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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for April 16, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Astronomers discover third planet in the Kepler-47 circumbinary systemAstronomers have discovered a third planet in the Kepler-47 system, securing the system's title as the most interesting of the binary-star worlds. Using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, a team of researchers, led by astronomers at San Diego State University, detected the new Neptune-to-Saturn-size planet orbiting between two previously known planets. |
 | Mysterious star 21 Comae reinvestigated with MOST satelliteAstronomers have employed the Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars (MOST) space telescope to conduct a new investigation of the enigmatic variable star 21 Comae whose nature is still widely debated. Results of the new study, presented in a paper published April 9, could help us better understand this mysterious object. |
 | Cassini reveals surprises with Titan's lakesOn its final flyby of Saturn's largest moon in 2017, NASA's Cassini spacecraft gathered radar data revealing that the small liquid lakes in Titan's northern hemisphere are surprisingly deep, perched atop hills and filled with methane. |
 | Variations in the 'fogginess' of the universe identify a milestone in cosmic historyLarge differences in the 'fogginess' of the early universe were caused by islands of cold gas left behind when the universe heated up after the big bang, according to an international team of astronomers. |
 | CubeSats prove their worth for scientific missionsOnly a few years ago, the astronomy and heliophysics communities were skeptical about whether CubeSats could reliably obtain scientific data. But these breadloaf-size satellites have proven their ability to return useful data. |
 | How to defend the Earth from asteroidsA mere 17-20 meters across, the Chelyabinsk meteor caused extensive ground damage and numerous injuries when it exploded on impact with Earth's atmosphere in February 2013. |
 | NEOWISE celebrates five years of asteroid dataNASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission released its fifth year of survey data on April 11, 2019. The five years of NEOWISE data have significantly advanced scientists' knowledge of asteroids and comets in the solar system, as well as the stars and galaxies beyond. |
 | Indian scientists make deepest radio images of the sunThe sun is the brightest object in the sky, and probably the most studied celestial object. Surprisingly, it still hosts mysteries that scientists have been trying to unravel for decades, for example, the origin of coronal mass ejections which can potentially affect the Earth. Led by Dr. Divya Oberoi and his Ph.D. students, Atul Mohan and Surajit Mondal, a team of scientists at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune, India, have been leading an international group of researchers to understand some of these mysteries. The sun has some of the most powerful explosions in the solar system. Their possible impacts on Earth include electric blackouts, satellite damage, disruption of GPS based navigation, and other sensitive systems. Hence, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and predict space weather reliably. |
 | Former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott diesFormer NASA astronaut Owen Garriott has died at his home in Huntsville, Alabama. |
 | SpaceX's recovered core booster damaged in rough seasA SpaceX rocket booster that landed on an ocean platform after last week's launch has been damaged in rough seas. |
Technology news
 | A new method to enable robust locomotion in a quadruped robotOne of the key challenges for robotics research is the development of effective and resilient control systems, which allow robots to navigate a variety of environments and deal with unexpected events. Researchers at the University of Oslo have recently developed an evolved embodied phase coordination technique for robust quadruped robot locomotion. Their work, published on arXiv, was partly sponsored by the Research Council of Norway. |
 | Up in arms: Insect-inspired arm technology aims to improve dronesA drone delivery is great—on a perfect, sunny day. But what about when it's windy? Most drones are not able to withstand wind because of their fixed-arm design. |
 | A team's tool can inspect the secret life of your smart home itemsAn IoT message from a group of computer scientists from Princeton University and University of California, Berkeley: "Our smart devices are watching us. It's time for us to watch them." |
 | A novel data-compression technique for faster computer programsA novel technique developed by MIT researchers rethinks hardware data compression to free up more memory used by computers and mobile devices, allowing them to run faster and perform more tasks simultaneously. |
 | Optimizing network software to advance scientific discoveryHigh-performance computing (HPC)—the use of supercomputers and parallel processing techniques to solve large computational problems—is of great use in the scientific community. For example, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory rely on HPC to analyze the data they collect at the large-scale experimental facilities on site and to model complex processes that would be too expensive or impossible to demonstrate experimentally. |
 | Electric car makers woo Chinese buyers with range, featuresAutomakers showcased electric SUVs and sedans with longer range and luxury features Tuesday at the Shanghai auto show, wooing Chinese buyers as Beijing slashes subsidies that helped to launch the industry. |
 | Three things to know as Germany opens massive ocean wind parkChancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday officially opened a massive wind farm in the Baltic Sea, calling it a project of "national significance" for Germany's "energy transition" towards renewables. |
