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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for June 14, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Cassini reveals new sculpting in Saturn ringsAs NASA's Cassini dove close to Saturn in its final year, the spacecraft provided intricate detail on the workings of Saturn's complex rings, new analysis shows. |
 | To the Moon and back: 50 years on, a giant leap into the unknownThe first four days of Apollo 11's journey to the Moon had gone according to plan, but just twenty minutes before landing, the atmosphere grew tense as the crew encountered a series of problems. |
 | Hubble sets sights on an explosive galaxyWhen massive stars die at the end of their short lives, they light up the cosmos with bright, explosive bursts of light and material known as supernovae. A supernova event is incredibly energetic and intensely luminous—so much so that it forms what looks like an especially bright new star that slowly fades away over time. |
 | When the world stopped to watch Armstrong's moonwalkWhen Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, he became the biggest live television star in history. |
 | Life on Jupiter's moon Europa? Discovery of table salt on the surface boosts hopesEuropa, a frozen moon around Jupiter, is believed to be one of the most habitable worlds in the solar system. It was first imaged in detail by the Voyager 1 probe in 1979, revealing a surface almost devoid of large craters. This suggested that water regularly floods up from inside, resurfacing the satellite. Europa is also criss-crossed with long troughs, folds and ridges, potentially made of icebergs floating around in melt-water or slush. |
 | OSIRIS-REx breaks another orbit recordOn June 12, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft performed another significant navigation maneuver—breaking its own world record for the closest orbit of a planetary body by a spacecraft. |
 | The mast is raised for NASA's Mars 2020 roverIn this image, taken on June 5, 2019, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, take a moment after attaching the remote sensing mast to the Mars 2020 rover in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 clean room. Full integration of the mast—a process that includes installation of science instrument sensors, electrical wiring and checkout—continued into the following week, concluding on June 11. |
Technology news
 | Spintronic memory cells for neural networksIn recent years, researchers have proposed a wide variety of hardware implementations for feed-forward artificial neural networks. These implementations include three key components: a dot-product engine that can compute convolution and fully-connected layer operations, memory elements to store intermediate inter and intra-layer results, and other components that can compute non-linear activation functions. |
 | Samsung patent talk reveals smartphone designs on rollableSamsung watchers are buzzing around over a discovered patent filing with the World Intellectual Property Office. Topic in hand: a design for some kind of rollable device. |
 | 'Deepfakes' called new election threat, with no easy fix"Deepfake" videos pose a clear and growing threat to America's national security, lawmakers and experts say. The question is what to do about it, and that's not easily answered. |
 | Instagram, PlayStation hit with outagesAn Instagram outage on Thursday left users of the Facebook-owned social network flocking to Twitter to vent frustration. |
 | Amid privacy firestorm, Facebook curbs research toolFacebook has curbed access to a controversial feature allowing searches of the vast content within the social network—a tool which raised privacy concerns but was also used for research and investigative journalism. |
 | How do you go online? More of you are choosing phone over home broadband, Pew survey saysYou get your internet at home by subscribing to a high speed broadband service, as do a majority of your fellow Americans. That is unless you're among the 1 in 4 adults who've ditched or passed on home broadband. And many of you who've come to that decision have found what you deem a suitable substitute: your smartphone. |
 | Elon Musk says Teslas to get games 'Beach Buggy Racing 2,' 'Fallout Shelter'Coming soon to a Tesla screen near you: A racing game that uses the car's steering wheel. |
 | New technology aims to improve taste, shelf life, production of beer, foodJust in time for summer—a new technology to improve the taste, quality and shelf life of juice and other beverages, and help craft brewers make more beer. |
 | Ethics of AI: how should we treat rational, sentient robots – if they existed?Imagine a world where humans co-existed with beings who, like us, had minds, thoughts, feelings, self-conscious awareness and the capacity to perform purposeful actions—but, unlike us, these beings had artificial mechanical bodies that could be switched on and off. |
 | Vietnam's first homegrown car to be delivered in daysVietnam's homegrown carmaker VinFast will deliver its first cars on June 17, the company said Friday as it showcased a factory in one of Asia's fastest growing economies. |
 | Making the 'human-body internet' more effectiveWireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have made remote connectivity easier, and as electronics become smaller and faster, the adoption of "wearables" has increased. From smart watches to implantables, such devices interact with the human body in ways that are very different from those of a computer. However, they both use the same protocols to transfer information, making them vulnerable to the same security risks. Thus, researchers consider using the human body itself to transfer and collect information. This area of research is known as human body communication (HBC). Now, scientists from Japan report HBC characteristics specific to impedance and electrodes, which they say "have the potential to improve the design and working of devices based on HBC." |
 | Student creates portable wallet to keep medication cool after being inspired by girlfriend's storyA student from Loughborough University has designed a portable wallet to keep medication cool after being inspired by his girlfriend who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). |
