ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Geology helps map kidney stone formation from tiny to troublesome

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:38 PM PDT

Advanced microscope technology and cutting-edge geological science are giving new perspectives to an old medical mystery: How do kidney stones form, why are some people more susceptible to them and can they be prevented?

Asthma medication use and exacerbations

Posted: 25 May 2021 01:09 PM PDT

How does the switch to a high-deductible health plan affect children with asthma? A new study suggests that enrollment in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) may not be associated with changes in asthma medication use or asthma exacerbations when medications are exempt from the deductible.

Non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analog reverses effects of stress in mouse study

Posted: 25 May 2021 01:08 PM PDT

A novel compound similar in structure to the psychedelic drug ibogaine, but lacking its toxic and hallucinogenic effects, has been found to rapidly reverse the effects of stress in mice. Researchers found that a single dose of tabernanthalog (TBG) can correct stress-induced behavioral deficits, including anxiety and cognitive inflexibility, and also promotes the regrowth of neuronal connections and restores neural circuits in the brain that are disrupted by stress.

Impact of coal burning on Yangtze River is comparable to natural processes

Posted: 25 May 2021 01:08 PM PDT

Fly ash from coal burning contributes between 37 and 72 percent of the organic carbon particles in the Yangtze River basin.

Silver attacks bacteria, gets 'consumed'

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

As antibiotic-resistant bacteria become more prevalent, silver has seen steep growth in its use in things like antibacterial coatings. Still, a better understanding can provide clues on how to best apply it. Researchers have now monitored the interaction of silver nanoparticles with a nearby E. coli culture and found the silver undergoes several dramatic changes. Most notably, the E. coli cells caused substantial transformations in the size and shape of the silver particles.

How to boost muscle regeneration and rebuild tissue

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

In work that could one day help athletes as well as aging adults regenerate tissue more effectively, scientists increased the regeneration of muscle cells in mice by activating the precursors of muscle cells.

Is deference to supernatural beings present in infancy?

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

From shamans and mystics to cult leaders and divine kings, why have people throughout history accorded high status to people believed to have supernatural powers? According to a new study, this tendency to attribute social dominance to such individuals is rooted in early development.

Immune cells imperfect at distinguishing between friend and foe

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

When it comes to distinguishing a healthy cell from an infected one that needs to be destroyed, the immune system's killer T cells sometimes make mistakes.

'Rejuvenating' the Alzheimer's brain

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

Alzheimer's disease is the main cause of dementia and current therapeutic strategies cannot prevent, slow down or cure the pathology. The disease is characterized by memory loss, caused by the degeneration and death of neuronal cells in several regions of the brain, including the hippocampus. Researchers have identified a small molecule that can be used to rejuvenate the brain and counteract the memory loss.

The hunt for drugs to neutralize critical enzymes

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:36 AM PDT

Scientists explore racemases and propose strategies for finding drugs that target these important enzymes.

Researchers seek deeper understanding on how cells in the body operate

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:36 AM PDT

Cells sense and respond to the mechanical properties of the cellular microenvironment in the body. Changes in these properties, which occur in a number of human pathologies, including cancer, can elicit abnormal responses from cells. How the cells adapt to such changes in the mechanical microenvironment is not well understood.

From harmless skin bacteria to dreaded pathogens

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:17 AM PDT

An international research team discovers additional component in staphylococcal cell wall that turns the bacterium potentially deadly.

Data from smartwatches can help predict clinical blood test results

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:17 AM PDT

Smartwatches and other wearable devices may be used to sense illness, dehydration and even changes to the red blood cell count, according to biomedical engineers and genomics researchers.

Machine learning platform identifies activated neurons in real-time

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:16 AM PDT

Biomedical engineers have developed an automatic process that uses streamlined artificial intelligence (AI) to identify active neurons in videos faster and more accurately than current techniques. The technology should allow researchers to watch an animal's brain activity in real time, as they are behaving.

AI spots neurons better than human experts

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:16 AM PDT

A combination of optical coherence tomography (OCT), adaptive optics and deep neural networks can easily and precisely track changes in the number and shape of retinal ganglion cells in the eye. This new AI-driven method can enable better diagnosis and monitoring for neuron-damaging eye and brain diseases like glaucoma.

Conservation success leads to new challenges for endangered mountain gorillas

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:16 AM PDT

The first species-wide survey of parasite infections across the entire range of the mountain gorilla indicates new challenges ahead for the endangered species as its population grows.

Narcissism linked to aggression in review of 437 studies

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

A comprehensive analysis of 437 studies from around the world provides the best evidence to date that narcissism is an important risk factor for both aggression and violence, researchers said. The link between narcissism and aggression was found for all dimensions of narcissism and for a variety of types of aggression. Results were similar regardless of gender, age, whether they were college students, or country of residence.

Soft X-ray method promises nanocarrier breakthroughs for smart medicine

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

A new technique using chemically-sensitive 'soft' X-rays offers a simpler, non-disruptive way of gaining insight into nanocarriers. Currently researchers have to rely on attaching fluorescent dyes or heavy metals to label parts of organic nanocarrier structures for investigation, often changing them in the process. Researchers have demonstrated the capability of the new X-ray method on a smart drug delivery nanoparticle and a polysoap nanostructure intended to capture crude oil spilled in the ocean.

Mothers' depression impacts mother-infant relationships

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

Research has found that women with depression during pregnancy, or with a history of depression, had a reduced quality of mother-infant interaction at both eight weeks and 12 months after their babies were born.

Press (re)play to remember - How the brain strengthens memories during sleep

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

While we sleep, the brain produces particular activation patterns. When two of these patterns - slow oscillations and sleep spindles - gear into each other, previous experiences are reactivated. The stronger the reactivation, the clearer will be our recall of past events, a new study reveals.

Delivering serendipity: Seemingly random product discovery, aided by technology

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:42 AM PDT

Marketers can capitalize on the power of serendipity to increase consumer satisfaction.

Intermittent fasting in mice effective at promoting long term memory retention

Posted: 24 May 2021 06:55 PM PDT

Intermittent Fasting (IF) is an effective means of improving long term memory retention and generating new adult hippocampal neurons in mice. Researchers hope that this has the potential to slow the advance of cognitive decline in older people.