 | Farms create lots of data, but farmers don't control where it ends up and who can use itMost of us are familiar with cases of data being used in ways that go beyond consumer expectations – just think of the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal. |
 | Flying cars: Automating the skies means playing with our livesRecent research suggests that flying cars could eventually be a sustainable way to free up roads. The first models are set to hit our skies in 2019 as personal playthings, while industry sees them as taxis and commuter vehicles of the future. |
 | How autonomous ships can lead to safer waterwaysEven radar, navigation systems, GPS tracking and radio communications don't prevent ships from colliding. In 2017, collisions and groundings made up nearly 40% of all marine accidents, and over half of the total casualties. These incidents were primarily caused by human error. |
 | Here's why electric cars have plenty of grunt, oomph and torqueAustralian politicians, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, have raised the question of electric vehicles' capacity for "grunt". |
 | Boeing crashes and Uber collision show passenger safety relies on corporate promises, not regulators' testsAdvanced technologies deliver benefits every day. But, sometimes interactions with technology can go awry and lead to disaster. |
 | New Samsung handset: Innovation hinges on folding screenWhen Samsung said this year it would launch a smartphone with a folding screen, the big question was whether the innovation was something people actually wanted or needed. |
 | Billions at stake as Apple vs Qualcomm trial beginsHow much are iPhone chips worth? That more or less is the question to be decided by a US court as Apple seeks billions in damages from former chip supplier Qualcomm. |
 | YouTube's Notre Dame-9/11 flub highlights AI's blind spotsYouTube might need a few more humans. The machines whose job is to tamp down conspiracy theories are not cutting it just yet. |
 | Apple, Qualcomm settle bitter dispute over iPhone technologyApple and mobile chip maker Qualcomm have settled a bitter financial dispute centered on some of the technology that enables iPhones to connect to the internet. |
 | Netflix adds 9.6M subscribers in 1Q as competition heats upNetflix's popularity is still booming, even as the video streaming service rolls out it biggest U.S. price increases and girds for new challenges from Walt Disney and Apple, two of the world's most popular brands. |
 | Foxconn head stepping back, mulling presidential runThe head of Foxconn Technology Group is planning to step away from day-to-day operations at the world's largest electronics provider and said Tuesday that he is mulling a run for president of Taiwan. |
 | YouTube accidentally links Notre-Dame fire to 9/11 attacksA YouTube fact-check feature which is meant to tackle misinformation accidentally tagged live broadcasts of a fire engulfing Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris with details about the 9/11 terror attacks. |
 | Ecuador says hit by 40 million cyber attacks since Assange arrestEcuador said on Monday it has suffered 40 million cyber attacks on the webpages of public institutions since stripping Wikileaks founder Julian Assange of political asylum. |
 | Lufthansa hits Q1 turbulence from rising fuel costsShares in Lufthansa tumbled as markets opened Tuesday before rebounding, after Europe's largest airline group blamed a steep first-quarter operating loss on rising fuel prices. |
 | Could robots make a documentary about a 5K race?A 5K race can offer both victory and heartbreak, but capturing those moments on video requires both planning ahead and making on-the-spot decisions about where the camera operators should be. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Senior's weakness for scams may be warning sign of dementiaDoes an older friend or relative have a hard time hanging up on telemarketers? Or get excited about a "You've won a prize" voicemail? New research suggests seniors who aren't on guard against scams also might be at risk for eventually developing Alzheimer's disease. |
 | New research identifies microbes that may reduce allergy-like reactions in many peopleSome aged cheeses cause allergy-like reactions in many people, but an Iowa State University scientist is working to identify bacteria that could reduce those unpleasant side effects. |
 | Scientists 'reverse engineer' brain cancer cells to find new targets for treatmentGlioblastoma is one of the most devastating forms of cancer, with few existing treatment options. It is also a leading cause of cancer-related death in children and young adults. Scientists have 'reverse engineered' brain cancer stem cells gene by gene, uncovering multiple potential targets for this hard-to-treat cancer. |
 | The fluid that feeds tumor cellsBefore being tested in animals or humans, most cancer drugs are evaluated in tumor cells grown in a lab dish. However, in recent years, there has been a growing realization that the environment in which these cells are grown does not accurately mimic the natural environment of a tumor, and that this discrepancy could produce inaccurate results. |
 | Eliminating routine but low-value preoperative tests for cataract surgery patients associated with cost savingsUCLA researchers found that eliminating routine but unnecessary procedures before people undergo cataract surgery has the potential to save costs and resources for hospitals serving lower-income patients. |
 | Precise decoding of breast cancer cells creates new option for treatmentResearchers at the University of Zurich and from IBM Research have investigated the varying composition of cancer and immune cells in over 100 breast tumors. They've found that aggressive tumors are often dominated by a single type of tumor cell. If certain immune cells are present as well, an immune therapy could be successful for a specific group of breast cancer patients. |
