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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for June 21, 2016:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Newborn giant planet grazes its starFor the past 20 years, exoplanets known as 'hot Jupiters' have puzzled astronomers. These giant planets orbit 100 times closer to their host stars than Jupiter does to the Sun, which increases their surface temperatures. But how and when in their history did they migrate so close to their star? Now, an international team of astronomers has announced the discovery of a very young hot Jupiter orbiting in the immediate vicinity of a star that is barely two million years old—the stellar equivalent of a week-old infant. This first-ever evidence that hot Jupiters can appear at such an early stage represents a major step forward in our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve. |
 | Young super-Neptune offers clues to the origin of close-in exoplanetA team of astronomers has confirmed the existence of a young planet, only 11 million years old, that orbits very close to its star (at 0.05 AU), with an orbital period of 5.4 days. Approximately 5 times the size of the Earth, the new planet is a "super-Neptune" and the youngest such planet known. The discovery lends unique insights into the origin of planetary system architectures. |
 | Swift gamma-ray bursts—a 3D step toward standard candlesA new way to use the most powerful explosions in the Universe to calibrate its expansion has been developed by a team of researchers (Sergey Postnikov, Xavier Hernandez from Institute of Astronomy , UNAM, and Michal Ostrowski from the Astronomical Observatory of Jagiellonian University) led by Marie Curie Outgoing Fellow at Stanford University, Maria Dainotti. Dainotti recently presented the results of her team's work at a press conference at the 228th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Dainotti's three-dimensional analysis shows that a specific population of gamma-ray bursts can be used to provide an independent measurement of the cosmic distance scale. Since gamma-ray bursts are even brighter than supernovae, this new technique has the potential to extend the cosmic ruler to greater distances than are currently possible. |
 | Research bolsters case for a present-day subsurface ocean on PlutoWhen the NASA's New Horizons spacecraft buzzed by Pluto last year, it revealed tantalizing clues that the dwarf planet might have—or had at one time—a liquid ocean sloshing around under its icy crust. According to a new analysis led by a Brown University Ph.D. student, such an ocean likely still exists today. |
 | Astronomers find the first 'wind nebula' around a magnetarAstronomers have discovered a vast cloud of high-energy particles called a wind nebula around a rare ultra-magnetic neutron star, or magnetar, for the first time. The find offers a unique window into the properties, environment and outburst history of magnetars, which are the strongest magnets in the universe. |
 | Image: ESA's Planck satellite captures prominent ring of gas near the North Celestial PoleThis multicoloured swirl of yellow and blue shows a prominent ring of gas near the North Celestial Pole. The pole appears to be fixed in place, while the rest of the night sky slowly circles around it because of Earth's rotation. This image comes courtesy of ESA's Planck satellite, which spent years mapping the entire sky in exquisite detail between 2009 and 2013. |
 | Down to Earth: Returned astronaut relishes little things (Update)Using a normal toilet and appreciating weather—"any weather whatsoever"—are some of the small pleasures astronaut Tim Peake has enjoyed most since returning from the International Space Station (ISS), he said Tuesday. |
 | Massive rocket booster arrives at Mississippi space museumA massive rocket booster that never made it to space instead made its way Tuesday to Mississippi's Infinity Science Center after a carefully orchestrated days-long move over land and water from New Orleans. |
 | Black hole accretion disk observed to 'breathe'Scientists may have found a link between the pulsations of light coming from a black hole accretion disk and the "breathing" of that disk. |
 | Image: Expedition 47 soyuz landingThe Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 47 crew members Tim Kopra of NASA, Tim Peake of the European Space Agency, and Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Saturday, June 18, 2016. |
Technology news
 | Deep-learning vision system anticipates human interactions using videos of TV showsWhen we see two people meet, we can often predict what happens next: a handshake, a hug, or maybe even a kiss. Our ability to anticipate actions is thanks to intuitions born out of a lifetime of experiences. |
 | Battery life turns out to be one more reason for Microsoft to beat Edge drum(Tech Xplore)—OK, your favorite subject, mobile work warriors, is battery life, and we sympathize with your focus, which in the best of all worlds you wish could be placed elsewhere. |
 | New analog compiler could help enable simulation of whole organs and even organismsA transistor, conceived of in digital terms, has two states: on and off, which can represent the 1s and 0s of binary arithmetic. |
 | White House clears small, commercial drones for takeoff (Update)Routine use of small drones by real estate agents, farmers, filmmakers and countless other commercial operators was cleared for takeoff by the Obama administration Tuesday, after years of struggling to write rules that would both protect public safety and free the benefits of a new technology. |
 | Structure-mapping engine enables computers to reason and learn like humans, including solving moral dilemmasNorthwestern University's Ken Forbus is closing the gap between humans and machines. |
 | FAA rules to clear way for routine commercial drone flightsThe Obama administration is on the verge of approving routine commercial use of small drones, after years of struggling to write rules that would both protect public safety and free the benefits of a new technology. |
