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Science News for April 18, 2018


Why don't kids use their asthma medicines?

Researchers found that children with asthma often miss their daily medication due to barriers such as forgetfulness and running out of medication. The study suggests that improving communication among patients, families, and pediatric clinicians is crucial to ensure consistent use of daily anti-inflammatory medication.

SourceJohns Hopkins Medicine·JournalJournal of Asthma·DateApr 18, 2018

Key workflow interruptions in emergency departments identified

A study from the University of Missouri found that electronic medical record documentation and direct patient care are the most common workflow interruptions in emergency departments, leading to increased workloads and decreased efficiency. The research suggests that changes in workflow could improve patient care and nurse productivity.

SourceUniversity of Missouri-Columbia·JournalInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies·DateApr 18, 2018

Can estimates from forensic handwriting experts be trusted in court?

A new study found that forensic handwriting experts are marginally better than novices at estimating the frequency of specific features in handwriting samples, but with large overall error rates. The researchers advise courts to take a cautious approach when using experience-based likelihood ratios as evidence.

SourceSpringer·JournalPsychonomic Bulletin & Review·DateApr 18, 2018

How mental health diagnosis should be more collaborative

A new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry offers practical guidance for doctors to approach diagnosis in a sensitive and individualized way. The research found that service-users prefer their diagnosis to be given face-to-face, with helpful information, and clearly leading to reciprocal discussions about care-needs and treatment.

SourceUniversity of East Anglia·JournalThe Lancet Psychiatry·DateApr 18, 2018

Psoriasis treated with compound derived from immune cells

A compound derived from immune cells has been found to treat psoriasis in mice, with the potential to be effective against other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The study suggests that the compound suppresses an inflammatory pathway that is overactive in these conditions.

SourceWashU Medicine·JournalNature·DateApr 18, 2018

An artificial mole as an early warning system

A synthetic gene network implanted under the skin monitors blood calcium levels to detect four common types of cancer, triggering a visible mole when a threshold is exceeded. Early detection increases survival chances by up to 98%, significantly improving treatment outcomes.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalScience Translational Medicine·DateApr 18, 2018

Many European countries are not ready to stop viral hepatitis

Many European countries have shortcomings in policies and programmes to support viral hepatitis elimination efforts, with notable gaps in national coordination and public awareness. The Hep-CORE study highlights the need for governments to address these issues and incorporate civil society perspectives into monitoring strategies.

SourceBarcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)·JournalJournal of the International AIDS Society·DateApr 18, 2018

Study suggests social workers could help families navigate foreclosure

A recent study published in Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services found that social workers have the capability to mitigate impending financial calamity before it happens. Further training could strengthen their abilities to stave off foreclosure, supporting families in connecting with resources.

SourceCase Western Reserve University·JournalFamilies in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services·DateApr 18, 2018

People waste nearly a pound of food daily

A new study finds that Americans waste nearly a pound of food per person each day, with the amount of wasted food corresponding to harvests produced using 780 million pounds of pesticide and 1.8 billion pounds of nitrogen fertilizer annually. The study also found that higher quality diets were associated with higher levels of food waste.

SourceUniversity of Vermont·JournalPLOS ONE·DateApr 18, 2018

New research seeks to optimize space travel efficiency

A team of researchers has developed a framework to optimize fuel and resource usage in space travel. By considering multiple missions together, or campaigns, they can minimize launch mass and cost. The study also explores the use of propellant depots in space, which could significantly reduce fuel needs for future missions.

SourceUniversity of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering·JournalJournal of Spacecraft and Rockets·DateApr 18, 2018

Improved method of delivering anti-cancer drugs

Researchers at Cardiff University have developed a new non-toxic method for delivering anti-cancer drugs to specific parts of the body, reducing harsh side effects. The new nanotube delivery method was found to be effective in treating breast cancer, with reduced rates of metastasis and tumour growth.

SourceCardiff University·JournalNanoscale·DateApr 18, 2018

This 2-D nanosheet expands like a Grow Monster

Researchers have discovered a new material science concept that uses light to expand a two-dimensional nanosheet at incredible speeds. The nanosheet can expand up to 5.7% of its original size in sub-milliseconds, making it potentially useful for artificial muscles and soft robotic systems.

SourceUniversity at Buffalo·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateApr 18, 2018

Iron Age breeding practices likely influenced lack of stallion lineages in modern horses

Ancient European horse breeding practices likely contributed to the limited paternally-inherited Y chromosome diversity in modern horses. Selective breeding during the Iron Age may have reduced genetic variation, as humans prioritized reproductive success of selected stallions. The Roman Empire's shift towards male-based selective bree...

Three solutions to maximize the clinical benefit and affordability of targeted cancer drugs

To address escalating costs of targeted cancer drugs, a Penn-led group proposes three solutions: defining minimum clinically meaningful effect sizes for FDA approval, Medicare negotiating prices for targeted cancer drugs, and prioritizing effective treatments by clinical benefit and price. The recommendations aim to balance clinical be...

New study improves 'crowd wisdom' estimates

A new study developed a mathematical correction to improve crowd estimates by accounting for individual bias and social information. Researchers found that collective intelligence is highly predictable and can be improved with the right rules for collective estimation.

SourceSanta Fe Institute·JournalJournal of The Royal Society Interface·DateApr 18, 2018

Why is it harder for females to gain weight?

Researchers found that female POMC neurons fire faster than male's due to the expression of gene TAp63, leading to increased energy expenditure and protection against weight gain. This novel mechanism may facilitate future gender-specific therapeutic strategies for obesity and related disorders.