 | Researchers discover crucial link between brain and gut stem cellsThe organs in our bodies house stem cells that are necessary to regenerate cells when they become damaged, diseased or too old to function. Researchers at Rutgers University have identified a new factor that is essential for maintaining the stem cells in the brain and gut and whose loss may contribute to anxiety and cognitive disorders and to gastrointestinal diseases. |
 | Scientists discover new arsenic-based broad-spectrum antibioticAntibiotic resistance has been called one of the biggest public health threats of our time. There is a pressing need for new and novel antibiotics to combat the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria worldwide. |
 | Healthy hearts need two proteins working togetherTwo proteins that bind to stress hormones work together to maintain a healthy heart in mice, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health and their collaborators. These proteins, stress hormone receptors known as the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), act in concert to help support heart health. When the signaling between the two receptors is out of balance, the mice have heart disease. |
 | Half of patients on statins fail to reach 'healthy' cholesterol level after 2 yearsHalf of patients prescribed statins in primary care fail to reach 'healthy' cholesterol levels after two years of treatment with these drugs, reveals research published online in the journal Heart. |
 | Dementia more preventable in Asia and Latin AmericaClose to one in two cases of dementia could be preventable in low- to middle-income countries, finds a new UCL study. |
 | Colorectal neoplasia risk up for Hodgkin Lymphoma survivors(HealthDay)—Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors have an increased risk for advanced colorectal neoplasia, including advanced adenomas, advanced serrated lesions, and serrated polyposis syndrome, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer. |
Indicators of despair rising among Gen X-ers entering middle ageIndicators of despair—depression, suicidal ideation, drug use and alcohol abuse—are rising among Americans in their late 30s and early 40s across most demographic groups, according to new research led by Lauren Gaydosh, assistant professor of Medicine, Health and Society and Public Policy Studies at Vanderbilt University. These findings suggest that the increase in "deaths of despair" observed among low-educated middle-aged white Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) in recent studies may begin to impact the youngest members of Generation X (born 1974-1983) more broadly in the years to come. | |
 | Common sleep myths compromise good sleep and healthPeople often say they can get by on five or fewer hours of sleep, that snoring is harmless, and that having a drink helps you to fall asleep. |
 | Study suggests college students end up in vicious cycle of substance abuse, poor academics, stressOne negative behavior such as substance abuse or heavy alcohol drinking can lead college students toward a vicious cycle of poor lifestyle choices, lack of sleep, mental distress and low grades, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. |
 | Simple test can indicate prolonged symptoms following pediatric sports-related concussionResearchers from Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, have found that abnormal performance on the Romberg balance test can indicate that children and adolescents will experience prolonged symptoms following sports-related concussion. This finding is reported today in a new article by David R. Howell, Ph.D., and colleagues in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics ("Clinical predictors of symptom resolution for children and adolescents with sport-related concussion"). |
Surgical site infection rates differ by gender for certain proceduresMen and women are at differing risks of developing surgical site infections depending on the type of operation they undergo, according to new research being presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April). | |
 | Workplace wellness programs may help people change certain behaviors but do little to improve overallWorkplace wellness programs have been touted as a powerful tool that can make employees healthier and more productive while reducing health care spending, but the results of a new Harvard study suggest such interventions yield unimpressive results in the short term. |
 | New lead testing recommendations inconclusive, but do not mean screeningAn NYU pediatrician and researcher writes in JAMA Pediatrics that new recommendations on testing children for lead are inconclusive, but do not mean that we should abandon screening children for elevated lead levels. |
 | Additional routine ultrasounds benefit mothers and babies and could be cost-savingOffering universal late pregnancy ultrasounds at 36 weeks would benefit mothers and babies and could be cost saving—according to research from the University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia. |
 | Oxytocin could help treat alcohol use disorderThe neuropeptide oxytocin blocks enhanced drinking in alcohol-dependent rats, according to a study published April 16 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology led by Drs. Tunstall, Koob and Vendruscolo of the National Institutes of Health, and Drs. Kirson and Roberto of The Scripps Research Institute. Targeting the oxytocin system, the authors note, may provide novel pharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of alcohol-use disorder. |
 | What happens in the bodies of ALS patients?Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable disease of the central nervous system. In most cases, ALS is fatal within a short period following diagnosis. However, people sometimes live with the disease for decades, as did the astrophysicist Steven Hawking. What happens in the body of an ALS patient? Muscle movement is controlled by specialised neurons called motor neurons. During the course of the disease, motor neurons gradually die. As ALS progresses, patients increasingly suffer from muscle weakness and paralysis, which leads to speech, movement and swallowing disorders, and severe restrictions in daily life. |
