Antibiotic-resistant genes found in London's canals and ponds

Central London's freshwater sources contain high levels of antibiotic resistant genes, with the River Thames having the highest amount, according to research by UCL.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/antibiotic-resistant-genes-found-in-londons-canals-and-ponds

Muslim LGBTQI+ refugees more likely to gain asylum in Germany if they conform to stereotypes, study

LGBTQI+ Muslims seeking asylum are more successful if they speak, dress and act in accordance with Western notions of homosexuality, according to a new study.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/muslim-lgbtqi-refugees-more-likely-to-gain-asylum-in-germany-if-they-conform-to-stereotypes-study

Paris Agreement hampered by inconsistent pledges, research finds

Some countries' Paris Climate Agreement pledges may not be as ambitious as they appear, a new study has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/paris-agreement-hampered-by-inconsistent-pledges-research-finds

Preschool teachers ask children too many simple questions

When preschool teachers read books in their classrooms, the questions they ask play a key role in how much children learn, research has shown.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/preschool-teachers-ask-children-too-many-simple-questions

Rotavirus cell invasion triggers a cacophony of calcium signals

To successfully set off disease, rotavirus, a virus that causes severe diarrhea and vomiting in children around the world, must invade cells of the gastrointestinal track and trigger a surge of calcium inside the cells. How this surge occurs has not been clarified, but a report in the journal Scientific Reports released today shows in cinematic detail the dynamic changes in calcium that follow rotavirus invasion.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/rotavirus-cell-invasion-triggers-a-cacophony-of-calcium-signals

Interventions for type 2 diabetes successful across the genetic landscape

As the number of people with type 2 diabetes soared to 8.8 percent of the population by 2017, a growing public health movement has sought to know if tailoring dietary recommendations to specific genetic profiles might help reduce the risk of the disease in susceptible individuals. A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has now found that the quality of dietary fat consumed and the genetic risk of diabetes work independently of each other, and that a diet rich in polyunsaturated fats can be safely applied across the spectrum of type 2 diabetes genetic risk.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/interventions-for-type-2-diabetes-successful-across-the-genetic-landscape

Shape shifting protocells hint at the mechanics of early life

Inspired by the processes of cellular differentiation observed in developmental biology, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Bristol have demonstrated a new spontaneous approach to building communities of cell-like entities (protocells) using chemical gradients.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/shape-shifting-protocells-hint-at-the-mechanics-of-early-life

Europe's record-setting heatwave to spike even higher

A dangerously intense heatwave across much of Europe is to spike even higher Thursday after already breaking records in several countries, impacting rail traffic and sending people in search of shade and water.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/europes-record-setting-heatwave-to-spike-even-higher

Russia hatches plan to become top tourist draw

Fancy a tank ride in the snow, then a night in a Tsarist-era palace?

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/russia-hatches-plan-to-become-top-tourist-draw

Alpine climbing routes crumble as climate change strikes

High up in the natural wonder of the French Alps, the climbers who spend their days among the rockfaces and glaciers have come to a grim conclusion: the mountains are falling down around them.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/alpine-climbing-routes-crumble-as-climate-change-strikes

Microrobots show promise for treating tumors

Targeting medical treatment to an ailing body part is a practice as old as medicine itself. A Band-Aid is placed on a skinned knee. Drops go into itchy eyes. A broken arm goes into a cast.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/microrobots-show-promise-for-treating-tumors

Shrinking glaciers and rockfalls point to climate change in Alps

High in the French Alps on the famed Mont Blanc mountain range, it is not hard to find evidence of the toll of global warming.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/shrinking-glaciers-and-rockfalls-point-to-climate-change-in-alps

Tokyo Olympic construction race raises worker safety questions

As Tokyo 2020 Olympics preparations enter their final stage, officials are touting the city's readiness, but activists and workers groups say speedy venue construction has had dangerous consequences.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/tokyo-olympic-construction-race-raises-worker-safety-questions

3-D printed pill samples gut microbiome to aid diagnosis and treatment

A research team led by Tufts University engineers has developed a 3-D printed pill that samples bacteria found in the gut—known as the microbiome—as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract (GI). The ability to profile bacterial species inhabiting the gut could have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are affected by the microbiome, according to the researchers.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/3-d-printed-pill-samples-gut-microbiome-to-aid-diagnosis-and-treatment