 | Development of durable MTJ under harsh environment for STT-MRAM at 1Xnm technology nodeResearchers at Tohoku University have announced the development of a new magnetic tunnel junction, by which the team has demonstrated an extended retention time for digital information without an increase of the active power consumption. |
 | Beyond Queen's stomp-stomp-clap: Concerts and computer science converge in new researchThe iconic "stomp-stomp-clap" of Queen's "We Will Rock You" was born out of the challenge that rock stars and professors alike know all too well: How to get large numbers of people engaged in participating during a live performance like a concert—or a lecture—and channel that energy for a sustained time period. |
 | With lions, elephants, Airbnb goes all-in on adventure toursA new category of adventure travel—from tracking lions in Kenya to walking with elephants in Thailand—is now on the menu at Airbnb as the home-sharing startup expands its offerings. |
 | Grounding of Boeing plane hovers over big air show in ParisUncertainty over a Boeing jet and apprehension about the global economy hover over the aircraft industry as it prepares for next week's Paris Air Show. |
 | Catfish capitals? Alaska tops the states where your online romance may be a scamSummer romance is in the air and the special someone you just met at an online dating site or on social media seems too good to be true. The sad truth is the person just might turn out to be. |
 | VW aims to raise up to 1.9bn euros by floating TratonVolkswagen aims to raise between 1.6 billion and 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) by listing between 10 and 11.5 percent of the capital for its truck division Traton on the stock market. |
 | How a cyber attack hampered Hong Kong protestersMassive public protests taking place in Hong Kong over the past week are aimed at a new extradition law, known as the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, that would see accused criminals extradited to mainland China to face prosecution. |
One class in all languagesAdvances in communication technology have had a major impact in all sorts of industries, but perhaps none bigger than in education. Now, anyone from around the world can listen live to a Nobel Prize laureate lecture or earn credits from the most reputable universities via internet access. However, the possible information to be gained from watching and listening online is lost if the audience cannot understand the language of the lecturer. To solve this problem, scientists at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan, presented a solution with new machine learning at the 240th meeting of the Special Interest Group of Natural Language Processing, Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ SIG-NL). | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Exercise may have different effects in the morning and eveningResearchers from the University of Copenhagen have learned that the effect of exercise may differ depending on the time of day it is performed. In mice, they demonstrate that exercise in the morning results in an increased metabolic response in skeletal muscle, while exercise later in the day increases energy expenditure for an extended period of time. |
 | Examining how people's emotions are influenced by othersIn a new study, Stanford psychologists examined why some people respond differently to an upsetting situation and learned that people's motivations play an important role in how they react. |
 | Modified protein can prevent Alzheimer's disease in miceThe amyloid precursor protein has always been vilified as a major cause of Alzheimer's disease. One of its fragments, the amyloid-beta peptide, can break off and accumulate in the brain, giving rise to the puffy white globs known as senile plaques that are a hallmark of the disease. |
 | Researchers discover new drug target for liver disease treatmentA possible drug target for chronic liver disease has been identified by an international research collaboration involving a University of Queensland team. |
 | Researchers' discovery could lead to improved therapies for duchenne muscular dystrophyA new multi-institution study spearheaded by researchers at Florida State University and the University of California, Los Angeles suggests a tiny protein could play a major role in combating heart failure related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common lethal genetic disorder among children. |
 | Small cluster of neurons is off-on switch for mouse songsResearchers at Duke University have isolated a cluster of neurons in a mouse's brain that are crucial to making the squeaky, ultrasonic 'songs' a male mouse produces when courting a potential mate. |
 | Time-honoured tactics to the fore as I. Coast confronts dengue peril"Cover your goods," Diakaria Fofana, a doctor of public health, warns food vendors as a thick cloud of insecticide spray wafts down a street in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital. |
 | Facing measles outbreaks, New York bans religious vaccination exemptionsConfronted with both serious measles outbreaks and a growing anti-vaccine movement, New York lawmakers voted Thursday to ban religious exemptions that would allow parents to circumvent school-mandated vaccination. |
 | For stomach cancer, aerosol chemotherapy offers breath of hope"Classic chemotherapy was awful... but with this treatment, I feel hope," says French pensioner Jacques Braud, who is undergoing treatment for stomach cancer with a new form of therapy dispersed by aerosol. |
 | First US murder trial using DNA, family tree evidenceA truck driver implicated by his DNA and family tree in a double murder more than 30 years after the crime will face trial this week in the first case using a revolutionary investigative technique. |
 | Study develops updated national birth weight referenceA new paper provides an updated national birth weight reference for the United States using the most recent, nationally representative birth data. The study, "A 2017 US reference for singleton birth weight percentiles using obstetric estimates of gestation," led by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, appears in the June 14 issue of Pediatrics. |