 | Scientists alter 3-D genome using 'small molecules'Researchers have discovered that the spatial organization of the genome can be altered using small molecule compounds which are considered as promising anti-cancer drugs. This work opens up the prospect of developing a new class of anticancer epigenetic drugs that alter the 3-D genome. The results were published in Nature Communications. |
 | Discovery of oral cancer biomarkers could save thousands of livesOral cancer is known for its high mortality rate in developing countries, but an international team of scientists hope its latest discovery will change that. |
 | Legislation to raise tobacco purchasing age doesn't go far enoughThe American Heart Association issued the following statement regarding the Stopping Consumption of Tobacco by Teens (SCOTT Act), a bill to raise the minimum legal sales age for tobacco products to 21 nationwide, introduced by Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). |
 | Genetic analysis can provide better dosage of antipsychotic drugsAn initial gene analysis may yield better outcomes when patients are treated with the antipsychotic drugs risperidone and aripiprazole. A novel study shows how the activity of a specific enzyme, which metabolises the two drugs, affects the individual dose that should be given for optimal treatment. The study is published in The Lancet Psychiatry and has been conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, in collaboration with the Diakonhjemmet Hospital in Oslo, Norway. |
A redesigned endoscope for healthcare in low-to-middle income countriesEngineers have developed a prototype endoscope which they say could cut the cost of manufacture from £80,000 to just £40. | |
 | High-dose, immune-boosting or four-strain? A guide to flu vaccines for over-65sFlu vaccines work by exposing the body to a component of the virus so it can "practise" fighting it off, without risking infection. The immune system can then mount a more rapid and effective response when faced with a "real" virus. |
 | Can caffeine improve your exercise performance?Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Nearly half the adult population in Australia drink it. |
 | Australians born through assisted reproduction technology are as healthy as other AussiesAustralians born through assisted reproduction are as healthy as people conceived naturally, according to a new study led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. |
 | Kids can get UTIs, too(HealthDay)—Adults aren't the only ones susceptible to urinary tract infections, or UTIs. They can occur in kids, even infants, if bacteria get into the urinary tract, often from the bowel. |
 | A new twist to work your obliques(HealthDay)—Obliques are the muscles that run along the sides of your torso, from the lower eight ribs to the front of the hip bone. They contract when you rotate your torso, so a great way to develop them is with an exercise called the Russian twist. |
 | Hospital closure hurts a town's ability to attract retireesWhen a rural community loses its hospital, health care becomes harder to come by in an instant. But a hospital closure also shocks a small town's economy. It shuts down one of its largest employers. It scares off heavy industry that needs an emergency room nearby. And in one Tennessee town, a lost hospital means lost hope of attracting more retirees. |
 | 'He's not crazy. He's hurting': Suicides are rising for young black and Latino men in TexasHip-hop is therapy for Tye Harris. |
 | Heavy rains, end of drought could help keep West Nile virus subdued for nowThe end of California's drought, announced last month amid one of the rainiest winters in memory, could offer a surprising benefit: reduced transmission of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus. |
 | Treating trauma in children after the physical wounds have healed: 'I want to start fresh'E'Lonye Harris was 17 when three bullets tore through his body last November. He woke up from a coma with staples holding his belly closed and tubes sticking out of his collapsed lung. |
 | Infectious diseases A-Z: Why the measles virus is so contagiousMeasles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads through coughing or sneezing. |
 | Health insurance coverage increases for individuals on probation after ACA implementationOver 6 million adults are supervised by the United States correctional system on any given day. Approximately 3.7 million of those adults are on probation and serve their sentences while living in the community. People involved in the correctional system are more likely to have a chronic condition, substance use disorders, or mental illness and are at higher risk of being uninsured when compared with the general population. |
 | Testosterone: Why defining a 'normal' level is difficultTestosterone is the main sex hormone in men. It's best known for its role in the development of male sexual characteristics and physical features, but there are also many surprising and lesser known functions of testosterone that make it an important hormone in health and disease. Identifying whether someone has too much or too little testosterone can predict future diseases and even treat them. But knowing what is high, low or normal for an individual isn't straightforward. |
 | Testosterone and cortisol modulate the effects of empathy on aggression in childrenResearchers at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country have explored the psychobiological mechanisms that may exist behind aggressive behaviour in children. The study, which included 139 eight-year-old children, has concluded that low levels of testosterone and high levels of empathy may explain the low levels of aggressive behaviour in girls; low levels of empathy and high levels of cortisol may account for high levels of aggressive behaviour in boys. |