SourceBaylor College of Medicine·JournalNature Communications·DateApr 18, 2018

Salt boosts creation of 2-D materials

Rice University scientists discovered that salt reduces the temperature at which elements interact in a chemical vapor deposition furnace, making it easier to form atom-thin layers. This process allows for the creation of novel materials with customized properties.

SourceRice University·JournalNature·DateApr 18, 2018

How does the Pacific Walker circulation respond to strong tropical volcanism?

A recent study found that the Pacific Walker circulation (PWC) weakens significantly after strong tropical volcanic eruptions (SVEs), leading to changes in rainfall patterns and extreme climate events worldwide. The research suggests that the cooling effect of SVEs on the Maritime Continent plays a dominant role in weakening the PWC.

SourceInstitute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences·JournalAdvances in Atmospheric Sciences·DateApr 18, 2018

Water dynamics indicate tumor status

Researchers developed a method to measure proton nuclear resonance dispersion profiles at low magnetic fields, revealing the water exchange rate of tumor cells. This enables direct assessment of tumor status and metabolic activity, which is characteristic of aggressive and highly metastatic tumors.

SourceWiley·JournalAngewandte Chemie International Edition·DateApr 18, 2018

Pepper plant sops up personal care product antibiotic

Researchers found that pepper plants metabolize triclocarban, an antibiotic commonly used in personal care products, into other molecules. The study suggests that these metabolites may have negative health effects, highlighting the need for further research on the impact of environmental triclocarban exposure on human health.

SourceAmerican Chemical Society·JournalJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry·DateApr 18, 2018

Overcoming bias about music takes work

Researchers found that simply being told a musician is professional changes the way the brain responds to music, with more activity in pleasure and reward regions for 'professional' recordings. Overcoming this bias requires conscious effort, as participants who resisted the bias showed increased executive control.

SourceUniversity of Connecticut·JournalScientific Reports·DateApr 18, 2018

Harvesting water from fog with harps (video)

Researchers have developed a type of 'harp' to collect fresh water from fog, outperforming traditional mesh devices. The new harp technology consistently collected more water than equivalent meshes at all wire diameters, with the finest wires collecting over three times the amount.

SourceAmerican Chemical Society·JournalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·DateApr 18, 2018

New ancestor of modern sea turtles found in Alabama

A new ancestor of modern sea turtles has been found in Alabama, dating back to the Late Cretaceous epoch. The discovery reveals two distinct species within the Peritresius clade, expanding the known evolutionary history of these marine reptiles.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·DateApr 18, 2018

An eye toward regeneration

Researchers at UNLV have found that frog embryos can regenerate their entire eye within 3 to 5 days after injury, contradicting previous claims. This breakthrough has potential implications for human tissue regeneration and may lead to the development of new treatments for eye injuries.

SourceUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas·JournalExperimental Eye Research·DateApr 18, 2018

Detailed images of tumor vasculature

The new technology, called Motion Model Ultrasound Localization Microscopy, allows for the tracking of individual microbubbles in real-time, enabling the reconstruction of fine vascular networks and monitoring of blood flow. This technique has potential applications in cancer treatment, particularly in sonoporation therapy.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalNature Communications·DateApr 18, 2018

Practices with poor prescribing performance more likely to prescribe homeopathy

A study by researchers at the University of Oxford and Exeter University found that general practices in England with the worst prescribing quality scores are 2.1 times more likely to prescribe homeopathy than those with the best scores. Poor prescribing performance is strongly associated with homeopathy use, but not with patient outco...

SourceSAGE·JournalJournal of the Royal Society of Medicine·DateApr 18, 2018

Safety measures could save 250,000 lives a year in low- and middle-income countries

A new study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health identified 11 safety measures that could potentially save over 250,000 lives annually in low- and middle-income countries. These interventions include speeding enforcement, formal swimming lessons for young children, and crèches to supervise young children.

SourceJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health·JournalThe Lancet Global Health·DateApr 18, 2018

ACP calls for a 'time out' to assess and revise approach to performance measurement

The American College of Physicians is calling for a revised approach to performance measurement, citing 32 valid and 30 invalid measures in Medicare's MIPS program. The ACP analyzed 86 performance measures and found that many were inadequately specified, leading to misclassification of high-quality care as low-quality care.

SourceAmerican College of Physicians·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·DateApr 18, 2018

Portable device to sniff out trapped humans

Scientists have developed a portable sensor array that can detect tiny amounts of chemicals emitted by humans, even at levels as low as three parts per billion. The device is light, affordable, and compact, making it ideal for first responders to carry or drones to use in search and rescue operations.

SourceAmerican Chemical Society·JournalAnalytical Chemistry·DateApr 18, 2018

Management of mitral regurgitation in a patient contemplating pregnancy

Researchers highlight unique challenges of managing mitral regurgitation in women contemplating pregnancy, emphasizing clinical assessment and echocardiography as critical tools. Surgical intervention is recommended for symptomatic patients and those with progressive left ventricular dilation or low ejection fraction.

SourceCardiovascular Innovations and Applications·JournalCardiovascular Innovations and Applications·DateApr 18, 2018

New research shows Transcendental Meditation empowers disadvantaged Ugandan mothers

A study published in Health Care for Women International found that Transcendental Meditation significantly improves the lives of single, illiterate mothers in Uganda by reducing stress and improving their health and ability to support themselves and their children. The research shows that the practice empowers these women to overcome ...

SourceMaharishi International University·JournalHealth Care For Women International·DateApr 18, 2018