Curated News: PLOS

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4-Oct-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Consumers willing to pay more for sustainably brewed beer, study finds
Indiana University

More and more breweries are investing in practices to save energy and reduce greenhouse gases. Will it pay off? A study by Indiana University researchers suggests it may.

   
Released: 4-Oct-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Larger cities have smaller water footprint than less populated counterparts
Penn State College of Engineering

Crops being irrigated with an overhead irrigation system.10/03/2018By Jennifer MatthewsUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Global sustainability is important now more than ever due to increasing urban populations and the resulting stress it can have on natural resources. But increased populations in cities may lead to greater efficiency, as a team of Penn State researchers discovered when they analyzed the water footprint of 65 mid- to large-sized U.

Released: 3-Oct-2018 5:05 PM EDT
Periodontal disease bacteria may kick-start Alzheimer’s
University of Illinois Chicago

Long-term exposure to periodontal disease bacteria causes inflammation and degeneration of brain neurons in mice that is similar to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Periodontal disease may be an initiator of Alzheimer’s.

26-Sep-2018 1:50 PM EDT
Making SNAP Healthier with Food Incentives and Disincentives Could Improve Health and Save Costs
Tufts University

A new Food-PRICE study from researchers at Tufts and Harvard estimates that up to one million cardiovascular and diabetes events and $42 billion could be saved in healthcare costs using incentives and/or disincentives to improve food choices among participants in SNAP.

   
Released: 2-Oct-2018 8:05 AM EDT
Making Mice A Tiny Bit More Human to Study Preterm Birth
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Preterm birth remains a global epidemic linked to a lifetime of potential health complications. It also is difficult to study in living creatures—especially the uniquely precise biology of preterm birth in humans. Researchers report in PLoS Biology successfully inserting just enough human DNA into transgenic laboratory mice that it allowed the team to study a unique part of human pregnancy compared to other animals.

Released: 26-Sep-2018 3:05 AM EDT
Making old antibiotics new again
University of Colorado Boulder

CU Boulder researchers have identified a family of small molecules that turn off defense mechanisms inside bacteria that enable them to resist antibiotics. The compounds could ultimately be given alongside existing medications to rejuvenate them.

Released: 18-Sep-2018 4:50 PM EDT
For-Profit Hospitals Correlated with Higher Readmission Rates
University of Illinois Chicago

Patients who receive care in a for-profit hospital are more likely to be readmitted than those who receive care in nonprofit or public hospitals, according to a new study published by University of Illinois at Chicago researchers.

Released: 17-Sep-2018 9:00 AM EDT
Taste Preferences Connected to Success of Long-Term Weight Loss Following Bariatric Surgery
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), a type of bariatric surgery, many patients exhibit a reduction in taste preference for sweet and fatty foods, although this effect may only be temporary, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

11-Sep-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Cancer Drug and Antidepressants Provide Clues for Treating Fatal Brain-Eating Amoeba Infections
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego have now identified three new molecular drug targets in Naegleria fowleri and a number of drugs that are able to inhibit the amoeba’s growth in a laboratory dish. Several of these drugs are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other uses, such as antifungal agents, the breast cancer drug tamoxifen and antidepressant Prozac.

Released: 12-Sep-2018 2:00 PM EDT
An Old Drug Finds New Purpose Against Retinal Neovascularization
Sanford Burnham Prebys

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have found that the anti-malaria drug amodiaquine inhibits the apelin receptor protein, which helps drive the vascularization behind diabetic retinopathy, wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other conditions. Because the drug has been approved to treat malaria for decades, it could move relatively quickly through the pipeline to help patients. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Released: 10-Sep-2018 9:35 AM EDT
Jog Your Memory: Treadmill Desks Don't Hinder Thinking but Can Hamper Memory
University of Michigan

If you've ever tried to recall a recently learned phone number while using a treadmill workstation, you know it can be tough. That's because working memory isn't as efficient when using a treadmill workstation as when sitting or standing, a new University of Michigan study found.

   
Released: 5-Sep-2018 12:00 PM EDT
Marmosets Serve as an Effective Model for Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
Texas Biomedical Research Institute

Small, New World monkeys called marmosets can mimic the sleep disturbances, changes in circadian rhythm, and cognitive impairment people with Parkinson’s disease develop, according to a new study by scientists at Texas Biomedical Research Institute.

