A research team including scientists from the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Centro Tecnológico Agroalimentario de Lugo has analysed the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria in 100 meat samples bought in supermarkets in Oviedo, Spain in 2020. The researchers found E. coli bacteria which produce enzymes that make the bacteria resistant to various types of antibiotics in more than half of the turkey (68 %) and chicken (56 %) samples, and less frequently in beef (16 %) and pork (12 %) samples. They also found E. coli bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections. The team presented these results at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), which is being held in Copenhagen, Denmark, until 18 April.
A sportswoman named Beatriz Flamini has today emerged from a cave in the province of Granada, Spain, where she voluntarily isolated herself 70 metres deep for 500 days, without any contact with the outside world. This is a self-improvement project that was followed by a documentary production team. The initiative involves researchers in experimental psychology and behavioural physiology from the University of Granada, in clinical neuropsychology from the University of Almería, as well as from Kronohealth, a spin-off company of the University of Murcia's Chronobiology laboratory.
A Lancet Commission study in 2020 estimated that hearing loss is associated with 8% of dementia cases worldwide. Now, a paper has analysed data from more than 400,000 people collected at the UK Biobank. Their findings show that the risk of developing dementia is 42% higher in people with hearing problems, but this increased risk disappears in those who use hearing aids. According to the authors, whose work is published in The Lancet Public Health, the data "highlight the urgent need to introduce hearing aids early when someone starts to experience hearing problems".
Two decades of research has found no differences in psychological well-being and the quality of family relationships between children born through assisted reproduction with third-party intervention (gamete donation or surrogacy) and those born naturally. The results, published in Developmental Psychology, suggest that it is better to talk to them early, at preschool age, about their biological origins.
Between 10-15% of childhood brain tumours are diffuse midline gliomas, a type of tumour that occurs within the brainstem, making it almost impossible to remove surgically. Research published in Science Translational Medicine has used a type of molecule (antisense-ASO oligonucleotides) in mouse models of this tumour to slow tumour growth and prolong survival. The authors hope that the research will reach clinical trials and, in that case, the potential new treatment would be combined with others such as radiotherapy or immunotherapy with CAR-T cells.
Seven studies published in Nature and Nature Medicine look at how lung cancer evolves, with genomic studies of more than 1,600 tumour samples taken from 421 patients in the TRACERx project. The research includes the most common type of lung cancer (NSCLC) and assesses why tumours sometimes recur, spread to other parts of the body or the effects of platinum-based chemotherapy.
Research published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health has measured the relationship between restrictions in different settings - such as leisure and catering - taken in Spain between September 2020 and May 2021, with covid-19 transmission. The authors conclude that, overall, increased restrictions decreased disease transmission.
The Participation Council of Doñana has analysed this Monday in an extraordinary meeting the bill presented in the Andalusian Parliament that aims to extend the legal irrigation in the area. The Andalusian Government maintains its support for the new regulation, which will begin its parliamentary debate tomorrow, Wednesday, with the proposal to take the bill into consideration. For his part, the director of the Doñana Biological Station, Eloy Revilla, in his speech to the Council warned of the general deterioration of the lagoon system and pointed out that "the current exploitation of the aquifer is not sustainable". "Spain has been condemned by the European Court of Justice for failing to comply with its obligations under the Water Framework Directive and the Habitat Directive," he said. The Ministry for Ecological Transition has warned that it will take the law to the Constitutional Court.
Chinese researchers have succeeded in developing macaque embryo-like structures from embryonic stem cells. They have also managed to implant them in the uterus of female macaque monkeys and develop a hormonal response similar to that of a gestation, although they have only survived for about a week. According to the authors, whose research is published in Cell Stem Cell, these models could be used to improve our understanding of embryonic development and to investigate the causes of some early miscarriages.
A study says that ChatGPT makes contradictory moral judgements, and that users are influenced by them. Researchers asked questions such as: Would it be right to sacrifice one person to save five others?” Depending on the phrasing of the question, ChatGPT sometimes answered in favour of sacrifice, and sometimes against. Participants were swayed by ChatGPT's statements and underestimated the chatbot's influence on their own judgement. The authors argue that chatbots should be designed to decline giving moral advice, and stress the importance of improving users' digital literacy.