Thursday, August 28, 2025

80% of Americans don’t know early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

News package — video:
A new survey from The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center found that 80% of Americans do not know that early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms.
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Credit: The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center

A recent survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) focused on Americans’ awareness of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer. The survey results show most people (80%) don’t know early-stage prostate cancer often presents with no physical symptoms, typically only diagnosed with a blood test.

Prostate cancer affects more than 300,000 adults in the United States each year according to the National Cancer Institute. The disease is one of the most common cancers among men, typically affecting those over the age of 50. If caught early, prostate cancer is highly treatable.

“It begins in the prostate gland and in its early stages, often doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms, which is why regular screening is so important,” said Edmund Folefac, MD, medical oncologist at the OSUCCC – James. “Because prostate cancer tends to progress slowly, if caught early, it is very treatable.”

The OSUCCC – James survey also showed more than half (59%) of respondents did not realize sexual dysfunction can be a sign of prostate cancer. Often, it’s the spouse or partner who are the first to notice these issues and encourage their male partner to talk to their health care provider.

More survey results
In the survey of 1,004 respondents age 18 and older, Black adults were more likely to identify some of the lesser-known symptoms of prostate cancer, like fatigue (33% of Black adults versus 24% of white adults) and weight loss (30% of Black adults versus 20% of white adults).

However, Black adults were less likely than other racial/ethnic groups to identify early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms (12% of Black adults versus 21% of white adults).

“Knowing your family history is very important,” said Folefac, also a clinical associate professor at Ohio State College of Medicine. “If your father, brother or grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have a higher risk of getting the disease and you should start screenings early and regularly.”

Current national guidelines suggest men should start getting screened for prostate cancer at age 50.

Survey methodology
This survey was conducted by SSRS on its Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, twice-per-month, probability-based survey. Data collection was conducted from August 1 – August 4, 2025, among a sample of 1,004 respondents. The survey was conducted via web (n=974) and telephone (n=30) and administered in English. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus data are weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 18 or older.

To learn more about cancer treatment and clinical trials at the OSUCCC – James, visit cancer.osu.edu or call 1-800-293-5066.

Edmund Folefac, M.D., genitourinary medical oncologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, emphasizes the importance of regular prostate cancer screenings for men around age 50.

Credit

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Method of Research

Survey

Food for thought: Using food delivery services to provide rapid cardiac arrest response and potentially save lives

A simulation presented in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology explores leveraging an existing food delivery network to provide more rapid defibrillation to out-of-hospital patients

Elsevier

Inspired by an urgent need to improve timely defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in dense urban settings, a team of investigators developed a simulation that explored the potential of leveraging an existing food delivery network in Taipei City, Taiwan, to help address this challenge. Their findings in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, suggest that deploying food delivery riders to deliver defibrillation may reduce automated external defibrillator (AED) response times by approximately three minutes—about 50% faster than a traditional emergency medical system (EMS)—and might be particularly beneficial during peak hours.

Lead investigator Kuan-Chen Chin, MPH, Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, New Taipei City, and Department of Emergency Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan, explains, “Each minute of delay in defibrillation reduces the survival rate by 7–10%. Our approach leverages an existing, widespread urban workforce to address a well-known weak link in the chain of survival. We found that it offers a cost-effective and scalable strategy for improving OHCA outcomes in high-density cities, where EMS cannot always provide immediate defibrillation.”

Densely populated Taipei has a high concentration of food delivery (FD) scooter riders. To examine the feasibility of utilizing these FD riders as first responders for AED delivery in OHCA incidents investigators conducted a city-scale simulation using real-world OHCA data from the Registry of the Taipei City Fire Department between 2017 and 2019, public defibrillator locations, and food delivery patterns and hotspots using the Uber Eats platform.

The simulation assumed that every open restaurant in a hotspot had one FD rider waiting and ready to respond to OHCAs within a two-kilometer radius. FD riders’ response rates were varied, and simulated defibrillator arrival times were compared to documented fire department delivery times of six to seven minutes. Differences in defibrillator arrival times during peak and off-peak hours were also assessed.