 | Volkswagen places question mark over future of diesel technologyVolkswagen chief Matthias Mueller hinted in a newspaper interview that the embattled car giant could abandon diesel engine technology in the wake of the massive emissions-cheating scandal it is currently engulfed in. |
 | Study debunks gender performance gap in online video gamesIn the realm of fantasy video games, one epic monster stalks players both online and in the real world—the stereotype that men make better players than women. A new study led by a researcher at the University of California, Davis, slays that troll. |
 | Professor's work focuses on revving up the highest-speed networksThe latest supercomputers and large-scale observatories like the Large Hadron Collider have the power to support unprecedented breakthroughs in astrophysics, genomics, climate science and scores of other fields. |
 | Computational materials screening and targeted experiments reveal promising nitride semiconductorsResearchers use simulations to identify previously undiscovered semiconductors with promising attributes for optical and electronic applications. A nitride among those proposed has been successfully fabricated using high-pressure synthesis and is found to emit red light. |
 | Softbank sells stake in game developer Supercell to TencentJapanese Internet company Softbank Corp. is selling its stake in Finnish game developer Supercell to Chinese technology firm Tencent in a deal announced Tuesday that values the company at about $10.2 billion. |
 | Computer watches human camera operators to improve automated sports broadcastsAn automated camera system was able to learn how to better film basketball and soccer games - and smoothly recover from mistakes - by watching human camera operators, scientists at Disney Research report. |
 | End of California nuclear era: Last plant to close by 2025California's last nuclear power plant will close by 2025 under an accord announced Tuesday, ending three decades of safety debates that helped fuel the national anti-nuclear power movement. |
Instagram user base surges to 500 millionThe user base of photo-sharing service Instagram has surged to half a billion, adding its latest 100 million in less than a year, the Facebook-owned application said Tuesday. | |
 | Fiat Chrysler to halt use of dangerous air bag inflatorsBy next week, Fiat Chrysler plans to stop producing new vehicles in North America with the most dangerous type of Takata air bag inflators. |
 | Twitter expands video tweets to 140 secondsTwitter said Tuesday it was increasing the time limit for video tweets to 140 seconds, a move aimed at drawing in more users with visual content. |
Pregnant woman, Mrs. Claus among 72 new emojisA face representing "rolling on the floor laughing" and a hand taking a selfie are among 72 new emojis that will soon make their way to your smartphone. | |
 | Samsung to invest $1.2 billion in IoT research in USSamsung announced plans Tuesday to invest $1.2 billion for US-based research over the next four years on "human-centered" applications for the Internet of Things. |
 | Neighborhood watch: Online startups tackle local newsA handful of new startups are tackling a thorny problem that AOL couldn't solve with zillions of dollars: How to cover local news in different cities without going broke. |
Russian photo app Prisma makes splash, woos investorsOne of Russia's leading Internet companies said Tuesday it had snapped up a stake in mobile app Prisma that restyles photos as works of art and has gone viral days after its launch. | |
 | Yahoo's Tumblr unveils live videoTumblr, the Yahoo-owned blogging platform, said Tuesday it was launching live video to help compete against similar offerings from Facebook and Twitter. |
 | Facebook signs celebrities to boost live videoFacebook said Tuesday it has signed a series of deals to pay celebrities and media companies to produce content for its new live video streaming service. |
 | SoftBank clears founder's heir apparent of misconduct claimsJapanese mobile giant SoftBank has cleared a former Google executive—seen as heir apparent to its billionaire founder Masayoshi Son - after an investor group accused him of misconduct and called for his dismissal. |
 | Study reveals millennials are more likely to unplug while on vacation than gen XIn preparation for summer travel season, Intel Security conducted a study, "Digital Detox: Unplugging on Summer Vacation," to better understand the ways consumers stay digitally connected while traveling and ways they may unknowingly be putting their personal identity and devices at risk. Roughly 65 percent of U.S. respondents define being unplugged as having no internet usage at all, while half said being unplugged means they did not make any phone calls. The survey challenges a misconception in society that millennials would be the least likely to leave their devices behind on vacation – 49 percent of U.S. millennials actually admitted that they were willing to unplug on vacation, while only 37 percent of those respondents between 40-50 years of age would do so. |
 | Q&A: A look behind the deal to shutter California nuke plantCalifornia's last nuclear power plant, perched on a seaside bluff midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is set to close by 2025 under an agreement announced Tuesday. |
Medicine & Health news
 | High levels of education linked to heightened brain tumor riskA university degree is linked to a heightened risk of developing a brain tumour, suggests a large observational study, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. |
 | Are commercial brain-training programs worth it? Cognitive training placebo effects(HealthDay)—Brain-training programs like Lumosity or NeuroNation frequently tout scientific studies that show their products can truly sharpen a person's intellect. |
 | In doctors we trust – especially when they admit to biasA doctor's guidance may reassure us more than we realize – especially if she says she is likely to recommend treatment in her field of expertise, known as "specialty bias." |
