Research led by the University of Birmingham suggests that giving progesterone to pregnant women with early pregnancy bleeding and a history of miscarriage could increase their chances of having a baby. The PRISM trial, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and co-ordinated by Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit in collaboration with Tommy’s National…
Researchers led by a team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston were able to dramatically reduce the pain of fibromyalgia patients with medication that targeted insulin resistance. This discovery could dramatically alter the way that chronic pain can be identified and managed. Dr. Miguel Pappolla, UTMB professor of neurology, said that although…
Participants in a phase I/II clinical trial of a new enzyme-based treatment for severe dry eye disease experienced reduced signs of disease and discomfort, according to a paper in Translational Vision Science and Technology. The trial compared eye drops containing a biosynthetic form of an enzyme called DNase with eye drops without the enzyme. DNase…
A new algorithm developed by MIT researchers takes cues from panoramic photography to merge massive, diverse cell datasets into a single source that can be used for medical and biological studies. Single-cell datasets profile the gene expressions of human cells — such as a neurons, muscles, and immune cells — to gain insight into human…
The brain’s capacity for simultaneously learning and memorizing large amounts of information while requiring little energy has inspired an entire field to pursue brain-like — or neuromorphic — computers. Researchers at Stanford University and Sandia National Laboratories previously developed one portion of such a computer: a device that acts as an artificial synapse, mimicking the…
A fainting episode causing traumatic nerve damage affecting his right hand could be why Leonardo da Vinci’s painting skills were hampered in his late career. While the impairment affected his ability to hold palettes and brushes to paint with his right hand, he was able to continue teaching and drawing with his left hand. According…
Endangered African antelope and the lions that prey on them may benefit from certain cattle ranching practices in Kenya, according to newly published research led by a 2017 University of Wyoming Ph.D. graduate. Caroline Ng’weno, who conducted the research during her UW graduate studies, is one of the first — if not the first —…
Artistic sketches can be used to capture details of a scene in a simpler image. MIT researchers are now bringing that concept to computational biology, with a novel method that extracts comprehensive samples — called “sketches” — of massive cell datasets that are easier to analyze for biological and medical studies. Recent years have seen…
Water polo athletes take note: A new study by University of California, Irvine researchers maps out the frequency of head injuries in the sport and reveals which positions are the most vulnerable. The first-of-its-kind report, which tracked several dozen male collegiate water polo players over three seasons, was published today in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed,…
Gaia, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA, surveys the sky from orbit to create the largest, most precise, three-dimensional map of our Galaxy. One year ago, the Gaia mission produced its much-awaited second data release, which included high-precision measurements — positions, distance and proper motions — of more than one billion stars in our…