ScienceDaily: Top Health News

International study supports dupilumab for treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma in children

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 03:25 PM PST

In a late-stage clinical trial, the biologic agent dupilumab reduced the rate of severe asthma attacks and improved lung function and asthma control for children ages 6 to 11. The findings of the international multicenter Liberty Asthma VOYAGE trial supported approval of dupilumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma in this age group by the Food and Drug Administration in October.

Prescribing the abortion pill without restrictions is safe and effective, study finds

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 03:25 PM PST

Abortion remains safe after Canada removed restrictions on the medical abortion pill mifepristone in November 2017, according to a new study. The study used comprehensive government health data to examine 315,000 abortions in Ontario between 2012 and 2020. An analysis showed no increase in abortion-related health complications following the removal of restrictions on mifepristone.

Sunshine may shield children, young adults from MS

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST

Living in sunny locations and spending time outdoors may raise the risk for skin cancer, but a new study shows that in children and young adults, sun exposure may protect against multiple sclerosis. The study follows previous work by other researchers that has demonstrated an association between increased ultraviolet exposure in childhood and lower odds of adult MS.

The impact of drugs on gut microbes is greater than we thought

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST

We are one of the most medicated generations of humans to live on our planet. Cardiometabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease continue to increase in prevalence and together constitute the highest cause of mortality worldwide. Affected people often have to take multiple daily medications for months or even years. Researchers from the Bork group at EMBL Heidelberg, working together with a European consortium involving more than twenty European institutes, have now shown that many commonly used drugs have powerful effects on our gut microbes. These include drugs used to treat cardiometabolic disorders and antibiotics. The results were published in the journal Nature.

A new understanding of mental illness

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST

The causes of psychiatric disorders are poorly understood. Now there is evidence that a wide range of early onset psychiatric problems (from depression, anxiety and addictions to dyslexia, bulimia, and ADHD) may be largely due to the combination of just three factors. The first is biological --i n the form of individual variability in the brain's dopamine reward pathway. The second is social -- and points to the important role of early childhood neglect or abuse. And the third is psychological--and relates to temperament, and particularly to tendencies toward impulsivity and difficulty controlling emotions. These findings have implications for understanding both the causes of a wide range of psychiatric disorders and the features worth targeting in early intervention efforts.

Does air pollution reduce the benefits of physical activity on the brain?

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST

A new study shows that people who do vigorous physical activities, like jogging or playing competitive sports, in areas with higher air pollution may show less benefit from that exercise when it comes to certain markers of brain disease. The markers examined in the study included white matter hyperintensities, which indicate injury to the brain's white matter, and gray matter volume. Larger gray matter volumes and smaller white matter hyperintensity volumes are markers of overall better brain health.

Research reveals how aging cells can be an underlying cause of kidney damage

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST

A study in mice has found that stress and tissue damage initiated by angiotensin II, a molecule that is known to increase blood pressure and stiffening in the linings of blood vessels, leads to cellular senescence, a process by which a cell ages and permanently stops dividing but does not die. Importantly, when the researchers eliminated senescent cells from the mice, tissues returned to a normal state in spite of a continued infusion of angiotensin II.

Defense or repair: How immune cells are controlled during wound healing

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST

Scientists show a causal link between tissue repair, mitochondrial metabolism, and the activation and function of macrophages (scavenger cells).

Coping with schizophrenia, when emotions can be too much

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST

Psychologists have revealed a surprising finding that could help those who struggle with schizophrenia: While people with the illness tend to manage low-level negative emotions, they struggle to do so as those negative emotions increase.

Breast cancer classified into 12 unique biological groups

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST

Researchers have demonstrated a major step forward in melding two key methods for studying breast cancer: one by genetic analysis and the second by looking at the architecture of cells, or their pathology. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas Breast Cancer Data set, they developed classification method that divides breast cancers into 12 distinct biological groups. This could aid future research efforts and enable faster translation of molecular findings into the pathology lab for clinical use, they report.

Detailed images of molecule associated with ALS could open door to therapies

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST

Scientists have determined the structure of the molecule associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple other neurodegenerative diseases. The researchers say this discovery could enable targeted development of new medical interventions and diagnostic tests.

Tau and PQBP1: Protein interaction induces inflammation in the brain

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST

Researchers have clarified the relationship between the intracellular receptor PQBP1 and the structural protein Tau, which is dysregulated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Tau was found to interact with PQBP1 in immune cells of the brain, which led to activation of the inflammatory cGAS-STING pathway. PQBP1 may represent a potential target for the development of therapeutics to treat Tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases.

Soft tissue destruction and lower back pain

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:31 AM PST

Back pain affects many people at some point in their lives, and a common cause is damage to the squishy discs or flexible, rubbery tissues of the spine. However, observing this damage at an early stage is difficult with current imaging methods. Now, researchers report they can see microscopic soft tissue destruction in animal spines by targeting denatured collagen with fluorescent molecules.

Blood from marathoner mice boosts brain function in their couch-potato counterparts

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:28 AM PST

Researchers have shown that blood from young adult mice that are getting lots of exercise benefits the brains of same-aged, sedentary mice. A single protein in the blood of exercising mice seems largely responsible for that benefit.

New findings about cluster headaches

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST

Debilitating cluster headaches commonly begin in childhood, but patients are not typically diagnosed until they are adults, according to new research.

Study outlines ways to help children learn forgiveness

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST

A recent study suggests that teaching children to understand other people's perspectives could make it easier for them to learn how to forgive other people. The study also found that teaching children to make sincere apologies can help them receive forgiveness from others.

