Every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke and 1 in 4 stroke survivors will have another one. During May, American Stroke Month, the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, is raising awareness nationwide that stroke is largely preventable, treatable and beatable. Here are three ways you can act now to beat stroke: Learn how to spot a stroke F.A.S.T. If you see Face drooping, Arm weakness or Speech difficulty, it’s Time to call 911. Know your blood pressure numbers and keep them in Read More
Millions of Americans who have dropped pounds and boosted their health using popular obesity drugs like Wegovy are facing a new dilemma: What happens if they stop taking them? Many worry that they’ll regain weight and revert to old habits. In studies, people who paused the drugs put back on most of the weight they lost. But others are gambling on a do-it-yourself strategy to ease off the drugs and stay slim by stretching out doses, taking the medication intermittently or stopping and starting again only if needed. More than Read More
Do you push away the breadbasket or opt out of any meal that includes macaroni? If so, chances are you are one of the millions of people watching your carbs, or carbohydrates. Dr. Christine Nguyen, a Mayo Clinic family physician, says not all carbs are bad, and there are plenty of foods with good carbs. Fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables are essential for health, aiding digestion, lowering cholesterol levels and reducing disease risk. When it comes to food choices, there can be plenty to pick from. Dr. Read More
Feeling angry constricts blood vessels in unhealthy ways and could raise a person’s long-term odds for heart disease, new research warns. “If you’re a person who gets angry all the time, you’re having chronic injuries to your blood vessels,” said study leader Dr. Daichi Shimbo, a cardiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. His team conducted experiments where the activity of blood vessels was monitored while people were in angry states versus states of anxiety, sadness or neutral emotions. They found that an angry state of Read More
Clear skies, warm days and free time set the stage for more people being active during the approaching summer months. A dermatologist at Baylor College of Medicine reminds outdoor enthusiasts about the importance of protecting your skin against the sun and offers tips for a few key outdoor activities. “Sunburn can be painful and ruin your day, but more importantly you’re trying to prevent skin cancer,” said Dr. John Wolf, professor of dermatology at Baylor. “Sunlight exposure has been proven as one of the major causes of skin cancer.” The Read More
US President Joe Biden’s administration is set to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, an official said Tuesday—a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion. The US attorney general sent a proposal to the White House on Tuesday to “reclassify marijuana,” Justice Department spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement. It comes after Biden became the first president to initiate a federal review into the matter, in 2022. The issue is seen as a potential vote winner for Biden as he faces Republican Read More
A brief episode of anger triggered by remembering past experiences may negatively impact the blood vessels’ ability to relax, which is essential for proper blood flow, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Previous research has found that impairment of blood vessels’ ability to relax may increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis, which may in turn increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. “Impaired vascular function is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke,” said lead study author Daichi Shimbo, Read More
Social isolation is a difficult experience for many people and was particularly distressing during the COVID-19 pandemic. For adolescents who are immunocompromised, physical distancing can be important in managing their risk of serious infection, but it can be an especially negative experience during some of their most formative years. A recent study by Dr. Lindsay Jibb and Ph.D. student Alicia Kilfoy, both at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, and Dr. Chana Korenblum at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, has found that embedding a psychosocial and peer support program called Read More
Nearly 100,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for kidney transplant, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Finding a donor kidney that is compatible and matches the right blood and tissue types can be the biggest challenge, especially when the donor pool isn’t as large as the number of people who need a transplant. Dr. Naim Issa, a Mayo Clinic transplant nephrologist, says there are some common myths regarding living kidney donations that may be holding some people back. “We would like people to consider Read More
Due to a later melatonin onset and increased alertness in the evening, teenagers often find it hard to fall asleep at a time that would allow them to clock up the recommended eight to ten hours of sleep each night. It is also during teenage years when increasing school demands, activities, more independence from parents, and relationships with peers begin to compete with sleep. The role of social context, however, is often overlooked when studying adolescents’ sleep. Now, researchers in Sweden and Australia have explored how popularity among peers affected Read More
