ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Study discovers an underlying cause for infantile spasms and points to a novel therapy

Posted: 20 May 2022 11:47 AM PDT

A groundbreaking study has found the underlying cause and a potential treatment for infantile spasms -- intractable epilepsy common in babies and with limited treatment options.

Haywire T cells attack protein in 'bad' cholesterol

Posted: 20 May 2022 11:47 AM PDT

Detecting these T cells may lead to diagnostics to better detect heart disease--and disease severity--through a blood sample. The knowledge also brings researchers closer to developing a vaccine that dampens this dangerous immune cell activity to prevent atherosclerosis.

New research shows no evidence of structural brain change with short-term mindfulness training

Posted: 20 May 2022 11:46 AM PDT

A team found flaws in previous research that purported to show meditation could alter the brain's structure.

Scientists smash lethal bacteria that acts like a hammer

Posted: 20 May 2022 11:46 AM PDT

New research could lead to better treatment options for a rare but very lethal type of bacterial infection.

Children with same-sex parents are socially well-adjusted

Posted: 20 May 2022 10:29 AM PDT

Difficult social and legal conditions are stress factors for same-sex families, but do not affect the behavior of children and young people with same-sex parents, new research suggests.

Study links thalamus inhibition in adolescence to long-lasting cortical abnormalities

Posted: 20 May 2022 10:28 AM PDT

Researchers have reported new evidence that cognitive abnormalities seen in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia may be traceable to altered activity in the thalamus during adolescence, a time window of heightened vulnerability for schizophrenia.

New research challenges established ideas about infant crying

Posted: 20 May 2022 10:28 AM PDT

A research project provides a new understanding of what can be defined as normal and excessive crying among infants.

Climate change likely to reduce the amount of sleep that people get per year

Posted: 20 May 2022 10:28 AM PDT

Most research looking at the impact of climate change on human life has focused on how extreme weather events affect economic and societal health outcomes on a broad scale. Yet climate change may also have a strong influence on fundamental daily human activities -- including a host of behavioral, psychological, and physiological outcomes that are essential to wellbeing. Investigators now report that increasing ambient temperatures negatively impact human sleep around the globe.

Killer T vs. memory -- DNA isn't destiny for T cells

Posted: 20 May 2022 10:28 AM PDT

Scientists have uncovered how one type of T cell creates two genetically identical, but functionally different, daughter cells.

Research reveals surprising inactivation mechanism for a voltage-gated ion channel

Posted: 20 May 2022 10:28 AM PDT

The study from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital presents a new understanding of how a VGIC, crucial for the communication of neurons and muscle cells, can become unresponsive.

Novel preclinical drug could have potential to combat depression, brain injury and cognitive disorders

Posted: 20 May 2022 10:28 AM PDT

Scientists have described a novel preclinical drug that could have the potential to combat depression, brain injury and diseases that impair cognition. The drug, which notably is brain-permeable, acts to inhibit the kinase enzyme Cdk5.

Uncovering new details of the brain's first line of defense

Posted: 20 May 2022 07:13 AM PDT

A research team has mapped out the development and genetic trajectory of previously understudied macrophages associated with the central nervous system. Among other things, the team found that meningeal macrophages are formed during gestation and develop in the same way as microglia, while perivascular macrophages develop after birth. Their new insights could pave the way for better understanding the origins and mechanisms behind leading brain-related pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease.

Insomnia in midlife may manifest as cognitive problems in retirement age

Posted: 20 May 2022 07:13 AM PDT

According to a new study, long-term insomnia symptoms can pose a risk of poorer cognitive functioning later in life. This is another reason why insomnia should be treated as early as possible.

Research brings hope for spinal cord injury treatment

Posted: 20 May 2022 04:31 AM PDT

Scientists have shown an existing drug may reduce damage after spinal cord injury, by blocking the inflammatory response in the spinal cord.

Dietary cholesterol worsens inflammation, sickness in mice with influenza

Posted: 19 May 2022 01:48 PM PDT

New research suggests high levels of dietary cholesterol make mice sicker when infected with influenza. This study links cholesterol in the diet with exacerbation of a viral infection.

