University of Cambridge researchers have shown that an algorithm can predict the outcomes of complex chemical reactions with over 90% accuracy, outperforming trained chemists. The algorithm also shows chemists how to make target compounds, providing the chemical ‘map’ to the desired destination. The results are reported in two studies in the journals ACS Central Science and Chemical Communications....
Health
Study Finds That Teens Are Using a Highly Potent Form of Marijuana
Nearly one in four Arizona teens have used a highly potent form of marijuana known as marijuana concentrate, according to a new study by Arizona State University researchers. Among nearly 50,000 eighth, 10th, and 12th graders from the 2018 Arizona Youth Survey, a biennial survey of Arizona secondary school students, one-third (33%) had tried some...
City Parks Lift Mood as Much as Christmas, Twitter Study Shows
Feeling unhappy and cranky? The treatment: take a walk under some trees in the park. That may not be the exact prescription of your doctor, but a first-of-its-kind study shows that visitors to urban parks use happier words and express less negativity on Twitter than they did before their visit–and that their elevated mood lasts,...
Mini Kidneys Grown from Stem Cells Give New Insights into Kidney Disease and Therapies
An international team of researchers led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has grown ‘miniature kidneys’ in the laboratory that could be used to better understand how kidney diseases develop in individual patients. The mini kidneys, known as kidney organoids, were grown outside the body from skin cells derived from a single patient who...
Machine Learning Models Help Clinicians Identify People Who Need Advanced Depression Care
Researchers at Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University created decision models capable of predicting which patients might need more treatment for their depression than what their primary care provider can offer. The algorithms were specifically designed to provide information the clinician can act on and fit into existing clinical workflows. Depression is the most commonly occurring...
Green Space Is Good for Your Mental Health — the Nearer the Better!
First study to demonstrate relationship between green space and mental wellbeing at an individual level published Using data from 25,518 people, the researchers show that Londoners who live within 300m of green space have significantly better mental wellbeing Proximity to green space was more important than lifestyle factors such as employment, income, and general health....
Fake News Can Lead to False Memories
Voters may form false memories after seeing fabricated news stories, especially if those stories align with their political beliefs, according to research in Psychological Science. The research was conducted in the week preceding the 2018 referendum on legalizing abortion in Ireland, but the researchers suggest that fake news is likely to have similar effects in...
Electronic Dance Music Party-Goers at Increased Risk for Drug-Related Emergencies
People who frequent electronic dance music (EDM) parties often use multiple drugs simultaneously and experience adverse effects with some ending up in the emergency department, say researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Rutgers University. The study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, is the first to survey adverse effects associated with...
Researchers Finds Alternative to ‘Revolving Door’ of Opioid Detox and Relapse
In a first-ever randomized trial, patients at a short-term inpatient program began long-term outpatient treatment with buprenorphine before discharge, with better outcomes than detox patients. Three out of four people who complete an inpatient opioid withdrawal management program–commonly known as “detox”–relapse within a month, leading to a “revolving door” effect. Few successfully transition from the...
Do Hospital Ads Work?
Patients are positively influenced by hospital advertising. Older patients and those with more restrictive forms of insurance are less sensitive to ads. Wealthy patients and patients who live far from a hospital respond well to advertising. A blanket ban on hospital advertising can lead to hospital readmissions. Should hospital advertising be banned? A few policymakers...