Connections and Wordle are two of the New York Times’ most popular games. But does playing help your brain health? Credit: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University Every day, millions of people across the globe fill their morning commute or lunch break with New York Times games such as Wordle or Connections. The Times offers a slew of popular games from its daily crossword to “Spelling Bee,” a daily game that challenges users to come up with as many words as possible using a given set of letters. Among the most popular games Read More
Study design. Credit: Ameur et al., 2024, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Combining time-restricted eating with high-intensity functional training may improve body composition and cardiometabolic parameters more than either alone, according to a study published May 1, 2024, in PLOS ONE by Ranya Ameur and Rami Maaloul from the University of Sfax, Tunisia, and colleagues. Changes in diet and exercise are well-known ways to lose weight and improve cardiometabolic health. However, finding the right combination of lifestyle changes to produce sustainable results can be challenging. Prior studies indicate that time-restricted Read More
There’s a large and growing body of evidence pointing to potentially negative impacts of social media on mental health, from its addictive nature to disruptions in sleep patterns to effects on body image. Now, a new study coming out of York University’s Faculty of Health found young women who took a social media break for as little as one week had a significant boost in self-esteem and body image—particularly those most vulnerable to thin-ideal internalization. “The statistician inside me was excited—we don’t often see effect sizes this large in my Read More
Three-quarters of Americans feel that mental health conditions are identified and treated with much less care than physical health issues within the U.S. health care system, even as more than 80% perceive a dramatic rise in prevalence of mental health issues in the last five years, according to a new survey from West Health and Gallup released at the start of Mental Health Awareness Month and Older Americans Month. Nearly identical percentages believe mental health is handled either “much” (38%) or “somewhat” worse (37%) than physical health ailments, while 15% Read More
Rajesh Nair, MD, performs a routine skin cancer screening on a patient at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute. Nair says he’s seen an increase in skin cancer cases among young adults and that sun protection is critical to prevention. Credit: Orlando Health Cancer Institute A new national survey by the Orlando Health Cancer Institute finds nearly a third (32%) of Americans agree that a tan makes people look better and healthier, a dangerous beauty standard that experts say can lead to risky behavior when it comes to sun exposure. “There Read More
Professor Alan Godfrey and Jason Moore with video glasses to support fall risk assessment in Parkinson’s patients. Credit: Northumbria University Video-enabled glasses have the potential to support patients at risk of falls by allowing medical staff to monitor how they move around their homes and their community. However, with privacy concerns at the forefront of this new technology, academics at Northumbria University have carried out a cutting-edge study into the ethical use of AI to ensure video footage can be obscured to ensure patient privacy. Traditionally, patients at risk of Read More
MyoF and non-MyoF proteasome and calpain proteins. Credit: Aging (2024). DOI: 10.18632/aging.205751 A new research paper was published in Aging titled, “A novel deep proteomic approach in human skeletal muscle unveils distinct molecular signatures affected by aging and resistance training.” The skeletal muscle proteome alterations to aging and resistance training have been reported in prior studies. However, conventional proteomics in skeletal muscle typically yields wide protein abundance ranges that mask the detection of lowly expressed proteins. In this new study, researchers from Auburn University, Seer, Inc., and The Center for Read More
Credit: Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels Keeping your blood pressure in check is a good way to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. So, you follow orders, take your prescribed medication, and proudly accept your doctor’s praise when the blood pressure cuff demonstrates continued success. Until it doesn’t. Despite a track record of good results, a recent check-up shows those numbers are creeping up again. How can that be? UR Medicine hypertension expert Dr. Christopher Montgomery says it’s not uncommon for blood pressure to rise, even after Read More
Organic walnuts from a California grower that were distributed to health food and co-op stores in 19 states have been linked to serious cases of E. coli illness, federal officials reported Tuesday. So far, 12 people have been sickened; seven were so ill they required hospitalization, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Six cases each have been identified in California and Washington state. There have been no deaths reported. The walnuts were produced and distributed by Gibson Farms of Hollister, Calif., and were typically sold in bulk bins Read More
Researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have identified a causal genetic variant strongly associated with childhood obesity. The study provides new insight into the importance of the hypothalamus of the brain and its role in common childhood obesity, and the target gene may serve as a druggable target for future therapeutic interventions. The findings are published in the journal Cell Genomics. Both environmental and genetic factors play critical roles in the increasing incidence of childhood obesity. While the exact role of genetics in childhood obesity is still not fully Read More