 | Study shows explicit judgments may differ from implicit beliefs regarding stereotypes(Medical Xpress)—A pair of researchers at Harvard University has found that our conscious attitudes may differ significantly from those that reside in our subconscious mind when it comes to stereotypes. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, graduate student Jack Cao and his advisor Mahzarin Banaji discuss experiments they carried out that show that even when our conscious mind is acutely aware of certain facts, our unconscious mind can still be uncertain about certain stereotypes. |
 | Research shows how visual perception slows with ageGrandparents may be some of the best storytellers around, in the sense that they usually have plenty of stories to tell. What they're not always as good at, however, is staying on topic when they regale others with their tales. |
 | Study reveals how HIV enters cell nucleusLoyola University Chicago scientists have solved a mystery that has long baffled HIV researchers: How does HIV manage to enter the nucleus of immune system cells? |
 | Researchers explore epigenetic influences of chronic painChronic pain is one of the most prevalent, disabling and expensive public health crises in the United States. It affects more than 100 million Americans, with annual costs estimated at $635 billion, says a 2014 report from the American Pain Society. |
 | New view of brain development: Striking differences between adult and newborn mouse brainColumbia scientists have found that spikes in the activity of neurons in young mice do not spur corresponding boosts in blood flow—a discovery that stands in stark contrast to the adult mouse brain. This new study raises questions about how the growing human brain meets its energy needs, as well as how best to track brain development with functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, which relies on blood-flow changes to map neuronal activity in the brain. The research could also provide critical new insights for improving care for infants. |
Third to half of UK population lives with chronic painBetween a third and half (43%) of the UK population—roughly 28 million adults—lives with chronic pain, finds an analysis of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Open. | |
More gay men than ever getting tested for HIV—but 1 in 4 still never had a testMore gay and bisexual men than ever are getting tested for HIV, according to new data from the National Gay Men's Sex Survey. The survey is the largest of its kind in the UK and sheds light on the sexual health of men who have sex with men. | |
Fossil fuel combustion endangers children's health in two significant ways: A scientist reviews the evidenceWriting in a commentary in Environmental Health Perspectives, Frederica Perera, director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH), identifies fossil fuel combustion and associated air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2) as the root cause of much of the ill health of children today. Because of their inherent biological vulnerability, children now bear a disproportionate burden of disease from both pollution and climate change. | |
 | Young children learn to take turns for mutual gainIt takes children until they are about 5 years old to learn to take turns with others, while the social skill seems to elude chimpanzees, according to new findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. |
Mayo Clinic introduces precision medicine in psychiatryMayo Clinic is highlighting the potential merits of using precision medicine in prescribing antidepressants. Details appear in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Eleven percent of Americans 12 years and older have been prescribed antidepressant medication, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2005-2008. These medications are regularly prescribed in psychiatric, pediatric, adolescent, family and general medicine clinics nationwide. | |
 | Many seniors saying no to retirement(HealthDay)—Almost two-thirds of older U.S. adults say they'll choose work over retirement after they reach age 65, a new survey shows. |
 | Dos and don'ts for easy splinter removal(HealthDay)—Along with the hot days of summer will come a perennial hazard of outdoor living: splinters. |
 | Reset room can help address physician burnout(HealthDay)—The creation of a reset room is one of several solutions that can help physicians and medical providers address burnout, according to a report published by the American Medical Association. |
 | TAVI can be performed without ICU admission(HealthDay)—Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) can be performed in low-risk patients without admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a study published in the July 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. |
Inflammation and scarring form a positive feedback loop in trachomaScar tissue from people with the world's leading infectious cause of blindness has a distinctive molecular footprint, according to new results published in Scientific Reports and PLOS. The research points to immune system activity in people with scarring trachoma in the absence of infection and potential targets for treatment. The two studies were carried out by collaborative teams at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with funding from Fight for Sight. | |
 | Medicaid expansion brought across-the-board relief for Michigan hospitals, study findsIt happened fast. It happened in nearly every hospital in the state of Michigan. And it didn't come with dreaded side effects. |
Some plant-based therapies associated with modest improvement in menopausal symptomsAn analysis of more than 60 studies suggests that some plant-based therapies are associated with modest reductions in the frequency of hot flashes and vaginal dryness but no significant reduction in night sweats, according to a study appearing in the June 21 issue of JAMA. | |