 | Virtual, face-to-face exercise coaching motivates employees who are at high risk of heart disease, diabetes to exerciseA personalised active lifestyle programme for employees with metabolic syndrome (who are at high risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes) that uses wearable activity trackers, a smartphone app, and face-to-face sessions with exercise coaches, can reduce disease severity in both men and women in various occupations, according to a randomised trial of over 300 workers published in The Lancet Public Health journal. |
 | Excess weight and body fat cause cardiovascular diseaseExcess weight and body fat cause a range of heart and blood vessel diseases, according to the first study to investigate this using a method called Mendelian randomisation. |
 | Discovery of new genetic causes of male infertilityInfertility—the failure to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse—affects one in every six couples worldwide, and the man is implicated in about half of these cases. Despite the known importance of genetic factors in the event of the man producing no sperm, only about 25% of these cases can be explained currently. A study to be presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics tomorrow (Saturday) has uncovered new potential genetic causes, and this discovery will help to develop better diagnostic tests for male infertility. |
 | Higher coronary artery calcium levels in middle-age may indicate higher risk for future heart problemsHigher coronary artery calcium levels in middle-age were associated with structural heart abnormalities linked to future heart failure, particularly among blacks, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, an American Heart Association journal. |
 | Never say 'die': Why so many doctors won't break bad newsAfter nearly 40 years as an internist, Dr. Ron Naito knew what the sky-high results of his blood test meant. And it wasn't good. |
 | Polycomb protein EED plays a starring role in hippocampal developmentThe dentate gyrus (DG) is the input region of the hippocampus and plays an important role in learning and memory. Although emerging evidence suggests that abnormal expression of the polycomb repressive complex 2 protein (PRC2) might cause neurological disease, the underlying molecular mechanisms had not been explored until recently. |
 | Two genes implicated in development of prostate enlargementStanford scientists have identified a genetic signature that signals enlarged prostate tissue. The discovery has helped them find possible drivers of the condition. |
 | People with mobility issues set to benefit from wearable devicesThe lives of thousands of people with mobility issues could be transformed thanks to ground-breaking research by scientists at the University of Bristol. |
 | Researchers discover mechanism by which cells communicate in inflammatory processesA research group from MedUni Vienna and CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has discovered a new mechanism by which cells communicate in inflammatory processes. This involves endogenous mitochondria released from white blood cells turning into initiators of inflammation. It is as if friends turn into enemies. The results have now been published in the journal Circulation Research. |
 | Irritable bowel syndrome may be underdiagnosed in athletesFor some athletes, intense workouts can send them running to the bathroom rather than the finish line—if they're able to exercise at all, that is. A recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois suggests that many of these athletes may have undiagnosed irritable bowel syndrome. |
 | Low THC levels not linked to increased risk of car crashes: studyCanadian drug-impaired driving laws penalize drivers found to have blood THC levels of between two to five nanograms per millilitre. However, new research led by the University of British Columbia suggests that THC levels less than five nanograms/ml of blood do not lead to an increased risk of causing car crashes in most drivers. |
 | Vitamin D metabolite helps stop drug-resistant cancerWhat's good for our bones may also help stop cancer cells that develop resistance to multiple chemotherapy drugs. |
 | Researchers identify genes that are key to keeping blood vessels healthyWhat keeps our blood vessels viable, allowing them to do the vital work of transporting blood to and from the heart? Yale researchers have identified two genes that are central to this critical function. |
 | Cell-cell signals in developing heartDuring late stages of heart development, interactions between the endocardium (the inner layer of cells) and the myocardium (the heart muscle) are known to be crucial. Signaling between these two cell layers during the earliest stages of heart development has been more difficult to study. |
 | Youth drug use trends will compel primary care physicians to keep upThe times are changing, and so are drug and alcohol use trends among American youth. |
 | Who's your daddy? Don't ask a DNA test"Man Ordered to Pay $65K in Child Support for Kid Who Isn't His." "Father Hopes to Change State Paternity Law" after losing custody of his biological daughter to another man. The headlines are lurid and seemingly nonsensical. How can a man bear financial responsibility for a child that is not "his"? How can he be denied legal paternity of a child whom he conceived? |
 | Consumer genetic testing customers stretch their DNA data further with third-party interpretation websitesBack in 2016, Helen (a pseudonym) took three different direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests: AncestryDNA, 23andMe and FamilyTreeDNA. She saw genetic testing as a way to enhance her paper trail genealogy research, and it panned out when she matched with several new relatives. |
 | For some, self-tracking means more than self-helpPeople who identify with the "Quantified Self movement" are, as expressed in the movement's motto, seeking "self-knowledge through self-tracking." They want to know how to sleep better, stay fit or have a more productive morning. They do this by keeping count of how many times they roll over in the night, how many steps they take in the day or how many emails they respond to in a week. |