Mouse, not just tick: New genome heralds change in Lyme disease fight

As Lyme disease increases, researchers have taken a significant step toward finding new ways to prevent its transmission. The experts, who include a pioneer in Lyme disease discovery, have sequenced the genome of the animal carrying the bacteria that causes the illness. The advance by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and colleagues provides a launching pad for fresh approaches to stopping Lyme disease from infecting people.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/mouse-not-just-tick-new-genome-heralds-change-in-lyme-disease-fight

America's packaged food supply is ultra-processed

Americans are overexposed to products that are high in energy, saturated fat, sugar and salt, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study that reports the United States packaged food and beverage supply in 2018 was ultra-processed and generally unhealthy.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/americas-packaged-food-supply-is-ultra-processed

Coping skills program helps social service workers reduce stress, trauma after disasters

An intervention called Caregivers Journey of Hope can help social service workers—especially those with the least experience in the field—to mitigate the stress and trauma they may experience when they're helping community members recover from disasters, a new study found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/coping-skills-program-helps-social-service-workers-reduce-stress-trauma-after-disasters

MERS-CoV vaccine is safe and induces strong immunity in Army-led first-in-human trial

A Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV) vaccine candidate was shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and induced a robust immune response in a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial. Initial findings from the trial were published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/mers-cov-vaccine-is-safe-and-induces-strong-immunity-in-army-led-first-in-human-trial

Study shows extra weight in 60s may be linked to brain thinning years later

Having a bigger waistline and a high body mass index (BMI) in your 60s may be linked with greater signs of brain aging years later, according to a study published by a leading University of Miami neurologist researcher in the July 24, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study suggests that these factors may accelerate brain aging by at least a decade.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-shows-extra-weight-in-60s-may-be-linked-to-brain-thinning-years-later

Frog in your throat? Stress might be to blame for vocal issues

Glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, often comes up in lists of greatest fears. Such anxiety can often impact voice control leading to stammering or feeling like there is a "frog in your throat." A researcher from the University of Missouri has found that there is more to vocal issues than just feeling nervous and that stress-induced brain activations might be to blame.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/frog-in-your-throat-stress-might-be-to-blame-for-vocal-issues

Bacteria-killing gel heals itself while healing you

McMaster researchers have developed a novel new gel made entirely from bacteria-killing viruses.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/bacteria-killing-gel-heals-itself-while-healing-you

New space discovery sheds light on how planets form

Researchers at Dartmouth College have discovered a planet orbiting one of the brightest young stars known, according to a study published in the journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Aged at approximately 45 million years old, the star and its planet could provide valuable information on how planetary bodies form.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-space-discovery-sheds-light-on-how-planets-form

Opioid prescribing rates higher in US compared with other countries

Physicians in the United States may prescribe opioids more frequently to patients during hospitalization and at discharge when compared to their physician peers in other countries, according to a recently published study led by researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/opioid-prescribing-rates-higher-in-us-compared-with-other-countries

Immune therapy takes a 'BiTE' out of brain cancer

Building on their research showing that an exciting new form of immunotherapy for cancer has activity in patients with glioblastoma, the most common and most deadly form of brain cancer, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have created a new method that could make immune therapy more effective again brain tumors and expand its use against other types of solid tumors. Their study is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/immune-therapy-takes-a-bite-out-of-brain-cancer

Tobacco-21 laws can lower smoking prevalence in the 18-20 age group

A new study published today by the scientific journal Addiction found that raising the legal age of sale of cigarettes from 18 to 21 in the U.S. was associated with a 39% reduction in the odds of regular smoking in 18- to 20-year-olds who had experimented with cigarettes. The reduction was even greater (50%) in those who had close friends who smoked when they were 16.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/tobacco-21-laws-can-lower-smoking-prevalence-in-the-18-20-age-group

Targeted therapy erdafitinib effective for patients with advanced bladder cancer and specific gene mutations

Treatment with the FGFR inhibitor erdafitinib in patients with metastatic bladder cancers marked by mutations in the FGFR3 gene resulted in a 40% overall response rate (ORR) and was well-tolerated, according to an international Phase II trial led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/targeted-therapy-erdafitinib-effective-for-patients-with-advanced-bladder-cancer-and-specific-gene-mutations