If you needed long-term care, could you afford it? For many Americans, especially those with a middle-class income and little savings, the answer to that question is absolutely not. Nursing homes charge somewhere around US$100,000 a year, while frequent visits from a paid caregiver may set you back more than $5,000 a month. With long-term care so expensive for growing numbers of older Americans, and the federal government doing little to make it accessible, some states are taking matters into their own hands to find better ways to cover costs. Read More
Single-neuron synapse tracking across day–night cycles reveals diverse dynamics. Credit: Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07367-3 During sleep, the brain weakens the new connections between neurons that had been forged while awake—but only during the first half of a night’s sleep, according to a new study in fish by UCL scientists. The researchers say their findings, published in Nature, provide insight into the role of sleep, but still leave an open question around what function the latter half of a night’s sleep serves. The researchers say the study supports the Synaptic Homeostasis Read More
by Todd A. Mahr, MD, Executive Medical Director, American College Of Allergy, Asthma And Immunology Having a child with food allergies isn’t easy to manage, and now new research shows that most of these parents turn to social media for medical advice. When they do, some of the advice is good and some is not, researchers report. In the study, published recently in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 93% of surveyed parents of children with food allergies reported using online search engines. In general, online searches were conducted Read More
Older adults who walked for transport instead of taking a car, at least once a week, lived longer than those who didn’t, Monash University-led research has found. Published in BMJ Public Health, the observational study looked at transport-related walking, which is walking for a specific purpose, such as to a medical appointment or to shop, instead of using motorized transport. Transport walking is undertaken as a means of transport and is different from other types, such as recreational walking, which was not assessed in this study. In participants with a Read More
Using multiple nicotine products can be associated with higher levels of nicotine dependence among youth and increased mortality in adults, compared with the use of one product alone. Yale researchers have now uncovered factors that contribute to adolescents using multiple nicotine products. These findings, they say, will help inform efforts to prevent escalation from single to multiple product use. Their findings were reported April 24 in the journal Preventative Medicine. While public health campaigns have spread awareness on the harms of smoking and, more recently, vaping, an increasingly diverse landscape Read More
Olfactory dysfunction, especially for smell, is more common in individuals with prior COVID-19 versus individuals with no history of infection, with deficits varying by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant type, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Ryan Sharetts, from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues used self-administered psychophysical tests, the 53-item Waterless Empirical Taste Test (WETT) and the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), to investigate the association of COVID-19 with long-term outcomes in taste and smell function. The analysis Read More
Early detection has the potential to transform treatment and outcomes in cancer care, especially for cancers like liver cancer, which is typically diagnosed at a late stage with limited options for cure. A new study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests that proteins detectable in the blood could improve predictions about risk of liver cancer years before typical diagnosis. Results are published in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. “Liver cancer rates are rapidly increasing, and liver cancer has a high Read More
Mothers in Denmark are at a 24% higher risk of not getting enough exercise compared to women in the same age group who have not given birth. This is shown by a new study from Aarhus University, which, according to a researcher, sheds light on an overlooked health challenge. The findings are published in the journal Public Health. The purpose of the study was to map the proportion of mothers who do not meet the physical activity recommendations set by the World Health Organization (WHO)—namely, how many do not get Read More
Working with teens, UW researchers designed RESeT: a snowy virtual world with six activities, listed on the center image, intended to improve mood. The left panel shows the welcome screen, and the panel on the right shows an activity where teens can use sound to find birds. Credit: Björling et al./JMXR 2024 Social media. The climate crisis. Political polarization. The tumult of a pandemic and online learning. Teens today are dealing with unprecedented stressors, and over the past decade, their mental health has been in sustained decline. Levels of anxiety Read More
A subtle type of seizure goes undetected two thirds of the time in pediatric emergency departments, a new study shows. The work focuses on “nonmotor” seizures, which cause children to “zone out” and stare into space or fidget. They may also feel sudden changes in emotions, thoughts, or sensations, as opposed to motor seizures, which cause muscles to move in abrupt, jerking motions. According to the authors, improving recognition of nonmotor seizures may speed up the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in children, who often struggle to describe their symptoms Read More
