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Treating addiction
Alcohol and drug addiction can cause many harms. This Research in Context feature looks at research into the causes of addiction and new ways to treat...
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May 23, 2023 Edition
An mRNA vaccine to treat pancreatic cancer
A personalized mRNA vaccine against pancreatic cancer created a strong anti-tumor immune response in half the participants in a small study.
Human pangenome boosts accuracy and reflects diversity
Researchers compiled a set of reference human genome sequences—a “pangenome”—that represents human genetic diversity better than any single genome.
Long telomeres may heighten cancer risks
People with mutations that lead to excessively long chromosome tips, or telomeres, may be at increased risk for a range of cancers.
May 16, 2023 Edition
Earlier smoking cessation may improve lung cancer survival
Lung cancer patients who quit smoking before diagnosis had significantly better survival rates than smokers—and the longer without smoking, the better the odds of survival.
Avoiding RSV in infancy reduces asthma risk
Infants who avoided infection with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, during the first year of life had a 26% lower risk of developing asthma by age 5.
Brain decoder turns a person's brain activity into words
Researchers developed a system that can decode language based on a person's brain activity.
May 9, 2023 Edition
Sex disparities after heart attack
Women ages 55 and younger have worse outcomes the year after a heart attack than similarly aged men.
Social safety nets may blunt effects of poverty on children's mental health
Socioeconomic disparities in children's brain development and mental health were lower in states with stronger social safety nets.
Insomnia drug may lower levels of Alzheimer's proteins
In a small study, a drug called suvorexant that is approved to treat insomnia reduced levels of proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease in cerebrospinal fluid.
May 2, 2023 Edition
How boosters produce broad protection against COVID-19
A booster shot targeting the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 produced a broader immune response than one targeting variants more similar to the original strain.
Aging melanocyte stem cells and gray hair
The stem cells responsible for hair color switch between stem cell and maturing states, but with age can get stuck and become unable to perform either function.
New insights into the brain's motor cortex
A brain region long known to control specific muscle movements also has a more complex role related to planning and coordinating movements.
April 25, 2023 Edition
Antibiotic can help prevent common sexually transmitted infections
Taking the oral antibiotic doxycycline within three days after unprotected sex reduced the risk of sexually transmitted infections among those at increased risk.
Drug may not prevent dangerously heavy bleeding after Cesarean delivery
Tranexamic acid didn’t reduce maternal deaths or the need for blood transfusions in those undergoing either scheduled or emergency Cesarean delivery.
Immune system profiles of extremely long-lived people
In a small study, researchers were able to identify distinct features of the immune systems of extremely long-lived people.
April 11, 2023 Edition
Buprenorphine use in the emergency department safe for people who use fentanyl
Researchers found that buprenorphine can be safely started in the emergency department by people who use fentanyl either alone or with other drugs.
Relieving treatment-resistant depression in older adults
For older adults whose depression persisted while taking an antidepressant, adding aripiprazole had greater benefits than switching to another antidepressant.
Targeted protein delivery using bacterial injection system
Researchers developed a protein delivery system that can be customized to target specific human cell types.
April 4, 2023 Edition
Frequent testing reduced COVID-19 deaths in nursing facilities
Nursing facilities that tested their staff frequently for COVID-19 had substantially fewer deaths from the disease among their vulnerable residents.
Racial disparities in pulmonary fibrosis outcomes
Patients with pulmonary fibrosis who identified as Black were diagnosed, hospitalized, and died younger than White and Hispanic patients.
Unexpected role for the nervous system in anaphylaxis
Researchers found evidence that the nervous system plays a key role in the extreme and sometimes deadly allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis.
March 28, 2023 Edition
Artificial pancreas controls blood sugar in young children with type 1 diabetes
Children aged 2 to 5 with type 1 diabetes who received an artificial pancreas had more stable blood glucose levels than those who received standard care.
Woman potentially cured of HIV using transplant with cord blood stem cells
A woman with leukemia is likely cured of HIV after receiving a transplant including stem cells from banked umbilical cord blood.
Complete wiring map of the insect brain
The first complete wiring map of the larval fruit fly brain could aid future brain research and inspire new machine learning architectures.
March 14, 2023 Edition
Temperature-stable TB vaccine is safe and provokes immune response
An experimental tuberculosis vaccine that can be stored at room temperature was safe and provoked an immune response in a phase 1 clinical trial.
Erythritol and cardiovascular events
Higher blood levels of the artificial sweetener erythritol were associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
How psychedelic drugs may help with depression
Psychedelic drugs being tested as therapies for treatment-resistant depression activate receptors within brain cells that promote new brain cell connections.