New bacterial strain linked to scarlet fever, sore throat and sepsis

A team of scientists led by Imperial College London have discovered a new strain of group A streptococcus bacteria.

Mosquito trials raise hopes of defeating dengue

Hundreds dead in the Philippines; a threefold increase of cases in Vietnam; hospitals overrun in Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia—dengue is ravaging Southeast Asia this year due in part to rising temperatures and low immunity to new strains.

NASA pioneers malaria-predicting tech in Myanmar

NASA is developing a new technique to forecast malaria outbreaks in Myanmar from space, as the emergence of new drug-resistant strains in Southeast Asia threatens efforts to wipe out the deadly disease globally.

What is dengue, and why is it so widespread this year?

Dubbed "breakbone fever", dengue is one of the world's leading mosquito-borne illnesses and infects tens of millions across the globe annually.

Following Neanderthals' footsteps to learn how they lived

Like modern humans and primates, Neanderthals—our closest evolutionary cousins—are thought to have lived in groups, but their size and composition have been difficult to infer from archeological and fossil remains.

Climate change, trade woes reshape Frankfurt auto show

The headwinds buffeting the auto industry are making themselves felt at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with companies confronting a slowdown in sales due to global trade uncertainty and pressure from governments to lower emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Experts say adapting to climate change can pay off manifold

A group of leaders from business, politics and science called Monday for a massive investment in adapting to climate change over the next decade, arguing it would reap significant returns as countries avoid catastrophic losses and boost their economies.

Five scientists honored for cancer therapy, immune system work

Five scientists have won prestigious medical awards for creating an innovative breast cancer treatment and discovering key players of the disease-fighting immune system.

New iPhones to share limelight as Apple revs up services

Along with its new iPhones, Apple is stepping up on content and services for its devices for its big media event Tuesday.

Genetic mutation linked to flu-related heart complications

People with severe flu sometimes develop life-threatening heart problems, even when their hearts have been previously healthy, but the reason for that has been poorly understood.

How we make decisions depends on how uncertain we are

A new Dartmouth study on how we use reward information for making choices shows how humans and monkeys adopt their decision-making strategies depending on the uncertainty of information present. The results of this study illustrated that for a simple gamble to obtain a reward, when the magnitude or amount of the reward is known but the probability of the reward is unknown and must be learned, both species will switch their strategy from combining reward information in a multiplicative way (in which functions of reward probability and magnitude are multiplied to obtain the so-called subjective value) to comparing the attributes in an additive way to make a decision.

Success of gene therapy for a form of inherited blindness depends on timing

Nearly two decades ago, a gene therapy restored vision to Lancelot, a Briard dog who was born with a blinding disease. This ushered in a period of hope and progress for the field of gene therapy aimed at curing blindness, which culminated in the 2017 approval of a gene therapy that improved vision in people with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a rare, inherited form of blindness closely related to the condition seen in Lancelot. It represents the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited genetic disease.

Study: Children are interested in politics but need better education from parents and schools

The 2020 election is approaching—how should we talk with children about this election and about politics more broadly? The findings of a new multisite study of children's reactions to the 2016 U.S. presidential election might inform these conversations.

ADHD medication: How much is too much for a hyperactive child?

When children with ADHD don't respond well to Methylphenidate (MPH, also known as Ritalin) doctors often increase the dose. Now a new review shows that increasing the dose may not always be the best option, as it may have no effect on some of the functional impairments associated with ADHD. The researchers caution against increasing the doses is based on findings that this effect may only be observed for behavioral factors (such as reduction in attention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity) and not for the child's ability to control their impulses. This work is presented at the ECNP Conference in Copenhagen.

Researchers propose the 'Alzheimer's Disease Exposome' to address environmental risks

Against a backdrop of disappointing Alzheimer's disease clinical trial outcomes, two researchers are proposing a new approach for future study of the disease.

Why don't the drugs work? Controlling inflammation can make antidepressants more effective

Research shows that controlling inflammation may be key to helping the brain develop the flexibility to respond to antidepressant drugs, potentially opening the way for treatment for many millions of people who do not respond to the drugs. This is experimental work on mice, and has not yet been confirmed in humans. It is presented together for the first time at the ECNP Congress in Copenhagen, after a series of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Study: Adults' actions, successes, failures, and words affect young children's persistence

Children's persistence in the face of challenges is key to learning and academic success. However, we know little about how parents and educators can help foster persistent behavior in children before they begin formal schooling. A new U.S. study looked at the interactions of preschool-age children with adults to determine how they affected the children's persistence. It found that the efforts adults put into their actions, successes and failures, and words affected children's persistent behavior to differing degrees.

Caregiver stress: The crucial, often unrecognized byproduct of chronic disease

There is growing evidence that caregivers of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are vulnerable to developing their own poor cardiovascular health. Investigators report in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, on a proof-of-concept couples-based intervention in a cardiac rehabilitation setting. This intervention has shown potential for reducing caregiver distress, and future studies are evaluating its impact on both caregivers' and patients' cardiovascular health.