 | Food as medicine? Scientists are getting closer through nutrigenomicsOne day, you may walk into your doctor's office and come out with a diet that's been personalized for your unique genetic makeup. Your "prescription": nutritional recommendations tailored to your DNA. |
 | The future of meat is shifting to plant-based productsWith summer just around the corner, it's not just the weather heating up in Canada. The plant-based foods sector is also starting to sizzle. |
 | Moving more and sitting less is good for the mind as well as the bodyPhysical activity has long been associated with better mental health. What's not well understood, however, is whether too much activity can negatively impact psychological well-being. |
 | Why too many fearless people on a team make collaboration less likelyTeamwork is common across society. From schools to multinational businesses, people usually collaborate in groups towards a shared goal. |
 | Record month for dementia diagnosis shows need for better tools, treatmentsAlzheimer's Research UK is calling for continued improvements in the way the UK diagnoses and treats dementia after a record number of people were diagnosed with dementia last month. The announcement from NHS England showed an increase of 7 percent in diagnoses since 2016. |
 | Entertainment sector workers' addictive substance intake increases, study saysEntertainment sector workers are among those with the highest consumption of psychoactive substances. According to a study of the year 2017, 17 percent of sector workers consume these substances in Spain, a figure falling between France's 22 percent and Holland's 16 percent. The study, conducted by CEU UCH University Nursing degree coordinator Isabel Almodóvar Fernández, included 284 stage assembly employees for shows, festivals and events in Spain, of which more than a third are habitual consumers of addictive substances such as alcohol (36.6 percent), cannabis (35.2 percent) and cocaine (1.8 percent). The motivational nursing intervention program designed by Isabel Almodóvar increased awareness of the low quality of life derived from their addictions and on the need to receive treatment. The results of the study were published earlier this week the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. |
 | Natural lipids in buttermilk could contribute to reducing cardiovascular risk in vulnerable populationsDairy products contain a wide variety of lipids, including triglycerides and polar lipids, the latter being specific lipids that naturally stabilize fat droplets and are notably found in cream and buttermilk. Polar lipids play a crucial physiological role as they are essential components of cell membranes. Preliminary experiments in rodents had revealed the beneficial effects of milk polar lipids on liver metabolism and the regulation of blood cholesterol levels. However, until now, these effects had never been demonstrated in human volunteers with a high cardiovascular risk. |
 | Rheumatoid arthritic pain could be caused by antibodiesAntibodies that exist in the joints before the onset of rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain even in the absence of arthritis, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report. The researchers believe that the finding, which is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, can represent a general mechanism in autoimmunity and that the results can facilitate the development of new ways of reducing non-inflammatory pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. |
 | Many young adults value sustainably produced foods, leading to healthier food choicesSustainable diets have many benefits in having a minimal impact on the environment, contributing to food security and promoting healthy life for present and future generations. Research focusing on selected components of sustainable diets, such as eating food that is organically grown/produced, minimally processed, locally grown, and not genetically modified, has found that individuals who are more aware of where and how food is produced tend to select more nutrient-dense food choices. |
 | Research aims to prevent resistance to staph infection treatmentResearchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are working to halt resistance to an antibiotic that treats serious staph infections in humans. |
 | Children with autism may use memory differently. Understanding this could improve educationAround one in every 70 Australians are on the autism spectrum. The proportion of children with autism is higher—more than 80% of all Australians on the autism spectrum are aged under 25. |
 | Sick with the flu? Here's why you feel so bad"You never forget the flu." This is the title of the Victorian health department's current campaign, which highlights people's recollections of having the flu. |
 | FIGO 2018 staging ups discrimination of stage 1B cervical cancer(HealthDay)—The Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018 staging schema improves discriminatory ability for women with stage IB cervical tumors, according to a study published online June 11 in Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | Vitamin D, estradiol deficiency have synergistic effect on MetS(HealthDay)—For Chinese postmenopausal women, vitamin D (VitD) and estradiol (E2) deficiency have a synergistic effect on metabolic syndrome (MetS), according to a study published online June 10 in Menopause. |
 | Depression symptoms greater in mothers with prior eating disorders(HealthDay)—Women with eating disorders experience persistently greater depressive symptoms across the life-course, according to a study recently published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. |
 | CDC: prevalence of meeting exercise guidelines recently increased(HealthDay)—From 2008 to 2017, there was an increase in the prevalence of meeting physical activity guidelines among adults living in rural and urban areas, according to research published in the June 14 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. |
 | Drug, alcohol, and suicide deaths up among millennials(HealthDay)—Drug, alcohol, and suicide deaths have increased among millennials, according to a report issued by the Trust for America's Health and the Well Being Trust. |