 | CDC: 555 confirmed measles cases in U.S. since Jan. 1(HealthDay)—The 555 confirmed cases of measles reported in 20 states between Jan. 1 and April 11 this year represent the second highest number of measles cases reported in the United States since measles was eliminated in the nation in 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. |
 | Safer button battery technology poised for commercial developmentThe technology, developed by senior lecturer Jeongbin Ok from the University's School of Design, allows quick detection of button batteries swallowed by children or infants. After many years creating, testing, and working with industry on the invention, Mr Ok and Viclink, the University's commercialisation office, are ready to take the invention to the next level by partnering with global battery manufacturers. Mr Ok's invention has been patented in the United States, European Union, and Japan. |
 | UCSD patient gets first cancer treatment made from stem cellsA new form of cancer immunotherapy has been given to a University of California, San Diego Health patient in the first test of immune cells grown from stem cells. |
 | Mass drug administrations can grant population protection against malariaResearchers have provided the first evidence that mass drug administration (MDA) can grant community-level protection against Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) malaria. |
 | A thorough characterization of structural variants in human genomesHuman genomes vary quite a bit from individual to individual. These differences include single nucleotide changes, or "spelling mistakes" in the DNA sequence, but even more variation comes from structural variants, which include additions, deletions and rearrangements of large segments of DNA. A recent study used multiple advanced technologies to dive deeper than ever before to comprehensively characterize the structural variants present in three families, and what their functional consequences might be. |
 | Scientists report new approach to reduce or prevent renal fibrosisRenal fibrosis, the abnormal accumulation of fibrotic material within the kidney, hinders kidney function and may lead to eventual renal failure. Using genetically altered mice, researchers from Duke University investigated the mechanisms of interaction between the T cells, angiotensin receptors (AT1), and macrophages to understand their role in impeding renal fibrosis. A report in the American Journal of Pathology suggests that selectively activating AT1 receptors on T cells may help treat renal fibrosis. |
 | New role for innate immune sensor: Suppressing liver cancerUT Southwestern researchers have found that a protein in the body's innate immune system that responds to gut microbes can suppress the most common type of liver cancer. |
 | Despite transition period, maximal running shoes may still increase risk of injuryA six-week transition period did not help wearers adjust to "maximal" running shoes, indicating that increased impact forces and loading rates caused by the shoe design do not change over time, a new study from Oregon State University—Cascades has found. |
Magic mouthwash effective treatment for mouth sore pain caused by radiation therapy"Magic mouthwash," an oral rinse containing diphenhydramine, lidocaine and antacids, significantly reduced pain from oral mucositis, mouth sores, in patients receiving radiation therapy for cancers of the head and neck when compared to plaecbo. These were the findings of a multi-institution, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III clinical trial, led by Robert Miller, M.D., an emeritus Mayo Clinic radiation oncologist. Dr. Miller and his colleagues published their findings on Tuesday, April 16, in JAMA. | |
 | Probing the mystery of drug resistance: New hope for leukemia's toughest casesThree children Alejandro Gutierrez, MD, treated for leukemia during his fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital still haunt him more than a decade later. One 15-year-old boy died from the toxicity of the drugs he was given; the other two patients went through the whole treatment only to die when their leukemia came back. "That really prompted a deep frustration with the status quo," Gutierrez recalls. "It's motivated everything I've done in the lab since then." |
 | The pressure to prescribe: Antibiotic stewardship in the outpatient settingOutpatient healthcare providers inappropriately prescribed antibiotics to 40 percent of patients in a major Veterans Affairs healthcare system, a higher figure than in previous studies examining outpatient antibiotic use, according to a new study appearing in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. |
 | AI performs as well as experienced radiologists in detecting prostate cancerUCLA researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence system to help radiologists improve their ability to diagnose prostate cancer. The system, called FocalNet, helps identify and predict the aggressiveness of the disease evaluating magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans, and it does so with nearly the same level of accuracy as experienced radiologists. In tests, FocalNet was 80.5 percent accurate in reading MRIs, while radiologists with at least 10 years of experience were 83.9 percent accurate. |
Large federal program aimed at providing better health care underfunds primary careDespite a mandate to help patients make better-informed health care decisions, a ten-year research program established under the Affordable Care Act has funded a relatively small number of studies that examine primary care, the setting where the majority of patients in the U.S. receive treatment. | |
