ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Stem cell discoveries hold potential to improve cancer treatment

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 01:24 PM PST

Recent discoveries by stem cell scientists may help make cancer treatment more efficient and shorten the time it takes for people to recover from radiation and chemotherapy.

Faulty BRCA genes linked to prostate and pancreatic cancers

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 01:24 PM PST

Faulty versions of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are well known to increase the risk of breast cancer in men and women, and in ovarian cancer. Now BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been linked to several other cancers, including those that affect men.

Hospitalization for COVID-19 linked to greater risk of later readmission or death

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST

A large study conducted in England found that, compared to the general population, people who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 -- and survived for at least one week after discharge -- were more than twice as likely to die or be readmitted to the hospital in the next several months.

Fat injections could treat common cause of foot pain, plantar fasciitis

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 10:37 AM PST

A novel technique that transplants a patient's own fat into the sole of their foot could offer relief to those suffering from a common and painful condition called plantar fasciitis.

How the timing of dinner and genetics affect individuals’ blood sugar control

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 09:40 AM PST

Eating dinner close to bedtime, when melatonin levels are high, disturbs blood sugar control, especially in individuals with a genetic variant in the melatonin receptor MTNR1B, which has been linked to an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. The high melatonin levels and food intake associated with late eating impairs blood sugar control in carriers of the MTNR1B genetic risk variant through a defect in insulin secretion.

Vision loss and retinal changes in Stargardt disease

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 09:40 AM PST

Researchers developed and validated an artificial-intelligence-based method to evaluate patients with Stargardt, an eye disease that can lead to childhood vision loss. The method quantifies disease-related loss of light-sensing retina cells, yielding information for monitoring patients, understanding genetic causes of the disease, and developing therapies to treat it.

Lead lurking in your soil? New Chicago project maps distribution

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:26 AM PST

Lead haunts old homes in chipping paint and pipes, but it also lurks outside, in soil. It's the stuff of mud pies and garden plots, crumbling from boot treads to join household dust in forgotten corners. It's easily overlooked, but soil can be an important source of lead where children live and play.

'Lefty' tightens control of embryonic development

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:26 AM PST

A protein known as Lefty pumps the brakes as human embryos begin to differentiate into the bones, soft tissues and organs that make us.

Combined 3D modelling technique predicts abnormal heart rhythms in patients with genetic heart disease

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:26 AM PST

Modelling the heart in 3D using combined imaging techniques can help predict heart rhythm abnormalities, or arrhythmias, in patients with the genetic heart disease hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

New study validates benefits of convalescent plasma for some COVID-19 patients

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:25 AM PST

Transfusions of blood plasma donated by people who have already recovered from infection with the pandemic virus may help other patients hospitalized with COVID-19, a new international study shows.

Most 'pathogenic' genetic variants have a low risk of causing disease

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:25 AM PST

Researchers discovered that the chance a pathogenic genetic variant may actually cause a disease is relatively low - about 7 percent. They also found that some variants, such as those associated with breast cancer, are linked to a wide range of risks for disease. The results could alter the way the risks associated with these variants are reported, and one day, help guide the way physicians interpret genetic testing results.

Using the eye as a window into heart disease

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:25 AM PST

Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can analyze eye scans taken during a routine visit to an optician or eye clinic and identify patients at a high risk of a heart attack. Doctors have recognized that changes to the tiny blood vessels in the retina are indicators of broader vascular disease, including problems with the heart. In the research, deep learning techniques were used to train an AI system to automatically read retinal scans and identify those people who, over the following year, were likely to have a heart attack.

Study reveals fourfold range in rates of mental health problems among US children based on relational and social risks

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:25 AM PST

The analysis, based on 2016-2019 data survey responses covering nearly 132,000 children ages 3 to 17, examined the complex interplay between common mental health problems among children, social and relational health risks, and protective factors.

Ultrasound technique predicts hip dysplasia in infants

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:25 AM PST

A technique that uses ultrasound images to determine the depth and shape of the hip socket can accurately predict which infants with hip dysplasia will develop normal hip structure and which remain dysplastic, according to a new study. Researchers said statistical shape modeling improves on existing techniques and could spare many infants from unnecessary treatment.

New study suggests two paths toward 'super immunity' to COVID-19

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:25 AM PST

New laboratory research reveals more than one path toward robust immunity from COVID-19. A new study finds that two forms of immunity -- breakthrough infections following vaccination or natural infection followed by vaccination -- provide roughly equal levels of enhanced immune protection. The research follows an earlier study that described extremely high levels of immune response following breakthrough infections -- so-called 'super immunity.' That study was the first to use multiple live SARS-CoV-2 variants to measure cross-neutralization of blood serum from breakthrough cases.

SARS-CoV-2: New insights into antibody response against viral variants

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 08:25 AM PST

Researchers present new findings on the immune response against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Their study is based on investigations of antibodies elicited by infection with the Beta variant of the virus. The researchers conclude that the Beta variant can confer broad immunity to multiple viral strains, which could be beneficial for protection against the currently prevalent Delta and Omicron variants, as well as against future viral variants.

Study identifies new way to attack herpesviruses

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 06:30 AM PST

A new study has opened the door to a new approach to attacking herpesviruses. The study demonstrated that targeting 2 metal ion-dependent enzymes of human herpesviruses with 2 compounds, AK-157 and AK-166, can inhibit the replication of the virus. The finding provides new opportunities to developing agents against herpesviruses.

Researchers identify immunological markers for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 06:30 AM PST

Tracking new hotspots of SARS-CoV-2 will become more important as the virus evolves and becomes endemic. New variants may be more contagious than previous ones -- and escape vaccines. Serum biomarkers, identified in rhesus macaques, can differentiate between primary infection and reinfection. A tool utilizing these biomarkers may help identify surges in reinfection, scientists noted.

Study detects how a genetic variant modifies the brain stimulation impact on memory

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 06:30 AM PST

The gene of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with several processes related to memory and brain plasticity. Now, a new article reveals that it is easier to alter the cognitive activity through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in people with the genetic variant Val/Val for the BDNF gene.

Lucky genes can help protect people with obesity from some disease

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 04:49 PM PST

Geneticists have revealed why some people with obesity remain relatively healthy, whilst others suffer from life-changing ailments such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Seeing the same GP improves treatment for people with dementia

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 04:49 PM PST

New research analyzed more than 9,000 patient records of people diagnosed with dementia. The team found that people with dementia who were consistently seen by the same GP over the course of one year were given fewer medicines and were less likely to be given medicines that can cause problems like incontinence, drowsiness and falls.

Undiagnosed autistic traits common among youths with substance use disorders, study finds

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST

An estimated 20 percent of teens and young adults who seek treatment for addiction may have previously unrecognized social impairment characteristics of an autism spectrum disorder, a new study finds.

Women ages 35 and younger are 44% more likely to have an ischemic stroke than male peers

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST

Women ages 35 years and younger were 44% more likely to have an ischemic stroke (caused by blockages of blood vessels in the brain) than their male counterparts, according to a new review of more than a dozen international studies on sex differences in stroke occurrence. This gap narrows between the ages of 35 and 45, and there is conflicting evidence about whether women or men have more ischemic stroke in the 35- to 45-year-old age group.

A spouse's education can positively impact their partner's overall health

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 08:50 AM PST

A new study found that spousal education is positively related to people's overall health, with an effect size that rivals the impact of a person's own education.

Researchers propose ultrasound stimulation as an effective therapy for Alzheimer's disease in new study

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 07:39 AM PST

Synchronizing one's brainwaves to ultrasound pulses could reduce the accumulation of abnormal proteins characteristic of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, new research suggests.