Dr. Josh Andersen, who heads Brigham Young University's Fritz B. Burns Cancer Research Laboratory, discovered the mechanism by which a gene, called TNK1, becomes an oncogenic driver in cancer. TNK1 is present in all cells, but when mutated, it becomes dangerous and able to convert normal cells into cancer cells. This puts TNK1 in a select category of cancer driver genes. "You can think of cancer drivers as the engine that makes cancer grow...
Researchers at MIT are exploring the use of artificial intelligence to automate the process of using X-rays and other images in combination with radiology reports to diagnose and treat patients. “We want to train machines that are capable of reproducing what radiologists do every day,” says Ruizhi Liao, a recent PhD graduate at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). The vast body of radiology reports accompanying medical images are written by radiology...
It has been commonly believed that humans started to expand into the Americas from Siberia as the last ice age ended about 13,000 years ago, but new findings are igniting debate about this timeline. Thousands of human footprints dating back to 23,000 years ago were discovered in dried lake beds in White Sands National Park in New Mexico, according to a study published in Science. The prints were discovered in 2009, but it took more...
When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, the R rate became well-known shorthand for the reproduction of the disease. Yet a new study suggests it's time for 'A Farewell to R' in favour of a different approach based on the growth rate of infection rather than contagiousness. The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface and led by researchers from the University of Cambridge, is based on time series models developed using classical statistical methods....
The gap in life expectancy between black and white Americans has narrowed by nearly 50% in three decades, largely due to improvements among black Americans, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Co-authored by researchers at Princeton University's Center for Health and Wellbeing, the study analysed data from 1990 to 2018 to compare mortality rates between black and white Americans, through the lens of place, reports Medical Xpress. They also...
A team of researchers has found that it is possible to reprogram heart muscle to repair damaged tissue in mice, reports Medical Xpress. There are two main kinds of heart attack. The first occurs when something prevents the heart from beating. The second occurs when blood flow is restricted to parts of the heart, preventing the muscle in that area from beating. The first kind is generally fatal unless the heart can be restarted very quickly. The second is...
A group of 13 scientists from the U.S., the U.K., Scotland, Israel, Europe, Canada, Brazil, and Australia has penned a consensus statement regarding the use of paracetamol/acetaminophen (APAP) by pregnant women. In their paper, published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology, the group suggests that pregnant women only take paracetamol/acetaminophen if it is medically necessary. Nature has also published an Editorial in the same journal issue noting that the statement's authors are not calling for a ban...
A process that injects carbon dioxide deep below ground, then circulates it to extract heat and geothermal energy, has proven viable in a feasibility study by University of Alberta researchers, reports Tech Xplore. The research moves the technology a step closer to pilot testing and to becoming part of a low-carbon economy, said Alireza Rangriz Shokri, a research associate in the U of A Faculty of Engineering who conducted the study. "This is a step...
Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have published a detailed map of where human antibodies bind to SARS-CoV-2, a map that was generated by a global collaboration comparing nearly all leading clinical candidates. The new research, published in Science, will help guide the development of more effective COVID-19 antibody therapies and help scientists develop effective vaccines to address emerging viral variants. The findings propel COVID-19 research in three key ways:
Hundreds of antibodies contributed by...
As more young women with breast cancer opt to have mastectomies, many experience a persistent decline in their sexual and psychosocial well being following the procedure, as detailed in new research by Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center. The findings, reported in JAMA Surgery, highlight the importance of doctors and patients discussing the potential long-term physical and emotional consequences of the procedure, researchers say. In a multicenter prospective cohort of young women diagnosed with breast cancer, moderate to large...
