Saturday 18 May 2019

FDA approves venetoclax for chronic, small lymphocytic leukemia

(HealthDay)—Venetoclax (VENCLEXTA) has been approved to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday.

* This article was originally published here

Wearable cooling and heating patch could serve as personal thermostat and save energy

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable patch that could provide personalized cooling and heating at home, work, or on the go. The soft, stretchy patch cools or warms a user's skin to a comfortable temperature and keeps it there as the ambient temperature changes. It is powered by a flexible, stretchable battery pack and can be embedded in clothing. Researchers say wearing it could help save energy on air conditioning and heating.

* This article was originally published here

Clinical trial improves treatment of genetic rickets

A new study shows a drug developed in conjunction with investigators at Indiana University School of Medicine to alleviate symptoms of a rare musculoskeletal condition is significantly more effective than conventional therapies. The findings are published in Lancet.

* This article was originally published here

Metals influence C-peptide hormone related to insulin

Metals such as zinc, copper and chromium bind to and influence a peptide involved in insulin production, according to new work from chemists at the University of California, Davis. The research is part of a new field of "metalloendocrinology" that takes a detailed look at the role of metals in biological processes in the body.

* This article was originally published here

Museum volunteers discover new species of extinct heron at North Florida fossil site

When the bones of an ancient heron were unearthed at a North Florida fossil site, the find wasn't made by researchers but by two Florida Museum of Natural History volunteers.

* This article was originally published here

EU adopts powers to respond to cyberattacks

The European Union on Friday adopted powers to punish those outside the bloc who launch cyberattacks that cripple hospitals and banks, sway elections and steal company secrets or funds.

* This article was originally published here

For many HIV+ women, daily survival takes precedence over viral suppression

According to scientists who study women infected with HIV, statistics often paint an impressionist view of the lives of these women that misses the granular detail that tells the real story. The imprecise big picture is that most of this population is doing a good job at suppressing the virus, but facts gathered on the ground show that many struggle with issues of daily living that can make taking a pill to keep HIV at bay difficult.

* This article was originally published here

Changes in subsistence hunting threaten local food security

Scientists with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and WCS Ecuador Program publishing in the journal BioTropica say that subsistence hunting in Neotropical rain forests—the mainstay of local people as a source of protein and a direct connection to these ecosystems—is in jeopardy from a variety of factors.

* This article was originally published here

Machine learning speeds modeling of experiments aimed at capturing fusion energy on Earth

Machine learning (ML), a form of artificial intelligence that recognizes faces, understands language and navigates self-driving cars, can help bring to Earth the clean fusion energy that lights the sun and stars. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are using ML to create a model for rapid control of plasma—the state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nuclei, or ions—that fuels fusion reactions.

* This article was originally published here

New machine learning algorithm can predict age and gender from just your Twitter profile

A new "demographic inference" tool developed by academics can make predictions based solely on the information in a person's social media profile (i.e. screen name, biography, profile photo, and name). The tool—which works in 32 languages—could pave the way for views expressed on social media to be factored in to popular survey methods.

* This article was originally published here

Earliest evidence of the cooking and eating of starch

New discoveries made at the Klasies River Cave in South Africa's southern Cape, where charred food remains from hearths were found, provide the first archaeological evidence that anatomically modern humans were roasting and eating plant starches, such as those from tubers and rhizomes, as early as 120,000 years ago.

* This article was originally published here

Heroin overdose ED visits decreased from 2017 to 2018

(HealthDay)—From 2017 to 2018, there was a decrease in heroin overdose emergency department visits, although the declines were not consistent among states, according to a study published online May 16 in the American Journal of Public Health.

* This article was originally published here

Virtual reality game simulates experiences with race

Video games that use virtual reality to create immersive experiences have become increasingly popular for entertainment and for research. However, the representation of race in these simulations is often shallow—and fails to go beyond physical appearance attributes like skin color.

* This article was originally published here

Samsung at foundry event talks about 3nm, MBCFET developments

"The nanometer process deals with the space between the transistors mounted on a substrate at a nanometer level," said Pulse.

* This article was originally published here

'Foldable' PC? Lenovo ThinkPad laptop screen bends in half like a book

Samsung has gained a lot attention lately for its Galaxy Fold hybrid smartphone/tablet, though given the recent display snags that have prompted a delay in the product's release, not necessarily for all the right reasons.

* This article was originally published here

Avelumab and axitinib approved for treatment of renal cell carcinoma

(HealthDay)—Avelumab (BAVENCIO) was approved this week for first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in combination with axitinib, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced.

* This article was originally published here