Culture
A revolutionary new technology has been applied to reveal the inner workings of individual cancer cells - potentially identifying more effective treatment combinations for people with cancer.
A joint Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Stanford University team used a technique called mass cytometry (also called CyTOF) to simultaneously analyse the levels of more than 20 different proteins in millions of individual blood cancer cells. This revealed how these cells responded to different anti-cancer medicines, even suggesting potential new treatment combinations.
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found a way to turn pollen, one of the hardest materials in the plant kingdom, into a soft and flexible material, with the potential to serve as 'building blocks' for the design of new categories of eco-friendly materials.
The findings, published in Nature Communications today, show how they used a simple chemical process akin to conventional soap-making to turn pollen grains from sunflowers and other types of plants into soft microgel particles that respond to various stimuli.
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have found striking orbital geometries in protoplanetary disks around binary stars. While disks orbiting the most compact binary star systems share very nearly the same plane, disks encircling wide binaries have orbital planes that are severely tilted. These systems can teach us about planet formation in complex environments.
For exploring the nanoscale far beyond the optical resolution limit, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) is widely recognized as an essential yet still emergent technique. Using this marker-free spectroscopic method scientists gain insights into the structural and chemical composition of surfaces with nanoscale resolution, which are not accessible with other methods. Examples where such nanoscale resolution spectroscopies are crucial are structure investigations, of novel materials (e.g.
Though COVID-19 so far appears to be largely sparing children, researchers are cautioning that it is critical to understand how the virus affects kids to model the pandemic accurately, limit the disease's spread and ensure the youngest patients get the care they need.
March 19, 2020 -- A comprehensive review of U.S. social policies evaluated for their health outcomes found suggestive evidence that early life, income, and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health. Scientists have long known that "social" risk factors, like poverty, are correlated with health. However, until this study, there was little research carried out to understand whether it was actually possible to improve population health by addressing these risk factors with social policies.
Giraffes that are being translocated for conservation purposes should be moved in groups that contain at least 30 females and 3 males to ensure long-term population success. In two new studies, an international team of researchers identifies the ideal composition of a group to be moved and provides guidelines for all aspects of the translocation process, including decision-making and planning, transportation and monitoring of animals, and evaluation of success.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - In a time where many are practicing "social distancing" from the outside world, people are relying on their immediate social circles more than usual. Does a sense of obligation - from checking on parents to running an errand for an elderly neighbor - benefit or harm a relationship? A Michigan State University study found the sweet spot between keeping people together and dooming a relationship.
A group of researchers led by Leif Schroeder from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut fuer Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) have found a way to detect metastases in certain types of cancer in the brain at an early stage, using only minimal amounts of contrast agent. To this end, the team uses a synthetic molecule that helps to detect the formation of new blood vessels, producing much more sophisticated imaging than is possible with conventional methods of diagnosis. The results have now been published in Advanced Biosystems.
New York, NY--March 19, 2020--While beam steering systems have been used for many years for applications such as imaging, display, and optical trapping, they require bulky mechanical mirrors and are overly sensitive to vibrations. Compact optical phased arrays (OPAs), which change the angle of an optical beam by changing the beam's phase profile, are a promising new technology for many emerging applications.
Healthy ageing has become one of the priorities of research in Europe. University of Tartu researchers looked for differences in the immune systems of young and old people. They focused on monocytes and found that the monocytes of the elderly do not seem to produce as much energy, and there is an increase in inflammation markers compared to younger people. Looking into the future, this research gives food for thought as to how to slow down age-related changes.
CHAPEL HILL-- An analysis of evidence from multiple scientific studies found six substances that have a strong link to bladder cancer in the urine of people who had used electronic cigarettes and sometimes other tobacco products, researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and NYU Langone Health reported.
New Rochelle, NY, March 19, 2020--A new study has shown a novel peptide antagonist, given in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor, to be safe and well-tolerated in patients with advanced, refractory pancreatic and rectal cancer. The highest dose tested had a good safety profile and was recommended for use in future patient trials, as reported in Journal of Pancreatic Cancer, a peer-reviewed open access publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
Homeless people receive less treatment in hospitals for heart attacks, have higher readmission rates
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Homelessness has become a social crisis and public health problem around the world, affecting people of all ages. Most homeless people are at a disadvantage with few resources, and may or may not have adequate health insurance. Mental illness and substance abuse are common issues in the homeless community. People living on the streets have a high likelihood of developing heart disease. Yet they have little ability to take care of their health.
An international team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, has found that current estimates of flood risk rely upon methods for calculating flood damage which are inadequately verified and match poorly with observations.
Instead, building damage at a given flood depth is highly variable and can be characterized by a beta distribution.