ScienceDaily: Top Health News

A new brain-computer interface with a flexible backing

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 01:50 PM PDT

Engineering researchers have invented an advanced brain-computer interface with a flexible and moldable backing and penetrating microneedles. Adding a flexible backing to this kind of brain-computer interface allows the device to more evenly conform to the brain's complex curved surface and to more uniformly distribute the microneedles that pierce the cortex. The microneedles, which are 10 times thinner than the human hair, protrude from the flexible backing, penetrate the surface of the brain tissue without piercing surface venules, and record signals from nearby nerve cells evenly across a wide area of the cortex. This novel brain-computer interface has thus far been tested in rodents.

Brain differences in children with binge eating disorder

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 01:28 PM PDT

Brain scans of children ages 9-10 with a type of eating disorder that causes uncontrollable overeating showed differences in gray matter density compared to their unaffected peers, according to a new study. The study's findings suggest that abnormal development in the brain's centers for reward and inhibition may play a role. In the children with binge eating disorder, researchers saw elevations in gray matter density in areas that are typically 'pruned' during healthy brain development. Disturbed synaptic pruning is linked to a number of psychiatric disorders.

Pathogen and drug work together to fight fungal lung infection

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 01:28 PM PDT

Pathogens don't always work against drug treatments. Sometimes, they can strengthen them, according to new research. Researchers have now looked at two pathogens that often occur at similar sites, particularly in cystic fibrosis and mechanically ventilated patients: Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The researchers investigated the effectiveness of an antifungal drug, fluconazole, with both pathogens. The results showed that P. aeruginosa works with fluconazole to eliminate drug tolerance and clear the C. albicans infection. The bacteria also enhance the drug's ability against a second pathogenic Candida species that tends to be more resistant to the drug.

The immune system is very complicated, but now, it's on a chip

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 12:01 PM PDT

Scientists have a new tool to help them tease out the immune system's mysteries. Researchers cultured human B and T cells inside a microfluidic Organ Chip and coaxed them to form functional lymphoid follicles (LFs) -- structures that reside in lymph nodes and other parts of the human body and mediate immune responses. The LF Chip replicated human immune responses to both pathogens and a commercial influenza vaccine in vitro, offering significant improvement over existing preclinical models like cells in a dish and non-human primates.

'Healthspan' increasing even for people with common chronic conditions

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 11:20 AM PDT

The number of healthy years a person lives is, on average, increasing even for people with common chronic conditions, according to a new study.

Molecular networks could explain racial disparity in triple negative breast cancer deaths

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 11:18 AM PDT

Different activity in two molecular networks could help explain why triple negative breast cancers tend to be more aggressive in African American (AA) women compared with white American (WA) women, a new study suggests.

Fruit fly study uncovers functional significance of gene mutations associated with autism

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 11:18 AM PDT

Researchers applied sophisticated genetic strategies in laboratory fruit flies to determine the functional consequences of de novo variants identified in the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), which includes approximately 2,600 families affected by autism spectrum disorder. Surprisingly, their work also allowed them to uncover a new form of rare disease due to a gene called GLRA2.

Senolytic drugs boost key protective protein

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 11:17 AM PDT

Researchers say senolytic drugs can boost a key protein in the body that protects older people against aspects of aging and a range of diseases. Their findings demonstrate this in mice and human studies.

Study shows link between socioeconomic deprivation and premature cardiovascular mortality

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 11:17 AM PDT

A new study found people living in socially-deprived areas of the United States are more likely to die prematurely from cardiovascular complications.

Immune cells linked to neurological disease prognosis and survival

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Immune cells could help predict the prognosis of patients with the rare neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), says a new study.

Cell fusion ‘awakens’ regenerative potential of human retina

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Fusing human retinal cells with adult stem cells could be a potential therapeutic strategy to treat retinal damage and visual impairment, according to the findings of a new study. The hybrid cells were injected into a growing retinal organoid, a model that closely resembles the function of the human retina. The researchers found that the hybrid cells successfully engrafted into the tissue and differentiated into cells that closely resemble ganglion cells, a type of neuron essential for vision. The hybrid cells act by awakening the regenerative potential of human retinal tissue, previously only thought to be the preserve of cold-blood vertebrates.

Living near green areas reduces the risk of suffering a stroke by 16 percent, study finds

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 08:30 AM PDT

The risk of suffering an ischaemic stroke, the most common type of cerebrovascular event, is 16 percent less in people who have green spaces less than 300 meters from their homes. The study took into account information on exposure to three atmospheric pollutants linked to vehicle traffic in more than three and a half million people selected from among the 7.5 million residents of Catalonia, over the age of eighteen who had not suffered a stroke prior to the start of the study.

Permeability of the blood-brain barrier in mice

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 08:30 AM PDT

The blood-brain barrier plays an essential role in protecting the central nervous system from harmful bacteria, toxins, and other blood-borne pathogens.

Vaccine protects against 'tough cookie' parasite found in the Americas

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 08:30 AM PDT

The parasites that cause a disfiguring skin disease affecting about 12 million people globally may have met their match in vaccines developed using CRISPR gene-editing technology, new research suggests.