With a 10% FD rider response rate, the defibrillator arrival time decreased by 2.99 minutes, representing approximately 44% of the original EMS response time. In the simulation, over 60% of OHCAs were successfully attended. Achieving 80% coverage during peak hours required 13.4% of FD riders to respond.

According to co-corresponding investigator Albert Y. Chen, PhD, Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan, “Integrating FD riders into the EMS system could reduce defibrillator arrival times, decreasing patient waiting time for defibrillation. This approach is particularly effective during peak hours, when a higher proportion of OHCAs can be addressed.”

“We were encouraged to see that even low response rates might yield meaningful time savings, and that the model appeared effective during off-peak hours despite reduced availability,” adds co-corresponding investigator Jen-Tang Sun, MD, MS, Department of Emergency Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Journal

Canadian Journal of Cardiology

DOI

10.1016/j.cjca.2025.07.017

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Enhancing the Community Chain of Survival: A Simulation Study of Defibrillator Delivery by Food Delivery Riders in a High-Density City

Article Publication Date

28-Aug-2025

Predictable structures in music synchronises blood pressure the most, and could be used to create personalized music-based cardiovascular therapies 

European Society of Cardiology

Key take-aways 

New research shows that blood pressure, like heart rate and breathing, synchronises more to predictable phrase structures in music, which may improve the body’s baroreflex sensitivity, i.e. its ability to regulate blood pressure.

92 participants had their blood pressure continuously monitored while listening to nine out of 30 piano music tracks. The piece of music that had the most predictable phrase structures, and the biggest impact on blood pressure, was the English pianist Harold Bauer’s performance of Franz Liszt’s transcription of Franz Schubert’s Serenade.

The researchers say this finding could pave the way to create personalised music-based non-pharmacological cardiovascular therapies in the future.

Madrid , Spain – 28 August: A new study has found that blood pressure synchronises to predictable phrase structures in music. Blood pressure was more affected by loudness than tempo and was more strongly influenced by phrase structures that were more predictable.   

The researchers say the research finding could help to inform personalised music based cardiovascular therapies for those with high blood pressure in the future. 

Musicians modulate the tempo and loudness of music in understandable ways to mark phrases and phrase boundaries, which contributes to the patterns we hear. Some music has more predictable phrase structures, which can add to the enjoyment of listeners. 

Study lead Professor Elaine Chew is a pianist by training and is also a Professor of Engineering at King’s College London in the UK. She explained, “Like language, music has patterns and phrases which form expressive structures, and this is often what strikes a chord with listeners. This research tells us that more predictable music phrase structures have a bigger impact in regulating the cardiovascular system.”  

“This study follows our previous research that showed that respiration and heart rate is also influenced by phase structures, [1][2][3]” she continued. Stronger synchronisation was observed for predictable phrases, which are more regular, of duration similar to slow-paced breathing, and in longer tracks therefore having more phrase instances.

92 participants had their blood pressure continuously monitored listening to nine out of 30 piano music tracks. A Bayesian algorithm [4], also by Chew’s team, enabled a computer to automatically detect music tempo and loudness phrase arc boundaries. Performers denote phrases with arc-like changes in expressive music features that drive listener’s responses. Sixty women and 32 men took part with a mean age of 42 years old. 

The 30 tracks used in the research were original recordings of legendary performances by master pianists, and the researchers altered their expressivity in systematic ways to observe the effect on cardiovascular variables. The music was played back to participants on a reproducing piano for consistency, and to come as close to a live performance as possible in a controlled experimental setting. 

In 25 out of 30 tracks, blood pressure entrained more to loudness than tempo.  Increased predictability of the phrase structures in the music allowed the listener to anticipate phrase changes and was found to lead to higher blood pressure-music synchronisation, which may strengthen the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure [5].

From the playlist, the recording that had the most predictable phrase structures, and the 

biggest impact on blood pressure, was the English pianist Harold Bauer’s performance of Franz Liszt’s transcription of Franz Schubert’s Serenade. 

The study used classical piano music because it was possible to vary the music and simulate a ‘live’ experience in a research setting. However, the researchers argue that the methods and strategies used are transferrable to any music with phrase indications. 

“Throughout time and across cultures, humans have moved and grooved to music. There are likely to be biological and social advantages to being able to coordinate our actions to an external rhythm, such as people on a boat synchronising their rowing.” Professor Chew added. 

