ScienceDaily: Top Health News

For transplant recipients, third time may be the charm for better COVID vaccine protection

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:23 AM PDT

In a new study, researchers say they believe that, for the first time, there is evidence to show that three doses of vaccine increase antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID 19 -- more than the standard two-dose regimen for people who have received solid organ transplants.

New treatment stops progression of Alzheimer's disease in monkey brains

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

A new therapy prompts immune defense cells to swallow misshapen proteins, amyloid beta plaques and tau tangles, whose buildup is known to kill nearby brain cells as part of Alzheimer's disease, a new study shows.

Use of PFAS in cosmetics 'widespread,' new study finds

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

Many cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada likely contain high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a potentially toxic class of chemicals linked to a number of serious health conditions, according to new research.

Stem cell scientists make big progress in building mini-kidneys

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

Researchers have created what could be a key building block for assembling a synthetic kidney. They describe how they generate rudimentary kidney structures, known as organoids, that resemble the collecting duct system that helps maintain the body's fluid and pH balance by concentrating and transporting urine. The organoids provide a way to study kidney disease that could lead to new treatments and regenerative approaches for patients.

Head impacts linked to imaging changes in youth football players

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

With pre-season football training on the horizon, a new study shows that head impacts experienced during practice are associated with changes in brain imaging of young players over multiple seasons.

Rapid exclusion of COVID-19 infection using AI, EKG technology

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

Artificial intelligence (AI) may offer a way to accurately determine that a person is not infected with COVID-19. An international retrospective study finds that infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, creates subtle electrical changes in the heart. An AI-enhanced EKG can detect these changes and potentially be used as a rapid, reliable COVID-19 screening test to rule out COVID-19 infection.

Common cold combats COVID-19, study finds

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

In a new study, the researchers found that the common respiratory virus jump-starts the activity of interferon-stimulated genes, early-response molecules in the immune system which can halt replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within airway tissues infected with the cold.

Adults who skip morning meal likely to miss out on nutrients

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

Adults who skip breakfast are likely to miss out on key nutrients that are most abundant in the foods that make up morning meals, a new study suggests.

What makes us sneeze?

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

What exactly triggers a sneeze? A team has identified, in mice, specific cells and proteins that control the sneeze reflex. Better understanding of what causes us to sneeze -- specifically how neurons behave in response to allergens and viruses -- may point to treatments capable of slowing the spread of infectious respiratory diseases.

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy may boost babies' obesity risk

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:22 AM PDT

New research shows pregnant women exposed to higher levels of air pollution have babies who grow unusually fast in the first months after birth, putting on excess fat that may put them at risk of obesity and related diseases later in life.

Cancer cells fight for their footing by using an aging gene

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

New results allow the development of novel therapies for hereditary forms of intestinal cancer.

Obesity and hypertension: Researchers discover novel mechanisms

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

Researchers have succeeded for the first time in demonstrating the role of hypothalamic astrocytes in obesity-related hypertension. In addition, they showed that the hormone leptin is involved in the increase of blood vessels in the hypothalamus of obese mice, contributing of hypertension.

Teenagers at greatest risk of self-harming could be identified almost a decade earlier

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

Researchers have identified two subgroups of adolescents who self-harm and have shown that it is possible to predict those individuals at greatest risk almost a decade before they begin self-harming.

Main gland in hormonal system ages due to process that can potentially be slowed down

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

Stem cell biologist have discovered that the pituitary gland in mice ages as the result of an age-related form of chronic inflammation. It may be possible to slow down this process or even partially repair it.

Why some COVID-19 patients develop life-threatening clots

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

Scientists have identified how and why some COVID-19 patients can develop life-threatening clots, which could lead to targeted therapies that prevent this from happening.

Receptor location plays a key role in their function

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

Research teams have identified, for the first time, where special receptors are located on heart muscle cells. Their findings open up new perspectives for developing therapies for chronic heart failure.

New evidence of early SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United States

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

A new antibody testing study examining samples originally collected through the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program found evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in five states earlier than had initially been reported.

COVID-19 reinfection rate less than 1 percent for those with severe illness, study finds

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:21 AM PDT

A review of more than 9,000 US patients with severe COVID-19 infection showed less than 1 percent contracted the illness again, with an average reinfection time of 3.5 months after an initial positive test.

Healthy fat impacted by change in diet and circadian clock

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:20 AM PDT

Changing your eating habits or altering your circadian clock can impact healthy fat tissue throughout your lifespan, according to a preclinical study.

New AI model helps understand virus spread from animals to humans

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:20 AM PDT

A new model that applies artificial intelligence to carbohydrates improves the understanding of the infection process and could help predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans.

From symmetry to asymmetry: The two sides of life

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 10:15 AM PDT

Researchers used innovative imaging techniques to demonstrate symmetric collective alignment of nuclei in the muscle cells of the anterior midgut of the Drosophila embryo. This 'collective nuclear behavior' further influences bilateral asymmetry in the development of internal organs. A clear understanding of the factors that influence the shape and location of viscera will help inform future research into experimental, and eventually therapeutic, organ regeneration technology.

New research finds 1M early deaths in 2017 attributable to fossil fuel combustion

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 03:56 PM PDT

An international team of researchers has determined what sources contribute to pollution and the health effects they have on global, regional and smaller scales.

Harmful protein waste in the muscle

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 12:40 PM PDT

An international research team identified the cause of a rare muscle disease. According to these findings, a single spontaneously occurring mutation results in the muscle cells no longer being able to correctly break down defective proteins. The condition causes severe heart failure in children, accompanied by skeletal and respiratory muscle damage. The study also highlights experimental approaches for potential treatment. Whether this hope will be fulfilled, however, will only become clear in a few years.