Anti-inflammatory agents can effectively and safely curb major depressive symptoms

Anti-inflammatory agents, such as aspirin/paracetamol, statins, and antibiotics, can safely and effectively curb the symptoms of major depression, finds a pooled analysis of the available evidence, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

UK vets need special training to report suspected animal abuse

UK vets need special training to report cases of suspected animal abuse and neglect, finds research published online in Vet Record.

Multiple factors aligned to establish sustained transmission of XDR-TB in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

A study published today in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) examines the evolutionary and epidemiologic history of an epidemic strain of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) - called LAM4/KZN- in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This strain was first reported in a 2005 outbreak in Tugela Ferry, KwaZulu-Natal, where it was associated with 90 percent mortality among predominantly HIV infected individuals, and has since become widespread throughout the province. A new study identifies key host, pathogen and environmental factors that facilitated the success of this XDR-TB strain and steps that can be taken for early identification and containment of future epidemics.

To rid electric grid of carbon, shore up green energy support

Cornell and Northwestern University engineers, along with a federal economist, have created an energy model that helps to remove carbon-generated power from the U.S. electric grid—replacing it with a greener, financially feasible wind, solar and hydro energy system.

Researchers: Abolish marriage consummation as requirement for citizenship

Two political scientists at the University of Alberta argue consummation of marriage as a requirement for Canadian citizenship should be abolished.

Argonaute proteins help fine-tune gene expression

A nuclear protein bound to RNA molecules affects chromatin structure and gene expression.

5 milestones that created the internet, 50 years after the first network message

Fifty years ago, a UCLA computer science professor and his student sent the first message over the predecessor to the internet, a network called ARPANET.

Could cannabis be a pain relief alternative to opioids?

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, deaths related to opioids in the state rose 13 percent between 2016 and 2017. In response to rising opioid use and associated deaths, the Alternative to Opioids Act of 2018 created the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program. The IDPH commissioned Dr. Julie Bobitt, the director of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program at the University of Illinois, to evaluate the program. She discussed the preliminary data and the feasibility of cannabis as an opioid alternative in an interview with News Bureau biomedical sciences editor Liz Ahlberg Touchstone.

New photo-responsive hydrogels developed with eye on biomedical applications

3-D printed, transplantable organs may sound like science fiction, but, thanks to advances in polymer chemistry, they could become a reality. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels represent a broad class of soft materials that change their mechanical properties when certain external triggers are applied. Last year researchers from the lab of Jonathan Barnes, assistant professor of chemistry, created a new kind of artificial molecular muscle from a polymer that changes color and contracts when exposed to blue light. Similar materials promise a wide range of applications, particularly in medicine.

Trout habitat improvements also benefit nongame native fish

Habitat improvements in the Laramie River intended to boost the brown trout fishery also have benefited native nongame fish, according to newly published research by University of Wyoming scientists.

Study shows ability to detect light from UV to the IR optical regimes using spin currents

A University of Wyoming researcher and his team have shown that the spin Seebeck effect (SSE) can be used to detect light across a broad optical range—ultraviolet through visible to near-infrared. This work has future implications on novel spin current-based technologies.

US-born residents more than five times likely to use prescription opioids than new immigrants

The longer immigrants live in the United States, the more likely they are to use prescription opioids—a fact that contradicts popular views linking wealth and health, and suggests that American culture is uniquely favorable toward prescribing opioids.

Alert system for failing nuclear plant pipes uses thin films and sound vibrations

A failing pipe can be tough to spot. It may cause a puddle, produce another sign of damage, or simply burst before detection. A flooded kitchen or laundry room is messy and inconvenient, but the stakes are much, much higher in nuclear power plants—which on average contain many miles of pipeline.

Another way to detect lymphedema

Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is a noninvasive technology that measures the amount of fluid in a limb. It works by sending low level electrical current through the arm or leg and measuring the resistance to current (impedance).

Completing DNA synthesis

The final stage of DNA replication—"termination"—occurs when two DNA copy machines advance upon each other and unwind the final stretch of DNA. This process occurs about 60,000 times per human cell cycle and is crucial to prevent mutations.

Biomarker for schizophrenia can be detected in human hair

Working with model mice, postmortem human brains, and people with schizophrenia, researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan have discovered that a subtype of schizophrenia is related to abnormally high levels hydrogen sulfide in the brain. Experiments showed that this abnormality likely results from a DNA-modifying reaction during development that lasts throughout life. In addition to providing a new direction for research into drug therapies, higher-than-normal levels of the hydrogen sulfide-producing enzyme can act as biomarker for this type of schizophrenia.

Streaming TV gears up for ad targeting

In the new world of streaming television, advertising is not going away, but is evolving to become more like marketing on the internet—targeted to specific groups or individuals.

Delhi fights hazardous pollution after Diwali party

After India's biggest firework party of the year, Delhi awoke to a pollution hangover Monday with the capital forced to breathe hazardous levels of toxic particles.

State of emergency declared as California wildfires rage

California's governor declared a statewide emergency on Sunday as a huge blaze, fanned by strong winds, forced mass evacuations and power blackouts as it bore down on towns in the famed Sonoma wine region.

Chill your Netflix habit, climate experts say

Movie nights once required driving to the local video store to rent, rewind and return the latest blockbuster. Now on-demand video content providers offer countless binge-worthy options at the touch of a finger.

New species found in whale shark mouth

A whale shark's mouth might not seem like the most hospitable environment for a home, but Japanese researchers have found there's no place like it for a newly-discovered shrimp-like creature.

American Academy of Pediatrics looks at use of nonnutritive sweeteners by children

Nonnutritive or artificial sweeteners are a growing part of U.S. diets, now consumed by at least one in four children. A new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement offers a summary of the existing data around nonnutritive sweeteners and recommends future research into how they affect children's weight, taste preferences, the risk for diabetes, and long-term safety.

AAP recommends greater access to surgical treatments for severe obesity

Recognizing that severe obesity is a serious and worsening public health crisis in children and adolescents, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is calling for greater access to metabolic and bariatric surgery, one of the few strategies that has been shown to be effective in treating the most severe forms of the chronic disease.

Soft drinks found to be the crucial link between obesity and tooth wear

A new study published today in the journal Clinical Oral Investigations, has found that sugar-sweetened acidic drinks, such as soft drinks, is the common factor between obesity and tooth wear among adults.

Maternal and newborn health improves in rural Nigeria, Ethiopia and India but inequities still exist

Community-based health programs in parts of rural Nigeria, Ethiopia and India were successful in improving health care for mothers and newborns, but inequities still exist, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Study implicates flavored e-cigs in the teen vaping epidemic

A USC study has found that teens who vape candy- or fruit-flavored e-cigarettes are more likely to stick with the habit and vape more heavily, implicating flavors in the teen vaping epidemic.