Hormonal contraceptives in teens may alter risk assessment, rat study suggests

Hormonal contraceptives taken by adolescents may influence development of the brain in a way that alters the recognition of risks, a new study in rats suggests.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113192129.htm

Reducing systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg reduced cardiovascular event risk

An intensive three-year intervention to lower the top blood pressure number to less than 120 mm Hg was more effective at preventing death, heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events in adults at high risk for cardiovascular disease, compared to the standard treatment target of under 140 mm Hg, according to new research.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113192126.htm

Ammonia for fertilizers without the giant carbon footprint

Green ammonia has the potential to drastically reduce the carbon footprint needed to produce fertilizer vital for crop-growing.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113192039.htm

This wireless, handheld, non-invasive device detects Alzheimer's and Parkinson's biomarkers

An international team of researchers has developed a handheld, non-invasive device that can detect biomarkers for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases. The biosensor can also transmit the results wirelessly to a laptop or smartphone. The team tested the device on in vitro samples from patients and showed that it is as accurate as the state of the art method. Ultimately, researchers plan to test saliva and urine samples with the biosensor. The device could be modified to detect biomarkers for other conditions as well. The device relies on electrical rather than chemical detection, which researchers say is easier to implement and more accurate.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113155218.htm

Antiviral treatment is largely underused in children with influenza, study findings show

Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a new study reports an underuse of the treatment.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113141330.htm

How climate change could be affecting your brain

A new element of the catastrophic impacts of climate change is emerging -- how global warming is impacting the human brain.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113111833.htm

Wildfire, drought cause $11.2 billion in damage to private timberland in three Pacific states, study finds

Wildfires and drought have led to $11.2 billion in damages to privately held timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades, a new Oregon State University study found.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113111805.htm

An intravenous needle that irreversibly softens via body temperature on insertion?

A research team has developed an intravenous (IV) needle that softens upon insertion, minimizing risk of damage to blood vessels and tissues. Once used, it remains soft even at room temperature, preventing accidental needle stick injuries and unethical multiple use of needle. A thin-film temperature sensor can be embedded with this needle, enabling real-time monitoring of the patient's core body temperature, or detection of unintended fluid leakage, during IV medication.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113111748.htm

Exhaustion caused by video conferencing demonstrated on a neurophysiological level

Using EEG and ECG data, researchers were able to demonstrate that video conferences and online education formats lead to greater fatigue than face-to-face alternatives.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113111722.htm

New study indicates C4 crops less sensitive to ozone pollution than C3 crops

Researchers have studied the effects of elevated O3 on five C3 crops (chickpea, rice, snap bean, soybean, wheat) and four C4 crops (sorghum, maize, Miscanthus × giganteus, switchgrass). Their findings indicate that C4 crops are much more tolerant of high O3 concentrations than C3 crops.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113111655.htm

Researchers explore origins of lupus, find reason for condition's prevalence among women

For years, researchers and clinicians have known that lupus, an autoimmune condition, occurs in women at a rate nine times higher than in men. Some of the factors that cause the disease's high prevalence in women have eluded discovery, but in a new study investigating the immune system processes in lupus and the X chromosome, researchers have uncovered answers about the disease's frequency in females.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113111649.htm

New drug-like molecule extends lifespan, ameliorates pathology in worms and boosts function in mammalian muscle cells

Having healthy mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy in all our cells, usually portends a long healthy life whether in humans or in C. elegans, a tiny, short-lived nematode worm often used to study the aging process.  Researchers have identified a new drug-like molecule that keeps mitochondria healthy via mitophagy, a process that removes and recycles damaged mitochondria in multicellular organisms. The compound, dubbed MIC, is a natural compound that extended lifespan in C. elegans, ameliorated pathology in neurodegenerative disease models of C. elegans, and improved mitochondrial function in mouse muscle cells.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113111639.htm

Do pets make you happier? Study shows they didn't during the pandemic

There is a general understanding that pets have a positive impact on one's well-being. A new study found that although pet owners reported pets improving their lives, there was not a reliable association between pet ownership and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231110171643.htm

Any activity is better for your heart than sitting -- even sleeping

Replacing sitting with as little as a few minutes of moderate exercise a day tangibly improves heart health, according to new research.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231109221503.htm

Toward new targeted treatments for rheumatoid arthritis

New research may lead to new targeted treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and destruction.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231108164206.htm

Scaling up nano for sustainable manufacturing

A research team has developed a high-performance coating material that self-assembles from 2D nanosheets, and which could significantly extend the shelf life of electronics, energy storage devices, health & safety products, and more. The researchers are the first to successfully scale up nanomaterial synthesis into useful materials for manufacturing and commercial applications.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231108115024.htm

How the antioxidant glutathione keeps mitochondria healthy

Scientists have discovered how mitochondria sense and control their glutathione levels, an antioxidant produced throughout the body. The first nutrient-sensing mechanism identified for an organelle, the finding has great translational potential.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231108114638.htm

Deep decarbonization scenarios reveal importance of accelerating zero-emission vehicle adoption

The rapid adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles will move the nation close to an 80% or more drop in transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from the 2019 level according to researchers.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231107172622.htm

New dates for landslides reveal past Seattle fault earthquakes

New maps of more than 1,000 deep-seated landslides in the Puget Lowlands of Washington State provide evidence of the last major earthquake along the Seattle Fault about 1,100 years ago -- and may also hold traces of older earthquakes along the fault.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231107172613.htm

Window to the past: New microfossils suggest earlier rise in complex life

Microfossils may capture a jump in the complexity of life that coincided with the rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere and oceans, according to an international team of scientists.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231107131931.htm