Connecting Research and Experts with Journalists

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Coral reefs will continue to experience severe heat stress as rising temperatures cause the oceans to become unbearably hot – but a new study shows that altering their feeding habits could allow local populations to avoid total extinction.

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A new review highlights the potential of CRISPR–Cas13 for RNA-editing therapies. Discussing the advantages of the effector protein Cas13 over Cas9, they report that CRISPR–Cas13 facilitates RNA knockdown, RNA silencing, RNA splicing, RNA-base editing, and translation regulation. CRISPR–Cas13 has diverse applications like virus detection, antivirus vaccines, and personalized therapies. Additionally, they also discuss the role of AI in enabling the realization of the full potential of RNA-editing technologies.

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People having surgery on mitral and tricuspid heart valves may receive a pacemaker more often than necessary — leading to a greater risk for life-threatening complications, studies show. Researchers say high volume hospitals with experienced surgeons may be able to achieve similar outcomes without needing to implant the device.

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Sometimes we all just need to mentally switch off and do nothing, but some people find the experience more stressful than relaxing according to new research from the University of Portsmouth in England.

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Dor e cãibras nas pernas nem sempre são um problema ortopédico: Ambas podem ser sinais da doença arterial periférica, ou DAP, um grave problema de fluxo sanguíneo com implicações para o coração. Neste alerta do especialista, a Dra. Young Erben, cirurgiã vascular da Mayo Clinic em Jacksonville, Flórida, explica como a forma mais comum da DAP, que afeta as pernas e os pés, é tratada. As opções incluem uma técnica cirúrgica do passado que os cirurgiões da Mayo estão ressuscitando e aperfeiçoando para oferecer uma nova esperança aos pacientes com DAP avançada.

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Dolor y calambres en las piernas no siempre son un problema ortopédico: Ambos pueden ser signos de la enfermedad arterial periférica, o EAP, un problema grave del flujo sanguíneo con implicaciones para el corazón. En este alerta del experto, la Dra. Young Erben, cirujana vascular en Mayo Clinic en Jacksonville, Florida, explica cómo se trata la forma más común de EAP, EAP que afecta las piernas y los pies. Las opciones incluyen una técnica quirúrgica del pasado que los cirujanos de Mayo están resucitando y refinando para ofrecer nuevas esperanzas a los pacientes con EAP avanzada.

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Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein and is involved in important physiological processes. It is derived from milk and mucosal secretions. However, the separation and purification of a large amount of biologically active LF is very difficult. Therefore, technologies for synthetically manufacturing LF are urgently needed. In this review, researchers summarized the design and construction of high-expression LF synthetic biological systems. These systems are efficient and can maximize the LF production at large-scale industrial levels.

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New AI model identifies possible therapies from existing medicines for thousands of diseases, including rare ones with no current treatments. The AI tool generates new insights on its own, applies them to conditions it was not trained for, and offers explanations for its predictions.

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A new paper in Nature Machine Intelligence notes that journal articles reporting how well machine learning models solve certain kinds of equations are often overly optimistic. The researchers suggest two rules for reporting results and systemic changes to encourage clarity and accuracy in reporting.

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Giving women at risk of premature birth a simple magnesium sulphate infusion (or ‘drip’) can prevent their babies from developing cerebral palsy, a recent Cochrane review has confirmed. The drug itself costs approximately £5 (~$6.50) per dose in England, and requires hospital admission with experienced staff to administer the drug safely to the mother.