Protein-based risk score may help predict CV events among patients with heart diseaseIn a study appearing in the June 21 issue of JAMA, Peter Ganz, M.D., of the University of California-San Francisco, and colleagues conducted a study to develop and validate a score to predict risk of cardiovascular outcomes among patients with coronary heart disease using analysis of circulating proteins. | |
 | Improvement seen in US dietIn nationally representative surveys conducted between 1999 and 2012, several improvements in self-reported dietary habits were identified, such as increased consumption of whole grains, with additional findings suggesting persistent or worsening disparities based on race/ethnicity and education and income level, according to a study appearing in the June 21 issue of JAMA. |
 | Taking notes boosts memory of jurors, new study findsJurors who are allowed to take and review notes during court trials are less likely to forget critical evidence, a new University of Liverpool study has found. |
Artificial intelligence achieves near-human performance in diagnosing breast cancerPathologists have been largely diagnosing disease the same way for the past 100 years, by manually reviewing images under a microscope. But new work suggests that computers can help doctors improve accuracy and significantly change the way cancer and other diseases are diagnosed. | |
Professor uses cutting-edge statistics to unravel the complexity of brain disordersWhen Alan Evans was starting out in the 1970s, researchers didn't ask the boss to foot their bar tab. But that's exactly what some of the coders in his Montreal Neurological Institute lab recently proposed: a 9-to-5 Saturday hackathon, held in an Irish pub a few blocks from the McGill University campus. | |
Benefits of eating carbohydratesAh, carbohydrates, though often touted by the media as an enemy in the game of weight loss, they are an essential macronutrient as our body's main source of fuel and a necessary component to maintaining proper cellular function. | |
 | Both hot and cold water immersion post-workout suppress muscle gainsFirst, researchers discovered cold water immersion after a workout can ruin your gym gains. Now there's evidence hot water immersion does the same. |
 | New research indicates that believing in a just world can lead to poor health for black AmericansResearch on the link between racial discrimination and poor health outcomes is not new. However, until now, there has been little exploration around that link—the why, how, who and when. |
 | Abused kids whose families received psychiatric support have better-than-expected outcomesA program aimed at helping abused and neglected children and their families is improving outcomes for kids and providing children with stable home environments as their cases move through the courts. |
 | When suppressing immunity is a good thingA receptor, first known for its role in mediating the harmful effects of the environmental pollutant dioxin in our body, is now understood to play other important roles in modulating the innate immune response. |
 | Does a sweet tooth affect sugar intake?It has long been known taste plays an important role in many of our food choices, but what if we knew whether having a so-called "sweet tooth" did indeed lead to a sugar habit? |
 | Study finds pre-bed routine vital for a good night's sleepThe science of sleep is the latest weapon being used by Perth's top women's basketball team with research carried out with The University of Western Australia offering hope to anyone who struggles to sleep through the night. |
 | Highly efficient agent against Wilson diseaseIn the Journal of Clinical Investigation, scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München describe a small peptide that very efficiently binds excess copper from liver cells. This molecule comes from a bacterium's bag of tricks and could be suitable for treating Wilson disease. In an experimental model it has already proven superior to conventional medicines. |
 | Mozart and Strauss for treating hypertensionThe music of Mozart and Strauss is able to lower blood lipid concentrations and the heart rate. This is the result of a study of the effect of different musical genres on the cardiovascular system, which Hans-Joachim Trappe und Gabriele Volt of Ruhr University Bochum present in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2016; 113: 347–352). |
 | Low breast density worsens prognosis in breast cancerEven though dense breast tissue is a risk factor for breast cancer, very low mammographic breast density is associated with a worse prognosis in breast cancer patients. Patient survival is affected only when low breast density is combined with an abundance of hyaluronan in the tumour, shows recent research from the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. |
Intrusive parents may lead children to be overly self-criticalParents may have high expectations of their children's academic performance and some may demonstrate this by urging the child to achieve good grades, while others may over-react when the child makes mistakes. However, parents should be mindful of their behaviour and not push their children too far, as their actions may lead to unintended consequences. | |
 | Researchers devise a smarter way for stroke patients to rehabilitateA team of students from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering is using smartphones to improve the arduous and repetitive process patients must typically undergo to relearn the basic skills they lose after suffering a stroke. |
 | Smoking may protect against Parkinson's disease—but it's more likely to kill youThere is a little art gallery in my high street which is run by a lovely lady who unfortunately suffers from Parkinson's disease. Deep inside her brain, nerve cells are dying. This results in a steep decline in the neurotransmitter dopamine. As a smoker you may be familiar with dopamine as its release by nicotine causes a strong feeling of reward. Other drugs such as methamphetamine, made famous as crystal meth in the TV series Breaking Bad, also trigger an increase in this neurotransmitter. |
