A survey of 34 couples found that those with siblings from the same donor preferred to use the same donor for subsequent conceptions due to a desire for genetic bonds and improved sibling relations. However, some couples prioritized the genetic link between mother and child over full sibling relationships.
Researchers found that H. pylori infection causes distinct DNA damage patterns in human cells, resembling those seen in gastric cancer. The study suggests a causal link between the bacterium and cancer development.
Researchers at TUM have successfully improved the electrical properties of printed films by optimizing the printing process, resulting in custom organic electronics. The team used X-ray radiation to study the curing process and achieved high time resolution, leading to significant improvements in stability and conductivity.
Researchers at EMBL-EBI developed a new method and algorithm that enables fast and efficient genetic analysis of large cohorts. The mSet algorithm allows for the simultaneous analysis of many genetic variants and traits, improving statistical power and enabling the study of up to half a million individuals.
The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is expanding its commitment to young African scientists through the newly created Horst Köhler Fellowship Programme. Thirty-five African students will participate in the meeting, with funding provided by the Robert Bosch Foundation and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Researchers at NC State University have developed a new method to create transparent, stretchable conductors. The 'nano-accordion' design stretches brittle materials by geometry, inspired by everyday springs. This innovation has potential applications in flexible electronics, displays, and wearable sensors.
A new study found that attributing a natural disaster to climate change leads to skepticism, causing individuals to justify withholding aid from victims. This phenomenon highlights the importance of separating discussions on climate change and humanitarian aid.
The SCOPE program promotes healthy habits such as eating five fruits daily, limiting screen time to two hours, and playing actively for an hour. Community partnerships are critical to creating sustainable change in preventing childhood obesity.
Researchers discovered unique white matter injury patterns in patients with concussion-related depression and anxiety, suggesting similar mechanisms to non-trauma dependent depression. Anxiety patients showed diminished fractional anisotropy in the brain's fear modulation region, indicating different treatment targets may be required.
Researchers have discovered that starfish can remove deeply embedded foreign objects from their bodies by squeezing them out through the skin at the arm tips. This unique ability allows for quick healing and has implications for understanding animal physiology.
A new study suggests that a key prostaglandin metabolic enzyme, 15-PGDH, shows promise as a drug target for tissue regeneration. Researchers discovered an inhibitor, SW033291, which blocks 15-PGDH, leading to increased PGE2 levels and enhanced tissue regeneration.
A study of almost 7,000 people found that viewing cat videos online increases energy and positive emotions, while decreasing negative feelings. Participants reported feeling guilty for procrastination but experienced pleasure outweighing guilt from watching cat videos.
Researchers found shorter telomeres in preschoolers with oppositional defiant behavior, a hallmark of cellular aging. Maternal clinical depression also correlates with telomere length, with children of depressed mothers having shorter telomeres at ages 4 and 5.
Scientists at ITMO University and Trinity College Dublin discovered that ordinary nanocrystals possess intrinsic chirality, producing a half-and-half mixture of mirror images. This finding has potential applications in targeted drug delivery, medical diagnostics, and nanotoxicology.
A team of scientists has released two species of silver flies from the Pacific Northwest to attack the hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect killing millions of hemlock trees on the East Coast. Early results suggest the flies have successfully reproduced and preyed on the pest in Tennessee and New York.
Researchers developed a microfabricated device to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of drugs metabolized through the liver, simplifying the process and overcoming limitations of existing systems. The device enables separate culture of primary liver cells and cancer cells, allowing for analysis of metabolic conversion and toxic effects.
A team of researchers solved the long-standing issue of how grain boundaries affect heat conductivity in graphene thin films. They devised a technique to measure heat transfer across single grain boundaries, finding it was 10 times lower than theoretically predicted values.
Researchers found that mutations in one copy of the AIRE gene can cause symptoms of a rare autoimmune disorder, paving the way for specific diagnostic and treatment strategies. Dominant AIRE mutations are also more common than previously thought, occurring in at least 1 in 1,000 individuals.
Researchers with Berkeley Lab have characterized the hydration structure of carbon dioxide gas dissolved in water, revealing its role in forming carbonic acid and bicarbonate. The study uses X-ray absorption spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations to provide a detailed understanding of this critical chemistry.
