Catalyst News and Research

RSS

Unions between close relatives may increase the risk of common diseases, study finds

A new study finds that consanguinity – unions between close relatives - may increase the risk of common diseases such as type 2 diabetes and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

26 Sep 2023

Officials agree: Use settlement funds to curb youth addiction. But the ‘how’ gets hairy.

When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and “flipped families upside down,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director.

25 Sep 2023

E-cigarettes not a gateway to smoking, may even speed its decline, says new study

New study led by Queen Mary University of London finds no evidence that e-cigarettes act as a gateway to smoking at the population level. The research also suggests that alternative nicotine products may be competing against cigarettes, potentially accelerating the decline in smoking, although more data is needed for confirmation.

22 Sep 2023

Biden administration to ban medical debt from Americans’ credit scores

The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt on Thursday, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills from affecting patients' credit scores.

21 Sep 2023

Cognitive behavioral therapy can significantly reduce the burden of fibromyalgia

Patients living with fibromyalgia (FM) – a disease that predominantly affects women and is characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and brain fog – often find limited treatment options and a scarcity of explanations for their symptoms.

20 Sep 2023

Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine publishes supplement on spina bifida research and care

A supplement to the Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (JPRM) published by IOS Press, presents a compendium of abstracts from the 2023 World Congress on Spina Bifida Research and Care.

20 Sep 2023

Study offers new insight into increased risk of blood clots in women

New research from Queen Mary University of London, published in iScience, shows an increased risk of blood clots in women who have any combination of a particular gene mutation, estrogen use, or common medical conditions - specifically: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and kidney disease.

19 Sep 2023

UT Health San Antonio and UTSA launch first U.S. MD/MS program in medicine and artificial intelligence

The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) and the University College at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) are officially launching the first known program in the United States to combine medicine and artificial intelligence.

14 Sep 2023

University of Kentucky's cardiovascular scientist recognized for excellence in hypertension research

The University of Kentucky's Vice President for Research and leading cardiovascular scientist is being recognized for her foundational work in the field of hypertension with a prestigious award from the American Heart Association (AHA).

12 Sep 2023

Experts propose new definition of clinical remission in treatment of asthma

As an increasing number of improved asthma treatments are developed, a greater number of people with asthma are finding their symptoms under control.

12 Sep 2023

Are night owls at higher risk for diabetes?

Night owls face a 19% higher risk of developing diabetes compared to early birds, even after accounting for lifestyle factors, according to a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital. The research highlights the importance of sleep patterns in diabetes risk and suggests more personalized work scheduling could be beneficial.

11 Sep 2023

Oxford University study administers first-ever vaccine against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

A University of Oxford study has administered a new vaccine against tick-borne virus Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) to volunteers for the first time.

11 Sep 2023

Blood clots may be a cause of long-term cognitive problems after COVID-19

High levels of two proteins at the time of COVID-19 have been found in patients who later experienced cognitive problems, including 'brain fog', giving a major clue as to one cause of their symptoms: blood clots.

7 Sep 2023

New device can help test treatments in patients with gliomas

The shape and size of a grain of rice, the new device can conduct dozens of experiments at once to study the effects of new treatments on some of the hardest-to-treat brain cancers.

7 Sep 2023

Shape-shifting ball uses haptic feedback to help people manage mental health

A soft ball that 'personifies' breath, expanding and contracting in synchronicity with a person's inhalations and exhalations, has been invented by a PhD student at the University of Bath in the UK.

31 Aug 2023

Midnolin protein plays key role in breaking down short-lived nuclear proteins

Short-lived proteins control gene expression in cells to carry out a number of vital tasks, from helping the brain form connections to helping the body mount an immune defense.

24 Aug 2023

Project NextGen awards over $1.4 billion to develop the future of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics

Funding includes $1 billion for vaccine clinical trials, $326 million for a new monoclonal antibody, and $100 million to explore novel vaccine and therapeutic technologies.

23 Aug 2023

Structural explanations for inequality can reduce bias in children

Children's views of inequality may be influenced by how its causes are explained to them, finds a new study by a team of psychology researchers.

21 Aug 2023

Virginia Tech engages in three collaborative bioscience projects to address unmet health care needs

With funding from Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corp., Virginia Tech is engaged in three collaborative bioscience projects to address unmet health care needs in Virginia, according to Michael Friedlander, vice president for health sciences and technology at Virginia Tech.

8 Aug 2023

Unexpected link between pure mathematics and genetics discovered

An interdisciplinary team of mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and medical scientists have uncovered an unexpected link between pure mathematics and genetics, that reveals key insights into the structure of neutral mutations and the evolution of organisms.