January 26, 2023
Purdue University researchers are receiving $870,000 from the World Resources Institute to study global forest carbon accumulation rates. The research team, led by Purdue’s Jingjing Liang, is using the two-year grant to develop an artificial intelligence model that uses satellite and geospatial data points to map local forest growth rates throughout the world.
January 25, 2023
A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital looks at the impact body mass index (BMI) plays in vitamin D metabolization, finding that weight can make a significant difference in health outcomes. Published in JAMA Network Open, the clinical trial shows vitamin D is most effective on people who are at a healthy weight. "The analysis of the original VITAL data found that vitamin D supplementation correlated with positive effects on several health outcomes, but only among people with a BMI under 25," says co-author Deirdre K. Tobias, ScD, associate e
Benefits of Vitamin D May Depend on Your Body Weight, Says New Study
January 20, 2023
Cancer cells migrate through the body for multiple reasons; some are simply following the flow of a fluid, while others are actively following specific chemical trails. So how do you determine which cells are moving and why? Purdue University researchers have reverse-engineered a cellular signal processing system and used it like a logic gate – a simple computer – to better understand what causes specific cells to migrate.
Using cancer cells as logic gates to determine what makes them move
January 20, 2023
A study suggests that cynical and negative communication in marriage affects spouses' not only mental but also physical health by causing inflammation. A new look at the research published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology in 2005 proposes that avoidance in marriage could lead to not only emotional and mental complications but also chronic inflammation and lowered immune function.
Cynical Communication in Marriage Results in Literal, Figurative Wounds
January 19, 2023
As one of the actions to continue enhancing the intellectual vibrancy of the Purdue West Lafayette campus, President Mung Chiang has announced the Westwood Lecture Series, an opportunity for Purdue faculty to interact with colleagues on scholarly work from a wide range of fields, and the first three of the monthly speakers.
January 19, 2023
ancer cells migrate through the body for multiple reasons; some are simply following the flow of a fluid, while others are actively following specific chemical trails. So how do you determine which cells are moving and why? Purdue University researchers have reverse-engineered a cellular signal processing system and used it like a logic gate – a simple computer – to better understand what causes specific cells to migrate. For many years, professor of mechanical engineering Bumsoo Han and his research group have been studying cancer cells. He builds microfluidic structures to simulate their biological environment; he has even used these structures to build a “time machine” to reverse the growth of pancreatic cancer cells.
Using cancer cells as logic gates to determine what makes them move
January 18, 2023
For the third consecutive year, a Purdue University-affiliated company has been named to the Most Fundable Companies list from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. This year, the business school named biotechnology company OmniVis to the prestigious list. Pepperdine says companies that qualify for the list are “worthy of serious investor consideration.” The company developed a hand-held device that enables users to rapidly detect pathogens in food, water and plant samples in less than 40 minutes.
January 18, 2023
Study links destructive interaction patterns to lower immune function. A tendency for one or both spouses to avoid or withdraw from tough conversations could set up married couples for emotional distress, bad feelings about their relationship, chronic inflammation and lowered immune function, new research suggests. The analysis revisits data from a 2005 Ohio State University study that showed the stress couples feel during a brief argument could slow their bodies’ ability to heal from wounds by at least a day – a landmark finding at the time showing how psychological stress affects immunity.
Negative marital communications leave literal, figurative wounds
January 18, 2023
Optometrists, ophthalmologists, and their patients will benefit from new, high-tech tools to detect glaucoma at its earliest stages thanks to a startup that will commercialize smart contact lenses developed at Purdue University. BVS Sight Inc. is the first company created through a partnership between Boomerang Ventures Studio, Purdue Foundry and the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. The partnership develops Purdue-related health care startups and health care-related intellectual property yet to reach the market. Chi Hwan Lee, the Leslie A. Geddes Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, led a research team that developed new ocular technology to continuously monitor intraocular pressure (IOP) in a person’s eye.
Startup developing smart contact lenses for glaucoma diagnosis, management
January 18, 2023
It turns out that when it comes to health, married people have an edge, especially married men. But surely the act of walking down the aisle is not what provides this health advantage. So what exactly is at play? One theory that seeks to explain the link between marriage and health is the act of self-selection. Simply put, people who are wealthier and healthier than average are more likely not only to get married but also to find a partner who is wealthier and healthier than average. Men and women with poorer health and wealth than average are less likely to marry at all. While this may be part of the story, marriage also provides partners with a sense of belonging, more opportunities for social engagement and reduced feelings of loneliness. This social integration, or the extent to which people participate in social relationships and activities, can greatly influence health – from reducing the risk of hypertension and heart disease to lowering one’s risk of death or suicide.