Globally, there are substantial differences between females and males (aged 10 and older) when it comes to health, with limited progress in bridging these health gaps over the past 30 years, according to a new study examining the disparities in the 20 leading causes of disease burden between females and males, across ages and regions, published in The Lancet Public Health. Non-fatal conditions that lead to health loss through illness and disability, including musculoskeletal conditions, mental health conditions, and headache disorders particularly affect females globally, while males are disproportionally affected Read More
Marketing researchers at the University of Arkansas examined the usefulness of “stop sign” disclosures on ultra-processed food packaging and found that such warnings can counterbalance positive—and possibly misleading or inaccurate—claims by marketers. The researchers’ study was published in the Journal of Business Research. The research showed that front-of-packaging marketing claims about the processing of such food products—”natural,” for example—can mislead consumers about ultra-processed food. Ultra-processed information disclosures, on the other hand, can reduce inappropriate or exaggerated health claims and influence consumer evaluations of the dietary impact of ultra-processed foods. “This Read More
Credit: Marek Piwnicki from Pexels Psilocybin—the active ingredient in “magic” mushrooms—is a more effective treatment for symptoms of depression than controls, providing further support for its potential as an antidepressant, suggests a study published by The BMJ today. The researchers say the findings are encouraging but “further research is needed to clarify the factors that maximize psilocybin’s treatment potential for symptoms of depression.” Depression affects an estimated 300 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of disability. Psilocybin has shown promise in reducing symptoms of depression after one or Read More
Cancer category, variant category, and drug class for genome matched treatments (GMTs). a 154 GMTs FDA approved for the same tumor type. b 64 GMTs FDA approved for a different tumor type. See Table 2 for clinical trials. Each line represents one GMT. Some patients contribute multiple lines if they received multiple GMTs. Height represents the number of cases. Colors determined by variants. Other primary sites of cancer include unknown primary. Other variants identified include: FGF/FGFR path, MSI, VHL, ARID1A. Other drug classes include: ret inhibitor, idh inhibitor, smo inhibitor. Read More
Dr. Albert Bondt. Credit: Utrecht University Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) all have a unique and diverse set of antibodies that are involved in the development of the disease. Researchers at Utrecht University unveiled the complexity of these antibodies using powerful lab tools capable of analyzing our immune system at molecular levels. Their discovery suggests that current assumptions about the origin of RA are too simple. Their findings may point towards improved diagnostics. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints, causing pain, stiffness, and swelling. Read More
Cleveland Cavaliers (EDT, GMT -4) versus Portland Trail Blazers (PDT, GMT -7). Credit: Erik Dros The body clock has a significant impact on the performance of NBA players, according to study published in Chronobiology International. The authors say their findings, from more than 25,000 matches, show that elite basketball coaches and teams should consider the physical and mental effects of time zone travel when planning games and preparing for games. A first of its kind, the research is based on the achievements at home and away of NBA (National Basketball Read More
Credit: Neuron (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.006 Nonsense-mediated RNA decay, or NMD, is an evolutionarily conserved molecular mechanism in which potentially defective messenger RNAs, or mRNAs (genetic material that instructs the body on how to make proteins), are degraded. Disruption of the NMD pathway can lead to neurological disorders, immune diseases, cancers, and other pathologies. Mutations in human NMD regulators are seen in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and intellectual disability. Why NMD mutations are enriched in neurodevelopmental disorders remains a mystery. Sika Zheng, a professor of biomedical sciences in the School of Read More
A microscopic image of the Hepatitis B virus, taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention New evidence reveals global underassessment and undertreatment of chronic hepatitis B (HBV), especially among women and Asian minorities in the West, a new study in the Journal of Hepatology details. “In clinical practice, we continue to see patients with advanced liver disease due to HBV despite having vaccines for prevention and excellent oral therapy for those who are treatment eligible. Simplifying and broadening HBV management is crucial,” according to the researchers. With the Read More
Zhang Yongzhen, the first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus, looks at a presentation on his laptop in a coffeeshop in Shanghai, China on Dec. 13, 2020. Zhang was staging a sit-in protest after authorities locked him out of his lab. Zhang wrote in an online post on Monday, April 29, 2024, that he and his team were suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since he first published the sequence in early January 2020.Credit: Read More
