ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Role of protein in development of new hearing hair cells

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 05:00 PM PDT

Researchers have conducted a study that has determined the role that a critical protein plays in the development of hair cells. These hair cells are vital for hearing. Some of these cells amplify sounds that come into the ear, and others transform sound waves into electrical signals that travel to the brain.

Gene could decrease likelihood of developing alcoholic cirrhosis

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 05:00 PM PDT

Researchers are learning more about how a person's genes play a role in the possibility they'll suffer from alcoholic cirrhosis with the discovery of a gene that could make the disease less likely.

Middle-aged individuals may be in a perpetual state of H3N2 flu virus susceptibility

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT

Researchers have found that middle-aged individuals -- those born in the late 1960s and the 1970s -- may be in a perpetual state of H3N2 influenza virus susceptibility because their antibodies bind to H3N2 viruses but fail to prevent infections, according to a new study.

Sex differences in health and disease

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT

Researchers have reviewed current research into patterns of sex differences in gene expression across the genome, and highlights sampling biases in the human populations included in such studies.

Drugging the undruggable: Treatment path for muscular dystrophy

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT

Researchers have identified a possible treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disease for which there is currently no cure or treatment, by targeting an enzyme that had been considered 'undruggable.'

Quantum thermometer using nanodiamonds senses a 'fever' in tiny worms C. elegans

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT

Measuring the temperature of objects at a nanometer-scale has been a long challenge, especially in living biological samples, because of the lack of precise and reliable nanothermometers. An international team of researchers has realized a quantum technology to probe temperature on a nanometer-scale, and have observed a 'fever' in tiny nematode worms under pharmacological treatment. This strengthens the connection between quantum sensing and biology and ushers in novel thermal imaging technologies in biomedical research.

Phone calls create stronger bonds than text-based communications

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT

New research suggests people too often opt to send email or text messages when a phone call is more likely to produce the feelings of connectedness they crave.

Antibody test developed for COVID-19 that is sensitive, specific and scalable

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT

An antibody test for the virus that causes COVID-19 is more accurate and can handle a much larger number of donor samples at lower overall cost than standard antibody tests currently in use. In the near term, the test can be used to accurately identify the best donors for convalescent plasma therapy and measure how well candidate vaccines and other therapies elicit an immune response.

COVID-19 ventilator patients can have permanent nerve damage

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:16 AM PDT

Severely ill COVID-19 patients on ventilators are placed in a prone (face down) position because it's easier for them to breathe and reduces mortality. But that life-saving position can also cause permanent nerve damage in these vulnerable patients, reports a new study. Scientists believe the nerve damage is the result of reduced blood flow and inflammation. Other non-COVID-19 patients on ventilators in this position rarely experience any nerve damage.

Pandemic spawns 'infodemic' in scientific literature

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 08:08 AM PDT

The science community has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with such a flurry of research studies that it is hard for anyone to digest them all, underscoring a long-standing need to make scientific publication more accessible, transparent and accountable, two artificial intelligence experts assert in a data science journal.

Healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy could lead to healthier children

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 08:08 AM PDT

New research shows improving the lifestyle of women with obesity during pregnancy could mean long-term cardiovascular benefits for their children.

Gene that drives ovarian cancer identified

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 08:07 AM PDT

Scientists have pinpointed which specific genes drive - or delay - high-grade serious ovarian carcinoma.

Stronger bones thanks to heat and microbiota

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:30 AM PDT

Osteoporosis is characterized by a deterioration of the bones and an increased risk of fractures. With one third of postmenopausal women affected, it is a major public health problem. A research team has observed that exposure to warmer ambient temperatures increases bone strength and prevents the loss of bone density. This phenomenon is linked to a change in the composition of gut microbiota and makes hopes for osteoporosis treatments.

New immunotherapy to beat cancer

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:30 AM PDT

Scientists have succeeded in neutralizing a molecule that blocks the immune system against cancer. The researchers discovered that this new immunotherapy increases the action of another well-known but not always effective immunotherapy, and that it makes tumor regression possible.

Stem cell research delivers new points of attack against Parkinson's disease

Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:30 AM PDT

An interdisciplinary research team experimented on patient-based cell cultures in the laboratory. The new combination of active substances they identified will have to undergo clinical trials before they can be used to treat patients.

Telomere length varies across human tissue types

Posted: 10 Sep 2020 12:03 PM PDT

A new study answers the question of whether or not blood cell telomere length is a suitable proxy for telomere length in other tissues by examining over 20 human tissue types, finding variations and correlations between different tissue types.

Biological sex affects genes for body fat, cancer, birth weight

Posted: 10 Sep 2020 12:02 PM PDT

Biological sex has a small but ubiquitous influence on gene expression in almost every type of human tissue, reports a new study. These sex differences are observed for genes involved in many functions, including how people respond to medication, how women control blood sugar levels in pregnancy, how the immune system functions, how cancer develops and male pattern baldness. The information could be used for diagnostics, drug development and predicting outcomes.

FABP4: Preschool-aged biomarker discovered for autism spectrum disorder

Posted: 10 Sep 2020 12:02 PM PDT

Researchers have discovered a biomarker that can detect autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preschool-aged children. The new study found that levels of the protein FABP4 were much lower in four- to six-year-old children with ASD than they were in other typically developing children. Experiments in mice that lacked FABP4 revealed changes in neurons that resemble those found in the postmortem brains of people with ASD.

Vaccine proves effective against the most severe type of pneumonia

Posted: 10 Sep 2020 07:06 AM PDT

A pneumococcal vaccine was effective at protecting children in Laos against the most severe type of pneumonia, a new study has found.

Study provides insights on bouncing back from job loss

Posted: 10 Sep 2020 06:00 AM PDT

Stress associated with job loss can have a host of negative effects on individuals that may hinder their ability to become re-employed. A new study examines the importance of self-regulation for enabling people to effectively search for a new job and to maintain their psychological well-being.

Exercise improves learning and memory in young adults

Posted: 10 Sep 2020 06:00 AM PDT

Just a single exercise workout has positive effects on learning and memory in young adults, according to a recent review of published studies.