Eye conditions linked to heightened risk of dementia

Age-related macular degeneration, cataract and diabetes-related eye disease are linked to an increased risk of dementia, suggests research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Blood lipoprotein levels linked to future risk of ALS

Some blood lipid biomarkers linked to cardiovascular disease risk are also associated with a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suggest the findings of a large epidemiology study published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

Shop displays of e-cigarettes and smoking paraphernalia could undermine effectiveness of banning tobacco displays

Efforts to discourage people from smoking by banning tobacco retail displays in shops and supermarkets could be weakened by prominent displays of electronic (e) cigarettes and smoking paraphernalia, suggests new research published in the journal Tobacco Control.

Bioscience firm claims will bring back extinct woolly mammoth

It is the elephant in the genomics room: can extinct species be resurrected? One bioscience firm insists they can, announcing Monday its intent to use emerging technology to restore the woolly mammoth to the Arctic tundra.

Largest population-based study of 'lazy eye' reveals public health's blind spots

An estimated 1% to 5% of children worldwide have lazy eye— a childhood condition where the vision does not develop properly. It happens because one or both eyes are unable to build a strong link to the brain. It usually only affects one eye, and means that the child can see less clearly out of the affected eye and relies more on the "good" eye. This condition responds well to treatment if begun early on. However, by age 7, if the lazy eye is undiagnosed or left untreated, it can cause permanent visual damage, impair daily activities such as reading, walking or driving safely, and lead to social and financial deficits later on in life.

Improving biomaterials design for bone regeneration

Bone injuries in the face and skull—known as craniomaxillofacial defects—can be caused by sports injuries, vehicle accidents, or battlefield injuries. Repairing such defects is complicated because different types of cells need to interact with each other. In a new study, researchers are investigating the types of material used in reconstruction to see which one works best.

COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased maternal mortality in Mexico

Being pregnant in Mexico during the pandemic had deadly consequences for many, with a new study from Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) showing an increase of 60 percent maternal mortality between Feb. 2020 and Feb. 2021.

Jet stream changes could amplify weather extremes by 2060s

New research provides insights into how the position and intensity of the North Atlantic jet stream has changed during the past 1,250 years. The findings suggest that the position of the jet stream could migrate outside of the range of natural variability by as early as the year 2060 under unabated greenhouse gas emissions, with potentially drastic weather-related consequences for societies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Turning 65 means a lot for Americans' wallets, health spending study finds

Lowering the age when older adults can enroll in Medicare might save them a lot of money, even if the age drops only a year or two from the current age of 65, a new study suggests.

Public will pay over $500 million a year for hurricane forecast improvements, study finds

A recent survey of people recently affected by hurricanes across four states found that the public is willing to pay more than $500 million a year to improve hurricane forecasts. The study, led by a group of atmospheric scientists and economists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, comes at a time when Hurricane Ida's path caused widespread damage across U.S. states.

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy has long-term impact on children's health, development

Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of air pollution that is increasingly associated with long-term consequences for the health and development of children. In a study recently published in Nature's Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, Natalie Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, and her co-authors synthesized the findings of previous studies, reviews and meta-analyses on the adverse health effects of the two smallest types of particulate matter (PM): Fine (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) and ultrafine (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 1 μm). Both types of PM can be inhaled deep into the lung. Ultrafine particles have recently been shown to cross into circulation and even cross the placental barrier, directly reaching the developing fetus.

Elephant project recordings evoke the rainforest

More than a million hours of sound recordings are available from the Elephant Listening Project (ELP) in the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology—a rainforest residing in the cloud.

Seattle cracks down on food delivery apps with one of the strictest laws in country

During the pandemic, restaurants around Seattle started to notice they were getting more food orders from different versions of their menus that sometimes dated as far back as 2014. Worse, when the kitchens couldn't fulfill orders from such outdated menus, those angry customers posted negative reviews about the restaurants online or called the restaurants to complain.

Researchers design sensors to rapidly detect plant hormones

Researchers from the Disruptive and Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) interdisciplinary research group of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, and their local collaborators from Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), have developed the first-ever nanosensor to enable rapid testing of synthetic auxin plant hormones. The novel nanosensors are safer and less tedious than existing techniques for testing plants' response to compounds such as herbicide, and can be transformative in improving agricultural production and our understanding of plant growth.

Under the scanner: Scientists unravel the inner workings of DNA repair enzymes

DNA is the instruction manual for every living organism, guiding the development and functioning of all biological processes. In essence, it is a molecule with a double helix structure with each unit of a helix containing what are known as "DNA bases."

iOS 15 is arriving soon. Here's what we know about the iPhone's upcoming update

With Apple's event next week likely to usher in the next iPhone, we're closer to the launch of iOS 15.

Study: Colon cancer risk extends to second- and third-degree relatives

Having second- or third-degree relatives with colorectal cancer increases a person's risk of developing the disease, according to the findings of a study led by researchers from the University at Buffalo and the University of Utah.

Docking peptides, slow to lock, open possible path to treat Alzheimer's

Progress on treating Alzheimer's disease has been frustratingly slow. A group of scientists in Houston suggest frustration at a very small scale may lead to a new path toward treatment.

