ScienceDaily: Top Health News

T-cell responses may help predict protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals with and without cancer

Posted: 18 Feb 2022 05:02 AM PST

T-cell responses directed against the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were associated with protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated individuals with or without cancer, with lower T-cell responses observed in patients with blood cancers, according to a new study.

Study shows differences between brains of girls, boys with autism

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 03:17 PM PST

Girls with autism differ in several brain centers compared with boys with autism, suggesting gender-specific diagnostics are needed, a new study using artificial intelligence finds.

How superbugs uses mirror images to create antibiotic resistance

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 03:17 PM PST

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial infection that has become resistant to most of the antibiotics used to treat regular staph infections. Computer scientists are working to develop new enzyme inhibitors to fight MRSA. In recent research, the team discovered how a single small mutation makes a big difference in drug efficacy.

How motor neurons develop into subtypes that activate different muscles

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 03:17 PM PST

Motor neurons play a vital role in movement, linking the central nervous system with different muscles in the body. A new study has uncovered details about the process through which motor neurons develop into subtypes that connect the spinal cord with different target muscles and help to control different body parts. The research concludes that a gene called Kdm6b helps control motor neurons' fate.

An easier way to grow model organs

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 12:52 PM PST

A laboratory has developed a new, significantly simpler way of cultivating a 3D model of the intestine that leads to increased complexity and organization.

New medicines for treating heart patients

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST

New research discovered a unique class of medications that act as blood thinners by inhibiting an enzyme in the genes of tick saliva. The research focused on novel direct thrombin inhibitors from tick salivary transcriptomes, or messenger RNA molecules expressed by an organism. The result is the development of new anticoagulant medications that can be used to treat patients with a variety of coronary issues, including heart attacks.

Well-functioning fat may be the key to fewer old-age ailments

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST

Fat tissue plays an important role in human health. However, our fat tissue loses function as we age, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and other ailments. High levels of lifelong exercise seem to counteract this deterioration.

More chemicals, fewer words: Exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy alters brain development

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST

By linking human population studies with experiments in cell and animal models, researchers have provided evidence that complex mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals impact children's brain development and language acquisition. With their novel approach, the scientists show that up to 54 per cent of pregnant women were exposed to experimentally defined levels of concern. While current risk assessment tackles chemicals one at a time, these findings show the need to take mixtures into account for future risk assessment approaches.

Scientists think a peptide could stop, reverse damage to nerve cells

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST

Researchers found a way to inhibit the mitochondrial fission in nerve cell axons, which can promote normal growth and potentially stop further damage in neurodegenerative disorders like hereditary spastic paraplegia and Parkinson's disease.

Flies possess more sophisticated cognitive abilities than previously known

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST

Common flies feature more advanced cognitive abilities than previously believed. Using a custom-built immersive virtual reality arena, neurogenetics and real-time brain activity imaging, researchers found attention, working memory and conscious awareness-like capabilities in fruit flies.

Molecular 'culprit' caught driving cell death and inflammation

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST

A new study has identified a molecular 'culprit' responsible for causing damaging levels of cell death and inflammation in the body. The findings could lead to improved treatment options for a range of conditions driven by inflammatory cell death, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Scientists pinpoint genetic target with promise for treating many forms of blindness

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST

Developing therapies for genetic forms of blindness is extremely challenging, in part because they vary so widely, but scientists have now highlighted a target with great promise for treating a range of these conditions. The scientists have highlighted that a specific gene (SARM1) is a key driver in the damage that ultimately leads to impaired vision (and sometimes blindness), and -- in a disease model -- showed that deleting this gene protects vision after a chemical kick-starts the chain of dysfunction that mimics a host of ocular conditions.

Discovery of key protein in malaria parasite opens door to novel treatment

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST

An international team has discovered a protein that plays a key biological role in a parasite that causes malaria. Deactivating this protein reduces in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum, the protozoa behind the most virulent form of the disease, by more than 75%.

Less antibiotic use in dentistry gave no increase in endocarditis

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST

Sweden is one of the few countries that have removed the dental health recommendation to give prophylactic antibiotics to people at a higher risk of infection of the heart valves, so-called infective endocarditis. Since the recommendation was removed in 2012, there has been no increase in this disease, a registry study shows.