Get children playing outdoors to improve academic success and reduce obesityCampaigns to promote physical activity and reduce obesity among children should focus more on active outdoor play, according to a study led at the University of Strathclyde. | |
 | To fight antibiotic resistance, we need to fight bad prescribing habitsMay's announcement that a strain of bacteria with genes conferring resistance to colistin, our antibiotic of last resort, was identified in the United States, is just the latest report highlighting the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. |
 | New radiotherapy regime for prostate cancer could save NHS tens of millions per yearNew radiotherapy regime for prostate cancer could save NHS tens of millions per year |
Rheumatology providers, FDA leaders discuss biosimilars at national policy briefingExperts from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other leading national healthcare groups spoke about the emerging biosimilars market, including key policy and regulatory questions for patients, providers and the healthcare system, during a national policy briefing held by the nonpartisan Alliance for Health Reform. | |
 | Nearly 10 million adults found to be severely nearsighted in the United StatesA new study estimates that 9.6 million adults in the United States are highly myopic, or severely nearsighted. Of those, nearly 820,000 have a degenerative form of the disease and more than 41,000 suffer a complication called myopic choroidal neovascularization that could cause long-term vision loss, with women at higher risk. The findings are being published online today in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This is the first large-scale study ever done to calculate the real-world prevalence of myopic choroidal neovascularization in the United States. |
 | Insulin-sensitive fat leads to obesitySORLA is a protein that influences the balance of metabolic processes in adipose tissue, a particular form of fat. Too much of it makes fat cells overly sensitive to insulin, which leads them to break down less fat. SORLA was previously known for its protective role in Alzheimer's disease. |
Low maternal thyroid hormone during pregnancy increases schizophrenia risk in offspringA study published in Biological Psychiatry reveals a new link between low levels of the thyroid hormone thyroxine during pregnancy and risk of schizophrenia in the offspring. | |
Gamble on your opponent's gaze if you want to winBlackjack players who hold high-value cards tend to glance fleetingly to the right, whereas those with a lower-value hand do so spontaneously to the left. This is according to research on aspects of mental arithmetic, led by Kevin Holmes of Colorado College in the US. The findings are published in Springer's journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. | |
Existing diabetes drug shows effectiveness against chronic liver diseaseResearchers have found that an existing diabetes drug can be used to halt progression of another disease that is a leading cause of liver transplants. | |
Experts take strong stance on testosterone deficiency and treatmentIn an effort to address widespread concerns related to testosterone deficiency (TD) and its treatment with testosterone therapy, a group of international experts has developed a set of resolutions and conclusions to provide clarity for physicians and patients. At a consensus conference held in Prague, Czech Republic last fall, the experts debated nine resolutions, with unanimous approval. The details of the conference were published today in a Mayo Clinic Proceedings report. | |
 | New link found between diabetes and Alzheimer's diseaseDrugs used to treat diabetes could also be used to treat Alzheimer's disease, and vice versa, according to new research from the University of Aberdeen. |
 | Drones could be cheaper alternative to delivering vaccines in developing worldUsing unmanned drones to deliver vaccines in low- and middle-income countries may save money and improve vaccination rates, new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center suggests. |
 | Pollen allergies have increased among Swedish adultsThe prevalence of pollen allergies among adults in Sweden has increased. However, the prevalence of allergies to furred animals, mites or mold has not. These were the results of a new study at Sahlgrenska Academy. |
Mandatory treatment not effective at reducing drug use, violates human rightsIn an analysis recently published in BMJ, which coincided with the UN High Level Meeting on HIV in New York, Boston Medical Center (BMC) clinician researchers assessed current global evidence and found that mandatory treatment for people with substance use disorders is not effective in reducing their drug use. In addition, mandatory treatment, which is defined as treatment ordered, motivated or supervised under the criminal justice system, done without a patient's informed consent violates their human rights and does more harm than benefit to the patient. | |
Pilot study successfully uses DNA sequencing to diagnose brain infectionsIn a proof-of-principle study, a team of physicians and bioinformatics experts at Johns Hopkins reports they were able to diagnose or rule out suspected brain infections using so called next-generation genetic sequencing of brain tissue samples. | |
 | Children's nutrition influenced by local neighborhoodsDr. Jason Gilliland, a Scientist at Children's Health Research Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute and Director of the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory at Western University, is combining health research with geography to understand the connection between children's nutrition and their local neighbourhoods. In an innovative study, Dr. Gilliland and his team used GPS technology to provide evidence that adolescents' exposure to junk food outlets during trips to and from school affects their likelihood of making a junk food purchase. |
