ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Breast duct treatment for early breast cancer eliminates all signs of disease in laboratory experiments

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 11:19 AM PDT

Delivering a targeted immunotoxin into breast ducts via openings in the nipple wiped out all visible and invisible precancerous lesions in laboratory studies of very early stage breast cancers.

Fights in pro hockey don't deter greater violence, study finds

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 11:18 AM PDT

Allowing fights among players in the National Hockey Leagues does not deter greater violence in the modern game, according to a new study.

Pushing T cells down 'memory lane' may improve cancer therapy

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 10:07 AM PDT

Scientists have identified proteins that help decide T cell fate and used the finding to improve CAR-T cell therapy in a solid tumor model.

New understanding of congenital heart disease progression opens door to improved treatment options

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 10:07 AM PDT

Researchers have uncovered new insights into the mechanisms underlying the progression of congenital heart disease (CHD) -- a spectrum of heart defects that develop before birth and remain the leading cause of childhood death.

Research reveals the pons plays a significant role in processing sad information

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 08:31 AM PDT

Researchers conducted studies to explain the neural mechanisms of the pons-corticolimbic network in perpetuating sad mood in depression.

The younger we feel, the better we rehabilitate, research shows

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 08:31 AM PDT

Could the expression 'you're only as old as you feel' hold true for older people recuperating from physical disabilities? Apparently so. Researchers have found that feeling young can increase the chances of successful rehabilitation from medical conditions, even in old age.

COVID-19 booster increases antibodies by more than 85% in nursing home residents and their caregivers, study finds

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 08:31 AM PDT

A new study found that Omicron-specific antibodies reached detectable levels in 86% of nursing home residents and 93% of healthcare workers after receiving the booster shot, compared to just 28% of nursing home residents and healthcare workers after the initial two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series.

The secret lives of mites in the skin of our faces

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:14 AM PDT

A full DNA analysis of mites that live in the hair follicles of all humans reveals explanations for their bizarre mating habits, body features and evolutionary future. Inbreeding and isolation means they have shed genes and cells and are moving closer to a permanent existence with us.

No 'safest spot' to minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission on trains

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Researchers have demonstrated how airborne diseases such as COVID-19 spread along the length of a train carriage and found that there is no 'safest spot' for passengers to minimise the risk of transmission.

Feelings of detachment predict worse mental health outcomes after trauma

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Following trauma, feeling detached from one's surroundings may suggest a higher risk of later developing serious mental health conditions. It's important to screen for feeling detached to identify patients who might benefit from preventive care.

Organ storage a step closer with cryopreservation discovery

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Scientists have taken the first step towards improved storage of human cells, which may lead to the safe storage of organs such as hearts and lungs.

Custom suits for worms that really deliver

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Researchers have found that nematodes can be coated with a protective hydrogel sheath that can be engineered to carry functional cargo. This system could potentially be developed to deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumors using worms with a natural predilection for human cancer cells.

Diabetes: Dopamine regulates insulin secretion through a complex of receptors

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

In a leap forward for diabetes research, researchers reveal that the feel-good hormone, dopamine, regulates insulin secretion through a heteromeric complex of receptors, thereby providing new targets for antidiabetic medication and therapy. The study is the first to elucidate the mechanism behind dopamine's down-regulation of insulin secretion.

Mugwort allergy: Study creates basis for vaccine

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

A research team has discovered key mechanisms of allergy to pollen from the common weed mugwort, thereby also laying the foundation for the development of the world's first vaccine. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) poses a serious problem for allergic individuals in certain latitudes from July through to September. Currently, the symptoms, which often lead to asthma, can only be treated symptomatically. The recent findings are an essential first step toward causal therapy and prevention of mugwort pollen allergy.

PICASSO technique drives biological molecules into technicolor?

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Pablo Picasso's surreal cubist artistic style shifted common features into unrecognizable scenes, but a new imaging approach bearing his namesake may elucidate the most complicated subject: the brain. Employing artificial intelligence to clarify spectral color blending of tiny molecules used to stain specific proteins and other items of research interest, the PICASSO technique, allows researchers to use more than 15 colors to image and parse our overlapping proteins.

Researchers discover a new receptor regulating sebaceous gland progenitor cell function

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Stem cells and progenitor cells play an important role in the renewal of multiple tissues. Scientists have discovered a molecule called embigin on the surface of epithelia progenitor cells and proven its significance to sebaceous gland function.

Can we save more lives if we let resistant bacteria live?

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Every day, people die of simple inflammation because bacteria can no longer be killed with antibiotics. So what do we do? Maybe we should spend less energy on killing them and more on 'only' making them harmless while they are in our body, researchers suggest.

Human cells take in less protein from a plant-based 'meat' than from chicken

Posted: 22 Jun 2022 07:13 AM PDT

Many people have now embraced the plant-based 'meat' movement. Plants high in protein, such as soybeans, are common ingredients, but it's been unclear how much of the nutrient makes it into human cells. Researchers now report that proteins in a model plant-based substitute were not as accessible to cells as those from meat. The team says this knowledge could eventually be used to develop more healthful products.

Researchers make virus-fighting face masks

Posted: 21 Jun 2022 03:45 PM PDT

Researchers have developed an accessible way to make N95 face masks not only effective barriers to germs, but on-contact germ killers. The antiviral, antibacterial masks can potentially be worn longer, causing less plastic waste as the masks do not need to be replaced as frequently.