Reduced inhibition of hippocampal neurons impairs long-term memory recall in Rett syndrome

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 08:30 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered that diminished memory recall in Rett syndrome mice can be restored by activating specific inhibitory cells in the hippocampus.

When it comes to sleep, it’s quality over quantity

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 08:29 AM PDT

Some people are gifted with genes that pack the benefits of slumber into an efficient time window, keeping them peppy on only four or six hours of sleep a night. In addition, the scientists said, these 'elite sleepers' show psychological resilience and resistance to neurodegenerative conditions that may point the way to fending off neurological disease.

Treating cancer with light-sensitive nanoscale biomaterials

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 08:29 AM PDT

Treating cancer and other diseases with laser light is not currently considered routine, but new approaches using nanoparticles show some promise in improving existing techniques. Researchers review the status of the field and by combining photothermal therapy or photodynamic therapy with nanomaterials, they have been able to apply these types of phototherapies while also delivering drugs to sites in the body that are otherwise inaccessible. It is also possible to combine PTT and PDT into a single treatment, creating an even more powerful treatment method.

Scientists find brain network that makes mice mingle

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 08:29 AM PDT

The difference between a social butterfly and a lone wolf is actually at least eight differences, according to new findings by a team of brain researchers. By simultaneously spying on the electrical activity of several brain regions, researchers can both identify how social or solitary an individual mouse is, and, by zapping nodes within this social brain network, can prompt mice to be even more gregarious.

'Long COVID' linked to lasting airways disease

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 07:56 AM PDT

Disease of the small airways in the lungs is a potential long-lasting effect of COVID-19, according to a new study. The study found that small airways disease occurred independently of initial infection severity. The long-term consequences are unknown.

Higher dose antibiotic shown safe in TB patients likely more effective in treating deadliest form of TB

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 07:56 AM PDT

A new study in animals suggests that high doses of a widely used antibiotic called rifampin may safely treat and reduce the duration of treatment for the deadliest form of tuberculosis that affects the brain, potentially improving survival rates for patients and decreasing the likelihood of lasting adverse effects of the disease.

People with diabetes who eat less processed food at night may live longer

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 06:50 AM PDT

The time of day that people with diabetes eat certain foods may be just as important to their well-being as portion size and calories, according to a new study.

Elevated inflammation persists in immune cells months after mild COVID-19

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 06:50 AM PDT

There is a lack of understanding as to why some people suffer from long-lasting symptoms after COVID-19 infection. A new study now demonstrates that a certain type of immune cell called macrophages show altered inflammatory and metabolic expression several months after mild COVID-19.

Mechanism linking type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 06:50 AM PDT

A research group has revealed that amyloid-beta detected in blood is secreted from peripheral tissues (pancreas, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, liver, etc.) that are sensitive to glucose and insulin.

Discovery of novel brain fear mechanisms offers target for anxiety-reducing drugs

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 06:50 AM PDT

A new target in the brain which underpins the eliciting of anxiety and fear behaviors such as 'freezing' has been identified by neuroscientists. Researchers say the discovery of a key pathway in the brain offers a potential new drug target for treating anxiety and psychological disorders, which affect an estimated 264-million people worldwide.

Malaria drug could combat chemotherapy-resistant head and neck cancers, research suggests

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 12:44 PM PDT

A new study suggests that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine inhibits pathways that drive resistance to the chemotherapy agent cisplatin in head and neck cancers and restores tumor-killing effects of cisplatin in animal models.

A third of new moms during early COVID had postpartum depression

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 11:20 AM PDT

One in three new mothers during early COVID-19 screened positive for postpartum depression -- nearly triple pre-pandemic levels -- and 1 in 5 had major depressive symptoms, say researchers.

Link between high cholesterol and heart disease 'inconsistent', new study finds

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 09:07 AM PDT

New research has revealed that the link between 'bad' cholesterol (LDL-C) and poor health outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke, may not be as strong as previously thought.

Metastatic prostate cancer on the rise since decrease in cancer screenings

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 09:07 AM PDT

A new study finds that the incidence rate of metastatic prostate cancer has significantly increased for men 45 and older and coincides with recommendations against routine prostate cancer screenings.

Photo or the real thing? Mice can inherently recall and tell them apart, experiments show

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 06:57 AM PDT

The ability to make perceptual and conceptual judgements such as knowing the difference between a picture of an object and the actual 3D object itself has been considered a defining capacity of primates, until now. A study provides the very first behavioral evidence that laboratory mice are capable of higher-order cognitive processes. Findings also provide strong support that the mouse's hippocampus, like that of humans, is required for this form of nonspatial visual recognition memory and picture-object equivalence.

Fight friendly fire with fire: An antibody for treating autoimmune disease

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 10:27 AM PST

Researchers have found that repulsive guidance molecule-a (RGMa) induces macrophages to recruit neutrophils to nerve lesions in neuromyelitis optica, where they kill off astrocytes, causing pain and paralysis. Treating rats with an anti-RGMa antibody interrupted this signaling process, resulting in decreased neutrophil recruitment, increased astrocyte survival, and improvement in disease-associated symptoms.