 | Cognitive behavioral therapy effective for prenatal insomnia(HealthDay)—Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective nonpharmacologic treatment for insomnia during pregnancy, according to a study published online April 5 in Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | Replacing 30 minutes of sitting with activity may cut mortality(HealthDay)—Replacing half an hour of daily sitting time with even light physical activity is associated with a reduction in mortality risk among less active adults, according to a study published online March 21 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. |
 | Barriers to opioid use disorder treatment should be addressed(HealthDay)—Barriers to accessing treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) need to be addressed to help curb the epidemic, according to a report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. |
 | Trigeminal nerve stimulation beats sham tx for peds ADHD(HealthDay)—Trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) showed efficacy when compared with a similar sham procedure for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, according to a double-blind, controlled pilot study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. |
 | Hot-car deaths hit record high in 2018(HealthDay)—Experts say 51 children died in hot cars in the United States last year—the highest toll on record. |
 | ACP: half of practices implement telehealth technology(HealthDay)—Roughly half of internal medicine physicians report working in a practice that has telehealth technology, according to the results of a survey released by the American College of Physicians (ACP) at its annual Internal Medicine Meeting, held from April 11 to 13 in Philadelphia. |
 | Reasons for TKI discontinuation ID'd in chronic myeloid leukemia(HealthDay)—For patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy can be safely discontinued and yields high rates of treatment-free remission (TFR), according to a study published online March 16 in Hematology. |
 | US health officials seek to stem measles outbreaks traced to Israel, UkraineThe origins of the measles outbreak in the United States are not a mystery. |
 | FDA halts all sales of pelvic mesh products tied to injuries in women(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday announced a ban on the sale of all pelvic mesh products. |
 | Mindful body awareness training during treatment for drug addiction helps prevent relapseA novel type of body awareness training helps women recover from drug addiction, according to new research from the University of Washington. People in the study made marked improvement, and many improvements lasted for a year. |
Radiology publishes roadmap for AI in medical imagingIn August 2018, a workshop was held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., to explore the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging. The workshop was co-sponsored by NIH, the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the American College of Radiology (ACR) and The Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research (The Academy). The organizers aimed to foster collaboration in applications for diagnostic medical imaging, identify knowledge gaps and develop a roadmap to prioritize research needs. The group's research roadmap was published today as a special report in the journal Radiology. | |
Men's knowledge on prostate cancer needs improvingUBC researchers have determined the majority of men struggle when it comes to understanding the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. | |
Pre-treatment mental health assessment of trans people 'dehumanising' and 'unjustified'Doctors should ditch the requirement for a mental health assessment of transgender teens and adults before prescribing them hormone treatment, argues an activist and bioethicist, drawing on their own personal experience in the Journal of Medical Ethics. | |
Continuing PC vaccine in Kenya at full price cost-effective and could save thousands of livesCo-led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Impact Study estimated that continuing the vaccine beyond 2022 would prevent—in the first ten years—more than 100,000 children and adults from contracting pneumococcal disease and save the lives of 14,000 children and adults who would otherwise have died. | |
Improving the ACA's insurance coverage provisions will improve patient careThe American College of Physicians (ACP) published a paper today in the Annals of Internal Medicine that examines ways to improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Improving the Affordable Care Act's Insurance Coverage Provisions provides a set of recommendations to strengthen the ACA and lay the foundation for health care reforms that will lead to universal coverage for all Americans. | |
Antibiotic resistance gene transmitted between pets at a UK animal hospitalA gene that enables bacteria to be highly resistant to linezolid, an antibiotic that is used as a last resort for treating infections in humans, has been found in bacterial samples from cats and a dog at a small-animal hospital in the UK for the first time. The new research is being presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April). | |
Vaccine-preventable diseases surge in crisis-hit VenezuelaVaccine-preventable diseases have not just returned, but surged in crisis hit Venezuela, according to new research presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April). The study is by Dr. Adriana Tami (University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands and University of Carabobo, Venezuela) and Dr. Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi (IDB Biomedical Research Institute, Barquisimeto, Venezuela), and colleagues. | |
