ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Superficial relationship: Enzymes protect the skin by ignoring microbes and viruses

Posted: 21 May 2021 02:11 PM PDT

The human body is constantly exposed to various environmental actors, from viruses to bacteria to fungi, but most of these microbial organisms provoke little or no response from our skin, which is charged with monitoring and protecting from external dangers.

New mode of transmission for bacteria

Posted: 21 May 2021 10:13 AM PDT

Campylobacter infection, one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the Western world, can also be spread through sexual contact, according to a new research.

Neutrons show a connection between lithium concentrations in the brain and depression

Posted: 21 May 2021 08:53 AM PDT

Depressive disorders are among the most frequent illnesses worldwide. The causes are complex and to date only partially understood. The trace element lithium appears to play a role. The distribution of lithium in the brains of depressive people is different from the distribution found in healthy humans.

In utero exposure to tiny air pollution particles is linked to asthma in preschoolers

Posted: 21 May 2021 06:45 AM PDT

Women who were highly exposed to ultra-fine particles in air pollution during their pregnancy were more likely to have children who developed asthma, according to a new study. This is the first time asthma has been linked with prenatal exposure to this type of air pollution, which is named for its tiny size and which is not regulated or routinely monitored in the United States.

Scientists discover gene signature for plaque-eating microglia in Alzheimer's Disease

Posted: 21 May 2021 05:19 AM PDT

Single-cell gene studies are clarifying the roles of the brain's specialised immune cell in Alzheimer's disease and offer new avenues for treatment of this incurable condition.

AI-enabled EKGs find difference between numerical age and biological age significantly affects health

Posted: 20 May 2021 01:03 PM PDT

You might be older - or younger - than you think. A new study found that differences between a person's age in years and his or her biological age, as predicted by an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled EKG, can provide measurable insights into health and longevity.

Taking more steps daily may lead to a longer life

Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT

Taking more steps per day, either all at once or in shorter spurts, may help you live longer. The benefits of more daily steps occurred with both uninterrupted bouts of steps (10 minutes or longer) and short spurts such as climbing stairs.

Worrying about your heart increases risk for mental health disorders

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:39 AM PDT

Latinx young adults who experience heart-focused anxiety could be at greater risk for mental health disorders. New research indicates that heart-focused anxiety among that group is a statistically significant predictor for general depression and overall anxiety.

Molecule enlists patient's immune system to combat HIV

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:38 AM PDT

Antiretroviral therapy, the common approach in the treatment of HIV, halts replication of the virus and has saved the lives of millions of people. However, for patients the drug cocktail becomes a lifetime necessity because they continue to harbor latent HIV in a small number of immune system cells. In the absence of treatment, HIV can again replicate and rebound into full blown AIDs.

Challenging the standard model of cancer

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:38 AM PDT

In spite of decades of research, cancer remains an enigma. Conventional wisdom holds that cancer is driven by random mutations that create aberrant cells that run amok in the body. Researchers challenge this model by proposing that cancer is a type of genetic throwback, that progresses via a series of reversions to ancestral forms of life.

Parrot poachers striking while the market's hot

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:38 AM PDT

'Pretty' parrots are more likely to be snatched up for Indonesia's illegal wildlife trade, a new study reveals. The findings not only expose the key drivers behind the country's illegal trade in these birds, but offer lessons for the potential emergence and spread of infectious diseases that jump from animals to humans.

These cognitive exercises help young children boost their math skills, study shows

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT

Young children who practice visual working memory and reasoning tasks improve their math skills more than children who focus on spatial rotation exercises, according to a large study. The findings support the notion that training spatial cognition can enhance academic performance and that when it comes to math, the type of training matters.

Targeting abnormal cell metabolism shows promise for treating pediatric brain tumors

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT

Two experimental drug approaches that target vulnerabilities in cancer cell metabolism may extend survival and enhance the effectiveness of standard chemotherapies for a highly aggressive type of pediatric brain cancer.

New research could lead to better treatment for epilepsy

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered that the way in which neurons are connected within regions of the brain, can be a better indicator of disease progression and treatment outcomes for people with brain disorders such as epilepsy.

Forensic memory detection tests less effective in older adults

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT

New research has found that some brain activity methods used to detect incriminating memories do not work accurately in older adults.