“To coordinate our actions in this way, we need to be able to anticipate the beginnings and ends of rhythm cycles. It is this anticipation that likely influences our cardiorespiratory cycles. It feels good to synchronise to musical structures – research has found that music uses the same reward system as food, sex and drugs,” she continued.  

The researchers measured ‘entrainment’, which is the synchronisation of physiological rhythms with external stimuli. This can be quantified using Earth Mover’s Distance (EMD) to produce a similarity measure between music and physiology. The participant’s blood pressure waveform was incorporated into the music’s beat time.  

Blood pressure measurements for each track were shuffled with their responses to other tracks to understand their statistical significance. This helped to determine whether the blood pressure response was influenced by the music they were hearing, rather than being a random variation in the individual’s physiology. 

The researchers note that music is increasingly being recognised as a potential non-pharmacological intervention to regulate the cardiovascular system. 

“This research raises the intriguing possibility that we could design music therapies to elicit specific biological responses in the future. This could be tailored specifically to individuals, bringing us closer to music as precision medicine. In the longer term, one day we may be able to use music to prevent heart disease or slow, arrest, or reverse its progression.” Professor Chew concluded.  

ENDS

Notes to editor 

This press release accompanies an abstract at ESC Congress 2025.

It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology.

Funding: European Research Council as part of the COSMOS (Computational Shaping and Modeling of Musical Structures) project 

Disclosures: Ms. Cotic reports doctoral research support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Prof. Chew, Dr. Pope, and Dr. Soliński report research support from the European Research Council (ERC, 788960). Prof. Chew and Prof. Lambiase also received support from the ERC (957532) for this research.  

Prof Chew served as an advisor/consultant and/or received honoraria outside of this research for academic/research programme reviews for Georgia Institute of Technology, Institut de Recherch et Coordination Acoustique / Musique, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University; grant reviews for the ERC, Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, National Science Foundation; and speaker/performer for a Biotronik event.  

Prof Lambiase receives research support outside of the present study from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and British Heart Foundation (BHF). 

References and notes  

[1] Cotic, N, V Pope, M Soliński, PD Lambiase, E Chew (2025). Dynamics of Autonomic 

Entrainment to Music: Effect of Loudness and Tempo Phrase Structures on RR Intervals and 

Respiration. In Proceedings of the 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE 

Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 14-17 Jul 2025, Copenhagen, DK. 

kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/343854162/NC-EMBC25.pdf 

[2] Cotic, N, V Pope, M Soliński, P Lambiase, E Chew (2024). A Computational Method for 

Empirically Validating Synchronisation Between Musical Phrase Arcs and Autonomic 

Variables. In Proceedings of Computing in Cardiology (CinC), 8-11 Sep 2024, Karlsruhe, DE. 

www.cinc.org/archives/2024/pdf/CinC2024-380.pdf 

[3] Cotic, N, V Pope, M Soliński, P Lambiase, E Chew (2024). Computationally Validating 

Synchronisation Between Musical Phrase Arcs and Autonomic Variables. In Online 

Proceedings of International Conference of the Society for Music Information Retrieval 

(ISMIR), 11-15 Nov 2024, San Francisco, US. ismir2024program.ismir.net/lbd_467.html 

[4] Guichaoua, C, P Lascabettes, E Chew (2024). End-to-end Bayesian segmentation and similarity assessment of performed music tempo and dynamics with no score information. Special issue on Explaining music with AI: Advancing the scientific understanding of music through computation, Music and Science, 7: 16 pages. doi.org/10.1177/20592043241233411  

[5] Gitler A, Bar Yosef Y, Kotzer U, Levine AD. Harnessing noninvasive vagal neuromodulation: HRV biofeedback and SSP for cardiovascular and autonomic regulation (Review). Med Int (Lond). 2025 Apr 29;5(4):37. doi.org/10.3892/mi.2025.236

The abstract «Cardiovascular synchronisation to music : blood pressure entrainment to expressive musical structures » will be presented at the session Digital innovations in clinical practice which takes place on 31 August from 08:15 to 09:45 am CEST at Digital Health Stage (Digital Health Area)

The hashtag for ESC Congress 2025 is #ESCCongress 

About ESC Congress 2025

It is the world’s largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals, disseminating ground-breaking science both onsite in Madrid and online – from 29 August to 1 September 2025. Explore the scientific programme. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org.