Released: 5-Sep-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Keeping the Beat: Turtle Shells Served as Symbolic Musical Instruments for Indigenous Cultures
Florida State University

Researchers investigate the important role turtle shells played as musical instruments for indigenous cultures in the southeastern U.S.

Released: 31-Aug-2018 8:05 AM EDT
Are Vulnerable Lions Eating Endangered Zebras?
Wildlife Conservation Society

Are Laikipia’s recovering lions turning to endangered Grevy’s zebras (Equus grevyi) for their next meal?

Released: 29-Aug-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Stem cells show promise as drug delivery tool for childhood brain cancer
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers showed they could shrink tumors in laboratory models of medulloblastoma. The study, published in PLOS ONE, is a necessary step toward developing clinical trials that would see if the approach works for children.

Released: 28-Aug-2018 2:00 PM EDT
Crowdsourcing Campaigns Increase HIV Testing Among At-Risk Men in China
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that crowdsourced campaigns can motivated men at-risk of HIV infection in China to get tested.

Released: 24-Aug-2018 3:00 PM EDT
Why Polluted Air May Be a Threat to Your Kidneys
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Of the many well-documented risks of dirty air, one potential danger is lesser known: chronic kidney disease. Learn about new research and how to protect yourself.

Released: 24-Aug-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Researchers Use Crowdsourcing to Speed Up Data Analysis in Corn Plants
Iowa State University

An interdisciplinary research team at Iowa State University turned to crowdsourcing to help them design a machine-learning algorithm that could speed up the process of breeding new crop varieties with desirable traits. The recently published research focuses on identifying tassels in images of corn plants, but the work could have implications for other crops as well.

Released: 23-Aug-2018 5:05 PM EDT
Researchers Identify Link Between Gut Bacteria and Eating for Pleasure, as Opposed to Hunger
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A study of 63 healthy people showed that those with elevated microbiome levels of the metabolite indole — produced when gut bacteria break down the amino acid tryptophan — had stronger function and connectivity in specific areas of the brain’s reward network. Such activity in the brain indicates that a person is more prone to “hedonic eating,” or eating for pleasure rather than for hunger. Those with higher levels of indole also were more likely to have food addiction, as determined by questionnaires they completed.

Released: 23-Aug-2018 2:05 PM EDT
‘Safe’ UV Light May Prevent Infections in Catheters and Cardiac Drivelines
Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Columbia researchers developed a UVC light-diffusing system to sterilize skin-penetrating medical devices. The system could prevent infections in people with these devices.

22-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
More Than a Label: Shelter Dog Genotyping Reveals Inaccuracy of Breed Assignments
Arizona State University (ASU)

Arizona State University scientists used genetic testing in over 900 shelter dogs to identify breed heritage in the largest study of its kind. The researchers found widespread genetic diversity: 125 breeds in the sample and an average of three breed matches per dog. The accuracy of shelter staff in identifying more than one breed in the dog’s heritage based just on physical appearance was only 10%. How breed labels can impact shelter dogs is discussed.

Released: 14-Aug-2018 8:05 AM EDT
Alarming” Diabetes Epidemic in Guatemala Tied to Aging, Not Obesity
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The diabetes epidemic in Guatemala is worse than previously thought: more than 25 percent of its indigenous people, who make up 60 percent of the population, suffer from type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, suggests a new study published in PLOS One from researchers at the Penn Center for Global Health.

6-Aug-2018 2:00 PM EDT
Lessons from Flies: Genetic Diversity Impacts Disease Severity
University of Utah Health

By analyzing thousands of flies, scientists at University of Utah Health found that variation in a background gene, called Baldspot, can make a difference in severity of the disease.

26-Jul-2018 12:05 PM EDT
Cellular Communication System in Mice Helps Control Female Fertility
University of Wisconsin–Madison

In new research published Aug. 2 in the journal PLOS Genetics, UW-Madison researchers discovered that two genes work together to construct a cellular communication system in the ovaries of mice to maintain healthy eggs.

30-Jul-2018 9:00 AM EDT
Heatwave Deaths Will Rise Steadily by 2080 as Globe Warms Up
Monash University

If people cannot adapt to future climate temperatures, deaths caused by severe heatwaves will increase dramatically in tropical and subtropical regions, followed closely by Australia, Europe and the United States, a global new Monash–led study shows.