Certain leisure activities may reduce post-surgical delirium among older adultsDelirium, or the medical term for experiencing sudden confusion, is upsetting for both older adults and their families. In fact, it is one of the most common complications older adults face after surgery (a time often referred to as the "post-operative" period). Researchers believe that older adults who have higher levels of "cognitive reserve" may have a better chance for reducing their chances of developing dementia—which theoretically could reduce the risks for developing delirium. | |
Medicare ACOs have achieved savings in providing care to patients with multiple conditionsThere are now over 700 Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) in place across the country, covering 23 million Americans and making them one of the largest health care payment and delivery reforms underway in the United States. Until recently, little has been known about the effect of Medicare ACOs on overall spending, and whether they have been able to reduce the use of high-cost care settings such as hospital stays and emergency department visits. A new study by Dartmouth Institute researchers found that Medicare ACOs are making modest, yet increasing gains in these areas, particularly when it comes to treating patients with multiple conditions who are responsible for the greatest proportion of spending. | |
Mice fed more fiber have less severe food allergiesThe development of food allergies in mice can be linked to what their gut bacteria are being fed, reports a study published June 21 in Cell Reports. Rodents that received a diet with average calories, sugar, and fiber content from birth were shown to have more severe peanut allergies than those that received a high-fiber diet. The researchers show that gut bacteria release a specific fatty acid in response to fiber intake, which eventually impacts allergic responses via changes to the immune system. | |
Overweight and obese type 2 patients show improvements with structured nutrition therapyResearchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have announced the results of a study that may change how nutrition therapy is delivered to overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes. The "Nutrition Pathway Study" compared three models of nutrition therapy and found that a highly structured nutrition plan provides the most significant impact on A1C, body weight and lipid profiles. The study results were presented at the American Diabetes Association's 76th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana. | |
New CAR T cell therapy using double target aimed at solid tumorsChimeric antigen receptors (CARs), engineered from a patient's own immune cells, have been successful for treating blood cancers, but using CARs for solid tumors has been limited by side effects to normal tissues containing the protein targeted by the engineered cells. | |
 | Inflammation from mosquito bites may enhance viral infectionThe itchy, red welts that appear after being bitten by a mosquito may help any viruses the insect is carrying pass on to a new host. A mouse study published June 21 in Immunity suggests that the swelling and irritation that make mosquito bites so unpleasant may provide a mechanism by which viruses like Zika are able to replicate and spread. |
Primary care physicians primed to help patients be more activeExercise plays a crucial role in being healthy and preventing disease. Because of their close relationship to patients, primary care physicians (PCPs) can act as a catalyst to help people be more active through physical activity counseling; however, doctors often encounter barriers to being able to properly address inactivity. A new paper from The American Journal of Medicine offers PCPs implementable strategies to break down those barriers and help their patients get more exercise. | |
Elevated CRP may be response, not cause of diseaseGenetically raised levels of C-reactive protein (CRP, an inflammatory protein) are associated with protection against schizophrenia, according to a Mendelian randomization study published this week in PLOS Medicine. The study, published by Behrooz Z. Alizadeh of the University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands, and colleagues, found a lack of association between CRP and a number of somatic and psychiatric disorders, suggesting that many disease-associated rises in CRP levels might be a response rather than cause of the disease. | |
Internists testify about rising prescription drug prices and their impact on patientsThe American College of Physicians (ACP) today provided physician perspective on the escalating cost of prescription drugs, the impact of the costs on internal medicine physicians and their patients, and support for the intent of the bipartisan Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2016 to reduce anti-competitive practices. | |
Eliminating blood test may increase availability of donor heartsA blood test that leads to the rejection of donor hearts may be unnecessary in predicting whether a heart transplant will succeed or fail, according to new research in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal. | |
 | Exercise may help thwart ovarian cancer(HealthDay)—Lack of exercise is associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer and of death from the disease, two new studies suggest. |
 | Study looks at recurrence after laparoscopic radical cystectomy(HealthDay)—Early unexpected recurrences after laparoscopic radical cystectomy occur in 8.7 percent of patients with favorable pathological characteristics, according to a study published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology. |
 | Three-drug tx ups survival in light-chain amyloidosis(HealthDay)—For patients with heart failure due to light-chain amyloidosis (AL), three-drug therapy with bortezomib, dexamethasone, and an alkylating agent (BDex+AA) is associated with improved survival, according to a study published in the June 28 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. |
