Connecting Research and Experts with Journalists

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HOUSTON-(Nov. 1, 2024) – A concerning increase in global rates of severe invasive infections becoming resistant to key antibiotics has a team of infectious disease researchers at the Houston Methodist Research Institute studying a recently emerged strain of bacteria called Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE). SDSE infects humans via the skin, throat, gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract to cause infections ranging in severity from strep throat (pharyngitis) to necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease).

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A Stanford-led study of 25 video interventions points to solutions for reducing polarization, anti-democratic attitudes and support for political violence. Two treatments submitted by University of Utah scholars showed most promise addressing all three of these divisive outcomes.

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Medicare-certified home health agencies, which are key to allowing older adults to age in place, are increasingly going through ownership changes, raising concerns about health care spending, workforce, and quality of care, according to a study by UTHealth Houston.

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Scientists are developing ways to detect and identify not only new, previously unseen forms of fentanyl but also newer and more dangerous synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.

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According to Forbes, the pages behind the add have paid the social media giant’s parent company Meta $1 million to run them. ...

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A new study highlights the rising environmental toll of artificial intelligence, spotlighting the surge in energy consumption and carbon emissions driven by escalating computing demands. The research offers a comprehensive analysis of artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) carbon footprint, underscoring the urgent need for the tech sector to adopt sustainable practices to curb its substantial environmental impact.

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Fangqun Yu, a senior researcher at UAlbany’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, has released a new paper in Environmental Sciences & Technology that examines the contrail formation process, specifically exploring the role of non-volatile (soot) particles and volatile particles.

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Combining the power of the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, astronomers revisited the legendary star Vega and found a smooth disk surrounding it—a surprise to astronomers who expected to see evidence of one or more large planets plowing through the disk, which is common around other young stars. But Vega is forcing astronomers to rethink the range and variety of planetary systems around stars.

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A new study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine involving more than 200,000 adults found that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a 29% increase in risk for developing dyslipidemia, a condition involving abnormal lipid (fat) levels in the blood. Seniors and people with type 2 diabetes were even more strongly affected, experiencing an approximately two-fold increased risk for developing dyslipidemia, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. The research was published today in the print edition of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.