Hospital study finds substantial proportion of patients and healthcare workers shed flu virus before symptoms appearNew research examining influenza transmission in a tertiary hospital finds that a substantial proportion of patients and healthcare works shed the flu virus before the appearance of clinical symptoms. The findings, being presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April), raise the possibility that current influenza infection control measures may not be enough to protect healthcare workers and patients during routine care in hospitals. | |
 | New limbs, new life for South Sudan amputeesStephen, 12, romps confidently around the sunlit courtyard, weaving in between wheelchair-bound patients as he plays with the other children, his prosthetic leg barely a hindrance. |
 | Commentary: Tackling racial disparities in maternal healthThe United States is the only country in the developed world to see an increase in women dying as a result of childbirth. Nearly 1,000 women die each year of pregnancy-related complications—deaths that could likely have been prevented with timely and proper interventions. This issue is particularly troubling for minority women. For every 10 pregnancy-related deaths of white women, 30-40 African-American women will die from pregnancy-related causes. However, efforts are under way, with broad bipartisan support, to tackle these disparities. |
 | Women's wellness: Seven tips for back pain relief during pregnancyBack pain during pregnancy isn't surprising, but it still deserves attention. You're gaining weight, your center of gravity changes, and your hormones are relaxing the ligaments in the joints of your pelvis. Often, however, you can prevent or ease back pain during pregnancy. Consider seven ways to give pregnancy back pain the boot. |
 | Making smarter decisions about where to recover after hospitalizationEvery year, nearly 2 million people on Medicare—most of them older adults—go to a skilled nursing facility to recover after a hospitalization. But choosing the facility can be daunting, according to an emerging body of research. |
Uninformed, overwhelmed clients; unrealistic agency expectationsMore than 1.2 million children in the United States receive services because they are mistreated and about 400,000 of them are placed in foster care annually. Prior studies have shown that only 23 percent of children in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems receive services, even though about 67 percent of them have mental health needs that warrant treatment. | |
'PRO-cision Medicine' aims to turn patient-reported outcome ratings into personalized carePatient-reported outcomes (PROs) are an important target for efforts to improve healthcare - focusing on the most important problems and outcomes identified by patients themselves. A special supplement to Medical Care presents a toolkit of methods to help personalize care for patients with cancer using a 'PRO-cision Medicine' approach. | |
 | Novel biomarkers for noninvasive diagnosis of NAFLD-related fibrosisWith an estimated 25% of people worldwide affected by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), there is a large unmet need for accurate, noninvasive measures to enhance early diagnosis and screening of hepatic fibrosis. A new, comprehensive review of the latest research on novel biomarkers, biomarker panels, and advanced technology to detect fibrosis and predict the risk of NAFLD-related complications and mortality is published in OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology. |
 | North Macedonia declares measles epidemicNorth Macedonia's health authorities have declared a nationwide measles epidemic in the small Balkan country after more than 960 cases were registered since the beginning of this year. |
 | Team tackles equine encephalitis virusesViruses without a preventative vaccine or treatment option pose a looming threat. But for viruses in this category that have already been weaponized and are recognized as human biothreats by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's a race to find a cure. |
 | Teen's trip to the mall could have been her lastSydney Ridlehoover had finished her chores and convinced her parents to take her and a friend to the mall near their home outside Columbus, Ohio. Once they arrived, the girls got out of the car and walked ahead, laughing and talking. |
Congo's president wants Ebola contained within 3 monthsCongo's president on Tuesday said he wants to see a deadly Ebola virus outbreak contained in less than three months even as some health experts say it could take twice as long. | |
Large multi-ethnic genome-wide association study of asthma identifies novel associationsA large, multi-ethnic genome-wide association study (GWAS) of asthma identified novel associations with potential relevance for asthma susceptibility in older adults of diverse racial backgrounds. The study, "Large-scale, multi-ethnic genome wide association study identifies novel loci contributing to asthma susceptibility in adults," appears in the April issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. | |
Biology news
 | Honey, I ate the kids: The sweet side of filial cannibalismAs you bite into a chocolate bunny or egg this weekend, consider this: rabbits often eat their own young, and hens their own eggs. |
 | Bacteria harness viruses to distinguish friend from foeBacterial cells that normally colonize our guts can distinguish themselves from other bacterial species using what's traditionally considered their enemy—a virus. Researchers report April 16 in the journal Cell Reports that some bacteria use viruses that have infected them (i.e., phages) for self-recognition and thereby show greater fitness, repelling competitors that lack this adaptation. |
 | New study proves for the first time that intestinal bacteria grow in pregnant womenBar-Ilan University researchers have found that these bacteria "sense" pregnancy and "understand" the need to move to the next generation in order to assist babies in breaking down the sugar in mother's milk. |