New breathable gas sensors may improve monitoring of health, environment

Posted: 19 May 2022 01:19 PM PDT

Newly developed flexible, porous and highly sensitive nitrogen dioxide sensors that can be applied to skin and clothing have potential applications in health care, environmental health monitoring and military use, according to researchers.

Scientists devise method to prevent deadly hospital infections without antibiotics

Posted: 19 May 2022 12:01 PM PDT

Some 1.7 million Americans each year acquire hospital infections, resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths from infection-related complications. The biggest culprits: medical devices like catheters, stents and heart valves, whose surfaces often become covered with harmful bacterial films. A novel surface treatment developed by a UCLA-led team of scientists stops microbes from adhering to medical devices. The new findings are published May 19 in the journal Advanced Materials.

Epilepsy drug stops nervous system tumor growth in mice

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:10 AM PDT

People with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) develop tumors on nerves throughout their bodies. Researchers have discovered that nerve cells with the mutation that causes NF1 are hyperexcitable and that suppressing this hyperactivity with the epilepsy drug lamotrigine stops tumor growth in mice.

Scientists reveal how seascapes of the ancient world shaped genetic structure of European populations

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:10 AM PDT

Scientists have explored the importance of sea travel in prehistory by examining the genomes of ancient Maltese humans and comparing these with the genomes of this period from across Europe. Previous findings from the archaeological team had suggested that towards the end of the third millennium BC the use of the Maltese temples declined. Now, using genetic data from ancient Maltese individuals the current interdisciplinary research team has suggested a potential contributing cause. Researchers found that these ancient humans lacked some of the signatures of genetic changes that swept across Europe in this period, because of their island separation. Scientists concluded that physical topography, in particular seascapes played a central role as barriers to genetic exchange.

Some people fared better than others during COVID-19 pandemic due to genetics

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:10 AM PDT

Everyone has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new study finds that some individuals weathered the stress of the pandemic better than others, in part, due to their genetics.

Repurposed antibiotic may be an effective therapeutic in COVID-19 infected mice

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:10 AM PDT

Repurposed drugs may have a speedier path to clinical use because they have already been shown to be safe in people. A new study suggests clofoctol may be an effective treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infections in mice.

Genetic risk scores help predict type 2 diabetes in people of south Asian origin, study finds

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:10 AM PDT

A polygenic risk score for type 2 diabetes could be used to help predict disease risk and stratify distinct disease subtypes to better allocate healthcare resources.

Genetic underpinnings of severe staph infections

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:09 AM PDT

Scientists identified a mutated gene common to many patients with life-threatening infections, and found that people living with 5p- syndrome may be at similar risk.

Human behavior is key to building a better long-term COVID forecast

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:09 AM PDT

From extreme weather to another wave of COVID-19, forecasts give decision-makers valuable time to prepare. When it comes to COVID, though, long-term forecasting is a challenge, because it involves human behavior.

Avian influenza: How it's spreading and what to know about this outbreak

Posted: 19 May 2022 11:04 AM PDT

A new study takes a data-driven look at influenza viruses circulating among different groups of birds and characterizes which types of birds are involved in spreading the virus. This paper publishes at a time when a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza has been spreading across North America.

Increasing urban greenery could have prevented at least 34,000 US deaths over two decades

Posted: 19 May 2022 10:27 AM PDT

A US nationwide study found that increasing green vegetation in large, metropolitan areas could have prevented between 34,000-38,000 deaths, based on data from 2000-2019. The study also showed that overall greenness in metro areas has increased in the past 20 years, by nearly 3 percent between 2000-2010 and 11 percent between 2010-2019.

Genomic differences selected through evolution may offer clues as to why COVID-19 outcomes vary widely

Posted: 19 May 2022 10:27 AM PDT

Researchers analyzed genomic data from global populations, including thousands of ethnically diverse Africans, to identify genetic variants that may be associated with clinical COVID-19 outcomes.

