ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Cannabis products demonstrate short-term reduction in chronic pain, little else, review finds

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 03:12 PM PDT

Evidence behind the effectiveness of cannabis-related products to treat chronic pain is surprisingly thin, according to a new systematic evidence review. Voters in a number of states have legalized medical and recreational marijuana; however, the researchers found many of the products now available at U.S. dispensaries have not been well studied.

COVID-19 increases risk of psychiatric diagnoses in the months after infection, study finds

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 11:54 AM PDT

A recent study found that COVID-19 patients had a roughly 25% increased risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in the four months following their infection, compared with people who had other types of respiratory tract infections.

Phase separation found in immune response within cells

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 10:44 AM PDT

Protein complexes that play a critical role in launching an immune response assemble in droplets that form within the liquid environment in cells much like oil droplets in water, scientists report in a new study. The work could lead to new interventions to regulate immunity in individuals with overactive or underactive immune responses.

How a knee replacement impacts the planet

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 10:44 AM PDT

Researchers are quantifying the effects of healthcare on the environment, specifically the particularly waste-heavy and energy-intensive specialty of orthopedic surgery. The researchers reviewed existing literature and found that while data is still sparse, efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of orthopedic surgery could make a huge impact.

New technology protects authenticity of engineered cell lines

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 10:44 AM PDT

A team of researchers has developed a first-of-its-kind method to create a unique identifier for each copy of a cell line to allow users to verify its authenticity and protect the manufacturer's intellectual property (IP).

Small package, big potential to help cell-based therapies

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 10:44 AM PDT

Innovative research is exploring the use of a new cell delivery method to help cells stick and stay where they're needed most.

Chemists design chemical probe for detecting minute temperature shifts in the body

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 10:44 AM PDT

A chemistry team has engineered a cobalt complex to act as a noninvasive chemical thermometer. They've done so by making the cobalt complex's nuclear spin ­-- a workhorse, fundamental magnetic property ­­-- mimic the agile, but less stable sensitivity of an electron's spin.

Poor sleep linked to increased risk of COPD flare-ups

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 10:44 AM PDT

Poor sleep is associated with a significantly increased risk of life-threatening flare-ups in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, according to a new study. The risk for these flare-ups -- sudden bouts of worsening breathing -- was 25% to 95% higher in people who experienced poor sleep than in people who had good quality sleep. The findings suggest that poor sleep may be a better predictor of flare-ups than even a person's history of smoking.

Molecules found in mucus can thwart fungal infection

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 08:15 AM PDT

Researchers have identified components of mucus that can specifically interact with the fungus Candida albicans and prevent it from causing infection. These molecules, known as glycans, are a major constituent of mucins, the gel-forming polymers that make up mucus.

Body versus brain: New evidence for an autoimmune cause of schizophrenia

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 08:15 AM PDT

Researchers have found that some people with schizophrenia have autoantibodies -- which are made by the immune system and recognize the body's own proteins, rather than outside threats such as viruses or bacteria -- against NCAM1, a protein that's important for communication between brain cells. The patients' autoantibodies also caused schizophrenia-related behaviors in mice. These findings may improve the diagnosis and treatment of a subset of patients with schizophrenia.

New way to identify influenza A virus lights up when specific virus targets are present

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 07:56 AM PDT

In order to quickly detect the presence of the influenza A virus, researchers developed a fluorogenic probe that could bind to the promoter region. A fluorogenic probe uses tiny molecules called fluorophores that emit light when a specific target is present.

Promising rectal cancer study

Posted: 05 Jun 2022 10:03 AM PDT

A scientist comments on the evolving treatment of rectal cancer in light of findings from a study that found the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab was especially effective in a phase II clinical trial of a dozen patients with a subtype of rectal cancer.

Removing barriers to opioid use disorder treatment shows success during pandemic

Posted: 04 Jun 2022 05:29 AM PDT

Pandemic-era changes to prescribing guidelines for the lifesaving drug buprenorphine led to improved treatment outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder in Philadelphia, according to a recently published study.

Novel method for early disease detection using DNA droplets

Posted: 03 Jun 2022 12:33 PM PDT

Droplet systems such as DNA droplets, which are formed by liquid-liquid phase separation of macromolecules, play an essential role in cellular functions. Now, by combining the technologies of DNA droplets and DNA computing, computational DNA droplets have been developed, which can recognize specific patterns in tumor biomarker microRNA sequences.