News by Subject Technology & Engineering

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors recognized that patients who developed a "cytokine storm" -- a surge of pro-inflammatory immune proteins -- were often the sickest. But a cytokine storm can also occur in other illnesses, such as influenza. Now, scientists report a sweat sensor that acts as an early warning system for an impending cytokine storm, which could help doctors more effectively treat patients. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Spring 2021.

What are the most effective ways to leverage and augment smartphone capabilities? Helpful guidelines are provided in a critical review of emerging smartphone-based imaging systems recently published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics (JBO).

Researchers at Duke University have developed a method that uses machine learning, satellite imagery and weather data to autonomously find hotspots of heavy air pollution, city block by city block. The technique could be a boon for finding and mitigating sources of hazardous aerosols, studying the effects of air pollution on human health, and making better informed, socially just public policy decisions.

* A new method has been developed to measure how fast amyloid fibrils grow. * The team fired a beam of neutrons at the growing fibrils then used a 'contrast matching' method that made most of each fibril invisible to neutrons, so they could analyse the signal from the growing end alone. * The method will help scientists better understand diseases associated with amyloid fibrils, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Type 2 diabetes.

Despite surgery and subsequent treatment with chemotherapy and radiation, the majority of patients experience recurrence of malignant brain tumours. Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, and the Medical University of Graz, Austria, have shown in cells in culture that an ion pump can deliver drugs more accurately, which gives less severe adverse effects in chemotherapy. The results have been published in Advanced Materials Technologies.

Clusters of a virus known to cause stomach flu are resistant to detergent and ultraviolet disinfection, according to new research. The findings suggest the need to revisit current disinfection, sanitation and hygiene practices aimed at protecting people from noroviruses.