Latest News Releases 31 March

North America’s smallest falcon, the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), has declined across the continent since the 1970s, yet the causes continue to stump raptor biologists. A new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research adds a piece to the puzzle with the discovery that in the Northeast, where declines are most alarming, fledglings demonstrate a relatively high survival rate. This paper, titled “Juvenile and Adult Survival Estimates of American Kestrels Throughout the Full Annual Cycle in Eastern North America,” is the first of its kind. No other study has assessed winter survival rates for kestrels at northern latitudes, fledgling survival following nest departure for both males and females, or tracked individual kestrels through multiple seasons in migratory and residential populations. These breakthroughs may help redirect future studies to untapped arenas of inquiry.  

Main findings

- Early symptoms of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) often persist for some time before the condition is diagnosed and treated.

- As a result of delays in diagnosing and treating psoriatic arthritis, patients with PsA experience worse disease control when examined three months after diagnosis than patients with other types of arthritis.

- The study's authors say that in the UK, where the study was carried out, improved diagnostic systems are essential. These would involve family doctors being supported to recognise the symptoms of PsA faster and diagnostic scans being offered earlier, allowing treatment to start before joint damage occurs.

A research group led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants. The research suggests the role of CD11c-positive microglia—immune cells in the brain crucial for myelination—during infant brain development. Their findings suggest new strategies to mitigate the long-term neurodevelopmental effects of maternal inflammation. 

A recent study (https://doi.org/10.1002/msd2.12141) introduces a triangular inverse shell element, referred to as iKS3, offering an accurate yet computationally efficient approach to Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of thin-walled structures.

BUFFALO, NY — April 1, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) on March 29, 2025, as the cover of Volume 17, Issue 3, titled “Differential senolytic inhibition of normal versus Aβ-associated cholinesterases: implications in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.”

Researchers have identified a new way to fight infections like Lyme disease and syphilis by disrupting the bacteria’s ‘motor,’ preventing it from spreading through the body.  

An international team led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers has merged two lab-synthesized materials into a synthetic quantum structure once thought impossible to exist and produced an exotic structure expected to provide insights that could lead to new materials at the core of quantum computing.

Nearly 40% of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes imperil their health by stopping their medication within the first year, UVA Health diabetes experts warn in a new paper highlighting a growing array of treatment options.

FAU researchers have been awarded a five-year NIH grant to address the urgent need for a reliable, rapid and affordable self-test for early HIV detection. Expected to cost less than $5, the novel micro-chip technology will detect HIV during the acute infection phase or viral rebound, deliver rapid results in about 40 minutes and remain stable without refrigeration. The handheld device will be battery-powered and operate fully automated, providing true “sample-in-answer-out” functionality that requires minimal user manipulation.