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Using a larger dataset than for any previous human movement study, National Institutes of Health-funded researchers at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, have tracked physical activity by population for more than 100 countries. Their research follows on a recent estimate that more than 5 million people die each year from causes associated with inactivity.

A new portable device can quickly find markers of deadly, unpredictable sepsis infection from a single drop of blood. The device is the first to provide rapid, point-of-care measurement of the immune system's response, without any need to process the blood. This can help doctors identify sepsis at its onset, monitor infected patients and could even point to a prognosis. Read more at Illinois News Bureau.

A new microscope merges different microscopy methods to increase resolution and contrast in thick biological samples. A key component of the method is two-photon microscopy, used to generate a small point of light deep inside the sample. By moving this light throughout the sample and collecting information on how it is being distorted, Shroff and his team are able to adjust the shape of the mirror to cancel out the distortions, thus creating a clear image of the whole sample.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Among the many underlying causes of pregnancy-associated complications, it is known that infection and inflammation are highly significant risk factors. Now, NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a system to capture and identify a scarce blood peptide (a fragment of an inflammatory protein) called P1 that can predict increased risk of preterm birth. Early detection offers the opportunity to begin medical interventions to delay birth or increase fetus viability to save lives and reduce lifelong disabilities.

An NIH-funded study led by a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University has shown that an influenza vaccine can produce robust immune responses and be administered safely with an experimental patch of dissolving microneedles. The method is an alternative to needle-and-syringe immunization; with further development, it could eliminate the discomfort of an injection as well as the inconvenience and expense of visiting a flu clinic. The study was published online June 27, 2017, in The Lancet.

The National Institutes of Health has named two biological engineering researchers as winners in Phase 2 of its Follow that Cell Challenge. The winners will share $400,000 in prizes awarded for development of new tools and methods for predicting the behavior and function of a single cell in complex tissue over time – and how that reflects the health of the tissue. They were chosen from among several Phase 1 finalists.

For 16 teams of NIH-funded scientists and engineers, transforming scientific savvy into business-oriented value propositions and investment strategies was the challenge each met in March at the end of their intensive six-month commercialization boot camp.

Many studies have shown that stiffness of the extracellular matrix, the fibrous network of collagen that surrounds cells, promotes cellular mobility; cells can get a better grip on stiffer surfaces and thus invade neighboring tissue. New research by scientists in the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science is diving deeper into this relationship, showing that stiffness is not the only factor researchers should consider when studying this process. Read more at Penn News.

A research team is pioneering an infused 3-D-printed patch that guides the growth of new blood vessels, avoiding some of the problems with other approaches to treating ischemia. Read more at BU College of Engineering.