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Could leak in blood-brain barrier be cause of poor memory?

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Have you forgotten where you laid your keys? Ever wondered where you had parked your car? Or having trouble remembering the name of the new neighbor? Unfortunately, these things seem to get worse as one gets older. A big question for researchers is, where does benign forgetfulness end and true disease begin?

One of the keys to having a healthy brain at any age is having a healthy blood-brain barrier, a complex interface of blood vessels that run through the brain. Researchers reviewed more than 150 articles to look at what happens to the blood-brain barrier as we age. Their findings were published March 15 in Nature Aging.

Whether the changes to the blood-brain barrier alters brain function, however, is still up for debate. [Read more…] about Could leak in blood-brain barrier be cause of poor memory?

Was there ever life on Mars?

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The Mars rover exists for one reason: To find out if there was ever life on Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021, marking a major step in a mission that has captured the hearts and minds of space enthusiasts around the world – and that will pave the way for human expeditions by the 2030s.

And, as with just about any space mission, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that will determine whether the mission succeeds. Perseverance’s job is to drill into the Martian surface to collect rock and soil samples. Those samples will be stored in sealed tubes and wait to be ferried back to Earth for analysis on a future mission. [Read more…] about Was there ever life on Mars?

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  • Earthlings send three separate missions to Mars
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    Earthlings send three separate missions to MarsEarthlings have sent three separate missions to Mars which will all reach the Red Planet within the next few days. One of them was sent by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is scheduled to land on 18th February 2021. NASA’s spacecraft carried the Perseverance Rover…
    Tags: space, mars, will, nasa, mission, human, robotic, rover, earth, planet

How can new technologies help reduce the harm of drug use?

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HSE University researchers together with specialists from the Humanitarian Action Charitable Fund (St. Petersburg) and the University of Michigan School of Public Health (USA) studied the specifics of remote work with Russian people who use drugs to reduce the harm of drug use. They discovered that the use of online platforms increases the ones who use drugs to seek help.

Online platforms also serve as a kind of ‘gateway’ for people with problematic drug use to receive a wider range of qualified help. The authors concluded that remote work in this field should be developed and built upon in an ongoing systematic way even when the threat of coronavirus recedes. The results of the study are published in the Harm Reduction Journal.

All over the world, people who use drugs face many health hazards. These include, for example, contracting HIV, hepatitis C, vein damage, overdoses, and numerous psychological problems. [Read more…] about How can new technologies help reduce the harm of drug use?

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  • ECDC and WHO call for improved HIV testing in Europe
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    ECDC and WHO call for improved HIV testing in EuropeThe number of people living with undiagnosed HIV is increasing in the WHO European Region. According to data published today by ECDC and the WHO/Europe, more than 136 000 people were newly diagnosed in 2019 – roughly 20% of these diagnoses were in the EU/EAA and 80% in the eastern…
    Tags: hiv, people, news, health

Driving positive change through automation in the workplace

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The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology has published a white paper that informs and provides actionable insights for the I-O psychologists, business leaders, and HR practitioners who want to play active roles in co-creating and architecting the dynamic, ever-changing future of work.

The SIOP White Paper series organizes and summarizes important and timely topics in I-O psychology.

The newest white paper, “Automation”, focuses the history of automation, the expected skill sets of working professionals in the age of automation, and the role various business professionals play in the future of work. [Read more…] about Driving positive change through automation in the workplace

New quantum theory heats up thermodynamic research

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University of Nottingham

Researchers have developed a new quantum version of a 150-year-old thermodynamical thought experiment that could pave the way for the development of quantum heat engines.

Mathematicians from the University of Nottingham have applied new quantum theory to the Gibbs paradox and demonstrated a fundamental difference in the roles of information and control between classical and quantum thermodynamics. Their research has been published today in Nature Communications.

The classical Gibbs paradox led to crucial insights for the development of early thermodynamics and emphasises the need to consider an experimenter’s degree of control over a system. [Read more…] about New quantum theory heats up thermodynamic research

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  • Quantum computing milestone: How Honeywell ‘quadrupled performance’
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    Quantum computing milestone: How Honeywell ‘quadrupled performance’Honeywell Quantum Solutions says it has achieved another milestone in its quest to develop the highest-performing quantum computers on the market. This week, the System Model H1 quadrupled its performance in terms of quantum volume and became the first commercial quantum computer to measure 512. It marks the third time…
    Tags: quantum, system, news

Depressed and out of work? Therapy may help you find a job

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If depression is making it more difficult for some unemployed people to land a job, one type of therapy may help, research suggests.

In a new study, 41% of unemployed or underemployed people undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) found a new job or went from part- to full-time work by the end of the 16-week treatment for depression.