 | In mice, feeding time influences the liver's biological clockThe timing of food intake is a major factor driving the rhythmic expression of most genes in the mouse liver, researchers report April 16th in the journal Cell Reports. The findings demonstrate that body-wide signals driven by rhythmic food intake significantly contribute to driving rhythms in liver metabolic functions and gene expression independently of the liver and clock. |
 | A biosynthetic dual-core cell computerETH researchers have integrated two CRISPR-Cas9-based core processors into human cells. This represents a huge step towards creating powerful biocomputers. |
 | Aphid soldiers found to sacrifice themselves to protect their colony from predatorsA team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Japan has found that soldier aphids willingly sacrifice their own lives when they attempt to protect their colony from predators. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group outlines their study of the small insects and what they found. |
 | Sequencing of snailfish from Mariana Trench reveals clues on how it adapted to live in such deep waterA large team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has learned more about a type of snailfish that lives in the deepest parts of the ocean. In their paper published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the researchers describe sequencing the genome of the fish and what they learned from their study. |
 | Can multiple carnivores coexist in cities?As growth makes neighborhoods more crowded for humans, it's also concentrating carnivores like bobcats and coyotes into the remaining green spaces, leading them to interact with each other more frequently than they do in wild areas, according to research in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. |
Climate change threatens endangered sparrowsA new study in The Condor: Ornithological Applications finds that some sparrow species will go extinct within the century due to climate change. | |
Linkage is a drag: First wheat gene to rapidly convert defective traits for newWhen it comes to breeding better wheat varieties, often, though we seek to introduce desirable genes that increase yield, for example; these can come along with less wanted genes than reduce some other vital plant function. | |
 | Papa roach: Chinese farmer breeds bugs for the tableAs farmer Li Bingcai opened the door to his cockroach farm in southwest China, an insect the size of a dart flew into his face. |
 | How jackdaws remember what they did where and whenCorvids are capable of cognitive feats that almost resemble those of humans. Neuroscientists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) intend to find out how their brain manages to fulfill such complex tasks – although its structure is completely different than that of the human brain. For a year, the researchers have been training two jackdaws in a complex behavioural experiment, where the birds learn to remember what they did where and when. The underlying processes in the brain are to be determined through subsequent neurophysiological analyses. An article on the research conducted by the work group Avian Cognitive Neuroscience, headed by Dr. Jonas Rose, has been published in the RUB's science magazine Rubin. |
 | Cute jumping spider named for children's authorA spider expert at the Manchester Museum has confirmed a new species of jumping spider discovered in a park in Hong Kong. The unique spider bears a striking resemblance to a caterpillar leading it to be named Uroballus Carlei, after author of the ubiquitous children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle. The book celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the same year that Carle turns 90. |
 | The new plan for destroying invasive pythonsMale pythons surgically implanted with inch-long radio transmitters that are then tracked by plane every two weeks. The hope is the male will lead to a female. |
 | The high price endangered animals pay for charisma"Wanted: beautiful, intelligent companion well-versed in the art of conversation." It's a familiar story, but don't expect a fairy-tale ending. In this instance, we're talking about a transaction that condemns one of the protagonists to life imprisonment in a cage – or an untimely death in transit at the hands of traffickers. Not exactly a match made in heaven. |
Tree dens play a critical role in panda lifestyleIn a paper recently published in the journal Biological Conservation, an international team of conservationists highlights the importance of tree dens for pandas raising infants in native habitats. The study, conducted in Fengtongzai and Foping Nature Reserves in China, analyzed the difference in microhabitats of cave dens and tree dens used by female pandas. The result of the research suggests that conservation efforts need to take into account key resources, such as large old trees that provide important microhabitats that support rare and endangered wildlife. | |
 | Study finds white sharks flee feeding areas when orcas presentNew research from Monterey Bay Aquarium and partner institutions published today in Nature Scientific Reports challenges the notion that great white sharks are the most formidable predators in the ocean. The study "Killer Whales Redistribute White Shark Foraging Pressure On Seals" shows how the great white hunter becomes the hunted, and the elephant seal, the common prey of sharks and orcas, emerges as the winner. |
 | China seizes nearly 2,750 elephant tusks in huge bustChinese authorities have seized 7.5 tonnes of ivory—2,748 elephant tusks—in one of the biggest busts in recent years as the country cracks down on the sale of illegal wildlife products. |
 | Malaysia arrests Vietnam poachers, seizes tiger, bear partsMalaysian authorities have arrested two suspected poachers from Vietnam and seized body parts from tigers and bears, a minister said Tuesday, as the country clamps down on rampant wildlife trafficking. |
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