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11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, proclaimed by the UN in 2015. It aims to "promote the full and equal participation" of women and girls in education, employment and decision-making. This document, which is open to suggestions from journalists and the research community, compiles resources to cover women and girls in science, on this day and throughout the year.
People who have a parent, sibling, or step-sibling with major depression have a higher risk of major depression themselves, according to research based on data from 2.9 million people in Denmark. This risk increases with the number of affected relatives and when exposure to depression occurs in childhood and adolescence, but does not vary by sex or kinship, says the study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Two studies have found changes in the microbiome of patients affected by chronic fatigue syndrome. In particular, they have found a decrease in both butyrate and certain bacteria that produce butyrate. Butyrate is a factor related to the protection of the intestinal barrier and appears to play a role in the regulation of the immune system. Both papers are published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe.
Faults can generate the most devastating earthquakes. The East Anatolian fault, where the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria occurred on 6 February, has been rupturing quite frequently - every few decades to hundreds of years. Seismic hazard maps are used to design buildings and infrastructure to withstand strong shaking during an earthquake. Reinforced concrete buildings with earthquake-resistant designs are the most appropriate, but often unaffordable for certain regions.
A series on breastfeeding published today in The Lancet highlights the economic and political power of formula companies, examines their marketing practices and the impact this has on the health of mothers and children.
As rising temperatures melt glaciers, meltwater can accumulate and form lakes nearby. These bodies of water represent a natural hazard because of the floods they cause if they overflow. Researchers have estimated that 15 million people are at risk from these floods, and more than half of them live in just four countries: India, Pakistan, Peru and China. The research is published in Nature Communications.
Early this morning, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. The authorities have reported thousands of deaths and extensive material damage. A second earthquake has occurred further north than the previous one.
News of cancer vaccines proliferate in the media, yet only one such vaccine has been approved - against metastatic prostate cancer - and is no longer in use. However, only one as such has been approved - against metastatic prostate cancer - and it is no longer in use. Are the attention and hopes justified? What do they consist of and how are they similar to traditional ones? Are they preventive or therapeutic? Can they be universal or will they be extremely personalised? How much will they cost? This is what we know today.
Researchers have analysed the efficacy of the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (4CMenB, Bexsero) in more than 1,500 children under five years of age in Spain. The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that full vaccination was effective in preventing invasive meningococcal disease of both serogroup B and other serogroups in this child population. The vaccine, which had been sold privately in Spain since 2015, had already been included by several autonomous communities in their vaccination schedules. Last December, the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS) approved its inclusion in the vaccination schedule for the whole of Spain.
Beta-blockers (β-blockers) are drugs to treat heart conditions that are also used for anxiety. According to research published in PLOS Medicine, periods of treatment with these drugs are associated with a lower risk of being charged by the police with a violent crime - a 13% lower risk than periods without treatment. The research, which included nearly 1.5 million people in Sweden between 2006 and 2013, does not support the use of these drugs to treat anxiety.