'Sting' protein's efforts to clean up brain cell damage may speed Parkinson's disease progress

Posted: 19 May 2022 10:27 AM PDT

In studies with mouse and human tissue, as well as live mice, researchers report that a snag in the normal process of cleaning up broken DNA in brain cells may hasten the progression of Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the researchers found that a protein dubbed 'STING' responds to clean-up signals in brain cells damaged by Parkinson's disease by creating a cycle of inflammation that may accelerate the disease's progression.

Researchers find another layer to the code of life

Posted: 19 May 2022 09:57 AM PDT

A new examination of the way different tissues read information from genes has discovered that the brain and testes appear to be extraordinarily open to the use of rare codons to produce a given protein. Testes of both fruit flies and humans seem to be enriched in protein products of these rarely-used pieces of genetic code, suggesting another layer of control in the genome.

How a cognitive bias is blocking the rise of electric cars

Posted: 19 May 2022 09:56 AM PDT

What are the barriers to the adoption of electric cars? Although the main financial and technological obstacles have been removed, their market share still needs to increase. In a recent study, a team investigated the cognitive factors that still dissuade many people from switching to electric cars. They found that car owners systematically underestimate the capacity of electric driving ranges to meet their daily needs.

CRISPR-based strategy edits multiple genes and could treat polygenic diseases

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

Engineers introduce DAP, a streamlined CRISPR-based technology that can perform many genome edits at once to address polygenic diseases caused by more than one glitch.

Making sure workers have a 'good' day gives companies a competitive advantage

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

Researchers have identified five types of daily workplace experiences that influence employees' creative performance.

Do compression garments facilitate muscle recovery after exercise?

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

Thought to enhance muscle recovery, compression garments are commonly worn by athletes and people engaging in exercise. Yet, an international research team's systematic review provides evidence to the contrary.

Music alleviates collective grief

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

In February 2020, a group of musicians from around the world living in China recorded their cover of a song by Michael Jackson on video to express their support to the families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and to those working in the frontline. The video went viral. Now, a new study analyzes why the video and song had such a profound effect.

Diet plays key role in ADHD symptoms in children

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

Here's another good reason for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to eat their fruits and vegetables: It may help reduce inattention issues, a new study suggests.

Gout medicine improves survival for heart failure patients, study finds

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

A common gout medication, colchicine, significantly improved survival rates for patients hospitalized with worsening heart failure, a new study found. The researchers believe colchicine could also reduce the risk for heart attack and stroke in patients with a buildup of cholesterol in their arteries.

how one of the X chromosomes in female embryonic stem cells is silenced

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

In most mammals, females have two X chromosomes and males have one X and one Y chromosome in each of their cells. To avoid a double dose of X-linked genes in females, one of the Xs is silenced early in the developmental process. This silencing is critical, yet how it happens has been relatively mysterious. Two new studies reveal more about this silencing process and insights that could improve stem cell research.

Major uptick reported in cannabis vaping for all adolescents

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

Cannabis vaping is increasing as the most popular method of cannabis delivery among all adolescents in the U.S., as is the frequency of cannabis vaping, according to researchers.

New study shows genes can predict response to arthritis treatment and paves the way for future drug development

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

New research has shown that molecular profiling of the diseased joint tissue can significantly impact whether specific drug treatments will work to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The researchers also identified specific genes associated with resistance to most available drugs therapies, commonly referred to as refractory disease, which could provide the key to developing new, successful drugs to help these people.

Physician mistreatment emerges as crisis that can ripple through U.S. health care

Posted: 19 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

In a recent survey of more than 6,500 physicians from across the United States representing a broad spectrum of racial and ethnic diversity, nearly 30% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination and mistreatment from patients or patients' family members or visitors.

Islet transplant: Changing lives for people with diabetes

Posted: 19 May 2022 07:38 AM PDT

Medical researchers report long-term results showing the islet transplant treatment is safe and reliable for helping people with hard-to-control diabetes stabilize their blood sugar.

Everyone eats three extra cheeseburgers a day than they admit, study shows

Posted: 19 May 2022 07:38 AM PDT

Everyone eats the equivalent of three extra cheeseburgers a day than they admit -- regardless of their waistline, researchers have revealed. The study shows obese and thin people all fib about food to the same amount regardless of the number on the bathroom scale and this could be undermining national health advice.