Viewing expert testimony during the court case of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp led to highly prejudicial views of the mental health difficulties of both parties being formed, a new study by students at the University of Surrey reveals. The findings, published in the journal BJPsych Bulletin, suggest these views were considerably more negative than their views about mental illness beforehand. The 2022 trial was live-streamed globally on YouTube and was viewed more than 1 billion times, making it the most-watched trial in history. Dr. Oliver Mason, Reader in Psychology Read More
Credit: Avonne Stalling from Pexels Better than expected life expectancy in two disadvantaged areas in England is probably due to population change according to local residents and professionals. In the U.K., people from the most disadvantaged areas can expect to die nine years earlier compared with people from the least disadvantaged areas while people in the north of England have lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and worse health and well-being compared with national averages. The study, published in Health & Place, was a collaboration between Lancaster University, the London Read More
Live/dead assay to observe the cytotoxicity after neural stem cells (NSCs) incubation with TProp. Credit: Advanced Functional Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202309866 Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have identified an innovation in stem cell therapy to regenerate neural cells in the brain after cardiac arrest in an animal model. The study led by Xiaofeng Jia, BM, MS, Ph.D., FCCM, Professor of Neurosurgery, found that the application of modified sugar molecules on human neural stem cells improved the likelihood of the therapy’s success. The application of these Read More
Credit: MART PRODUCTION from Pexels Despite ChatGPT’s reported ability to pass medical exams, new research indicates it would be unwise to rely on it for some health assessments, such as whether a patient with chest pain needs to be hospitalized. In a study involving thousands of simulated cases of patients with chest pain, ChatGPT provided inconsistent conclusions, returning different heart risk assessment levels for the exact same patient data. The generative AI system also failed to match the traditional methods physicians use to judge a patient’s cardiac risk. The findings Read More
ACS Inaugural Report Shows Mortality for Preventable Cancers Among Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders in U.S. is 2-3 Times as High as White People. Credit: American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) today released Cancer Facts & Figures for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Other Pacific Islander People, 2024-2026. This report shows that despite limited disaggregated data, there is wide variation in the cancer burden among ethnic groups that make up this fast-growing population. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States nationally but ranks Read More
In a paper titled, “Multimodal MRI reveals brainstem connections that sustain wakefulness in human consciousness,” published in Science Translational Medicine, a group of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, created a connectivity map of a brain network that they propose is critical to human consciousness. The study involved high-resolution scans that enabled the researchers to visualize brain connections at submillimeter spatial resolution. This technical advance allowed them to identify previously unseen pathways connecting the brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and cerebral cortex. Together, these pathways form a Read More
A schematic diagram of the influenza virus, showing the surface proteins hemagglutinin (blue, peanut shaped) and neuraminidase (red, flower shaped), to which antibodies attach during an immune response. A new vaccine from Duke helps the immune system target the stalk of the hemagglutinin protein, rather than its top. Credit: U.S. Centers for Disease Control Duke researchers have opened a new avenue in the attack against influenza viruses by creating a vaccine that encourages the immune system to target a portion of the virus surface that is less variable. Their approach Read More
Both individual- and area-level social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Mengying Xia, M.P.H., from Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues examined the association of SDOH at both individual and area levels with ASCVD risks. The analysis included 26,316 participants (aged 40 to 79 years without a history of ASCVD) from four large U.S. cohort studies, with baseline data collected from 1995 to 2007 and a median follow-up of 13.0 years. The researchers Read More
Protein imbalances that increase brain cell excitability may explain why individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who also experience seizures demonstrate more rapid cognitive decline than those who do not experience seizures. These imbalances may be present in the brains of individuals before the onset of AD symptoms. The new findings, from a research team at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, are published this week in Brain. The team found that an existing drug called rapamycin, initially developed as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients that suppresses signaling Read More
