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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 25, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Photometric study sheds more light on the properties of the intermediate polar V1033 CasUsing the Kourovka Astronomical Observatory, Russian astronomers have conducted an extensive photometric study of the intermediate polar V1033 Cas (also known as IGR J00234+6141). Results of the new research, presented in a paper published November 15 on arXiv.org, provide more details about the properties of this peculiar system. |
 | Carbon soccer ball with extra proton probably most abundant form in spaceIt is one of the most common forms of carbon in space: C60, a soccer ball-shaped carbon molecule, but one that has an extra proton attached to it. This is the conclusion of research carried out at Radboud University, which has succeeded for the very first time in measuring the absorption spectrum of this molecule. Such knowledge could ultimately help us to learn more about the formation of planets. The researchers will publish their findings on November 25th in Nature Astronomy. |
 | Ice fossils found in meteoriteA team of researchers from Japan, China and the U.K. has found evidence of ice fossils on the surface of a meteorite. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their close-up study of the Acfer 094 meteorite and what they found. |
 | Reports of Jupiter's Great Red Spot demise greatly exaggeratedThe shrinking of the clouds of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter has been well documented with photographic evidence from the last decade. However, researchers said there is no evidence the vortex itself has changed in size or intensity. |
 | NASA rockets study why tech goes haywire near polesEach second, 1.5 million tons of solar material shoot off of the Sun and out into space, traveling at hundreds of miles per second. Known as the solar wind, this incessant stream of plasma, or electrified gas, has pelted Earth for more than 4 billion years. Thanks to our planet's magnetic field, it's mostly deflected away. But head far enough north, and you'll find the exception. |
 | NASA's Webb to unveil the secrets of nearby dwarf galaxiesIn two separate studies using NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, a team of astronomers will observe dwarf galaxy companions to the Milky Way and the nearby Andromeda galaxy. Studying these small companions will help scientists learn about galaxy formation and the properties of dark matter, a mysterious substance thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. |
 | Magnetic storms: A window to the pastAudrey Schillings recently defended her doctoral thesis about atmospheric loss from Earth and how it varies with solar wind conditions. Audrey was employed at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and enrolled at Luleå University of Technology as a member of its Graduate School in Space Technology. |
 | Planets around a black hole? Calculations show possibility of bizarre worldsTheoreticians in two fields defied the received wisdom that planets only orbit stars like the sun. They proposed the possibility of thousands of planets around a supermassive black hole. |
 | How to build a 3-D map of the universe—and whyOne of the biggest mysteries in science began with a dying star. |
 | Effects of the solar windThe wind speed of a devastating Category 5 hurricane can top over 150 miles per hour (241km/hour.) Now imagine another kind of wind with an average speed of 0.87 million miles per hour (1.4 million km/hour.) Welcome to the wind that begins in our sun and doesn't stop until after it reaches the edge of the heliosphere: the solar wind. |
 | Probing exoplanet atmospheres could reveal telltale signatures of lifeIt may be that life is lurking out there on other planets. But stuck here on Earth, how can we ever know for sure? A good place to start is by looking for the compounds on other worlds that are known to be the key ingredients of life as we know it. |
Technology news
 | A new type of hybrid colloidal quantum dot/organic solar cellsSolution-processed semiconductors, including materials such as perovskites and quantum dots (i.e., small particles of matter in the quantum size regime), are substances with a conductivity ranging between that of insulators and that of most metal. This type of semiconductors has been found to be particularly promising for the development of new optoelectronic devices that perform well and have low manufacturing costs. |
 | Drag can lift birds to new heights, researchers findFuture aerial design may owe a nod of thanks to five parrotlets flapping around in an instrumented flight chamber at Stanford University. They revealed that counter to conventional understanding of how animals and planes fly, the birds can utilize drag to support their body weight during takeoff and employ lift as a brake in their landings. |
 | Wearable sweat sensor detects gout-causing compoundsThere are numerous things to dislike about going to the doctor: Paying a copay, sitting in the waiting room, out-of-date magazines, sick people coughing without covering their mouths. For many, though, the worst thing about a doctor's visit is getting stuck with a needle. Blood tests are a tried-and-true way of evaluating what is going on with your body, but the discomfort is unavoidable. Or maybe not, say Caltech scientists. |
 | Microscope kit transforms smartphones into lab toolsYour phone as camera, check, your phone as fitness counter, check, your phone as GPS, check...and now your phone as microscope? Diple is a portable kit that transforms any smartphone into a microscope. Its makers have turned to Kickstarter to help make it real for those who may want an affordable and portable scientific tool. |
 | Mystery blurs dump of over 1 billion people's personal dataTwo security sleuths last month discovered an enormous amount of data that was left exposed on a server. Data found on the server belonged to around 1.2 billion people. |
 | Using machine learning techniques to identify Shakespeare's and Fletcher's writing in Henry VIIIPetr Plecháč, a researcher at the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague has used machine-learning techniques to identify which parts of the play "Henry VIII" were written by William Shakespeare and which were written by John Fletcher. He has written a paper describing his findings and has uploaded it to the arXiv preprint server. |
 | Researchers create new metallic material for flexible soft robots'Origami robots' are state-of-the-art soft and flexible robots that are being tested for use in various applications including drug delivery in human bodies, search and rescue missions in disaster environments and humanoid robotic arms. |