 | A simple way to help prevent child obesity(HealthDay)—Kids who don't drink water take in nearly 100 more calories from sugary drinks every day than those who do, according to a recent Penn State study. |
 | 5 easy ways to cut back your salt intake(HealthDay)—About two-thirds of Americans have taken steps to cut back on salt, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation. |
 | When healthy eating turns into a dangerous obsession(HealthDay)—When eating healthy becomes an around-the-clock obsession, it could be a sign of trouble. |
 | Online shopping interventions may help customers buy healthier foodsAltering the default order in which foods are shown on the screen, or offering substitutes lower in saturated fat could help customers make healthier choices when shopping for food online, according to a study published in the open access International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. |
 | Scientists develop 'mini-brain' model of human prion diseaseNational Institutes of Health scientists have used human skin cells to create what they believe is the first cerebral organoid system, or "mini-brain," for studying sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is a fatal neurodegenerative brain disease of humans believed to be caused by infectious prion protein. It affects about 1 in 1 million people. The researchers, from NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), hope the human organoid model will enable them to evaluate potential therapeutics for CJD and provide greater detail about human prion disease subtypes than the rodent and nonhuman primate models currently in use. |
 | Lowering cholesterol is not enough to reduce hyperactivity of the immune systemHypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Statins are the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs. However, despite treatment with statins, many patients with elevated cholesterol levels will still develop cardiovascular disease. |
 | Study shows that strength and weight training can control diabetes in obese individualsResearch conducted at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo State, Brazil, shows that vigorous physical exercise such as strength and weight training can reduce accumulated liver fat and improve blood sugar control in obese and diabetic individuals in a short time span, even before significant weight loss occurs. |
 | New measure shows antibiotics prescribed for children in hospitals around the worldA new measure has identified for the first time whether the most suitable antibiotics are being used to treat newborns and children in hospital on a national basis. |
 | Research explores the impact of masculine expectations on new fathers' mental healthPressures and expectations of masculinity and a lack of information and support for men can exacerbate mental health struggles for new fathers, research published by the Parliamentary Select Committee for Women and Equalities reports. |
 | Elder abuse increasing, without increased awarenessAbout 16% of older adults are victims of some form of mistreatment and the number of reported cases of elder abuse is steadily increasing. Because of poor record-keeping, however, those of us who study elder abuse don't know if the trend reflects an actual increase, an increase because of growing numbers of older adults, or only an increase in reporting due to greater awareness. |
 | Phantom sensations: when the sense of touch deceivesWithout being aware of it, people sometimes wrongly perceive tactile sensations. A new study in the scientific journal Current Biology shows how healthy people can sometimes misattribute touch to the wrong side of their body, or even to a completely wrong part of the body. The study was conducted by researchers at Bielefeld University's Cluster of Excellence CITEC, the University of Hamburg, and New York University. |
 | International experts call for action for world's 450 million scabies sufferersAn alignment of researchers, health ministries and the World Health Organization has outlined the key steps to develop a global program to control scabies—the parasitic disease that affects 450 million people each year in mainly low-income countries. |
 | Nine out of ten pairs of baby socks on the market contain traces of bisphenol A and parabens, study findsA team of scientists from the University of Granada and institutional collaborators has found that nine out of 10 pairs of socks for babies and children from zero to four years old contain traces of bisphenol A and parabens. The hormonal activities of these two endocrine disruptors have been linked to dysfunctions that can trigger illnesses in both children and adults. |
 | Moral emotions, a diagnotic tool for frontotemporal dementia?A study conducted by Marc Teichmann and Carole Azuar at the Brain and Spine Institute in Paris (France) and at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital shows a particularly marked impairment of moral emotions in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The results, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, open a new approach for early, sensitive and specific diagnosis of FTD. |
 | Language-savvy parents improve their children's reading development, study showsSome languages—like English—are tricky to pick up easily. |
 | Black race not tied to worse prostate cancer mortality(HealthDay)—After adjustment for nonbiological differences, black race is not associated with worse prostate cancer-specific mortality among men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer, according to a study published online May 23 in JAMA Oncology. |
 | More aggressive statin tx needed after heart attack in young patients(HealthDay)—The majority of young heart attack patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) still have elevated cholesterol levels a year later, according to a study published in the May 21 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. |
 | FDA warns of infections from fecal transplants after 1 death(HealthDay)—Fecal transplants—transferring fecal matter from a healthy person into an ill person with a compromised "microbiome"—is an increasingly used new treatment for a variety of ills. |
 | Researchers study new treatment for pancreatic cancerIf the American Cancer Society's projections prove accurate, more people will die from pancreatic cancer than from breast, brain, ovarian or prostate cancer this year. |