Those who had a job but found it difficult to focus on and accomplish work tasks because of depression said the treatment helped to significantly reduce these problems. [Read more…] about Depressed and out of work? Therapy may help you find a job

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  • Depression in new fathers connected to relationship insecurities
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    Depression in new fathers connected to relationship insecuritiesBecoming a parent often brings great joy, but not always. Parenthood also entails challenges, stress and, for some people, it can trigger depression. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that male postnatal depression is more common in men who are insecure in their relationship with their partner.…
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Researchers compile world’s largest inventory of known plant species

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Leipzig could mean for the future of plant taxonomy what Greenwich meant for world time until 1972: it could become the reference city for correct scientific plant names.

In an outstanding feat of research, the curator of the Botanical Garden of Leipzig University, Dr Martin Freiberg, and colleagues from iDiv and UL have compiled what is now the largest and most complete list of scientific names of all known plant species in the world.

The Leipzig Catalogue of Vascular Plants (LCVP) enormously updates and expands existing knowledge on the naming of plant species, and could replace The Plant List (TPL) – a catalogue created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London which until now has been the most important reference source for plant researchers. [Read more…] about Researchers compile world’s largest inventory of known plant species

Tackling food allergies at the source

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Food allergies are a big problem. About 7% of children and 2% of adults in the U.S. suffer from some kind of food allergy. These allergies cost a whopping $25 billion in health care each year. Then there’s the time lost at school or work. And there’s the risk of serious complications, even death.

It’s critical to find ways to reduce the suffering caused by food allergies. Food processing companies already spend a lot of effort to label products so people can avoid items they’re allergic to. But what if we could do better? What if we could enjoy the foods we like without worrying they might trigger a health crisis? [Read more…] about Tackling food allergies at the source

Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’

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A new Boston University School of Public Health study of the first four months of America’s coronavirus epidemic, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, shows that physical distancing (also called “social distancing”) policies had little effect on lower income people still needing to leave their homes to go to work – but does show them staying home when they could.

“If lower-income people were simply ignoring the trend towards physical distancing, we would have expected them to continue going to places like supermarkets, liquor stores, and parks at the same rates as before. Instead, their visits dropped at almost the same rates as the very highest-income group,” says study lead author Dr Jonathan Jay, assistant professor of community health sciences at BUSPH.

“This indicates that lower income people were just as aware and motivated as higher-income people to protect themselves from COVID-19, but simply couldn’t stay home as much because they needed to go to work,” he says. [Read more…] about Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’

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  • ECDC and WHO call for improved HIV testing in Europe
    41
    ECDC and WHO call for improved HIV testing in EuropeThe number of people living with undiagnosed HIV is increasing in the WHO European Region. According to data published today by ECDC and the WHO/Europe, more than 136 000 people were newly diagnosed in 2019 – roughly 20% of these diagnoses were in the EU/EAA and 80% in the eastern…
    Tags: people, news, health, uncategorized
  • Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask study
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    Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask studyA new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated blood pressure levels. Walking has long been the prescription of choice for physicians trying to help…
    Tags: study, people, news, health
  • Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe not
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    Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe notIt's generally accepted health advice that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, when it comes to the brain and cognition, a new study of older adults from Colorado State University suggests…
    Tags: physical, study, health, people, news
  • One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation
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    One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillationA study of nearly 108,000 people has found that people who regularly drink a modest amount of alcohol are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart beats in an abnormal rhythm. The study, published today (Wednesday) in the European Heart Journal, found that, compared to drinking no…
    Tags: study, people, news, health
  • Obesity is not only the individual's responsibility
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    Obesity is not only the individual's responsibilityResearch based on 5,425 citizens’ responses to a questionnaire survey has illuminated that obesity causes are linked to various factors in addition to the individual's current socioeconomic circumstances, including childhood experiences, particularly those of abuse. The study was carried out by Project Professor Tamori Yoshikazu (Division of Creative Health Promotion)…
    Tags: study, news, health, uncategorized

The importance of good neighbors in catalysis

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Are you affected by your neighbours? So are nanoparticles in catalysts. New research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, published in the journals Science Advances and Nature Communications, reveals how the nearest neighbours determine how well nanoparticles work in a catalyst.

“The long-term goal of the research is to be able to identify ‘super-particles’, to contribute to more efficient catalysts in the future. To utilise the resources better than today, we also want as many particles as possible to be actively participating in the catalytic reaction at the same time,” says research leader Christoph Langhammer at the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology.

Imagine a large group of neighbours gathered together to clean a communal courtyard. They set about their work, each contributing to the group effort. The only problem is that not everyone is equally active. [Read more…] about The importance of good neighbors in catalysis