ScienceDaily: Top Health News

A long-term study finds significant changes in brain development linked to anxiety in children with autism. The study, which included brain scans and interviews, also provides new evidence that supports forms of anxiety specific to autism.

Scientists identified vulnerable site on multiple coronaviruses that could be targeted to prevent future pandemics.

Scientists have developed the first fully autonomous biohybrid fish from human stem-cell derived cardiac muscle cells. The artificial fish swims by recreating the muscle contractions of a pumping heart, bringing researchers one step closer to developing a more complex artificial muscular pump and providing a platform to study heart disease like arrhythmia.

Decades of research has shown that limits on calorie intake by flies, worms, and mice can enhance life span in laboratory conditions. But whether such calorie restriction can do the same for humans remains unclear. Now a new study confirms the health benefits of moderate calorie restrictions in humans -- and identifies a key protein that could be harnessed to extend health in humans.

Although recreational and medicinal marijuana (cannabis) is increasingly available across the U.S., public and professional awareness that cannabis use may adversely affect brain health is critical, according to the American Heart Association's first scientific statement on the subject.

The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of hundreds to thousands of microbial species living within the human body. These populations affect our health, fertility, and even our longevity. But how do they get there in the first place? New research reveals crucial details about how the bacterial communities that comprise each of our individual gut microbiomes are acquired. These findings have major implications for treatments such as fecal transplants and probiotic administration.

Researchers found that prunes can help prevent or delay bone loss in postmenopausal women, possibly due to their ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which contribute to bone loss.

Research involving more than 350,000 participants from over 50 countries and 6 continents has found that links between musical preferences and personality are universal. The findings suggest that music could play a greater role in overcoming social division, as well as offering currently untapped therapeutic benefits.

The first large-scale study in which weight loss maintainers could self-identify what helped them succeed reveals some secrets of how people lose weight and keep it off: persevering despite setbacks; regularly looking back at what their life was like before the weight loss; and remaining focused on their health.

mRNA nanoparticles effectively and safely restored the function of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene in hepatocellular carcinoma models. When used in combination with immune checkpoint blockade, the mRNA nanoparticle platform reprogrammed the cancer's microenvironment. This new combined approach could be transformative for treating hepatocellular carcinoma and possibly other cancers in which the p53 gene has mutated.

Researchers are shedding new light on the molecular factors that give COVID-19 variants a competitive edge -- essential knowledge that could improve disease management as new variants continue to emerge. The findings explain how the Delta variant may have been able to beat out the Kappa variant and become dominant across the globe.

Triplatin, a 30-year-old experimental cancer drug, has faced a bumpy road on the path to FDA approval, failing several phase II clinical trials in the 2000s. But a new study offers insight that could finally help to get triplatin over the finish line. The researchers found that about 40% of triple negative breast cancer cases had tumors rich in sugars called sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG), which triplatin homes in on, causing the drug to accumulate inside cancer cells where it can do the most damage. This result suggests that clinical trials revisiting triplatin can focus on patients with high sGAG levels to set the drug up for success, rather than diluting any positive effects among a mixed pool of patients.

An online symptom management tool that harnesses the problem-solving benefits of expressive writing could help women with ovarian cancer better manage complex symptoms, according to a new study.