Released: 31-Jul-2018 6:05 AM EDT
Real-Time Foot-and-Mouth Strategy to Better Fight Disease
University of Warwick

Future outbreaks of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease can be combatted quickly and efficiently from early on - when authorities have minimal information - thanks to a new real-time strategy, developed by researchers at the University of Warwick.

   
Released: 25-Jul-2018 2:05 PM EDT
ORNL develops new capability to evaluate human-driven change in Eastern U.S. streams
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A stream classification system developed by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory can help assess physical changes to United States streams and rivers from human influences and aid in more effective management of water resources.

Released: 23-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Study suggests ways DPP-4 inhibitor might prevent kidney disease
Joslin Diabetes Center

Researchers have long sought drugs that could help to prevent diabetic kidney disease (DKD), which afflicts about 40% of people with type 2 diabetes. Among the current contenders are a class of diabetes management drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have shown that in mouse models of diabetic kidney disease, the DPP-4 inhibitor linagliptin produces two signs of prevention against kidney damage.

18-Jul-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Low/No Calorie Soft Drinks Improve Outcomes in Advanced Colon Cancer Patients
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

Drinking artificially-sweetened beverages is associated with a significantly lower risk of colon cancer recurrence and cancer death, a team of investigators led by a Yale Cancer Center scientist has found. The study was published today in the journal The Public Library of Science One.

Released: 19-Jul-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Scientists Explore New Experimental Model Systems to Advance Biology
Stony Brook University

An international team of scientists is investigating how to genetically manipulate a variety of marine protists –unicellular microscopic organisms that are not classified as a plant, animal or fungus – to develop new experimental models that may help to advance scientific understanding in oceanography and other areas of the biological sciences.

Released: 16-Jul-2018 10:05 AM EDT
NYU Study Uncovers Connections Between Early Childhood Program and Teenage Outcomes
New York University

A new study published in PLOS ONE by researchers from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development examined the long-term impacts of an early childhood program in Chicago, IL called the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP) and found evidence suggesting that the program positively affected children’s executive function and academic achievement during adolescence.

11-Jul-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Scientists ID Protein Exploited by Virus Ravaging West Africa
University of California San Diego

New research has uncovered a protein enabling the replication of arenaviruses, lethal pathogens spreading in West Africa. The research identified DDX3 as a key factor through its unexpected ability to dismantle normal human immune system defenses. The study may pave the way to new therapeutic treatments for arenaviruses and hemorrhagic fever.

   
11-Jul-2018 4:00 PM EDT
Citizen-Scientist Study Results Find Ticks Capable of Carrying Lyme Disease in 83 Additional U.S. Counties
Northern Arizona University

More than 16,000 ticks were sent in by people across the country and tested for various bacterial infections. Results show ticks capable of carrying Lyme disease are more widespread than originally thought.

   
Released: 11-Jul-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Researchers Clarify Role of Mutations in Glioblastoma
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers investigated whether the location of the mutation within the sequence of the PIK3CA gene affected the mutation’s ability to help drive glioblastoma growth. They also tested whether mutations within certain sequences of the gene were linked to better responses to particular drugs. They found mutational status was not linked to a response to a single targeted drug, but it was to a combination of treatments.

Released: 9-Jul-2018 9:00 AM EDT
National School Food Policies Have Potential to Improve Health Now and Later
Tufts University

Providing free fruits and vegetables and limiting sugary drinks in schools could have positive health effects in both the short- and long-term, finds a new Food-PRICE study led by researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

   
29-Jun-2018 1:05 PM EDT
In a Warming World, Could Air Conditioning Make Things Worse?
University of Wisconsin–Madison

As climate change continues to push summer temperatures ever higher, the increased use of air conditioning in buildings could add to the problems of a warming world by further degrading air quality and compounding the toll of air pollution on human health, according to a new study.

Released: 22-Jun-2018 9:00 AM EDT
Repurposing Promising Cancer Drugs May Lead to a New Approach to Treating TB
Texas Biomedical Research Institute

Promising experimental cancer chemotherapy drugs may help knock out another life-threatening disease: tuberculosis (TB).

Released: 19-Jun-2018 9:05 AM EDT
Two Mosquito Species Can Transmit New Chikungunya Virus in the Americas
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Researchers are evaluating the ability of Florida and Brazilian mosquitoes to transmit chikungunya because the virus was transmitted in Florida as part of an outbreak throughout the Americas in 2014.

