ScienceDaily: Top Health News

A clinical trial has shown that the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab increased survival rates for head and neck cancer patients with intermediate risk.

Researchers from two independent research teams have discovered how the mislocalization of a protein, known as TDP-43, alters the genetic instructions for UNC13A, providing a possible therapeutic target that could also have implications in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other forms of dementia. ALS and FTD are two neurodegenerative disorders in which many cases are linked by mislocalization of TDP-43, where instead of being primarily located in the nucleus of the cell where genes are activated, it forms aggregates outside the nucleus in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Rare mutations in the TDP-43 gene are known to cause ALS, but almost all cases of ALS show mislocalization of TDP-43.

People who are more physically fit are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than people who are less physically fit, according to a preliminary study.

The innate immune system plays a crucial role in regulating host-microbe interactions, and especially in providing protection against pathogens that invade the mucosa. Using an intestinal infection model, scientists discovered that innate effector cells -- group 3 innate lymphoid cells -- act not only during the early stages of infection but can also be trained to develop an innate form of immunological memory that can protect the host during reinfection.

Researchers have developed a technology, heteroduplex oligonucleotide (HDO), that silences certain genes whose high expression levels fuel disease. Adding a specific molecular tag allowed them to target the HDO to immune cells called lymphocytes safely and efficiently. Doing so with an HDO specific to a gene called Itga4 improved symptoms in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, suggesting this technology may be developed to use in human immune disorders.

The largest study to date has confirmed the link between the gut microbiome and the response to cancer immunotherapy therapy for melanoma.

Researchers discovered that a brief 15-minute walk in a hot outdoor environment impairs cognitive function. Moreover, this effect was most pronounced in sleep-deprived men and could negatively impact the productivity and learning of workers and students in urban cities in the summer months.

Many people have to take statins to lower their cholesterol levels. But statins may be able to do even more: Researchers report that these drugs inhibit a gene that promotes cancer cell metastasis.

A new study shows the effectiveness of syringe services programs in both curbing HIV transmission among people who use drugs and preventing future outbreaks.

Extract from the bark of the Neem tree may help treat and reduce the spread of coronavirus, according to a new study. The research shows that components of Neem bark may target a wide range of viral proteins, suggesting its potential as an antiviral agent against emerging variants of coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2).

A new study shows that schistosome transmission can actually be highest when freshwater snail populations are low. This study demonstrates how the size of a freshwater snail population relates to its parasitic infection rate.

Researchers have shared a comprehensive multiomics study from a rare cohort of 56 patients with transformed CTCL and identified several genomic alterations and oncogenic programs that may be potential novel therapeutic targets.

A new data analysis tool has revealed the specific immune cell types associated with increased risk of death from COVID-19.

New research has revealed a key neural mechanism underlying the feeling of being unable to stop eating, the most salient aspect of binge episodes in eating disorders like bulimia nervosa.

Engineers suggest that flaring of natural gas at oil and gas fields in the United States, primarily in North Dakota and Texas, contributed to dozens of premature deaths in 2019.

Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that roseolovirus can trigger autoimmunity in a previously unknown way: by disrupting the process by which immune cells learn to avoid targeting their own body's cells and tissues.

Whether they're getting a new shirt, a new computer, or taking a trip, people derive less 'purchase happiness' from buying things when they feel financial stress, new research shows.

Antibiotics provide no benefit in preventing future recurrent wheezing in babies hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to a new study. And there is some evidence that antibiotics may make wheezing worse.

Using computer drug simulations, researchers have found that doctors need to be wary of prescribing a promising treatment for all types of cancer and patients.

Researchers have developed and tested a new imaging approach they say will accelerate imaging-based research in the lab by allowing investigators to capture images of blood vessels at different spatial scales.