 | Researchers identify traits linked to better outcomes in HPV-linked head and neck cancerUsing a new blood test that's in development, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers identified characteristics that could be used to personalize treatment for patients with a type of head and neck cancer linked to HPV infection. |
 | UN says Ebola outbreak in Congo still not a global emergencyThe World Health Organization on Friday said the Ebola outbreak in Congo—which spilled into Uganda this week—is an "extraordinary event" of deep concern but does not yet merit being declared a global emergency. |
WHO emergency panel meets on Ebola after Uganda deathsThe World Health Organization emergency committee was meeting Friday on whether to declare a raging Ebola epidemic an international threat, after an outbreak that began in Democratic Republic of Congo crossed into Uganda. | |
Vagus nerve stimulation study shows significant reduction in rheumatoid arthritis symptomsThe results of a pilot study presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) suggest that electro stimulation of one of the nerves connecting the brain to the body (the vagus nerve), could provide a novel treatment approach for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. | |
Study reveals significant gaps in essential rheumatoid arthritis care across Europe and between European countriesThe results of a large pan-European survey presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) investigated significant gaps in rheumatoid arthritis care across 16 patient-centred Standards of Care (SoC) in rheumatoid arthritis. | |
Inflammatory bowel disease and type i diabetes increase chances of developing rheumatoid arthritisThe results of a study presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) demonstrate increased rates of type I diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in patients that go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA). | |
Tildrakizumab shows promising efficacy and safety in psoriatic arthritisThe results of a phase 2B study presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) demonstrate superior efficacy and comparable safety of tildrakizumab versus placebo in patients with psoriatic arthritis. | |
Suicidal thoughts related to pain in 1 in 10 patients with rheumatic or musculoskeletal diseaseThe results of a survey presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) highlight the significant impact of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) on mental health and a worrying lack of psychological care. | |
Patient organization challenges government to bring vital support to people with rheumatic diseases in CyprusThe campaign presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) reports how the Cyprus League Against Rheumatism (CYPLAR) successfully took on the Ministry of Health after authorisation was denied to introduce specialised rheumatology nurses due to a perceived lack of interest in rheumatology education. | |
 | Researchers gauge public opinion on tobacco product wasteRequiring cigarettes to contain biodegradable filters, fining smokers who litter cigarette butts and expanding smoke free outdoor areas are measures the public considers are most likely to reduce tobacco product waste, new University of Otago research reveals. |
 | Surgical SkypeIn a country with limited resources, might social media be useful in the post-surgical care of patients in their own homes? That is the question researchers from India hope to answer with their research just published in the International Journal of Telemedicine and Clinical Practices. |
 | Clinical trials and research priorities in dialysis patients: Time for a new approach?Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) experience extremely high morbidity and mortality, and there are virtually no therapeutic interventions besides dialysis treatment which are proven, in properly designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), to improve outcomes. A recent systematic review of hemodialysis RCTs found that, among 10,713 outcome measures, the most common were surrogates such as phosphate, dialysis adequacy, anemia, inflammatory markers, and calcium. Patient-centered outcomes such as mortality, cardiovascular disease, and quality of life were reported very infrequently. |
 | CDC opens emergency operations center for Congo Ebola outbreak(HealthDay)—The United States is stepping up its response to a historic outbreak of Ebola in two African nations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activated its Emergency Operations Center Thursday to assist in the government's response to the second-largest outbreak of Ebola on record. |
Still an unmet need: New therapeutic targets in Alport syndromeAlport syndrome (AS) is a hereditary type IV collagen disease that leads to progressive proteinuria, renal fibrosis, and kidney failure. Depending on the mutated gene and the pattern of inheritance, there are three types of AS. Mutations in COL4A5 cause severe disease in males and a disease of variable severity (but usually much less severe) in females. Mutations in COL4A3 and COL4A4 are the cause of the autosomal forms of AS. Homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in COL4A3 or COL4A4 are the cause of autosomal recessive AS (ARAS), while a single mutation in either of these genes causes autosomal dominant AS (ADAS). | |
 | PCSK9 inhibitors: Studies needed to prove efficacy and safety in chronic kidney diseaseChronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a substantially increased risk for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Accordingly, cardiovascular mortality is increased even in the earliest stages of CKD. In the general population and in CKD patients, high plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are crucially involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic vascular lesions. In addition, it has been documented that LDL accumulating in the vascular wall is prone to be post-translationally modified, for example, by oxidation or carbamylation, which is particularly relevant to patients with CKD. |