 | Risk of T1DM up in children with autoantibody reversion(HealthDay)—The risk of type 1 diabetes remains elevated for children who have developed multiple β-cell autoantibodies, even after reversion of individual autoantibodies, according to a study published online June 16 in Diabetes Care. |
Parent-led tool opens up NHS children's heart surgery data to familiesResearchers are calling for the end to an era of confusion and alarm about children's heart surgery statistics by launching an innovative communication tool that will help people make sense of published survival data about children's heart surgery in the UK and Ireland. | |
Canada reduces waiting period for gay men to donate bloodCanada on Monday loosened requirements for gay men who want to donate blood, reducing the compulsory period of sexual abstinence from five years to one year. | |
Patient views highlight potential for Peek smartphone suite to transform eye healthThe Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) has real-world potential to transform global eye health, according to new research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Amref Health Africa in Kenya. Patients, healthcare providers and stakeholders in ophthalmic service provision have given a positive evaluation of Peek in a parallel study to the Nakuru Eye Disease Cohort Study, funded by The British Council for the Prevention of Blindness, Fight for Sight, the Medical Research Council, and the International Glaucoma Association. | |
 | Aging gay men face challenges after living through AIDS, cultural shiftsMidlife and older gay men in the United States have lived through a remarkable period of crisis and change. On the heels of the burgeoning gay rights movement in the 1970s, the AIDS epidemic robbed these men of many of their friends and partners beginning in the 1980s. |
 | Australia paves the way for revolutionising prostate cancer treatmentThe way men are treated for prostate cancer is set to change with the launch of the world's largest national prostate cancer registry incorporating clinical data alongside patient feedback of their lived experiences. |
 | Doctors in Germany prescribing more psychotropic drugs for children and adolescentsMore prescriptions for psychotropic drugs in children and adolescents in Germany have been issued than in the past. This is the result of a study reported by Sascha Abbas and colleagues in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. |
 | The mechanisms of memoryMichy Kelly's fascination with how brains work began in high school when she noticed that she and her brother were polar opposites when it came to cognitive abilities. |
'I saw things children shouldn't see' – surviving a troubled childhoodThe landscape of the Hawaiian islands is as idyllic as a postcard: long, sandy beaches, hibiscus flowers, clear waters of tropical fish and coral reefs. When you arrive at the airport the air is warm and ukulele music is piped out at you. Flower garlands are for sale. | |
Millions stretch and bend as Indian PM leads world yoga dayPrime Minister Narendra Modi described yoga as a "people's mass movement" as he took to the mat Tuesday along with millions of others in India and overseas to celebrate the ancient practice. | |
Patients with inflammation more likely to develop diabetes after transplantUp to 30 percent of people who receive organ transplants will develop diabetes, but researchers are unsure why. Although doctors typically blame immunosuppressive drugs that transplant recipients take to prevent organ rejection, it's unclear why some people develop the lifelong disorder, while others do not. A new study in kidney transplant recipients suggests that patients with more inflammation prior to surgery are more likely to develop diabetes than those with less overall inflammation, and that a patient's fat stores also play a role. The research, published in the journal CardioRenal Medicine, suggests there may be opportunities for intervention and reducing the rate of diabetes in kidney recipients. | |
New study finds link between omega-3 supplementation and reduced hospital staysA new meta-analysis published in Clinical Nutrition found that cardiac surgery patients who received omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (compared to placebo) in advance of surgery experienced reduced postoperative cardiac arrhythmias and significantly reduced the length of hospital stay by up to 2.4 days. The results are based on 11 RCT's with 1038 patients. | |
Assisted dying for psychiatric disorders: Serious public health impactOffering medical assistance in dying to people in Canada on the basis of psychiatric illnesses could put vulnerable people at risk, argues a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). | |
Reforming clinical research to reduce wasteMost clinical research is not useful to clinicians. This could change. | |
Pipeline device can treat challenging 'distal anterior' brain aneurysmsA recently introduced technology called the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) can provide a less-invasive approach for difficult-to-treat aneurysms of the arteries supplying blood to the front of the brain, reports a study in the July issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, published by Wolters Kluwer. | |
NIH launches large study of pregnant women in areas affected by Zika virusThe National Institutes of Health and Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz (Fiocruz), a national scientific research organization linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, have begun a multi-country study to evaluate the magnitude of health risks that Zika virus infection poses to pregnant women and their developing fetuses and infants. The study is opening in Puerto Rico and will expand to several locations in Brazil, Colombia and other areas that are experiencing active local transmission of the virus. | |