 | New material captures and converts toxic air pollutant into industrial chemicalAn international team of scientists, led by the University of Manchester, has developed a metal-organic framework, or MOF, material that provides a selective, fully reversible and repeatable capability to capture a toxic air pollutant, nitrogen dioxide, produced by combusting diesel and other fossil fuels. |
 | Amazon sues Pentagon over $10B contract awarded to MicrosoftAmazon is suing the Pentagon over a $10 billion cloud-computing contract awarded to Microsoft. |
 | Tesla cybertruck orders near 150,000 just days after chaotic launchTesla's new electric pickup truck has secured almost 150,000 orders, the company's chief executive Elon Musk boasted on Twitter, just two days after its big reveal went embarrassingly wrong. |
 | Watch this: China surveillance tech seeks to go globalChinese firms are omnipresent at a Paris homeland security trade show, capitalising on their vast experience in developing surveillance systems for Beijing to conquer the global market despite concerns the technology has been used to violate human rights. |
 | French NGOs slam Amazon environmental impact ahead of 'Black Friday'Two French environmental NGOs and a union group on Sunday slammed the environmental impact of Amazon, vowing to disrupt its "Black Friday" sale campaign later this week. |
 | China sets tougher guidelines to protect patents, copyrightsChina issued new, tougher guidelines for protection of patents, copyrights and other intellectual property in a move that may be timed to help along halting progress in trade talks with the United States. |
 | Grocery-carrying robots are coming. Do we need them?The first cargo-carrying robot marketed directly to consumers is on sale this holiday season. But how many people are ready to ditch their second car to buy a two-wheeled rover that can follow them around like a dog? |
 | Human-machine interaction enables development of highly accurate decision-making systemsMachines can be trained to classify images and thus identify tumors in CT scans, mineral compositions in rocks, or pathologies in optical microscopy analyses. This artificial intelligence technique is known as machine learning and has gained new applications in recent years. |
 | Tracking the eye of the pilotIn a collaboration with Swiss International Air Lines, NASA and other partners, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed eye-tracking software for use in pilot training. This allows instructors to analyze the gaze behavior of student pilots in the cockpit. |
 | Novel tactile display using computer-controlled surface adhesionA group of researchers at Osaka University developed a novel two-dimensional (2-D) graphical tactile display to which one-dimensional (1D) adhesive information could be added by controlling adhesion of designated portions of the display surface. |
 | Why smartphone gambling is on the up among African millennialsWhen one talks about young Africans using smartphones, the dominant narrative is that these gadgets serve mostly as platforms for connection so that users can communicate and share greetings and information via text and images. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and Signal take pride of place in that description, despite their murkier side. What has perhaps been overlooked is how smartphones are also affecting other facets of young people's lives. One area is the ever-growing community of sports betting in Africa. |
 | 145 years after Jules Verne dreamed up a hydrogen future, it has arrivedIn 1874, science fiction author Jules Verne set out a prescient vision that has inspired governments and entrepreneurs in the 145 years since. |
 | A new tool to help one billion people at risk due to lack of access to coolingThe Cooling for All Needs Assessment has been launched today, Thursday, November 7 to help governments, non-governmental organizations and development institutions to accurately size the market for cooling demands based on comfort, safety, nutrition and health needs. |
 | For the sake of the planet, refrigeration tech needs an updateRefrigeration has been such an integral part of our everyday lives for so long that we rarely think of it. Our food is fresh and our offices and living rooms are temperature-controlled thanks to vapor compression technology developed over a century ago, which has become an integral part of medical care, transportation, military defense, and more. |
 | Wayve unveils self-driving car trials in central LondonWayve, a machine learning company, founded in 2017 by alumni Dr. Alex Kendall, who completed his Ph.D. in Professor Roberto Cipolla's Machine Intelligence group, and Dr. Amar Shah, who completed his Ph.D. in Professor Zoubin Ghahramani's Machine Learning group. |
 | Kids may need more help finding answers to their questions in the information ageChildren ask lots of questions. Even before children can put together words, they point at things that they want to learn about. |
 | Hey Google? Is it you or Alexa?OK, Google, so what's it going to be? You or Alexa? |
 | Before you buy, consider privacy pleaseThis weekend, many folks will be poring over retail circulars, online ads and promotions, doing their research to get ahead on the best deals for Black Friday gifts. |
 | Sharing accounts in the workplace is a messLast year, a team of CyLab researchers explored the account-sharing behaviors of romantic couples and found that some of their practices could compromise security. Building off that study, the team wanted to explore the account-sharing behaviors of another subset of people: employees within a company or organization. |
 | Uber loses license in London over safety, vows to appealLondon's transit authority on Monday refused to renew Uber's operating license over concerns about impostor drivers, with the ride-hailing company vowing to appeal the decision as it struggles to secure its future in the British capital. |
Bosch to stop motor scooter-sharing service Coup in EuropeGerman engineering firm Bosch is shutting down its motor scooter-sharing service Coup, currently operating in four European cities. | |
 | New Facebook app pays people to take part in surveysFacebook on Monday introduced a "Viewpoints" app in the US that pays members of the social network for taking part in surveys. |
 | eBay to sell StubHub for $4 bn to Swiss rivalUS online giant eBay agreed to sell its ticket marketplace StubHub to Swiss-based rival Viagogo for $4.05 billion in cash, the two firms announced Monday. |
 | HP rejects Xerox takeover offer againComputer and printer maker HP on Sunday reiterated its rejection of Xerox's $33 billion takeover bid, saying the sum "significantly undervalues" the company. |