 | How to handle the emotional roller-coaster at family gatheringsWeddings, graduations, anniversaries and births are happy occasions, but if you find yourself welling up with unexplained tears, don't feel bad about it. |
Linagliptin improved albuminuria but effect on eGFR and CV risk in patients with diabetesDiabetes mellitus is a significant and growing health problem which contributes significantly to the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). According to the ERA-EDTA Registry, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of all patients who started renal replacement therapy in 2016 were patients with diabetes. The underlying idea of the study, which has been presented as a late breaking clinical trial at the ERA-EDTA congress in Budapest today, was to assess the potential of the DPP-4 inhibitor linagliptin (LINA), an oral diabetes drug, to reduce the burden of CKD and cardiac complications as secondary diseases in people with diabetes. Only a few weeks ago it had been shown that SGLT2 inhibitors, another class of diabetes drugs, could slow CKD progression in this patient group. | |
Dickkopf-related protein 3 (DKK3) predicts AKIA new renal biomarker was presented at the ERA-EDTA Congress last year that shows that urinary DKK3 might help to identify patients who are at risk of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). | |
Indigestion remedy slows kidney function decline and improves survival in late-stage CKDAs chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses, the kidneys become less able to maintain a healthy balance of acids in the body. To maintain healthy acid levels, people with CKD are treated with alkaline substances such as sodium bicarbonate, also commonly used to neutralize heartburn and indigestion. The UBI study shows that sodium bicarbonate halves the risk of kidney disease progression, the likelihood of needing dialysis or transplantation) and overall mortality in people with CKD. | |
Working in the last 6 months before haemodialysis is associated with a better survivalEmployment is a key determinant of quality of life for all people, including haemodialysis patients. Employment offers social support and improves patients' lifestyle, financial status, quality of life, and self-esteem, whilst unemployed people often face financial and social difficulties as well as physical and psychological problems. Unemployed people may spiral into a deep depression, sometimes accompanied by alcohol and drug abuse. | |
 | Two British patients die from eating hospital foodTwo Britons have died of food poisoning after eating pre-packaged sandwiches and salads, UK health authorities said on Friday, in a listeria outbreak that has already killed three people in British hospitals. |
 | Are transgender men and women who take hormones at risk for heart disease?The impact of hormone therapy on the heart health of transgender men and women has been the subject of several studies published within the last year. But medical experts and researchers aren't ready to sound the alarm just yet. |
Biology news
 | Research uncovers elusive process essential to plant greeningDespite how essential plants are for life on Earth, little is known about how parts of plant cells orchestrate growth and greening. By creating mutant plants, UC Riverside researchers have uncovered a cellular communication pathway sought by scientists for decades. |
 | Exciting plant vacuoles: Researchers shed new light on plant communication via electrical signalsMany biological processes in plants are similar to humans: Cells and tissues in grain plants, including maize, also communicate through electrical signals. The shape and frequency of these signals communicate different things. For example, they signal plants to respond to heat and cold, excessive light intensities or insect pests. |
 | A shady spot may protect species against rapid climate warmingFinding a shady refuge to cool off on a hot day could be more than a lifesaver in a warming world. It might save several species that would otherwise go extinct due to global warming, according to an analysis by ecologists at a dozen institutions. |
 | Virus genes help determine if pea aphids get their wingsMany of an organism's traits are influenced by cues from the organism's environment. These features are known as phenotypically plastic traits and are important in allowing an organism to cope with unpredictable environments. |
 | What drives Yellowstone's massive elk migrations?Every spring, tens of thousands of elk follow a wave of green growth up onto the high plateaus in and around Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, where they spend the summer calving and fattening on fresh grass. And every fall, the massive herds migrate back down into the surrounding valleys and plains, where lower elevations provide respite from harsh winters. |
 | 'Hundreds' of elephants being poached each year in Botswana: reportA leading conservation group has warned of surging elephant poaching in parts of Botswana and estimated nearly 400 were killed across the country in 2017 and 2018, according to a report published Thursday, adding to conservation concerns. |
 | Happiness and Harmony: 'Big step forward' as twin pandas growBorn to a wild father and captive mother, nearly one-year-old twin pandas roll on the grass in a conservation base in southwest China, marking an important achievement in the preservation of the country's beloved animal. |
 | Under fire over Monsanto's glyphosate, Bayer vows 'transparency'Pharmaceutical giant Bayer announced Friday plans to invest five billion euros ($5.6 billion) over the next decade in a new generation of herbicides and promised more transparency after the Monsanto "watch list" scandal. |
 | Thai vets nurture lost baby dugong with milk and sea grassA baby dugong that has developed an attachment to humans after being separated from its mother and getting lost in the ocean off southern Thailand is being nurtured by marine experts in hopes that it can one day fend for itself. |