Released: 19-Jun-2018 6:05 AM EDT
Is the sky the limit?
University of Vienna

What stops a species adapting to an ever-wider range of conditions, continuously expanding its geographic range? The biomathematician Jitka Polechová, an Elise Richter Fellow at the University of Vienna, has published a paper in PLoS Biology which explains the formation of species’ range margins. The theory shows that just two compound parameters, important for both ecology and evolution of species, are fundamental to the stability of their range: the environmental heterogeneity and the size of the local population.

Released: 18-Jun-2018 1:05 AM EDT
Heart Disease Sufferers Not Exercising Enough
University of Adelaide

Evidence shows that people with existing heart problems or who are at risk of developing them, are ignoring medical advice and not taking enough exercise. New medical treatments have helped people to live longer despite these health problems, but this is causing an escalating burden on public health systems worldwide.

Released: 15-Jun-2018 2:05 PM EDT
New study shows higher vitamin D levels could lower risk for breast cancer
Creighton University

This study found that women with a blood level of >60 ng/ml had an 80 percent lower risk for breast cancer than those with levels of 20 ng/ml or less.

6-Jun-2018 12:00 PM EDT
High Food Insecurity Found in a Sample of Adults on Probation in Rhode Island
Tufts University

A new study led by public health researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine reports significant food insecurity for adults on probation in Rhode Island. Nearly three-quarters of the participants experienced food insecurity over a 30-day period, with almost half having very low food security.

   
6-Jun-2018 9:30 AM EDT
Active HIV in Large White Blood Cells May Drive Cognitive Impairment in Infected Mice
Mount Sinai Health System

An experimental model of HIV infection in mice, developed by Mount Sinai researchers, has shown that HIV causes learning and memory dysfunction, a cognitive disease that is now observed in about half of HIV infected people that worsens with age, and is currently incurable.

Released: 6-Jun-2018 9:00 AM EDT
What Would Help or Hinder Patient Participation in Clinical Trials for Mitochondrial Disease?
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

As clinical trials gear up with the aim of attaining the first FDA-approved treatments for mitochondrial disease, a new study reports for the first time what patients and families say would motivate them for or against participating in such research trials.

Released: 18-May-2018 7:05 PM EDT
New Algorithm More Accurately Predicts Life Expectancy After Heart Failure
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A new algorithm more accurately predicts which people will survive heart failure, and for how long, whether or not they receive a heart transplant. The algorithm would allow doctors to make more personalized assessments of people who are awaiting heart transplants, which in turn could enable health care providers to make better use of limited life-saving resources and potentially reduce health care costs.

   
Released: 18-May-2018 10:05 AM EDT
New Mechanism Essential for Eye Lens Development Identified
University of Delaware

A team led by a University of Delaware researcher has identified the protein essential for eye lens development and clear vision. Without the protein, eyes will form cataracts; with it, lens cells are cleared and ready to see. The work is providing fundamental new knowledge on the basic underlying mechanisms involved in eye development.

Released: 17-May-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Investigadores identifican método para superar falsos positivos en tomografías computarizadas de cáncer de pulmón
Mayo Clinic

Un equipo de investigadores que incluyó a científicos de Mayo Clinic identificó una tecnología para afrontar el problema de resultados falsos positivos en la detección del cáncer pulmonar mediante tomografía computarizada.

Released: 15-May-2018 2:00 PM EDT
Researchers Identify Method to Overcome False Positives in CT Imaging for Lung Cancer
Mayo Clinic

A team of researchers including investigators from Mayo Clinic has identified a technology to address the problem of false positives in CT-based lung cancer screening.

Released: 4-May-2018 3:50 PM EDT
Dengue Virus Transmission Dominated by Those with Undetected Infection, Study Finds
University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame study also indicates that nearly a quarter of dengue virus transmission is the result of mosquitoes biting those already infected before the onset of symptoms.

Released: 4-May-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Surprising Discovery Could Improve Malaria Detection Worldwide
Seattle Children's Hospital

With the unexpected discovery of a panel of peptides from several proteins encoded by the parasite that causes malaria, new research underway at Seattle Children’s Research Institute could pave the way for a rapid screening test capable of diagnosing submicroscopic infections.



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