Tech service provider for nursing homes a ransomware victimA Milwaukee-based company that provides technology services to more than 100 nursing homes nationwide is the victim of a ransomware attack, and hackers are demanding $14 million before they'll restore the company's access to its hijacked servers. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Scientists identify the cells behind nicotine aversion in the mouse brainIf you have ever smoked, or know someone who has—they might tell you that smoking a cigarette probably felt disgusting at first. |
 | Using artificial intelligence to determine whether immunotherapy is workingScientists from the Case Western Reserve University digital imaging lab, already pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict whether chemotherapy will be successful, can now determine which lung-cancer patients will benefit from expensive immunotherapy. |
 | For cancer patients, Nobel research is far more than prize-worthyWhen Shaun Tierney was diagnosed with an aggressive form of kidney cancer in 2007, the prognosis was grim. |
 | Paging Dr. Robot: Artificial intelligence moves into careThe next time you get sick, your care may involve a form of the technology people use to navigate road trips or pick the right vacuum cleaner online. |
 | Thermal cameras effective in detecting rheumatoid arthritisA new study, published today in Scientific Reports, highlights that thermal imaging has the potential to become an important method to assess Rheumatoid Arthritis. |
 | Tendon stem cells could revolutionize injury recoveryThe buildup of scar tissue makes recovery from torn rotator cuffs, jumper's knee, and other tendon injuries a painful, challenging process, often leading to secondary tendon ruptures. New research led by Carnegie's Chen-Ming Fan and published in Nature Cell Biology reveals the existence of tendon stem cells that could potentially be harnessed to improve tendon healing and even to avoid surgery. |
 | Intestinal stem cell genes may link dietary fat and colon cancerTwo genes that appear to help stem cells in the intestine burn dietary fat may play a role in colon cancer, according to a Rutgers study. |
 | Orally administered liquid salt helps prevent fat absorption and slow down weight gain in ratsObesity, which affects more than one-third of American adults, is more than just an uncomfortable excess of weight—it is a driver of several, often fatal diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, stroke, and congestive health failure, making it one of the most significant public health threats. The cost of treating and managing obesity-related diseases is expected to double every decade, ballooning to account for about 16% of all US healthcare costs by 2030. |
 | Study explores potential new class of antidepressantsResearchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have taken a major step that could ultimately facilitate development of a new class of antidepressants which may relieve symptoms more rapidly and effectively and with fewer side effects than current medications. |
 | Cells study helping to crack the code to Alzheimer's diseaseA study led by researchers at Monash University has opened up new hope for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease. |
 | Approaching the perception of touch in the brainMore than ten percent of the cerebral cortex is involved in processing information about our sense of touch—a larger area than previously thought. This is the result of a joint study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and Ruhr Universität Bochum. |
 | Neuroscientists develop models to identify internal states of the brainImagine an attractive person walking toward you. Do you look up and smile? Turn away? Approach but avoid eye contact? The setup is the same, but the outcomes depend entirely on your "internal state," which includes your mood, your past experiences, and countless other variables that are invisible to someone watching the scene. |
 | Cellular origins of pediatric brain tumors identifiedA research team led by Dr. Claudia Kleinman, an investigator at the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, together with Dr. Nada Jabado, of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), and Dr. Michael Taylor, of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), discovered that several types of highly aggressive and, ultimately, fatal pediatric brain tumors originate during brain development. The genetic event that triggers the disease happens in the very earliest phases of cellular development, most likely prenatal. The findings represent a significant advance in understanding these diseases, and are published in Nature Genetics. |
 | Study shows extra virgin olive oil staves off multiple forms of dementia in miceBoosting brain function is key to staving off the effects of aging. And if there was one thing every person should consider doing right now to keep their brain young, it is to add extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to their diet, according to research by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM). EVOO is a superfood, rich in cell-protecting antioxidants and known for its multiple health benefits, including helping put the brakes on diseases linked to aging, most notably cardiovascular disease. Previous LKSOM research on mice also showed that EVOO preserves memory and protects the brain against Alzheimer's disease. |
 | Hops compounds help with metabolic syndrome while reducing microbiome diversityCompounds from hops may combat metabolic syndrome by changing the gut microbiome and altering the metabolism of acids produced in the liver, new research at Oregon State University suggests. |
 | Study paves way to better understanding, treatment of arthritisOregon State University research has provided the first complete, cellular-level look at what's going on in joints afflicted by osteoarthritis, a debilitating and costly condition that affects nearly one-quarter of adults in the United States. |
22 years old and on the brink of death from vapingWith a raging fever, vomiting and diarrhea, Gregory Rodriguez thought he had some kind of bug when he checked himself into the emergency room at a New York hospital in September. | |
Study finds increase in pediatric eye injuries from nonpowder firearmsNonpowder firearms have long been marketed to children and teenagers as toys or "starter" firearms and include BB, pellet, airsoft and paintball guns. A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital investigated nonpowder firearm injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments (EDs) among children younger than 18 years from 1990 through 2016. It found an overall decrease in the rate of nonpowder firearm injuries during the study period, but an increasing rate of eye injuries related to nonpowder firearms. | |