Using light and sound to reveal rapid brain activity in unprecedented detail

Posted: 19 May 2022 05:54 AM PDT

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a method to scan and image the blood flow and oxygen levels inside a mouse brain in real-time with enough resolution to view the activity of both individual vessels and the entire brain at once. This new imaging approach breaks long-standing speed and resolution barriers in brain imaging technologies and could uncover new insights into neurovascular diseases like stroke, dementia and even acute brain injury.

Scientists develop 'off the shelf' engineered stem cells to treat aggressive brain cancer

Posted: 19 May 2022 05:54 AM PDT

Investigators have devised a novel therapeutic method for treating glioblastomas post-surgery by using stem cells taken from healthy donors engineered to attack GBM-specific tumor cells. This strategy demonstrated profound efficacy in preclinical models of GBM, with 100 percent of mice living over 90 days after treatment.

Standard test for multiple myeloma provides clues of a rare, more deadly type

Posted: 19 May 2022 05:11 AM PDT

A test for the common blood cancer multiple myeloma also holds clear clues that the patient has one of the most uncommon and deadly forms of this cancer, investigators say.

How cranberries could improve memory and ward off dementia

Posted: 19 May 2022 05:11 AM PDT

Researchers have found that eating cranberries could improve memory, ward off dementia, and reduce 'bad' cholesterol. The research team studied the benefits of consuming the equivalent of a cup of cranberries a day among 50 to 80-year-olds. They hope that their findings could have implications for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.

Industry lobbying on WHO overshadowing public health policy, researchers suggest

Posted: 18 May 2022 02:15 PM PDT

A new article looks at how producers of such products as commercial milk formulas, processed foods, alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals and electronic gaming software have been ramping up efforts to influence United States policy toward the WHO.

COVID booster needed for broad protection against omicron variants

Posted: 18 May 2022 02:14 PM PDT

A COVID-19 booster shot will provide strong and broad antibody protection against the range of omicron sublineage variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in circulation, two new studies using serum from human blood samples suggest.

Women who embraced their partner subsequently had lower stress-induced cortisol response

Posted: 18 May 2022 11:07 AM PDT

Women instructed to embrace their romantic partner prior to undergoing a stressful experience had a lower biological stress response -- as indicated by levels of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva -- compared to women who did not embrace their partner. This effect was not seen for men.

Childhood circumstances and personality traits are associated with loneliness in older age

Posted: 18 May 2022 11:07 AM PDT

Life circumstances during childhood -- including having fewer friends and siblings, low-quality relationships with parents, bad health and growing up in a poorer household -- are all correlated with a higher rate of loneliness in older age, according to a new study.

Component for brain-inspired computing

Posted: 18 May 2022 10:07 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new material for an electronic component that can be used in a wider range of applications than its predecessors. Such components will help create electronic circuits that emulate the human brain and that are more efficient at performing machine-learning tasks.

COVID long-haulers: Study shows who is most at risk, impact on local communities

Posted: 18 May 2022 10:07 AM PDT

Researchers looking at COVID-19's lingering impacts on survivors and local communities found that having a mild case of COVID-19, smoking status, comorbidities, or your sex aren't significant predictors to tell if you are less likely to develop long-term symptoms, but age is.

Four-year college students drink more, use marijuana less than community college peers, study finds

Posted: 18 May 2022 10:07 AM PDT

Students at four-year colleges and universities drink nearly twice as much alcohol as their peers in two-year colleges, according to a survey of college students in the Seattle area. On the other hand, students in community colleges and other two-year institutions use marijuana nearly twice as often as four-year students.

How three mutations work together to spur new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Posted: 18 May 2022 10:07 AM PDT

Like storm waves battering a ship, new versions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have buffeted the world one after another. Recently, scientists keeping tabs on these variants noticed a trend: Many carry the same set of three mutations. In a new study, researchers examined how these mutations change the way a key piece of the virus functions. Their experiments show how this triad alters traits it needs to cause and sustain COVID-19 infection.