About the European Society of Cardiology

The ESC brings together healthcare professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people to live longer, healthier lives.

PALEONTOLOGY

An ancient signpost: Minute fossils tell big story about arthropod evolution

A research team led by Nick Strausfeld at the University of Arizona discovered an extinct creature whose brain is very similar to that of living crustaceans, rather than spiders and their relatives, as was previously assumed.

University of Arizona

Jianfengia fossil — image:
One of several *Jianfengia* fossil specimens: The animal's body plan is extremely simple, consisting of numerous identical segments. However, its head is like that of a more modern crustacean, with eyes on stalks and frontal simple eyes. The head is about 2 millimeters wide (less than one tenth of an inch).
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Credit: Nick Strausfeld, University of Arizona

A tiny fossil of a sea creature that lived more than half a billion years ago sheds new light on the evolution of arthropods, the most species-rich and successful group of animals to inhabit the Earth, according to a study published in Nature Communications. One of the last remaining enigmas surrounding arthropod evolution has been the split of the tree of life separating the two largest groups of arthropods: mandibulates, the group including insects, crustaceans, millipedes and centipedes; and chelicerates, the group that includes spiders, scorpions and their kin. New analyses of fossils of an extinct segmented creature known as Jiangfengia multisegmentalis reveal that the specimen is crucial in separating the earliest mandibulates from chelicerates.

Led by Nicholas Strausfeld at the University of Arizona's Department of Neuroscience, a team has revealed minute details of the fossilized brain of Jiangfengia that places it squarely in the ancestry of mandibulates, not chelicerates, as had been previously assumed. Jiangfengia's classification as an ancestral chelicerate had been based on its paired grasping appendages that extend from its head. That feture had placed it into an assemblage of extinct creatures known as megacheirans — Greek for "large hands." Two of the most exquisitely preserved megacheiran specimens that lived about 525 million years ago were Jianfengia which alsohad compound eyes and Alalcomenaeu which had fewer segments and two pairs of single lens eyes. Both had been traditionally lumped together as megacheirans with the assumption that their head appendages are the precursors of what became fangs in spiders and their relatives.

According to the research team, the story is more nuanced and complicated. Strausfeld, a Regents Professor at the University of Arizona and a Royal Society Fellow, called their discovery a possible game changer. "These megacheirans didn't have antennules, which are antenna-like appendages that are common to crustaceans, insects and centipedes," Strausfeld said. "Instead we see these strange, quite sturdy head appendages that were specialized for reaching and clasping things."

Paleontologists refer to these hallmark structures of megacheiran fossils as "great appendages." Their pincer-like ends suggested their similarity with the clasping appendages of Limulus, commonly known as the horseshoe crab, Strausfeld added. Accordingly, the Megacheira were classified as chelicerates, to which Limulus and arachnids also belong.

The research revealed that the fossilized brains of Jianfengia and Alalcomenaeus were in fact not only morphologically distinct from each other but that they typified ancestors of two major arthropod groups, not just one.

Jianfengia's tiny head, measuring only two millimeters across, is defined by a short, shell-like covering from which extend its pair of "great appendages." Just in front of these are paired eyestalks, one on each side of the head, which are capped by a small but obvious compound eye like those of insects and crustaceans. The front of Jianfengia's head also had at least three single lens "eyes" much like the simple eyes found in many insects and crustaceans.

When Strausfeld's team reconstructed the fossilized remains of Jianfengia's nervous system in four fossil specimens, it found a brain, the shape of which corresponds to that of a modern shrimp or crayfish. In addition, it showed elements of the simpler arrangements seen in small freshwater crustaceans such as brine shrimps, also known as "Sea Monkeys," popular pets that have provided many a child with their first view of a real live crustacean. Taken together, these findings led the researchers to conclude that Jianfengia had previously been misclassified as an early chelicerate, whereas Alalcomennaeus had already been shown to have a Limulus-like brain.