Cardiac events in First Nations people with diabetes have decreased, but still higher than in non-First Nations peopleA new study provides insight into the cardiovascular health and health care services accessed by First Nations people with diabetes over a 20-year period in Ontario. It showed a decrease in cardiac events, but hospitalizations and death were still more frequent in this population than in non-First Nations people. The research is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). | |
Study reveals lower rates of cancer and early death in Adventists, including among black individualsA recent study found lower rates of premature death and cancer in Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant denomination long known for health promotion, compared with individuals in the general U.S. population. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also found similar results when limiting the analysis to Black Adventists and the Black general population. | |
 | Cancer patients are at higher risk of dying from heart disease and strokeMore than one in ten cancer patients do not die from their cancer but from heart and blood vessel problems instead, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal today. For some cancers, like breast, prostate, endometrial, and thyroid cancer, around half will die from cardiovascular disease (CVD). |
 | High out-of-pocket costs can make lifesaving medications out of reach for millions of Americans with CDOne in 8 adults with common heart diseases and stroke skip taking medications, delay filling prescriptions or take lower doses than prescribed because of concerns about cost, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. |
 | Prenatal opioid exposure may alter brain function in babiesConnectivity in an area of the brain that regulates emotion may be altered in infants exposed to opioids while in utero, according to a new study being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). |
 | MRI reveals brain damage in obese teensResearchers using MRI have found signs of damage that may be related to inflammation in the brains of obese adolescents, according to a study being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). |
 | High amounts of screen time begin as early as infancy, study suggestsChildren's average daily time spent watching television or using a computer or mobile device increased from 53 minutes at age 12 months to more than 150 minutes at 3 years, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the University at Albany and the New York University Langone Medical Center. By age 8, children were more likely to log the highest amount of screen time if they had been in home-based childcare or were born to first-time mothers. The study appears in JAMA Pediatrics. |
Critical pediatric heart deaths drop by 24% at PC4 hospitalsEighteen pediatric heart centers were able to significantly reduce deaths and improve care for children with critical heart conditions after committing to transparent data sharing between one another, a new study suggests. | |
 | How does the prion protein clump? DNA-modulated liquid droplets may explainResearchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), in Brazil, have identified that the interaction between prion proteins and DNA may be behind the formation of protein amyloid aggregates and of the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other spongiform encephalopathies. The study appears today in the FASEB Journal. |
 | Researchers report new approach to treating incurable leukemia in childrenAcute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of cancer affecting children in Switzerland and, unfortunately, is often incurable. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Children's Hospital Zurich have now found a way to stop the driving force behind this type of leukemia at a molecular level and develop a targeted therapy. |
 | Genetic testing IVF embryos doesn't improve the chance of a babyIf you're going through IVF, you may be offered a test to look at your embryos' chromosomes. |
 | Codeine-related poisonings in Australia have halved since it became prescription-onlyThe rescheduling of all codeine-containing products as prescription-only medications from 1 February 2018 has been associated with a 53 percent drop in codeine-related presentations at a major Brisbane hospital's toxicology unit, according to the authors of research published online today by the Medical Journal of Australia. |
 | Researchers report possible biomarker for pain in spinal fluidPain: we all experience it, but there's no objective way to measure it. Sure, you can nominate what it feels like on the 10-point pain scale used by doctors; but one man's pain may be another woman's discomfort. |
 | Patterns of youth alcohol use show need for early interventionYouth who drink a few times per month in grade 9 are likely to become weekly—and even binge—drinkers in the following years, says a recent University of Waterloo study. |
 | New tandem radiation therapy effective in prostate cancer patients with no further treatment optionsProstate cancer accounts for 26 percent of male cancer cases diagnosed in Germany, making it the most common form of malignant tumor in men. If the cancer becomes metastatic, it is not unlikely that it will prove fatal in the generally elderly patients. Scientists and doctors at Saarland University Hospital recently conducted a clinical trial in which they established the effectiveness of a therapeutic method that is successful in controlling late-stage prostate tumors and their metastases without causing serious side effects. The novel element in their approach involves combining two radioactive substances that are able to destroy the tumor cells by very precisely irradiating them at very short (millimeter or micrometer) range. As a result, a patient's life expectancy can be extended without any substantial impairment in quality of life. The pilot study, which was led by nuclear radiologist Professor Samer Ezziddin, has been published in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. |
 | New hospital tech disrupts doctors' and nurses' jobs, forces improvisation to ensure patient safetyDoctors and nurses must adapt their routines and improvise their actions to ensure continued patient safety, and for their roles to be effective and to matter as new technology disrupts their working practices. |
