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Science News Archive February 2023 - Page 5


Page 5 of 36

The far-reaching consequences of child abuse

A new study published by researchers at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin found a significant link between early childhood trauma experienced by mothers and various health problems in their children. The research analyzed data from over 4,300 American mothers and their children, revealing that children of mothers with adverse experi...

SourceCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin·JournalThe Lancet Public Health·DateFeb 24, 2023

Current air pollution standards tied to higher heart risks

A Kaiser Permanente study of 3.7 million adults found long-term exposure to fine particle air pollution increases the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, especially in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status. The research lends support for strengthening air quality standards to protect public health.

SourceKaiser Permanente·JournalJAMA Network Open·DateFeb 24, 2023

Psychedelics may help people reinvent themselves

Researchers found that psychedelics combined with talk therapy can help people see themselves as nonsmokers, leading to a higher success rate in quitting smoking. The study suggests that psychedelics can reshape self-perceptions to help break free from old habits and addictions.

SourceUniversity of Cincinnati·JournalKennedy Institute of Ethics Journal·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 24, 2023

CHOP researchers identify molecules that optimize immune presentation of antigens across the human population

CHOP researchers have identified variants of a chaperone molecule that can enhance the loading of peptides across different HLA types, which could be used in cell therapy and immunization applications. The study found that chicken-derived TAPBPR proteins can react with multiple HLA allotypes and stabilize the empty MHC-I groove, boosti...

SourceChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia·JournalScience Advances·DateFeb 24, 2023

Mathematical modeling links odor-responsive behavior, neural activity, and genes

A study by Nagoya City University researchers found that odor exposure inhibits fast neural responses in C. elegans, leading to a more efficient movement away from the odor. The team used mathematical modeling to describe this process, revealing a simple equation that links behavior, neural activity, and genes.

SourceNagoya City University·JournalNeuroscience Research·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 24, 2023

First-of-its-kind study examines the impact of cannabis use on surgical patients' post-procedure healthcare needs

A recent study published in eClinical Medicine analyzed data from over 210,000 adult patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery in Boston between 2008 and 2020. The researchers found that cannabis users had a higher complexity of co-existing conditions, including mood disorders and substance use disorders, compared to non-users. Patients ...

PanGu drug model: Learn a molecule like a human

The Pangu drug model uses a novel graph-to-sequence structure to learn the relationship between chemical structures and formula strings. After pre-training on 1.7 billion druglike molecules, it achieved state-of-the-art results in 20 drug discovery tasks, including molecular property prediction and optimization.

SourceScience China Press·JournalScience China Life Sciences·DateFeb 24, 2023

Discovery suggests new way to prevent common causes of vision loss

UVA scientists have discovered a new contributor to abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye, which could lead to new treatments for macular degeneration and other vision loss conditions. The discovery identifies a key protein that determines VEGF levels, blocking it has reduced VEGF levels significantly without unwanted side effects.

SourceUniversity of Virginia Health System·JournalSignal Transduction and Targeted Therapy·DateFeb 24, 2023

New study reveals biodiversity loss drove ecological collapse after the “Great Dying”

A recent study analyzed marine ecosystems before, during, and after the Permian-Triassic extinction event, revealing that biodiversity loss led to ecological destabilization. The researchers found that functional redundancy, or the presence of multiple species performing similar functions, was critical in maintaining ecosystem stability.

SourceCalifornia Academy of Sciences·JournalCurrent Biology·DateFeb 24, 2023

Research brief: Verapamil shows beneficial effect on the pancreas in children with newly-diagnosed type 1 diabetes

A University of Minnesota-led study shows that verapamil can increase pancreatic insulin secretion by 30% in children with newly-diagnosed type 1 diabetes. The treatment was well-tolerated and had a favorable safety profile, making it an appealing option for children and adults with the condition.

SourceUniversity of Minnesota Medical School·JournalJAMA·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateFeb 24, 2023

Using the power of artificial intelligence, new open-source tool simplifies animal behavior analysis

A team from the University of Michigan has developed LabGym, an open-source software that uses artificial intelligence to identify, categorize and count defined behaviors across various animal model systems. By teaching the software what it should count, researchers can analyze animal behaviors more efficiently and accurately.

SourceUniversity of Michigan·JournalCell Reports Methods·DateFeb 24, 2023

More than half of COVID patients suffer long COVID symptoms

A study by Osaka Metropolitan University found that more than half of COVID patients suffer from long-term symptoms, including fatigue, taste and smell abnormalities, and sleep disturbances. The research also revealed that young people, vaccinated individuals, and those previously infected can still experience these residual aftereffects.

SourceOsaka Metropolitan University·JournalScientific Reports·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 24, 2023