ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Researchers have used high-density nanofibers that mimic the microenvironment of the brain to capture tumor cells, opening doors to novel therapeutic solutions for aggressive brain cancer.

Researchers examine graph-theoretical properties of brain networks in traumatic brain injury and controls and their association with balance impairment and structural damage.

Researchers uncover the mechanism of how red blood cells detect and bind DNA, opening the door to a new area of research for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Researchers have discovered a new way to jump-start the immune system to attack tumors, which could allow cancer immunotherapy to be used against more types of cancer.

An international team of researchers has broadened and deepened understanding of how inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) affect different populations of people and, in the process, have identified new gene variants that may cause the diseases.

A new study has added numerous previously uncharacterized viral genomes and genes to the ever-increasing worldwide pool of human gut viromes. The study will prove helpful in investigating the role of the gut virome in human health and disease.

Men who inherit an increased risk of cancer through 'Lynch syndrome' could benefit from regular PSA testing from age 40 to detect early signs of prostate cancer, researchers believe. Annual PSA tests were eight times more likely to spot cancer in men with genetic hallmarks of Lynch syndrome than those without. Experts say evidence could be incorporated into a targeted screening program in future.

Scientists describe the first-in-human demonstration of a pathway that uses the sugar glucose, a component of table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, to signal the presence of calories, in addition to the well-studied sweet-taste receptor in taste buds.

Researchers have made recommendations for clinicians and patients regarding supplemental screening for women with dense breast tissue.

Researchers developed a machine learning model to identify medication orders requiring pharmacy intervention using only provider behavior and other contextual features that may reflect these new sources of inefficiencies, rather than patients' medical records.

Researchers describe a new liquid biopsy method using lab-on-a-chip technology that they believe can detect cancer before a tumor is even formed. Using magnetic particles coated in a specially designed bonding agent, the liquid biopsy chip attracts and captures particles containing cancer-causing biomarkers. A close analysis can identify the type of cancer they are carrying. This, the researchers say, can significantly improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.

A dogma-challenging discovery reveals that highly adapted bacterial communities in the sinuses of people with cystic fibrosis become more fragmented and experience mutations that erode their genomes. So rather than targeting red herring mutations, researchers suggest paying attention to patterns of genomic adaptation versus erosion, which might better indicate a viable path towards the more effective therapeutics for cystic fibrosis.

While most of the COVID-19 vaccines are designed as a two-dose regimen, some countries have prioritized vaccinating as many people as possible with a single dose before giving out an additional dose. In a new study, researchers illustrate the conditions under which a "prime first" vaccine campaign is most effective at stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The team found the vaccine waning rate to be a critically important factor in the decision.

Researchers examine the dynamics of social distancing practices, common defense against the spread of COVID-19, through the lens of particle-based flow simulations. The study models social distance as the distance at which particles, representing pedestrians, repel fellow particles and sheds light on the relationship between social distancing and pedestrian flow dynamics in corridors by illustrating how adherence to social distancing protocols affects two-way pedestrian movement in a shared space.

Nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as isolation, quarantines, and lockdowns, have been implemented in an effort to contain the pandemic, but these are often disruptive and costly. In a new article, researchers identify new and sustainable interventions to contain outbreaks while minimizing the economic and social costs. They built a data-driven mobility model to simulate COVID-19 spreading in Hong Kong, by combining synthetic population, human behavior patterns, and a viral transmission model, and found that by controlling a small percentage of grids, the virus could be largely contained.

Identifying the dynamic events occurring during urinary tract infections (UTI) has revealed a new potential strategy to combat this condition, considered the most common type of infection.