Researchers discovered that cells in early embryos 'dance' as they compact, a process controlled by cell contraction. The study used new methods to measure forces and tensions within the embryo, revealing that adhesion acts as an anchor rather than an engine of compaction.
Research suggests that maternal stress during pregnancy can impact offspring gut and brain development by altering the vaginal microbiome. This study found disruptions in both maternal and offspring gut microbiota composition, leading to metabolic reprogramming of the gut and brain.
Researchers found that younger thyroid cancer patients with lymph node involvement have a lower survival rate compared to those with no spread. The number of lymph nodes involved plays a role in survival, with six or more nodes increasing the risk of death.
A study of children with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts and their relatives found that affected families do not have a significantly higher genetic risk for dental anomalies. Instead, the prevalence of dental anomalies is primarily due to physical consequences of the cleft and surgical interventions.
A major international study reveals that only two percent of wild bee species are responsible for pollinating 80 percent of global crops. This finding underscores the importance of preserving biodiversity, particularly among common wild bee species such as the common eastern bumblebee and red-tailed bumblebee.
A study from Aarhus University found that only those who are affectively and physiologically engaged in their party exhibit partisan bias. Party supporters' sympathy towards proposals is derived from emotional attachment to the party, not rational analysis.
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have updated Penfield's motor homunculus by showing the neck's motor control region in the brain is between the shoulders and trunk. This finding may help guide future studies and medical interventions for cervical dystonia and other disorders involving abnormal head movements.
A study comparing antibiotics vs. appendectomy found that antibiotic treatment was not more effective than surgery in treating uncomplicated appendicitis. However, most patients who received antibiotics did not require an appendectomy, and those who did did not experience significant complications.
A study by researchers at Lund University found that high levels of ALK1 protein in blood vessels increase the risk of metastases. The drug Dalantercept can prevent this spread by blocking ALK1, offering new hope for breast cancer patients.
A study by Emory University researchers found that large barges in the Amazon River are heavily infested with disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can transmit dengue fever and other diseases, highlighting the need for mosquito control programs on aquatic transportation.
A Wyss Institute team is developing genetically engineered bacteria that can sense, report, and combat harmful microbial invaders in the human gut. The team aims to create a probiotic pill form of the microbes that could reduce the length of gastrointestinal illness, returning individuals to their activities sooner.
A large study of over 5,000 extremely preterm infants found that those enrolled in randomized clinical trials had similar in-hospital outcomes to those who were not enrolled. The primary outcome of death, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and severe brain injury did not differ significantly between groups.
Research from the University of Copenhagen found that maintaining a good night's sleep helps maintain a healthy lifestyle. Smokers who slept normally were more likely to quit than those with disturbed sleep patterns. Improved sleep also reduced high-risk alcohol consumption and physical inactivity.
Research reveals chimpanzees have an innate predisposition to manipulate objects, while bonobos do not. Young bonobos spent more time with their mothers and had fewer social partners than young chimpanzees.
The study found almost double the number of differentially expressed heart and liver genes in translation compared to transcription. This discovery sheds light on the genes and regulatory pathways underlying disease, offering new avenues for research.
Researchers at Chapman University found tremendous diversity in how nitrogen-fixing plants regulate their relationships with soil bacteria. Plants were grown across a gradient of nitrogen availability, revealing that some species can turn off nitrogen fixation under high soil conditions, while others do not regulate it.
Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) play a critical role in shaping the immune response and maintaining self-tolerance. A recent study by LJI researchers identified a molecular pathway that maintains Treg cell stability and suppressive function, crucial for immune system balance. The discovery suggests that Treg cells may not be stable und...
A new study published in Clinical Psychological Science found that women with a past history of depression who pay more attention to angry faces are at greatest risk for developing depression again over the next two years. Researchers used eye-tracking to analyze the attention of 160 women, including those with and without depression, ...
A Dartmouth College study reveals that male tree crickets expend the same amount of energy per unit mass while singing, contradicting previous theories on biological trade-offs. The researchers found that faster pulse rates and longer song characteristics do not result in greater calorie burn.
A team at the DOE JGI has developed ProDeGe, a computational protocol for quick and automated removal of contaminant sequences from draft genomes. The tool classifies sequences as 'clean' or 'contaminant' and runs at a rate of 0.30 CPU core hours per megabase of sequence.
