Ballroom dance training promotes empathy

Ballroom dance is a form of art and sport that helps improve sensorimotor skills, cognitive levels and emotional communication. To achieve high-level performance, dancers need to collaborate, imitate, and actively interact with their dance partners through long-term training. In this way, they are continually involved in understanding and sharing their partner's thoughts and feelings—this is what we call empathy.

Study suggests breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection may confer extra protection to vaccinees

Long-lasting immune cells that specifically recognize the SARS-CoV-2 virus were found in the noses of people who were infected following vaccination. These virus-specific T cells, which were not present in those who had only been vaccinated, are expected to confer an additional layer of protection against COVID-19, according to scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, whose findings were published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

New technology to visualize axonal fiber bundles on the retina for early diagnosis of optic neuropathies

A research team led by the Department of Ophthalmology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), with collaborators from the Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) and local and international partners, have developed a new technology ROTA (Retinal nerve fiber layer Optical Texture Analysis) to unveil the optical texture and trajectories of the axonal fiber bundles on the retina. ROTA outperforms the current clinical standards, attaining 15.0% to 28.4% higher in sensitivity in detecting early optic nerve damage in glaucoma—the leading cause of irreversible blindness. The research has been published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Platinum-based chemotherapy distribution within a tumor may predict ovarian cancer treatment resistance

A team of researchers from Japan has discovered that the distribution of platinum within a tumor following platinum-based chemotherapy treatment of ovarian cancer may predict whether the tumor will be resistant to further treatment. The research could offer ways to manage treatment for women whose tumors may be resistant to further platinum-based chemotherapy.

Ovarian cancer detection takes a step forward

A new type of technology can capture stray ovarian cancer cells from a simple blood test and successfully predict cancer in people who have a lesion or cyst in the pelvic region, according to a new study by a Wilmot Cancer Institute physician/scientist.

Gut microbes may lead to therapies for mental illness, study reports

The role of the microbiome in intestinal and systemic health has garnered close attention among researchers for many years. Now evidence is mounting that this collection of microorganisms in the human gut can also impact a person's neurological and emotional health, according to a recent perspective article in Science by a UT Southwestern researcher.

Study examines how to improve hospitalized patients' access to antimicrobials

Published in the Journal of the American Pharmacist's Association, University of Minnesota researchers found that establishing better mechanisms for information sharing and collaboration between healthcare institutions may help facilitate timely and effective acquisition of non-stocked antimicrobials.