Scientists discover new pathway that prevents bowel cancer treatment from working

Leading scientists at the University of Birmingham have discovered a previously unknown pathway that prevents specific drugs from working in patients with bowel cancer.

China to target biggest payment app Alipay in tech crackdown: FT

Chinese regulators have ordered sweeping changes to the country's biggest payment app Alipay, as the ruling Communist Party attempts to rein in "the unruly growth" of the tech giants.

School starts for 1 million NYC kids amid new vaccine rules

Classroom doors swing open for about a million New York City public school students on Monday in the nation's largest experiment of in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Isotope mapping sheds rare light into migratory routes, natal origins of monarch butterflies

Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, University of Ottawa biology student Megan Reich enjoyed the road trip of a lifetime, crisscrossing the east coast of the United States in search of a specific thrill: Milkweed.

World-leading pharma collaborates call for plain language summaries of peer-reviewed medical journal articles

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies who form the Open Pharma collaboration, have today announced the ever-pressing need for plain language summaries in peer-reviewed medical journal publications.

Children of cancer patients are too often excluded from the disease journey, research shows

The announcement of a cancer diagnosis abruptly and durably alters the course of daily life—not just for the person receiving it, but also for their family. New research presented at the ESMO Congress 2021 suggests that adequate communication and support for children of cancer patients still represents a significant unmet need that parents require help to fulfill.

China to target biggest payment app Alipay in tech crackdown: FT

Chinese regulators have ordered sweeping changes to the country's biggest payment app Alipay, as the ruling Communist Party attempts to rein in "the unruly growth" of the tech giants.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-09-china-biggest-payment-app-alipay.html

Isotope mapping sheds rare light into migratory routes, natal origins of monarch butterflies

Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, University of Ottawa biology student Megan Reich enjoyed the road trip of a lifetime, crisscrossing the east coast of the United States in search of a specific thrill: Milkweed.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-09-isotope-rare-migratory-routes-natal.html

Clone your camel: beauty pageants, races spur high demand

Cloning is in high demand in the competitive world of camel beauty pageants, leaving scientists at a Dubai clinic working round the clock to produce carbon-copy beasts.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-09-clone-camel-beauty-pageants-spur.html

Ocelots rescued from traffickers returned to wild in Ecuador

Six ocelots rescued from illegal wildlife traffickers have been returned to the wild in northern Ecuador, the environment ministry said on Saturday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-09-ocelots-traffickers-wild-ecuador.html

Internet funding rule could favor rural areas over cities

Cities and urban counties across the U.S. are raising concerns that a recent rule from President Joe Biden's administration could preclude them from tapping into $350 billion of coronavirus relief aid to expand high-speed internet connections.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-09-internet-funding-favor-rural-areas.html

Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma face barriers to treatment access

A study of 2,804 patients with stage I to stage III malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) found significant variability in access to care and a positive association between multimodality treatment, income levels, and survival outcomes. The research was presented today at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer in OA13: Topics in Pleural Mesothelioma.

Neoadjuvant cisplatin, pemetrexed plus atezolizumab followed by surgical resection, maintenance atezolizumab is safe

Neoadjuvant cisplatin and pemetrexed plus atezolizumab followed by surgical resection and maintenance atezolizumab met safety criteria, according to research presented today in OA13: Topics in Pleural Mesothelioma at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

UKLS trial meta-analysis confirms that low dose CT screening for lung cancer reduces mortality

Low-dose CT lung cancer (LDCT) screening is associated with a 16 percent relative reduction in lung cancer mortality, when compared against a non-LDCT control arm, according to research presented by Professor John Field and the United Kingdom Cancer Screening Trial (UKLS) Team today at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The research will be published in The Lancet Regional Health-Europe.

Almost two thirds of thoracic oncologists used telehealth for the first-time during pandemic: IASLC survey

Nearly two-thirds of thoracic oncologists surveyed indicated they used telehealth tools for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report issued at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Clone your camel: beauty pageants, races spur high demand

Cloning is in high demand in the competitive world of camel beauty pageants, leaving scientists at a Dubai clinic working round the clock to produce carbon-copy beasts.

Ocelots rescued from traffickers returned to wild in Ecuador

Six ocelots rescued from illegal wildlife traffickers have been returned to the wild in northern Ecuador, the environment ministry said on Saturday.

Internet funding rule could favor rural areas over cities

Cities and urban counties across the U.S. are raising concerns that a recent rule from President Joe Biden's administration could preclude them from tapping into $350 billion of coronavirus relief aid to expand high-speed internet connections.

UK ditches plans for vaccine passports at crowded venues

Authorities in Britain have decided not to require vaccine passports for entry into nightclubs and other crowded events in England, Britain's health secretary said Sunday, reversing course amid opposition from some of the Conservative government's supporters in Parliament.

Japan passes 50% vaccination rate, may ease limits in Nov.

Japan's government says more than 50% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

Chinese city with coronavirus outbreak stops buses, trains

A city in southern China that is trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak told the public Sunday not to leave town, suspended bus and train service and closed cinemas, bars and other facilities.