Culture
When children are born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), they require a series of major surgical procedures to survive. But even with a repaired heart, as many as one in four children die from complications before age 25.
Now, a study published by a new faculty member at Cincinnati Children's reports a potential therapeutic target that might promote heart cell regeneration even before birth.
As many have recently discovered, social connections are vital to a person’s wellbeing. While social isolation is a core challenge associated with autism, researchers from Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute have laid the groundwork to show how interpersonal relationships, and the resources they provide, could impact autistic youth’s adult outcomes.
From the four-foot-tall emperor penguin to the aptly named foot-long little penguin, these unique flightless birds have invaded habitats from Antarctica to the equator, not to mention the hearts of the public.
A comparison of the full genomes of 18 recognized species of penguins provides clues to how they achieved this success -- though not their adorability -- over tens of millions of years, through warm and cold climate swings. It also cautions that today's rapidly changing climate may be too much for them.
Today's DNA testing is highly accurate, but errors still occur due to the limited genetic information accessible with current technologies. These errors can have serious impact on people's lives.
DURHAM, N.C. --If you're reluctant to identify as a Democrat or Republican even though you are staunchly liberal or conservative, you're probably also less prone to bias in other ways.
In a time where political affiliations can feel like they're leading to tribal warfare, a research team from Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has found that the desire to be part of a group is what makes some of us more likely to discriminate against people outside our groups, even in non-political settings.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2020 -- In addition to possibly developing opioid use disorder, those who take opioids long term, including patients who have been prescribed the drugs for pain relief, can develop chronic inflammation and heightened pain sensitivity. Scientists now report in a pilot study that some of those side effects might be influenced by the body's own immune system, which can make antibodies against the drugs.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2020 -- Immunotherapies for cancer -- treatments that prime the immune system to attack tumors -- are valuable weapons in the anti-cancer arsenal. But some cancers are more difficult to target with this strategy than others. Today, scientists report a new type of immunotherapy that dramatically extends the survival of mice that have triple negative breast tumors, a difficult-to-treat form of cancer.
Clarification: The researchers involved with the work highlighted in this release analyzed 47 human tissue samples by mass spectrometry, and these samples were found to have monomers, or plastic constituents, in them. These samples were not spiked with plastics. In separate experiments, the researchers spiked tissue samples with polymers (plastic beads), and found they could use flow cytometry to detect the polymer plastics that they introduced in tissues. In future work, these methods will be used to see if nanoplastics can be detected in human tissues.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2020 -- Although true "cyborgs" -- part human, part robotic beings -- are science fiction, researchers are taking steps toward integrating electronics with the body. Such devices could monitor for tumor development or stand in for damaged tissues. But connecting electronics directly to human tissues in the body is a huge challenge. Now, a team is reporting new coatings for components that could help them more easily fit into this environment.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2020 -- Uniforms of U.S. Army soldiers must meet a long list of challenging requirements. They need to feel comfortable in all climates, be durable through multiple washings, resist fires and ward off insects, among other things. Existing fabrics don't check all of these boxes, so scientists have come up with a novel way of creating a flame-retardant, insect-repellent fabric that uses nontoxic substances.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2020 -- Spun by spiders and silkworms, silk has mystified human engineers who have yet to figure out how to artificially recreate this tough, fine fiber. But by combining silk, which is safe for use in the human body, with synthetic compounds, one research team is getting closer to developing new implantable composite materials with the best properties of both. Potential applications, which are still years away, could include structures that hold bone in place after surgery or replacements for the cartilage cushions in the knee.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2020 -- Global economic growth comes with increasing demand for energy, but stepping up energy production can be challenging. Recently, scientists have achieved record efficiency for solar-to-fuel conversion, and now they want to incorporate the machinery of photosynthesis to push it further.
The researchers will present their results today at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo. ACS is holding the meeting through Thursday. It features more than 6,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.
August 17, 2020 -- A subcommittee of the American Thoracic Society Assembly in Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology has released new clinical practice guidelinesto help advise clinicians on the optimal management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic hypercapnia. Hypercapnia is the buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.
New research published today in
The Journal of Physiology shows that nitrate improves function in the diaphragm, the muscle involved in coughing and breathing, by improving power. The study done in old mice, if replicated in humans, could provide a strategy for helping elderly people clear the lungs more effectively and avoid infection.
When clinicians resort to phage therapy for patients who don't respond to antibiotics, the patients are usually very ill and time is of the essence. But the average time for labs to produce therapeutic phages is more than a month.
The main reason for this is the lack of a standardized phage purification process for research labs, despite the fact that phage therapy -- which uses viruses to destroy disease causing bacteria -- has been around for over a century.