ScienceDaily: Top Health News

New method for probing the bewildering diversity of the microbiome

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 03:55 PM PDT

Scientists describe a new method for probing the microbiome in unprecedented detail. The technique provides greater simplicity and ease of use compared with existing approaches. Using the new technique, the researchers demonstrate an improved ability to pinpoint biologically relevant characteristics, including a subject's age and sex based on microbiome samples.

Disbelief in human evolution linked to greater prejudice and racism

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 01:46 PM PDT

A disbelief in human evolution was associated with higher levels of prejudice, racist attitudes and support of discriminatory behavior against Blacks, immigrants and the LGBTQ community in the U.S., according to recent research.

The art of smell: Research suggests the brain processes smell both like a painting and a symphony

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 01:45 PM PDT

What happens when we smell a rose? How does our brain process the essence of its fragrance? Is it like a painting -- a snapshot of the flickering activity of cells -- captured in a moment in time? Or like a symphony, an evolving ensemble of different cells working together to capture the scent? New research suggests that our brain does both.

Millionaires more risk-tolerant and emotionally stable

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 12:27 PM PDT

Millionaires are more risk-tolerant, emotionally stable, open, extroverted, and conscientious than the general population, according to new research.

Firefighters with PTSD likely to have relationship problems

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 12:01 PM PDT

The stress firefighters face takes a toll. New research finds that those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are likely to have relationship problems due to an inability to regulate emotions.

Middle ear fluid common in kids on ventilators

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 12:01 PM PDT

Babies and toddlers who need a tracheostomy -- a tube surgically inserted into their windpipe to help relieve breathing problems -- are at a high risk of accumulating fluid behind their eardrum when on a ventilator. That's the conclusion of a new study by head and neck surgeons. This buildup of fluid, called a middle ear effusion, can put them at risk for ear infections, hearing loss, and delays in speech and language development.

Researchers identify neuronal mechanisms that control food cravings during pregnancy

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 10:06 AM PDT

Many people have felt the sudden and uncontrollable urge to eat a certain food. These urges --known as cravings-- are very common, especially during pregnancy. During this time, the mother's body undergoes a series of physiological and behavioral changes to create a favorable environment for the embryo's development. However, the frequent consumption of tasty and high calorie foods -- derived from the cravings -- contributes to weight gain and obesity in pregnancy, which can have negative effects on the baby's health.

Dual-mode endoscope offers unprecedented insights into uterine health

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:05 AM PDT

A new endoscope design that combines ultrasound with optical coherence tomography can assess the structural features of the endometrium with unprecedented detail. This dual-mode endoscope could help doctors diagnose infertility problems that are related to endometrial receptivity with greater accuracy than current imaging technologies.

Loss of neurons, not lack of sleep, makes Alzheimer’s patients drowsy

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:05 AM PDT

The lethargy that many Alzheimer's patients experience is caused not by a lack of sleep, but rather by the degeneration of a type of neuron that keeps us awake, according to a study that also confirms the tau protein is behind that neurodegeneration.

Two-faced protein both inhibits and activates B cell receptor signaling

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:04 AM PDT

Researchers have found that restoration of B cell function in BCR signaling deficiencies involves the interaction of CD22, normally an inhibitory factor, with binding partners on the same cell, which results in upregulation of BCR expression and paradoxically increased BCR signaling. These findings suggest that CD22 could be a novel target for the treatment of patients with B cell signaling deficiencies such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia.

People around the world like the same kinds of smell

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:04 AM PDT

What smells we like or dislike is primarily determined by the structure of the particular odor molecule. A collaborative study shows that people share odor preferences regardless of cultural background.

Global trial demonstrates some benefits of flu shots for heart failure patients

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 07:57 AM PDT

People with heart failure who received an annual flu shot had lower rates of pneumonia and hospitalization on a year-round basis and a reduction in major cardiovascular events during peak flu season, in a new study. However, the trial did not meet its primary endpoint as patients who received the flu vaccine showed no significant reduction in rates of major cardiovascular events on a year-round basis during the study's three-year follow-up period.