Imagining future guilt helps athletes turn away from doping

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST

Appealing to athletes' sense of 'future guilt' through psychological intervention could prove a powerful weapon in the fight against doping, according to a new study.

Reimagining immunity in the eye

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST

Immune cells could be doing much more than we think in protecting our eyes -- researchers uncover new details.

Anxiety drugs and antidepressants trigger post-surgery delirium, study finds

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 07:26 AM PST

A new study finds that older people taking a drug used to treat anxiety and insomnia -- nitrazepam -- as well as those on antidepressants, are twice as likely to suffer postoperative delirium after hip and knee surgery.

Physical features boost the efficiency of quantum simulations

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 07:25 AM PST

Recent theoretical breakthroughs have settled two long-standing questions about the viability of simulating quantum systems on future quantum computers, overcoming challenges from complexity analyses to enable more advanced algorithms.

Natural infection and vaccination together provide maximum protection against COVID variants

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:49 AM PST

A combination of vaccination and naturally acquired infection appears to boost the production of maximally potent antibodies against the COVID-19 virus, new research finds.

Early warning signals could help monitor disease outbreaks

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST

New research suggests early warning signals (EWSs) could help in the monitoring of disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19. The study found warnings could be detected weeks earlier than any rapid increase in cases. The findings could help governments and policy makers improve the accuracy of their decisions and allow timely interventions if needed.

Guidelines may promote over-diagnosis of cow's milk allergy in infants, study finds

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST

International guidelines developed to help doctors diagnose cow's milk allergy may lead to over-diagnosis, according to new research. The study found that three-quarters of infants have two or more symptoms at some point in the first year of life which guidelines say may be caused by cow's milk allergy, yet the condition only affects one in 100.

Impaired-driver sensor could pave the way for safer vehicles

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST

The bipartisan infrastructure bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden includes a requirement for automakers to install driver monitoring systems that detect intoxicated or impaired drivers. Current systems rely on cameras, which have limitations. Now, researchers have made heat-resistant, pressure-detecting sensors that, when attached to seats, can tell whether a driver is drowsy or has a sudden illness, signaling a future smart car to take action.

Trends in binge drinking among older men and women in the United States

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST

Binge drinking has increased in recent years among older U.S. men but not among older women, according to a new study.

Wearable sensor measures airborne nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 05:59 AM PST

Some studies have shown that nicotine, an addictive substance in electronic cigarettes, increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. But to get a full understanding of its potential health effects, a real-time nicotine monitoring device is needed. Such a device could also help vapers -- as well as non-vapers who encounter second-hand smoke -- measure their exposure. Now, researchers report that they have developed a battery-free, wearable device that could accomplish this task.

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing boosts effectiveness of ultrasound cancer therapy

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 05:59 AM PST

Sonodynamic therapy uses ultrasound in combination with drugs to release harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the site of a tumor. However, the treatment isn't very effective because cancer cells can activate antioxidant defense systems to counteract it. Now, researchers have breached these defenses with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, allowing sonodynamic therapy to effectively shrink tumors in a mouse model of liver cancer.

Wastewater helps decipher the popularity of new synthetic drugs

Posted: 08 Dec 2021 05:59 AM PST

Over the years, hundreds of new synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of illegal and legal substances have emerged. The underground nature of each drug's development and distribution makes its international popularity hard to track. Now, using wastewater from the days near the 2021 New Year holiday, researchers report an increased international usage of some synthetic drugs, including eutylone and 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) compared to the previous year.

AI-powered computer model predicts disease progression during aging

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST

Using artificial intelligence, a team of researchers has developed a novel system that models the progression of chronic diseases as patients age.

SRC-2 is at the center of survival adaptations to food shortages

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST

The steroid receptor coactivator-2 (SRC-2) is crucial to coordinate the biological responses to the lack of food.

Research finds potential mechanism linking autism, intestinal inflammation

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST

Moms infected during pregnancy who produce elevated levels of the cytokine IL-17a may have microbiome alterations that prime offspring for aberrant immune responses later in life, a mouse study suggests.

Large field hospital study shows rapid COVID-19 test compares solidly with PCR detection

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST

Researchers report that a rapid antigen detection test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, proved more effective than expected when compared with virus detection rates using the established standard test, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay.

Which personality traits can be improved without personal motivation? Research says 'it depends'

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:25 PM PST

Could a company train an employee to become more conscientious, even if the worker isn't invested in improving that trait? A new study suggests yes. But improving someone's emotional stability without that person's commitment is not likely to happen.

Miniature llama antibodies could help fight SARS-CoV-2 variants

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 07:20 AM PST

Llamas make antibodies that are much smaller than their human counterparts, yet still potent. Scientists hope that future drugs based on these molecules could provide new weapons against SARS-CoV-2.

How SARS-CoV-2 evades our immune system

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 07:19 AM PST

Scientists have identified a key mechanism used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to evade host immune systems.

Biomarker discovery makes early detection of high-risk COVID-19 patients possible

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 06:38 AM PST

Researchers have discovered a biomarker that could assist in the early identification of people at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Visualizing cell structures in three dimensions in mere minutes

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST

Researchers have optimized a special X-ray process -- known as soft X-ray tomography -- to deliver high-resolution three-dimensional images of entire cells and their molecular structure in just a few minutes.

New marker for better assessing the severity of COVID-19

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST

Researchers have found a new marker in the blood of COVID-19 patients. The finding provides insights into the course and development of the disease and could lead to better diagnoses.

SARS-CoV-2 infects sustentacular cells in the olfactory epithelium of COVID-19 patients, study finds

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST

The coronavirus does not appear to infect nerve cells in the olfactory epithelium and in the olfactory bulb, according to new research.