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When science hits the headlines, we seek the views of expert sources who assess the news rigorously and quickly, according to the available evidence.

Joint heart-kidney transplant tested in macaques to avoid rejection and immunosuppressants

Patients receiving organ transplants often need to be treated with long-term immunosuppressants to reduce the likelihood of rejection, which has numerous side effects. An international team has shown in crab macaque monkeys that, in the case of heart transplantation, the use of these drugs could be avoided if combined with a kidney transplant from the same donor. The results are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine

Association found between the use of drugs such as vaccines, antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs and lower risk of dementia

A review of 14 studies and data from more than 130 million patients has found an association between the use of drugs such as anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and vaccines and a reduced risk of dementia. The authors recall that “the fact that a particular drug is associated with an altered risk of dementia does not necessarily mean that it causes or helps against it.” However, “pooling these huge health data sets provides a source of evidence that can help us decide which drugs to try first.” The research is published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. 

Trump announces US withdrawal from World Health Organisation

The new US president, Donald Trump, announced on his first day that the country will leave the World Health Organisation (WHO) within the next twelve months. The reasons behind the decision, according to him, are the ‘mismanagement of the covid-19 pandemic and other global health crises’, as well as ‘disproportionate payments compared to other countries’ dues’.

Use of GLP-1 analogue drugs is associated with benefits but also health risks

The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), used to treat diabetes and obesity, may be associated with a wide range of health effects, both positive - such as a reduced risk of cardiometabolic disorders - and negative - an increased risk of gastrointestinal conditions or hypertension. These are the conclusions of an observational study published in Nature Medicine. The findings are based on analysis of data from 2.4 million participants.

Spanish population, among the most trusting in scientists, according to a study in 68 countries

An international study on public trust in science conducted in 68 countries, including Spain, has found that most people trust scientists and believe that they should be more involved in society and in policy-making. In addition, a majority of survey participants believe that researchers should play a more active role in society and in political decision-making. The Spanish population's confidence in science ranks seventh out of the 68 countries analysed. The research, which surveyed 71,922 people, provides the largest global data set on trust in scientists since the covid-19 pandemic. The study is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour and has Spanish participation, led by FECYT.

Study shows bottom fishing reduced by 81% in protected deep-sea ecosystems, but infringements continue

Since the implementation of protective closures in 2022, bottom fishing in European waters has declined by 81% in 87 vulnerable marine ecosystems located at depths of 400-800 metres, a study published in Science Advances reveals. However, according to the authors, these deep-water regions continued to receive many incursions by Spanish and French vessels.

Revealing a female-centred society during the Iron Age

An international team of geneticists and archaeologists has analysed more than 50 ancient Iron Age genomes from an area of southern Britain. Their conclusions are that they belonged to a matrilocal society, in which land was inherited through the female line and husbands moved in with the community of their wives. The results are published in the journal Nature and would be the first such finding in prehistoric Europe.

Meta designs artificial intelligence model capable of instant speech-to-speech translation

An artificial intelligence (AI) model led by the company Meta is capable of translating speech and text, including direct speech-to-speech translations, from up to 101 languages in some cases. According to the research team, this model - called SEAMLESSM4T - can pave the way for fast universal translations ‘with resources to be made publicly available for non-commercial use’. The work is published in the journal Nature.