Study analyzes brain changes associated with juvenile fibromyalgia

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST

Analyzing the brain changes that occur in the first stages of juvenile fibromyalgia could help to better understand the pathophysiology of this syndrome.

Rogue antibodies make cells 'sticky' to trigger blood clots in COVID-19 patients

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 10:19 AM PST

Scientists have discovered that 'rogue' antibodies found circulating in the blood of COVID-19 patients have the potential to cause endothelial cells to lose their resistance to clotting. These antiphospholipid autoantibodies can trigger blood clots in the arteries and veins of patients with autoimmune disorders, including lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome. The findings provide an even stronger connection between autoantibody formation and clotting in COVID-19.

Study strengthens case that vitamins cannot treat COVID-19

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST

A meta-analysis of 26 studies that included more than 5,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has found that taking immune-boosting micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc do not lessen a patient's chance of dying from COVID-19.

A fish story with a human tell

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST

Elephant sharks offer a novel perspective on how humans evolved. A new study parses some previously unexplained reproductive differences.

Size matters in particle treatments of traumatic injuries

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST

Chemical engineers tested how different-sized polymer nanoparticles circulate in the body and interact with platelets, the cells that promote blood clotting. Such particles could be used to help stop internal bleeding after traumatic injuries.

Depression and Alzheimer’s disease share genetic roots

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST

Epidemiological data have long linked depression with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dementia that affects nearly 6 million Americans. Now, a new study identifies common genetic factors in both depression and AD. Importantly, the researchers found that depression played a causal role in AD development, and those with worse depression experienced a faster decline in memory.

Dendrites may help neurons perform complicated calculations

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST

Researchers have demonstrated how dendrites -- branch-like extensions that protrude from neurons -- help neurons perform computations on information that comes in from other parts of the brain.

MRI may lower breast cancer deaths from variants in 3 genes

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST

Annual MRI screenings starting at ages 30 to 35 may reduce breast-cancer mortality by more than 50% among women who carry certain genetic changes in three genes, according to a comparative modeling analysis. The predictions involve pathogenic variants in ATM, CHEK2 and PALB2 genes -- which collectively are as prevalent as the much-reported BRCA1/2 gene mutations.

Research reveals high-risk subtype of relapsed pediatric AML

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 07:20 AM PST

Scientists have found a previously overlooked mutation in a subtype of pediatric leukemia that has implications for identifying high-risk patients.

Defeating leukemia cells by depriving them of energy

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 07:20 AM PST

Acute myeloid leukemia, which affects blood and bone marrow cells, is a particularly dangerous form of cancer. More than half of patients under the age of 60 die. This proportion rises to 85% for patients over 60. A team has now identified a previously unknown mechanism that could lead to the development of new therapies. The selective activation of AMPK, a key enzyme in the energy balance of tumor cells, would indeed lead to their death by triggering the cells stress response. Moreover, the scientists have successfully exploited this energy gap in an animal model of the disease: a combination of two drugs -- one of which is already on the market -- has indeed shown promise. However, their effectiveness has yet to be confirmed on leukaemia stem cells, which have the ability to escape many treatments to restart tumor growth.

Researchers identify biomarkers to predict patient response to immunotherapy treatment for melanoma

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 07:20 AM PST

A team of researchers has discovered blood biomarkers that can potentially predict patient response in the treatment of melanoma.

New imaging scan reveals a culprit in cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 06:07 AM PST

Advanced imaging technology has helped scientists confirm that the destruction of brain synapses underlies the cognitive deficits experienced by patients with Alzheimer's disease. For many years, scientists have assumed that the loss of connections between brain cells caused Alzheimer's-related symptoms, including memory loss, but actual evidence of the role of synaptic loss had been limited to a small number of brain biopsies and post-mortem brain exams conducted on patients with moderate or advanced disease. However, the emergence of a positron emission tomography (PET) scanning technology has allowed researchers to observe the loss of synapses in living patients with even mild symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

How picking up your smartphone could reveal your identity

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 06:07 AM PST

The time a person spends on different smartphone apps is enough to identify them from a larger group in more than one in three cases say researchers, who warn of the implications for security and privacy. They fed 4,680 days of app usage data into statistical models. Each of these days was paired with one of the 780 users, such that the models learnt people's daily app use patterns. The researchers then tested whether models could identify an individual when provided with only a single day of smartphone activity that was anonymous and not yet paired with a user. Software granted access to a smartphone's standard activity logging could render a reasonable prediction about a user's identity even when they were logged out of their account. An identification is possible with no monitoring of conversations or behaviors within apps themselves.