 | How our dreams prepare us to face our fearsDo bad dreams serve a real purpose? To answer this question, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland,working in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin (U.S.), analyzed the dreams of a number of people and identified which areas of the brain were activated when they experienced fear in their dreams. They found that once the individuals woke up, the brain areas responsible for controlling emotions responded to fear-inducing situations much more effectively. These results, which are published in the journal Human Brain Mapping, demonstrate that dreams help people better react to frightening situations, thereby paving the way for new dream-based therapeutic methods for combating anxiety. |
 | Encouraging normal liver cells to fight cancerA study conducted at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology discovered that healthy liver tissue surrounding a tumor activates a defense mechanism that restrains tumor growth. Remarkably, the researchers found that hyperactivation of this mechanism above levels normally present in the liver, triggered the elimination of different types of liver tumors in mice. This discovery identifies a novel strategy to fight against liver cancer and could inspire new therapeutic approaches that mobilize normal cells to kill cancer cells. The results of the study are published in Science. |
 | How does a piece of bread cause a migraine?Migraine is the third most prevalent illness in the world and causes suffering for tens of millions of people. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 U.S. household includes someone with migraines. |
 | Periodontal disease: Patent for new treatment methodNew biodegradable rods promise to provide better treatment for periodontal disease. Researchers from the Institute of Pharmacy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have re-combined an already approved active ingredient and filed for a patent for their invention together with two Fraunhofer Institutes from Halle. The innovation would spare patients from having many side effects. Their findings were published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics. |
 | Cannabis reduces headache and migraine pain by nearly halfInhaled cannabis reduces self-reported headache severity by 47.3% and migraine severity by 49.6%, according to a recent study led by Carrie Cuttler, a Washington State University assistant professor of psychology. |
 | Safety evaluation of conditionally immortalized cells for renal replacement therapyA research team assessed the safety of conditionally immortalized proximal tubule epithelial cells for bioartificial kidney application, by using in vitro assays and athymic nude rats. |
 | Stop! Washing your Thanksgiving turkey could spread germsGo ahead and rinse your cranberries, potatoes and green beans. But food experts say don't—repeat don't—wash the turkey before popping it in the oven on Thanksgiving Day. |
 | The nature of salmonella is changing—and it's meanerSalmonella is acting up in Michigan, and it could be a model for what's happening in other states, according to a new Michigan State University study. |
 | 'Magic bullet' takes aim at pancreatic cancerEvery day, more than 1200 people worldwide are told they have pancreatic cancer. Within 12 months, 80 per cent of them will have succumbed to the disease. |
 | One Health approach is a two-for-one stop for health care in TanzaniaPromoting healthcare strategies that target both human and animal populations at the same time can save money, participant time and result in a two-for-one stop for health care services. |
 | Using artificial intelligence to analyze placentasPlacentas can provide critical information about the health of the mother and baby, but only 20 percent of placentas are assessed by pathology exams after delivery in the U.S. The cost, time and expertise required to analyze them are prohibitive. |
 | Antibiotic-resistant bacteria more prevalent in device-related infectionsHealthcare-associated infections (HAIs) related to the use of medical devices are more likely to be antibiotic resistant than HAIs that result from surgical procedures, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. |
 | Air pollution linked to higher glaucoma riskLiving in a more polluted area is associated with a greater likelihood of having glaucoma, a debilitating eye condition that can cause blindness, finds a new UCL-led study in the UK. |
 | New research identifies neurodevelopment-related gene deficiencyResearchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified that a gene critical to clearing up unnecessary proteins plays a role in brain development and contributes to the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. |
 | More polio cases now caused by vaccine than by wild virusFour African countries have reported new cases of polio linked to the oral vaccine, as global health numbers show there are now more children being paralyzed by viruses originating in vaccines than in the wild. |
 | Rates of joint surgery higher with psoriatic arthritis(HealthDay)—The five-year incidence rate of joint surgery in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients is twice as high as in the general population, and this rate has remained steady over time, according to a study published in the November issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. |
 | Risk for skin infections, diabetes increase with statin use(HealthDay)—Using statins for as short a time as three months can put patients at risk for developing diabetes and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), according to a study published in the November issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. |
 | Endocrine therapy lowers QOL for breast cancer patients(HealthDay)—Endocrine therapy reduces the quality of life of breast cancer patients, especially for postmenopausal women, according to a study recently published in the Annals of Oncology. |
 | Sweet potatoes are a holiday dish to be thankful forSweet potatoes and yams are a Thanksgiving staple for many families, which makes it important to understand one key fact: Sweet potatoes are not the same thing as yams. |
 | Global health viewpoint: Poor data prevent accurate measurement of UN goalsLack of data, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, combined with the absence of international standards for data management, is hindering efforts in measuring progress toward meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) according to a viewpoint published in the international medical journal The Lancet. |