 | Seaweed and sea slugs rely on toxic bacteria to defend against predatorsPlants, animals and even microbes that live on coral reefs have evolved a rich variety of defense strategies to protect themselves from predators. Some have physical defenses like spines and camouflage. Others have specialized behaviors—like a squid expelling ink—that allow them to escape. Soft-bodied or immobile organisms, like sponges, algae and sea squirts, often defend themselves with noxious chemicals that taste bad or are toxic. |
 | Germs and geothermals: A uniquely New Zealand collaborationDr. Rob Keyzers from the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences is leading a long-running, uniquely New Zealand research project to help find new sources of antibiotics. |
 | Heritable behavioral differences between cat breedsCat breeds differ from each other in behavior with regard to activity, aggressiveness, shyness, sociability and stereotypical behavior. A study conducted at the University of Helsinki discovered that behavioral traits are highly heritable. Heritability of behavior explains differences between breeds. |
 | Small steps, big leaps – how marram grass builds dunesThe size and shape of dunes varies greatly around the world: in Europe they're tall and narrow, while in the US they're low and wide. A new study has found that this is partly because dunes are constructed by plants with different 'movement strategies' determining the shape of the dune. The study was carried out by ecologists from Radboud University, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and the University of Groningen. The findings, which will be published in Nature Communications on 14 June, could be useful for coastal landscape rehabilitation projects. |
 | No evidence for increased egg predation in the ArcticClimate and ecosystems are changing, but predation on shorebird nests has changed little around the globe over the past 60 years, according to a study by an international team of 60 researchers. The study, published in Science on 14 June 2019, challenges a recent claim that shorebird eggs are more often eaten by predators due to climate change, and more so in the Arctic compared to the tropics. The research shows that these claims are a methodological artefact. |
 | Good hemp seed or 'garbage'? Growers say standards neededA unit of wheat is called a bushel, and a standard weight of potatoes is called a century. But hemp as a fully legal U.S. agricultural commodity is so new that a unit of hemp seed doesn't yet have a universal name or an agreed-upon quantity. |
 | Researchers find genes that could help create more resilient chickensAn international team of scientists, led by Penn State researchers, have identified genes that may help farmers, especially ones in low- and middle-income countries, breed chickens that can resist one of the biggest disease threats facing poultry today. |
 | Flickering sky islands generate andean biodiversityA new video shows how climate change connected and disconnected Andean "sky islands" during the past million years. The innovative mathematical model used to make the video was based on fossil pollen records and shows how the entire páramo habitat shifted. The model can predict climate change effects in mountainous regions around the world, according to an international team of scientists including authors from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama (STRI). |
 | Better prognosticating for dogs with mammary tumorsMammary tumors in dogs are the equivalent of breast cancers in people, and, as in the human disease, the canine tumors can manifest in a variety of ways. Some are diagnosed early, others late, and they can be either slow growing or aggressive. |
NOAA: 279 dolphins dead on Gulf Coast, triple usual numberAt least 279 dolphins have stranded across much of the U.S. Gulf Coast since Feb. 1, triple the usual number, and about 98 percent of them have died, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday. | |
 | The challenges of North American specialty cut flowersAcross the United States and Canada, demand for local specialty cut flowers is increasing, and production has correspondingly jumped. To accurately assess the needs of the industry, John Dole, Cristian Loyola, and Rebecca Dunning electronically surveyed 1098 cut flower producers and handlers regarding their current cut flower production and postharvest problems and customer issues. |
 | How to handle wildlife in your yardI heard a local story of a man who, in his excitement to kill a rattlesnake, used the only thing he had available—his thermos bottle. The next scene in this drama has the man in the hospital receiving anti-venom to treat a snake bite. |
 | Researchers create virtual model based on recovered blue wallResearchers at Dalhousie have scanned the skeleton of a young blue whale, giving them a trove of data on the endangered marine giant and creating a unique virtual 3D model of the largest animal on the planet. |
Understanding social structure is important to rewildingIncreasing the success of wildlife translocations is critical, given the escalating global threats to wildlife. A study published in May 2019 in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation highlights the influence of a species' social structure on translocation success, and it provides a template for incorporating social information in the rehabilitation and release planning process. Using elephants as a model, the study—"Increasing Conservation Translocation Success by Building Social Functionality in Released Populations"—highlights the need to include animal social structure as an integral part of conservation plans, in order to assure better animal welfare and program success. | |
 | German railways to stop using glyphosate on tracksGerman state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn is to stop using glyphosate on its tracks and is looking for substitutes to replace the controversial weedkiller, one of its board members said in an interview Friday. |
 | Scientists report the first family of extracellular Rickettsia-like bacteriaMicrobiologists of St Petersburg University, together with researchers from the University of Milan, the University of Pisa, and the University of Pavia, have discovered a new family of bacteria of the order Rickettsiales—Deianiraeaceae. This is the first report of the Rickettsia-like bacteria that display a unique extracellular lifestyle and are in fact predators. |
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