Exercise can help older adults retain their memories

Posted: 17 Feb 2022 06:06 AM PST

Conducting a meta-analysis of 3,000 patients over 36 studies (carefully vetted from more than 1,200 studies in all), psychologists were able to find that specific exercise helps episodic memory -- 3 times a week for 4 months, with greater improvements among those who are age 55 to 68 years.

Blood samples from professional soccer players provides latest evidence that headers affect brain activity

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 04:18 PM PST

Repetitive headers and accidental head impacts in soccer are leading to changes in blood patterns, linked to brain signalling pathways and potential alterations -- the latest study to assess potential dangers of heading in soccer shows.

A possible cure for sickle cell?

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 02:02 PM PST

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder where red blood cells become sickle/crescent shaped. It causes frequent infections, swelling in the hands and legs, pain, severe tiredness and delayed growth or puberty. Treatment typically focuses on controlling symptoms and may include pain medicines during crises; hydroxyurea to reduce the number of pain episodes; antibiotics and vaccines to prevent bacterial infections and blood transfusions. While a remedy for this severe disease has remained elusive, a recent study, if proven applicable, may be a possible cure.

Researchers create personalized organoid models for rare spinal cancer

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 01:23 PM PST

A new study adds to a growing body of evidence that organoids -- lab-grown collections of cells that mimic a patient's tumor -- are a promising avenue for drug discovery to improve outcomes in patients with cancer, particularly rare cancers for which clinical data on drug effectiveness is often lacking.

Does 'bridging' therapy improve outcome for people with stroke?

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 01:23 PM PST

There has been debate over the best treatment for a certain type of stroke caused by a blockage of a large artery in the brain. A new meta-analysis finds that people who have this kind of stroke who can be treated within four-and-a-half hours after their symptoms start may do better after their stroke when treated with both a clot-busting drug and physical clot removal, compared to physical removal only. Combining the two therapies, called bridging therapy, was linked to better chances of a person surviving and living independently after stroke.

Simultaneous use of non-benzo sleeping pills and anti-epilepsy drugs – gabapentinoids-- increases drug overdose deaths

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 10:03 AM PST

With an alarming rise in the number of prescriptions filled for non-benzo sleeping/z-drugs and anti-epilepsy gabapentinoids over the last two decades, researchers aimed to fill in the gap in knowledge in the proportion of overdose deaths involving those medications. They found that overdose deaths involving these drugs increased more than three-fold between 2000 and 2018. Until now there was little data on overdose deaths involving non-benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids.

Living in a microbial world: The healthy oral microbiome contributes to jaw bone health by influencing immune cell interactions with bone cells

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 09:18 AM PST

Researchers have shown that commensal microbes in the mouth, in contrast to commensal microbes colonizing other body surfaces, e.g., the gut or skin, modulate immune responses in the jaw bone that promote bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone loss. In a preclinical model, depleting healthy commensal microbes in the mouth, using an antiseptic oral rinse, was shown to protect against this bone loss.

Local pathogen knowledge key to preventing infection after surgery

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 08:22 AM PST

More than 250,000 people undergo a transurethral procedure each year in the U.S., and up to 10% of those people will experience a postoperative infection. But researchers have discovered an indicator to potentially reduce infections.

The immune system also helps a healthy body

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 06:58 AM PST

Were you also under the impression that the immune system only kicks in when you get sick? In fact, new research shows the immune system is also busy when you're perfectly healthy. For instance, it helps you convert fat into energy when you're fasting.

Graphene and an intense laser open the door to the extreme

Posted: 16 Feb 2022 05:30 AM PST

A research team has developed a large-area suspended graphene and irradiated the thinnest graphene target with an ultra-intense laser to realize high-energy ion acceleration. Their findings will be applied to the development of compact, efficient ion accelerators used for cancer treatment, nuclear fusion and so on.