New model predicts complication risks in surgery for spinal cord compressionA simple model consisting of four risk factors can help surgeons to predict the risk of complications after surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM)—a common condition causing compression of the spinal cord in the neck, reports a study in the July issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. | |
Researchers create key diagnostic measures for gastrointestinal disordersWith no laboratory test available to diagnose functional gastrointestinal disorders, proper diagnostic criteria are critical for clinicians to make an accurate determination of what ails their patients. | |
 | Does oral cannabidiol convert to THC, a psychoactive form of cannabinoid, in the stomach?A new study demonstrating the conversion of oral cannabidiol (CBD) to the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the presence of gastric fluids could explain why children given CBD to treat epilepsy had an unexpectedly high rate of adverse effects such as sleepiness and fatigue. The study, "Identification of Psychoactive Degradants of Cannabidiol in Simulated Gastric and Physiologic Fluid", is published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. |
NYC lawmakers pass a novel requirement for free tamponsNew York City is on track to become the nation's first city to require free tampons and sanitary pads in public schools, homeless shelters and jails after lawmakers approved the idea Tuesday amid a national discussion of the costs of having a period. | |
Biology news
 | How the songbird learns its melodyLearning a first language is somewhat effortless. We start learning from our parents before we can even remember and the words and sounds are imprinted in our memory at an early age. Learning a new language as an adult is much more difficult, involves a lot of hard work, and you may never have the same fluency as with your first language. The same is true of songbirds. Zebra finches learn their song when they are young by listening to their father's or tutor's song. |
 | DNA analysis rewrites the story of thinhorn sheep during the last ice ageEvolutionary biologists studying the lineages of thinhorn sheep have found evidence suggesting that the species diverged hundreds of thousands of years earlier than previously thought. |
 | Birds found able to learn abstract grammatical structures(Phys.org)—A pair of researchers with Leiden University in The Netherlands has found via experimentation that at least two types of birds are able to learn the rules that define abstract grammatical structures. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Michelle Spierings and Carel ten Cate describe experiments they carried out with two different species of song birds and what they found regarding their grammatical abilities. |
 | Fighting experience makes beetles better mothers, study showsFemale beetles that are seasoned fighters put more effort into raising their offspring than mothers with no conflict experience, a study suggests. |
 | Scientists use CRISPR to discover Zika and dengue weaknessesScientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have performed the first CRISPR/Cas9 screen to discover human proteins that Zika virus needs for replication. This work, led by Abraham Brass, MD, PhD, assistant professor in microbiology & physiological systems, reveals new leads that may be useful for halting Zika, dengue and other emerging viral infections. The study appears online in the journal Cell Reports. |
 | Scorpions have similar tastes in burrow architectureIsrael Science Foundation, Human Frontier Science Program, Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation, and the Society of Experimental Biology |
 | Why so many Australian species are yet to be namedTurns out that in Australia, you are probably closer than you think to hundreds or thousands of species that don't have names. They are scientifically and culturally anonymous Australians. |
Endangered Boreal felt lichen set to decline 50 percent in 25 years despite conservation effortsErioderma pedicellatum, commonly known as the Boreal felt lichen, grows on trees in the damp boreal forests along the Atlantic coast. It is also one of the most endangered lichens in the world. A new study, published today in Botany, uses population models to determine the survival and future viability of the species. The findings show that without increased protection and conservation efforts the Boreal felt lichen population in Nova Scotia will decline by 49% within 25 years. | |
 | Immense species richness of bacterial-eating microorganisms discovered in soilMillions of microorganisms play a major role in the decomposition of soil matter. A group of researchers has just shown that there is an enormous diversity among a group of bacteria-eating microorganisms known as Cercozoa. The research suggests that a drier climate in the years ahead due to climate change will contribute to a shift in the number of soil microorganisms, and thus, a shift in the decomposition of soil matter, with as of yet to be known consequences. |
 | Aggressive protection plan for caribou ranges in northern and central AlbertaThe Alberta government recently announced an aggressive protection plan for caribou ranges in northern and central Alberta. The new plan includes adding 1.8 million hectares of protected land for a total of 4.9 million hectares across Alberta. Stan Boutin, University of Alberta professor (biological sciences) and Alberta Biodiversity Conservation Chair, will oversee the advisory panel implementing and monitoring the new plan. |
 | Peru seizes 8 mn seahorses illegally bound for AsiaPeruvian authorities seized eight million seahorses smuggled onto a Chinese-flagged ship bound for Asia, the government said. |
Once labeled invasive, 'rock snot' algae now deemed native (Update)A type of algae called "rock snot" that was thought to be an invasive species in the Northeast is actually native to the northern United States, researchers have concluded. | |
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