Scientists have successfully reconstructed basic units, words, and complete sentences of continuous speech from brain waves. The 'Brain-to-Text' system combines neuroscience, medicine, and informatics to extract the most likely word sequence from cortical information and linguistic knowledge.
Researchers have discovered a new and promising target site for a potential vaccine against malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that kills hundreds of thousands each year. The AnAPN1 protein is believed to be central to the transmission of the malaria parasite through mosquitoes.
A Queensland University of Technology-led workplace intervention program helped truckies eat healthier, exercise more, and lose weight, resulting in a 15% decrease in drivers' BMI as obese. The program included healthy options in vending machines, free fruit supply, and the 10,000 steps challenge, leading to positive health outcomes an...
A study by Georgia State researchers has found that protected areas in Brazil, Costa Rica, and others can prevent carbon dioxide release worth $5 billion. The research integrates modeling and empirical measures to improve conservation planning by studying policy impacts on ecosystem services.
Women under chronic stress have significantly lower levels of klotho, a hormone that regulates aging and enhances cognition. The study found even lower levels of klotho in women with clinically significant depressive symptoms, suggesting a link between psychological influences and klotho.
A study found that training health care workers to educate young women about IUDs and implants reduced unintended pregnancies by 43%. The intervention increased the number of women choosing these methods, which are more effective than condoms or the pill.
Researchers created human cell lines to study gene expression in precursor cells, enabling the prediction of UCP1 expression and potential transformation of white fat cells into brown fat cells. This breakthrough offers a promising tool for developing personalized obesity treatments.
A new review in Nutrition in Clinical Practice outlines main principles of chronic nutrition management of inherited metabolic disorders, highlighting failure to follow specific dietary treatment can lead to complications and death. Registered dietitians play a crucial role in the multi-disciplinary team delivering care to these patients.
A Concordia University study found that designated minimum separation distances (MSDs) can effectively reduce the risk of electromagnetic interference caused by wireless transmitters in hospitals. By complying with MSD policies, hospital staff can minimize the risk of device malfunctions and ensure patient safety.
Researchers at Clemson University found that monitoring vehicle behavior is a reliable and less intrusive way to detect fatigue or drowsiness in drivers. The study tested volunteers for 20 minutes on a 15-mile course, using GPS technology to measure driving performance and detect deviations.
Researchers will study how individual variation and behavioral plasticity impact group performance, with both human subjects and bees completing collaborative tasks.
Researchers uncover detailed information on AnAPN1 protein shape and antibody binding sites, enabling the design of more effective mosquito-based vaccines. This breakthrough may lead to a reduced number of infected mosquitoes and eventual disease eradication.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 observational studies found that nut consumption is associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and pancreatic cancer. However, it was not linked to type 2 diabetes.
The world invested more than $200 billion to improve health in lower-income countries between 2000 and 2014. Despite a significant increase in funding after the Millennium Development Goals were established, global health financing stagnated between 2010 and 2014.
A third of the world's biggest groundwater basins are under stress, with many running out quickly without reliable data. The studies found major discrepancies in projected 'time to depletion' and highlighted the need for a coordinated global effort to determine remaining water reserves.
A study of over 57,000 screenings found that higher adenoma detection rates are associated with a 53-60% lower lifetime risk of colorectal cancer and death. However, the cost-effectiveness remains uncertain despite potential complications from more frequent colonoscopies.
Research from Tufts University reveals that hyperlipidemia, high cholesterol and high triglycerides, accelerates heart-transplant rejection in mice. The studies, published online in the American Journal of Transplantation, found that mice fed a high-fat diet rejected their transplants faster than those on a lower-fat diet.
A study of 2 million women found that D&C performed for miscarriage or termination increases the risk of preterm birth by 29%, with a higher risk of 7.6% in subsequent pregnancies
A team of researchers found that improving air quality worldwide could reduce pollution-related deaths by millions of people each year. Meeting the World Health Organization's particulate air quality guidelines could prevent up to 2.1 million deaths annually.
Tropical Storm Bill is expected to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to parts of Texas, particularly eastern Texas and Louisiana. The storm's center was located near latitude 28.2 North, longitude 96.4 West at 10 a.m. CDT on June 16.
A new article by Roger D. Peng proposes a two-pronged approach to improve scientific data analysis, combining massive-scale education efforts with the identification of evidence-based data-analytic strategies to increase replicability and reproducibility.