ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Long-term pain after knee surgery reduced, new treatment has shown

Posted: 29 Jan 2022 05:42 AM PST

With one in five people experiencing ongoing pain long after knee replacement surgery, new research has shown a way to help reduce people's continuing pain that could also save time and money too.

Intranasal flu vaccine with nanoparticles offers robust protection

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 01:56 PM PST

An influenza vaccine administered through the nose and constructed with nanoparticles that enhance immune response offers strong protection against different influenza virus strains, according to researchers.

Light shed on a new order in the abdomen

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 12:35 PM PST

A pioneering professor of surgery whose groundbreaking research led to the reclassification of an organ has published new evidence detailing the fundamental order of the abdomen. He has detailed the development and structure of the mesentery. In doing this, they uncovered a new order by which all contents of the abdomen are organized or arranged -- or the 'fundamental order of the abdomen.'

Surveys with repetitive questions yield bad data, study finds

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 12:35 PM PST

Surveys that ask too many of the same type of question tire respondents and return unreliable data, according to a new study. The study found that people tire from questions that vary only slightly and tend to give similar answers to all questions as the survey progresses. Marketers, policymakers, and researchers who rely on long surveys to predict consumer or voter behavior will have more accurate data if they craft surveys designed to elicit reliable, original answers, the researchers suggest.

Researchers identify key regulator of blood stem cell development

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 12:35 PM PST

A protein that masterminds the way DNA is wrapped within chromosomes has a major role in the healthy functioning of blood stem cells, which produce all blood cells in the body, according to a new study.

Simpler and reliable ALS diagnosis with blood tests

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 11:13 AM PST

Blood tests may enable more accurate diagnosis of ALS at an earlier stage of the disease. As described in a recent study, it involves measuring the blood level of a substance that, as they have also shown, varies in concentration depending on which variant of ALS the patient has.

Nearly 1 in 7 COVID patients in ICU experienced severe bleeding when given full-dose blood thinners, study finds

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 11:13 AM PST

Patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU) prescribed full-dose blood thinners are significantly more likely to experience heavy bleeding than patients prescribed a smaller yet equally effective dose, according to a recent study.

New genetic clues on multiple sclerosis risk

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 11:13 AM PST

An international team of researchers has discovered that a cell type in the central nervous system known as oligodendrocytes might have a different role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) than previously thought. The findings could open for new therapeutical approaches to MS.

Blocking sphingolipids counteracts muscular dystrophy

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 11:12 AM PST

Scientists have made a link between muscular dystrophy and a group of bioactive fats, the sphingolipids, which are involved in numerous cell functions and other diseases.

Artificial muscles made of proteins

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 11:12 AM PST

A research team has developed a material made of natural proteins that contracts autonomously.

Researchers discover new way to target secondary breast cancer that has spread to the brain

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 07:07 AM PST

A study has revealed a potential new way to treat secondary breast cancer that has spread to the brain, using existing drugs.

New atomistic level insight into drug-target residence time

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 07:07 AM PST

A new study helps to explain what defines how long a drug molecule stays bound to its target.

Post-mortem interval of human skeletal remains accurately determined by means of non-destructive techniques

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 07:07 AM PST

A new study has determined the post-mortem interval of human skeletal remains using real samples, which has been made possible by the combination of two non-destructive analytical tools: Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics. This opens up new avenues for dating in the field of forensic medicine and anthropology.

Even light drinking can be harmful to health

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 07:07 AM PST

Drinking less than the UK's recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol per week still increases the risk of cardiovascular issues such as heart and cerebrovascular disease.

New blood test combined with image-based prostate cancer screening reduces harms and costs

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 07:07 AM PST

The combination of a novel blood test and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can reduce overdiagnosis of low-risk cancers as well as societal costs in prostate cancer screening, according to a cost-effectiveness study.

Hyperimmune intravenous immunoglobulin does not improve outcomes for adults hospitalized with COVID-19, study finds

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 05:58 AM PST

A clinical trial has found that the combination of remdesivir plus a highly concentrated solution of antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not more effective than remdesivir alone for treating adults hospitalized with the disease. The trial also found that the safety of this experimental treatment may vary depending on whether a person naturally generates SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies before receiving it.

Live cells discovered in human breast milk could aid breast cancer research

Posted: 28 Jan 2022 05:57 AM PST

Researchers have explored the cellular changes that occur in human mammary tissue in lactating and non-lactating women, offering insight into the relationship between pregnancy, lactation, and breast cancer.

Infant deaths from RSV are much higher than previously known

Posted: 27 Jan 2022 02:26 PM PST

A new study has found that the true burden of RSV infant mortality is substantially higher than what was previously believed. The study used systematic surveillance to measure the presence of RSV among infants who died in medical facilities or in the community and found that the virus was present in 7 to 9 percent of infants under 6 months old and was primarily concentrated in infants under 3 months old. Two-thirds of these deaths occurred in the community -- i.e., among infants who never received medical care in a hospital and were overlooked in previous facility-based surveillance.

Gene regulation: How long do proteins bind?

Posted: 27 Jan 2022 11:15 AM PST

Researchers show how a DNA-binding protein can search the entire genome for its target sequence without getting held up on the way. The result contradicts our current understanding of gene regulation - the genetic code affects how often the proteins bind, but not for how long.

Curtailed sleep may alter how intense exercise stresses the heart

Posted: 27 Jan 2022 08:43 AM PST

In a new study, participants underwent an intense bout of exercise after both normal sleep and after three nights of curtailed sleep. When they exercised after curtailed sleep, the levels of the heart injury biomarker troponin increased slightly more, compared with when the participants performed exercise in their well-rested condition. The study is a smaller pilot study and it is not yet possible to determine if the findings may be of relevance for cardiovascular health.