"Our results demonstrate that close examination of fossilized neural remains can provide powerful data indicating evolutionary relationships impossible to obtain just from features of the exoskeleton," Strausfeld said. "One needs to know what to look for in the fossil brain because it tells us a lot about a fossil's identity."

Frank Hirth, a co-author and professor at the University of London's King's College, emphasized a crucial aspect of these fossils: "The organization of their fossilized brains perfectly aligns with that of living arthropods, suggesting that their ancient genetic and developmental constituents are extraordinarily robust, yet diverse, which may explain why arthropods are the most successful inhabitants of this planet."

Co-author Xianguang Hou, professor at the Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology of Yunnan University in Kunming, China discovered the first fossil of Jianfengia in 1984. One of the most famous fossil beds documenting life in the Cambrian period, which lasted from about 540 to 480 million years ago, the area in the vicinity of Kunming in China's Yunnan province was once a shallow sea. Its bounty of ancient life forms very rarely shows evidence of soft tissues, especially neural remains. Since then, about a dozen additional specimens have been found.

Strausfeld pointed out that a fossil's neural traces can be very subtle, but can be amplified by enhancing the contrast and width of the darkest deposits standing out against the gray granular rock in which the fossil was embedded.

"What we saw was unexpected: the brain looks really modern, comparable to that of a living crustacean," he said. "In one specimen we even could peer into the compound eyes and look down some of its facets to see fossilized 'cone cells' that supported the photoreceptors."

To further confirm the evolutionary position of Jianfengia, co-author David Andrew of Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania used statistical methods to construct so-called phylogenetic trees — essentially family trees — based on neuronal traits, to determine where in the tree of life Jianfengia should be placed.

"Many repeats of these comparisons revealed that in the arthropod tree of life, Jianfengia sat at or near the root of all mandibulates, whereas its putative cousin, Alalcomenaeus, has the same status, but within the chelicerate branch of the tree of life," Andrew said.

The team concluded that the "great appendages" belonging to Jianfengia later became modified as antennules typifying today's mandibulates, whereas the "great appendages" of Alalcomenaeus later became modified as the pincer-like fangs typical of today's chelicerates.

"In chelicerates, these 'great appendages' shrunk, so they eventually became the spider fangs," Strausfeld said. "In mandibulates, evolution modified them into segmented antennules."

According to Strausfeld, living support for this view comes from the living ostracods, small marine crustaceans sporting antennules tipped with claspers. "It appears that the ’great appendages‘ that we see in our fossils from more than a half billion years ago weren't completely lost."

Artist's rendition of the reconstructed brain of Jianfengia showing the creature's claw-like ‘great appendages’, compound eyes and the three simple eyes at the front of the head.

Credit

Nick Strausfeld, University of Arizona

Two "great appendage" arthropods and their reconstructed brains: Alalcomenaeus (left) is at the root of Chelicerata, which includes scorpions, spiders, and their relatives. Jianfengia (right) is shown to be basal to Mandibulata, the group that includes crustaceans, insects, centipedes and millipedes, according to the new study. The findings challenge the traditional grouping of the two as related based on their pincer-like ‘great appendages’ that extend from their heads.

Credit

Nick Strausfeld, University of Arizona

Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-62849-w

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Brain anatomy of the Cambrian fossil Jianfengia multisegmentalis informs euarthropod phylogeny

Article Publication Date

28-Aug-2025

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment

Thursday, August 28, 2025

80% of Americans don’t know early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms

Edmund Folefac, M.D., genitourinary medical oncologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, emphasizes the importance of regular prostate cancer screenings for men around age 50.

Credit

Method of Research

Food for thought: Using food delivery services to provide rapid cardiac arrest response and potentially save lives

Journal

DOI

Method of Research

Subject of Research

Article Title

Article Publication Date

Predictable structures in music synchronises blood pressure the most, and could be used to create personalized music-based cardiovascular therapies

Artist's rendition of the reconstructed brain of Jianfengia showing the creature's claw-like ‘great appendages’, compound eyes and the three simple eyes at the front of the head.

Credit

Close-up of a Jianfengia fossil showing the animal’s paired “great appendages.”

Credit

Credit

Journal

DOI

Method of Research

Subject of Research

Article Title

Article Publication Date

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