Cause of metastasis in prostate cancer discovered

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 07:57 AM PDT

Prostate cancers remain localized in the majority of cases, giving affected individuals a good chance of survival. However, about 20% of patients develop incurable metastatic prostate cancer, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths each year in Austria alone. Medical research has not yet adequately explained why metastases occur in some people and not in others. A research team has now discovered specific changes in a protein that drive the growth and spread of prostate cancer.

Damaged nerve behind athletes' post-concussion issues

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 07:57 AM PDT

Depression, dizziness, difficulty focusing the gaze and balance problems. Many professional athletes who have sustained head trauma in sports have lingering symptoms that affect everyday life. Little help has been available as the cause has been unknown. A clinical study can now show that the problems originate in an injury to the vestibular nerve.

Aggressive warming during surgery does not reduce major complications

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 07:57 AM PDT

Patients kept at a body temperature of 37 C during major surgery had no fewer cardiac complications than patients kept at 35.5 C, according to new data. There were also no differences in the number of infections or required blood transfusions in patients kept at cooler body temperatures.

Tricuspid valve repair system shows promising results at one-year follow-up

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 07:57 AM PDT

Patients with tricuspid regurgitation, a common and debilitating form of valvular heart disease, who received a novel investigational device intended to repair the defective valve experienced significant improvements in blood flow through the heart and in quality of life at one year, according to recent research.

In food safety study, 25% of participants contaminated salad with raw chicken

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 07:56 AM PDT

In a study aimed at assessing the impact of washing poultry on kitchen contamination, researchers found that more than a quarter of study participants contaminated salad with raw poultry -- including many study participants who did not wash the poultry. The study highlights the importance of hand-washing and cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen in order to reduce the risk of foodborne illness when cooking at home.

Teens more likely to disengage from school after police stops

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 06:30 AM PDT

Teens who are stopped by the police are more likely to report greater disengagement from school the next day, and racial and ethnic minority youth reported more invasive police encounters than white youth, according to new research.

What's the skinny on those pandemic pounds?

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 05:29 AM PDT

More Americans weighed in as obese during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than in the previous year. A new study presents evidence from a large, nationally representative survey that documents this trend and helps to explain behavior changes that led to widespread weight gain in 2020.

Opioid prescriptions for pediatric patients following surgical procedures have dropped significantly

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 05:28 AM PDT

Researchers found that opioid prescriptions for children who underwent one of eight common outpatient surgeries declined over a period of five years. These findings suggest that clinicians are using more discretion when considering which pediatric patients require an opioid prescription after their procedures.

Gene map may identify heart disease risk for people with Type 2 diabetes

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 05:28 AM PDT

A new study confirmed a risk score, based on a map of genetic variants known to affect blood pressure, successfully identified people with Type 2 diabetes who are at increased risk for heart attack or stroke. Genetic risk scores, like the one examined in this study, may help identify risk very early in the disease process and indicate the need for more intensive prevention efforts, such as healthy lifestyle changes among people with Type 2 diabetes.

Experimental ‘gene silencing’ therapy reduces lipoprotein(a), an important risk factor of heart disease, by up to 98%

Posted: 03 Apr 2022 09:11 AM PDT

Findings from a phase 1 trial show that an experimental 'gene silencing' therapy reduced blood levels of lipoprotein(a), a key driver of heart disease risk, by up to 98%.

Monkeys routinely consume fruit containing alcohol, shedding light on our own taste for booze

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 11:13 AM PDT

Scientists analyzed the ethanol content of fruit eaten by spider monkeys in Panama, and found that the fruit regularly contained alcohol: between 1% and 2%. The researchers also collected urine samples, most of which contained secondary metabolites of ethanol. The results provide further evidence that our primate ancestors preferentially sought out fermented, alcohol-containing fruit likely for its greater nutritional value, and that humans may have inherited this proclivity for ethanol.