ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Gene linked to severe learning disabilities governs cell stress response

Posted: 27 May 2022 01:02 PM PDT

A gene that has been associated with severe learning disabilities in humans has been found to also play a vital role in cells' response to environmental stress, according to a new study. The gene, Rad6 has previously been associated with a set of symptoms called 'Nascimento Syndrome,' that include severe learning disabilities.

Modelling the behavior and dynamics of microswimmers

Posted: 27 May 2022 11:21 AM PDT

The understanding of the clustering and movement of microswimmers has a range of applications from human health to tackling ecological problems.

New gels could help the medicine go down

Posted: 27 May 2022 11:21 AM PDT

Researchers have created a drug-delivering gel could make it easier for children and adults who have trouble swallowing pills to take their medications.

New cancer subtype may illuminate treatment strategy

Posted: 27 May 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Researchers have identified a previously unrecognized form of hormone therapy-resistant prostate cancer, as well as a set of molecules that drive its growth. This discovery opens the door to the development of therapies that treat this specific disease.

Novel sensors enable precise measurement of dopamine

Posted: 27 May 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Dopamine is an important signalling molecule for nerve cells. Its concentration could not be precisely determined with both high spatial or temporal resolution until now. A new method has now made this possible: A research team used modified carbon nanotubes that glow brighter in the presence of the messenger substance dopamine. These sensors visualize the release of dopamine from nerve cells with unprecedented resolution.

Algorithms help to distinguish diseases at the molecular level

Posted: 27 May 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Machine learning is playing an ever-increasing role in biomedical research. Scientists have now developed a new method of using molecular data to extract subtypes of illnesses. In the future, this method can help to support the study of larger patient groups.

T cell warriors need their R & R

Posted: 27 May 2022 09:13 AM PDT

T cells, biology textbooks teach us, are the soldiers of the immune system, constantly on the ready to respond to a variety of threats, from viruses to tumors. However, without rest and maintenance T cells can die and leave their hosts more susceptible to pathogens, scientists report.

High cost of cancer care in the U.S. doesn't reduce mortality rates

Posted: 27 May 2022 09:13 AM PDT

In a new study, researchers find that the U.S. spends twice as much as the average high-income country on cancer care, but only has slightly better mortality rates.

An arms race that plays out in a single genome

Posted: 27 May 2022 09:13 AM PDT

We often think of biological arms races occurring between the immune system and pathogens, or predator and prey, but biologists have now discovered an example that plays out within a single genome. Their work in fruit flies may have implications for key biological processes in humans, including fertility and even cancer.

Ancient viral elements embedded in human genome not from fossil retrovirus

Posted: 27 May 2022 07:12 AM PDT

Many types of animals, including humans, successfully coexist with retroviruses, and we know that ancient retrovirus viral elements can even be found within our genome. We also know that these endogenous retroviruses can be utilized for development and evolution. However, uncontrolled endogenous retroviruses may be a cause of disease in the human body. Now, researchers have discovered that endogenous retroviruses in our genome may pose a risk in regenerative medicine.

Protein supplement helps control Type 2 diabetes

Posted: 27 May 2022 05:52 AM PDT

A study which holds potential for dietary management of the condition, has shown that drinking a small amount of why protein before meals helps people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar. The work shows for the first time this works in people as they went about normal everyday life.

Just being exposed to new things makes people 'ready to learn'

Posted: 27 May 2022 05:52 AM PDT

A new study is one of the first to provide experimental evidence that people learn from incidental exposure to things that they know nothing about and aren't even trying to understand.

Frozen eggs more efficient option than IVF for women starting families later

Posted: 26 May 2022 03:11 PM PDT

A large U.S. study shows 15 years of frozen egg thaw outcomes for women facing age-related fertility decline.

Discovery offers starting point for better gene-editing tools

Posted: 26 May 2022 12:18 PM PDT

New research has big implications for genomic medicine. Scientists have defined with atomic precision a new genome editing tool that is less than half the size of CRISPR-Cas9 -- currently the most reliable genome editing system. This new tool would allow scientists to fit genetic editors into smaller viral delivery systems to fix a variety of diseases.

Smart, dissolving pacemaker communicates with body-area sensor and control network

Posted: 26 May 2022 11:15 AM PDT

Engineers have taken their transient pacemaker and integrated it into a coordinated network of four soft, flexible, wireless wearable sensors and control units placed on different anatomically relevant locations on the body. The sensors communicate with each other to continuously monitor the body's various physiological functions, including body temperature, oxygen levels, respiration, muscle tone, physical activity and the heart's electrical activity. The system then uses algorithms to analyze this combined activity in order to autonomously detect abnormal cardiac rhythms and decide when to pace the heart and at what rate.

A synthetic antibiotic may help turn the tide against drug-resistant pathogens

Posted: 26 May 2022 11:15 AM PDT

A synthesized antibiotic derived from computer models of bacterial gene products appears to neutralize even drug-resistant bacteria. The compound, named cilagicin, works well in mice and employs a novel mechanism to attack MRSA, C. diff, and several other deadly pathogens.

Molecular profiling identifies new high-risk subtype of pediatric liver cancer

Posted: 26 May 2022 10:53 AM PDT

The characterization a new molecular type of high-risk pediatric liver cancer showed that these tumors had better outcomes when patients were treated by transplantation, rather than by chemotherapy and surgery alone.

New combined therapy helps extend lives of men with prostate cancer

Posted: 26 May 2022 09:57 AM PDT

Practice-changing research shows that a combination of androgen deprivation therapy -- a commonly used hormone injection -- plus pelvic lymph node radiation, kept nearly 90% of clinical trial patients' prostate cancer at bay for five years.

