioeconomic disadvantage among a Mayan-Latinx population in Fruitvale, California, was examined in this study.

What The Study Did: Oregon's Reproductive Health Equity Act ensured coverage for family planning (abortion and contraception) using state funds for all low-income state residents regardless of citizenship status. Researchers in this study describe the first two years of abortion services covered and the distances traveled by women to receive care.

What The Study Did: Medication use among hospitalized patients for COVID-19-related treatment in a large university health care system was examined in this study.