 | Feeling loved in everyday life linked with improved well-beingPoets and songwriters may tend to focus their artistry on passion and romance, but it may be those unsung, brief feelings of love throughout the day that are connected with psychological well-being, according to a team of researchers led by two Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) researchers. They added that the findings could one day lead to interventions aimed at boosting well-being. |
 | Study suggests women may be undertreated for obstructive sleep apneaObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been considered a predominantly male disease. While more women have been diagnosed with OSA in recent years, the numbers remain disproportionate, with 3-to-5 times more men than women receiving an OSA diagnosis. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Yale School of Medicine set out to understand this disparity and its causes. They found that a high proportion of women experienced sleep apnea during dream sleep, which is associated with adverse outcomes including cardiovascular disease. Their findings have implications for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of OSA among women and men and are published in the journal SLEEP. |
 | Rapamycin may slow skin aging, study reportsThe search for youthfulness typically turns to lotions, supplements, serums and diets, but there may soon be a new option joining the fray. Rapamycin, a FDA-approved drug normally used to prevent organ rejection after transplant surgery, may also slow aging in human skin, according to a study from Drexel University College of Medicine researchers published in Geroscience. |
 | Concussions in high school athletes may be a risk factor for suicideConcussion, the most common form of traumatic brain injury, has been linked to an increased risk of depression and suicide in adults. Now new research published by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) suggests high school students with a history of sports-related concussions might be at an increased risk for suicide completion. |
Study reframes the history of LGBT mental health careNew research reveals that community-based clinics and clinicians play an essential role in reshaping both mental health care for LGBT people and broader attitudes about sexuality and gender. | |
Geriatricians, internists, and cardiologists surveyed about deprescribingAs you grow older, you're more likely to develop health conditions that require taking multiple medications—some of which you may take for a long time. Many older people also take over-the-counter (or "OTC") medications, vitamins, or supplements as part of routine care. As a result, older adults have a higher risk of overmedication, also known as "polypharmacy"—the medical term for taking four or more medications at the same time. Polypharmacy can increase your chances of unwanted reactions (also called "adverse drug reactions") due to medications taken on their own or together. | |
Yemen now fighting epidemic of dengue fever: Red CrossYemen is now grappling with an epidemic of dengue fever, adding to its woes of war and cholera, the Red Cross said Monday. | |
Indian doctors remove giant 7.4 kilo kidney from manIndian surgeons have cut a kidney weighing the same as a bowling ball out of a man with a life-threatening genetic condition, a surgeon said Monday. | |
 | As stigma ebbs, college students seek mental health helpMore college students are turning to their schools for help with anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, and many must wait weeks for treatment or find help elsewhere as campus clinics struggle to meet demand, an Associated Press review of more than three dozen public universities found. |
Dutch doctor dies after S.Leone Lassa fever infectionA Dutch doctor who contracted Lassa hemorrhagic fever in Sierra Leone after treating patients has died in hospital, while a second doctor is undergoing treatment, the top Dutch health official said Sunday. | |
Ontario physicians do not need consent to withhold CPR that they feel will not benefit patientsIn August, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed a malpractice lawsuit filed against two physicians who refused to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to an 88-year-old man with multiple comorbidities and multiorgan failure. This ruling may have important implications for physicians in Ontario and elsewhere, according to a commentary published in this week's CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). | |
Samoa measles epidemic worsens with 24 children now deadAuthorities said Monday that a measles epidemic sweeping through Samoa continues to worsen with the death toll rising to 25, all but one of them young children. | |
 | Consistent gene changes in Alzheimer's disease across studiesA comparison of mouse Alzheimer's disease models shows changes in the number of cells and the genes they express remain consistent throughout all stages of the disease. The new research published in eNeuro could reveal new targets for disease intervention and therapies. |
 | Environmental enrichment corrects errors in brain developmentEnvironmental enrichment can partially correct miswired neurons in the visual pathway, according to research in mice recently published in eNeuro. |
 | Sex and gender in health research: Australia lags behindA consortium of leading research institutions and universities, including UNSW Sydney, have sent a stark warning that Australian medical research is in danger of falling behind its global competitors when it comes to sex and gender analysis in medical research. |
 | Getting the goods on obesityA study in the World Journal of Surgery finds that obesity and two post-operative complications linked with it, incisional hernia and post-op infection, have associated genetic variants in common. |
 | Research team creates a surgical navigation system for fetal surgeryThe placenta of every expectant mother is located in a different place, its blood vessels are never the same, and its connection to the fetus and the umbilical cord also varies from one pregnancy to another. Moreover, the fetus is also always in a different position in each case and floating in amniotic fluid. The fetus is surrounded by highly delicate membranes that can only be perforated once so as not to risk losing the pregnancy. So, when a fetus has a life-threatening condition and requires an emergency intervention in the womb, the fetal surgeon faces a huge challenge because he/she has to decide very precisely where to enter the uterus and, once inside, has very few references to navigate safely. |