New light shed on cell membranes

Posted: 26 May 2022 09:21 AM PDT

Researchers are using light in novel ways to better image biological samples.

Professional 'guilds' of bacteria gave rise to the modern microbiome

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:28 AM PDT

Even the smallest marine invertebrates -- some barely larger than single-celled protists -- are home to distinct and diverse microbial communities, or microbiomes, according to biologists. The study underscores that a vast diversity of animals have microbiomes, just as humans do. But more surprisingly, there's little correlation between how closely related most animals are and how similar their microbiomes are -- something widely assumed to be true based on the study of humans, larger mammals, and insects.

Study tracking T-cell activation over time boosts search for immune disease treatments

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:28 AM PDT

Researchers have identified links between 127 genes and immune diseases, providing newfound insights into the sequence and timing of gene activity during the activation of T cells, a key process in regulating the body's immune response.

Fishing for new source of proteoglycans, an important health food ingredient

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:28 AM PDT

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), commonly obtained from salmon nasal cartilage, are a key ingredient of various health foods. As the popularity of health foods increases, scientists are searching for alternative sources of CSPGs. Now, researchers have analyzed the PGs and their CS structures in the head cartilage of 10 edible bony fishes, including sturgeons. Their findings point to several new fishes that can serve as alternatives to salmon as a source of CSPGs.

Drug resistance molecule can spread though bacterial 'communities'

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:28 AM PDT

DNA molecules called plasmids -- some of which protect bacteria from antibiotics -- can spread rapidly through bacterial 'communities' that are treated with antibiotics, new research shows.

Breathing to win: Scientists show importance of screening breathing patterns in athletic populations

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:28 AM PDT

Dysfunctional breathing patterns are associated with a high risk of musculoskeletal conditions, resulting in poor physical performance. Now, a study has found that among athletes across age groups, there is a high prevalence of dysfunctional breathing patterns. Effective intervention strategies are required to restore normal breathing patterns and prevent injuries among athletes to ensure their superior performance and health.

3D in a snap: Next generation system for imaging organoids

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:28 AM PDT

A team of researchers has built a better system to quickly produce high-resolution 3D images in real time, providing a quantitative analysis of organoids.

Inappropriate antibiotics for nonhospitalized kids cost US at least $74 million

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:27 AM PDT

Children who were prescribed antibiotics inappropriately were more likely to develop complications such as diarrhea and skin rashes than children who were treated according to medical guidelines, according to a new study. This misuse of antibiotics resulted in at least $74 million in excess health-care costs in the U.S. in 2017.

Harnessing the immune system to treat traumatic brain injury in mice

Posted: 26 May 2022 08:27 AM PDT

Researchers have designed a targeted therapeutic treatment that restricts brain inflammation. The effectiveness of this approach in improving outcomes was demonstrated following brain injury, stroke or multiple sclerosis in mice. The system increases the number of regulatory T cells, mediators of the immune system's anti-inflammatory response, in the brain. By boosting the number of T regulatory cells in the brain, the researchers were able to prevent the death of brain tissue in mice following injury and the mice performed better in cognitive tests. The treatment has a high potential for use in patients with traumatic brain injury, with few alternatives currently available to prevent harmful neuroinflammation.

Gut bacteria can make blood pressure medication less effective

Posted: 26 May 2022 06:56 AM PDT

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in America. It's also one of the most common chronic conditions in the United States, with nearly half of U.S. adults considered hypertensive under current guidelines. Among those with high blood pressure, an estimated 20% have what's known as resistant hypertension, meaning their blood pressure remains high despite aggressive treatment. New research has shown gut bacteria can reduce the effectiveness of certain blood pressure drugs, potentially providing a pathway to developing new ways of overcoming treatment-resistant hypertension.

A nanoparticle and inhibitor trigger the immune system, outsmarting brain cancer

Posted: 26 May 2022 06:55 AM PDT

Scientists have fabricated a nanoparticle to deliver an inhibitor to brain tumor in mouse models, where the drug successfully turned on the immune system to eliminate the cancer. The process also triggered immune memory so that a reintroduced tumor was eliminated--a sign that this potential new approach could not only treat brain tumors but prevent or delay recurrences.

More young people begin recreational cannabis use illegally in states that legalize it

Posted: 26 May 2022 06:55 AM PDT

Once a state legalizes recreational cannabis and increase in youth using it illegally occurs, report researchers.

Cryogenic electron microscopy reveals drug targets against common fungus

Posted: 25 May 2022 12:17 PM PDT

Scientists have used single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy to determine the structure of the ribosome of Candida albicans. Their results reveal a potential target for new drugs.

New research reveals how the heart repairs after a heart attack

Posted: 25 May 2022 10:12 AM PDT

Immune response and the lymphatic system are central to cardiac repair after a heart attack, according to a new study. These insights into the basic mechanisms of cardiac repair are the first step towards developing novel therapeutic approaches to preserve heart function.

Researchers discover immune system changes that support peanut allergy remission in children

Posted: 25 May 2022 07:30 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered the key immunological changes that support the remission of peanut allergy in children, paving the way for new, more targeted treatments.

Patient voices a good predictor of cancer treatment outcomes

Posted: 24 May 2022 08:07 AM PDT

A breast cancer patient's perspective on their physical well-being can provide a better indication of their response to cancer treatment than clinician-based tools, a new study has found, highlighting the importance of shared decision-making in the treatment process. The research also identified differences between clinician-based data and the patient-reported data, with some clinicians overestimating their patient's physical wellbeing.