 | The 'signal cell' relaying microbiota signals discoveredMicroorganisms are considered dirty organism that threaten our health, decay food and cause inconvenience in our daily life. However, they are playing a critical role in making nutrients by metabolizing food, allowing all living creatures to live on. There are 2,000 kinds of microorganisms and several hundred trillions living in our body. Most of these microorganisms live in the digestive tract but their effect is evident in our entire body. Recently, a research team from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology, President Moohwan Kim) discovered how microbiota transmit signals through the entire body and control hematopoiesis in the bone marrow. |
 | Neurocognitive function decline but stable QOL in first year after temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapyA secondary analysis of the NRG Oncology clinical trial NRG-RTOG 0424, which initially reported a 73.1% 3-year overall survival rate, shows a decline in neurocognitive function (NCF) for half of the trial participants with high risk, low-grade gliomas (HR-LGGs) up to a year after receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy with temozolomide. However, the analysis also concluded that on average the quality of life (QOL) of patients either remained stable or improved up to a year following temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy treatment. These results were presented during the Plenary Session at the Society for Neuro-Oncology's (SNO) annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. |
 | Effective method for correcting various CNS pathologies developing under oxygen deficiencyHypoxia is a key factor that accompanies most brain pathologies, including ischemia and neurodegenerative diseases. Reduced oxygen concentration results in irreversible changes in nerve cell metabolism that entails cell death and destruction of intercellular interactions. Since neural networks are responsible for the processing, storage and transmission of information in the brain, the loss of network elements can lead to dysfunction of the central nervous system and, consequently, the development of neurological deficiency and the patient's severe disability. |
 | Is cyberbullying common among adults?A new nationwide study examined the prevalence of negative behaviors that occur via digital communication, encompassing a broad definition of cyberbullying that includes both cyber-aggression and cyberbullying. The study, which assessed a national sample of New Zealanders 18-97 years of age, is published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. |
 | Novartis says to buy Medicines Company for $9.7 bnSwiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis announced over the weekend it would dish out $9.7 billion (8.8 billion euros) to acquire US firm Medicines Company, in a move aimed at boosting its cardiovascular treatment portfolio. |
Death toll from Samoa measles epidemic reaches 25A measles epidemic in Samoa has now claimed 25 lives, with children bearing the brunt of the deadly outbreak, official data in the Pacific island nation showed Monday. | |
Biology news
 | New flu drug drives drug resistance in influenza virusesOn January 31, 2019, an 11-year old boy in Japan went to a medical clinic with a fever. The providers there diagnosed him with influenza, a strain called H3N2, and sent him home with a new medication called baloxavir. |
 | Researchers report first recording of a blue whale's heart rateEncased in a neon orange plastic shell, a collection of electronic sensors bobbed along the surface of the Monterey Bay, waiting to be retrieved by Stanford University researchers. A lunchbox-sized speck in the vast waters, it held cargo of outsized importance: the first-ever recording of a blue whale's heart rate. |
 | A little prairie can rescue honey bees from famine on the farm, study findsScientists placed honey bee hives next to soybean fields in Iowa and tracked how the bees fared over the growing season. To the researchers' surprise, the bees did well for much of the summer. The colonies thrived and gained weight, building up their honey stores. But in August, the trend reversed. By mid-October, most of the honey was gone and the overwintering brood was malnourished, the team discovered. |
 | Coated seeds may enable agriculture on marginal landsProviding seeds with a protective coating that also supplies essential nutrients to the germinating plant could make it possible to grow crops in otherwise unproductive soils, according to new research at MIT. |
 | How diversity of respiratory quinones affects microbial physiologyA new study provides a fundamental understanding of the diversification of small molecules called respiratory quinones and its adaptive consequences in bacterial species. Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego specifically examined how respiration is affected by different types of quinones present in bacteria growing in aerobic environments. |
 | Discovery increases chance of improving iron content in plantsResearchers have discovered a gene that controls the regulation of iron uptake in plants, according to a new study from Dartmouth College. |
 | Aquatic microorganisms offer important window on the history of lifeThe air, earth and water of our planet are pulsating with living things. Yet, a vast and diverse web of life exists, about which almost nothing is known. This is the world of flagellates, tiny organisms that persist in staggering numbers in many diverse ecosystems around the world. |
 | How mantis shrimp make sense of the worldA study involving scientists at the University of Arizona and the University of Queensland provides new insight into how the small brains of mantis shrimp—fierce predators with keen vision that are among the fastest strikers in the animal kingdom—are able to make sense of a breathtaking amount of visual input. |
 | First in vitro Puerto Rico crested toad gives scientists hopeA critically endangered Puerto Rican toad was for the first time born via in vitro fertilization as U.S. scientists attempt to save it from extinction, officials announced Friday. |
 | Sumatran rhino is extinct in Malaysia as lone survivor diesThe Sumatran rhinoceros has become extinct in Malaysia, after the last of the species in the country succumbed to cancer. |
 | New discovery in C. difficile biology could lead to treatments for dangerous infectionsA process called sporulation that helps the dangerous bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) to survive inhospitable conditions and spread is regulated by epigenetics, factors that affect gene expression beyond the DNA genetic code, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report. This is the first discovery that epigenetics regulate sporulation in any bacteria. Their research, published November 25th in Nature Microbiology, opens a new window to developing treatments for this devestating infection. |
 | Unravelling the venomous bite of an endangered mammalResearchers from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and ZSL (Zoological Society of London) have worked with a team of scientists from institutions across the globe—to uncover the truth behind the origin of venom in some very unusual mammals. |
 | Tawny crazy ants' weird genetics may help them thrive in new environmentsTawny crazy ants' pattern of genetic inheritance may have helped the South American species spread in the U.S., Texas A&M AgriLife researchers have discovered. The results could lead to a new way to control this invasive species. |
 | How plants adjust their body plan to cope with high temperature stressBiologists from Utrecht University have described a new molecular mechanism that allows plants to optimize their growth under suboptimal high-temperature conditions. The study offers promising leads for the development of climate warming-tolerant crops, which maintain a high yield under stressful high ambient temperatures, according to research leader Martijn van Zanten. They publish their findings November 25th in PNAS. |
 | People, climate, and water supply all played a role in the extinction of Australia's megafaunaThe mystery of the role of people and climate in the fate of Australian megafauna might have been solved in a breakthrough study published today. |
 | How species in the wild are managing the risks and rewards of sharing space with humansEndangered monkeys living in the wild are intelligently adapting their lifestyle to fit with their human neighbors, learning to avoid manmade risks and exploiting increased contact with people, new research has revealed. |
 | Babies in the womb may see more than we thoughtBy the second trimester, long before a baby's eyes can see images, they can detect light. |
 | Study tracks genomic changes that reinforce darter speciationWhen they share habitat, orangethroat and rainbow darters tend to avoid one another, even though they are closely related and can produce "hybrid" offspring. The males compete with males of their own species and will almost always ignore females of the other species. A new study offers an analysis of the genomic changes that occur when these fish hybridize, offering insight into the gradual accumulation of incompatible traits that likely drives them to diverge. |
 | Gut microbes alter characteristics of norovirus infectionThe highly contagious norovirus causes diarrhea and vomiting and is notorious for spreading rapidly through densely populated spaces, such as cruise ships, nursing homes, schools and day care centers. Each year, it is responsible for some 200,000 deaths, mostly in the developing world. There are no treatments for this intestinal virus, often incorrectly referred to as stomach flu. |
 | Enzyme toolkit makes biotechnology globally accessibleIn 2016, Lenshina Agbor was working on her master's thesis in Cameroon, analyzing the DNA of a parasite that causes malaria in pregnant women. She imported the enzymes needed for her research from Europe, but struggled with the cost of purchasing and shipping, months-long delays and the occasional batch of enzymes that became inactive during transport. As a result, she had to scale back her experiments. |
 | Sniffing out cancer in canines—and humans, tooMatthew Breen, a professor of genomics at NC State, says his 25-year career has roots in childhood heartbreak. |
 | Keeping cats indoors: How to ensure your pet is happy, according to scienceBy 2030, 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities, while one in three will share their city with at least half a million other inhabitants. With more and more people living in dense urban settings, what does the future hold for pets? |
 | Bacteria-infecting viruses bind mucosal surface and protect from diseaseMucosal surfaces protect organisms from external stressors and disease. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have been shown to preferentially bind to mucosal surfaces. This has been suggested to provide an extra level of immunity against bacterial infections. Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland tested this idea using fish, phages (viruses) and a fish-infecting bacteria. Phages were confirmed to bind to the mucosal surface, staying there for days and give protection from subsequent bacterial infection. Research was published in mBio in November 2019. |
 | Sexually dimorphic gene found to affect sexual receptivity for female fishA peptide expressed in the brains of fish helps to determine the different mating behaviors of the two sexes, RIKEN and University of Tokyo scientists have found. Understanding neurologically what makes the sexes behave differently in courtship could reveal how to reverse male–female animal mating behaviors. |
 | Fish size affects Snake River salmon returns more than route through damsThe survival and eventual return of juvenile Snake River salmon and steelhead to spawning streams as adults depends more on their size than the way they pass through hydroelectric dams on their migration to the ocean, new research shows. |
 | Forest farms could create market for ginseng, other herbsA transition from wild collection of herbs to forest farming needs to occur in Appalachia to make the opaque, unstable and unjust supply chain for forest medicinal plants such as ginseng sustainable, according to a team of researchers who have studied the market for more than a decade. |
 | Smoker-survivor genes may have long ancestral history of fighting toxinsLongevity genes that helped humans survive ancient airborne toxins may be the same genes that make humans resilient to pollution from fossil fuels and cigarette smoke today, according to a study published in the December 2019 issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology. In "The Exposome in Human Evolution: From Dust to Diesel," Ben Trumble (Arizona State University) and Caleb Finch (University of Southern California) examine the myriad toxins that humans have encountered through our evolutionary history and the immunity-related genes that have countered their harmful effects. "We hypothesize that adaptation to ancient pathogens and airborne toxins may, in some cases, be protecting us today from novel airborne pollutants such as cigarettes and diesel smoke," Trumble and Finch write. "Further inquiry into these unexplored domains of genetic processes may inform the future of human health and longevity during global warming." |
 | Understanding cell divisionCytokinesis is the final step of the process of cell division, by which the two new cells are physically separated. This process relies on a structure called the cytokinetic ring, which needs to be linked to the plasma membrane throughout cell division. |
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