Q4 [healthiest] represented the highest quartile of the lifestyle score. Hazard ratios were adjusted for enrollment source, sex, race, household size, area deprivation index, education, marital status, insurance status, and body mass index. Results for other racial groups were not presented in the table due to extremely sparse distribution. Credit: Southern Community Cohort Study During the past 40 years, the gap between rich and poor Americans has continued to widen in terms of health and mortality, as well as income. Now, in a first-of-its-kind study of an extremely low-income and Read More
Private equity firms now account for as much as a quarter of practices providing behavioral health services in some states, according to a new study by researchers from Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. The finding, published today in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, appears to reflect a growing trend across medicine as private equity firms acquire medical practices with an eye toward maximizing profits. The new study is a notable development for an area of medicine once thought to have scant profit margins. “At Read More
New analysis from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London has found that an individual’s conscious recollection of child maltreatment is strongly associated with psychopathology. The research, published in JAMA Psychiatry, analyzed studies of both “retrospective” and “prospective” measures of childhood maltreatment, and their association with psychopathology—a collection of symptoms ranging from internalizing problems like depression and anxiety to externalizing problems such as antisocial behavior and substance abuse. Retrospective measures refer to first-person, subjective recollections of childhood events, while prospective measures typically refer to third-person accounts Read More
The health care sector plays a vital role in supporting early childhood development and providing resources to parents and caregivers, to ensure their children are thriving. However, parents who identify as Two-Spirit (2S) or as LGBTQIA+ continue to face heteronormative messaging when accessing such resources and support services. According to a recent integrative literature review published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, and led by Amy Wright, a nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, the results of the review also indicate that 2SLGBTQIA+ parents Read More
Rates of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) screening for osteoporosis are lower than expected for Asian American Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study published in Skeletal Radiology. Soterios Gyftopoulos, M.D., from New York University Langone Health in New York City, and colleagues assessed osteoporosis screening utilization rates among Asian American populations. The analysis included 80,439 Medicare beneficiaries. The researchers found that 15.1% received osteoporosis screening. For women, the DXA rate was approximately four times greater than the rate for men (19.8 versus 5.0%). For Asian American beneficiaries living in ZIP codes Read More
MPRA identifies regulatory variants with allele-specific effects on gene expression. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48124-4 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have identified specific DNA variants in the non-coding regions of the genome contributing to chemotherapy resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The results guided the team to unravel the mechanism behind a previously unknown contributor to therapeutic resistance. The discovery was enabled by combining new technologies to overcome previous limitations in understanding the non-coding genome, which could be adapted to other types of cancer and diseases. The findings Read More
The Scripps Research team fused the enzyme sialidase onto bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) molecules, helping break down the cancer cells’ outer barriers and thereby activating T cells against the cancer. Credit: Scripps Research Scientists from Scripps Research have enhanced an existing immunotherapy by removing the sugar coating surrounding solid tumors—such as in melanoma, breast, and prostate cancer—so T cells can more effectively kill tumor cells. They report in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering that this tweak allows T cells to get closer to their targets, which dramatically improves T-cell killing Read More
Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae. Credit: Wikipedia France has sent 18 more doctors and nurses to its Indian Ocean island of Mayotte to help contain a cholera outbreak, Health Minister Frederic Valletoux announced on Wednesday. Authorities on the island last week said they had identified 26 cases of cholera, stretching Mayotte’s care capabilities to the limit. Valletoux will visit Mayotte from May 9-10 “to bring his support to the teams there and to meet the local health authorities”, his team said. The extra medical staff will join 49 Read More
Researchers say a machine learning tool can identify many patients with rare, undiagnosed diseases years earlier than current methods, potentially improving outcomes and reducing cost and morbidity. The findings, led by researchers at UCLA Health, are described in Science Translational Medicine. “Patients who have rare diseases may face prolonged delays in diagnosis and treatment, resulting in unnecessary testing, progressive illness, psychological stresses, and financial burdens,” said Manish Butte, MD, Ph.D., a UCLA professor in pediatrics, human genetics, and microbiology/immunology who cares for these patients in his clinic at UCLA. “Machine Read More
A simple blood test could allow doctors to determine whether a person may be at higher risk for stroke or cognitive decline during their lifetime, according to a new UCLA Health study. The study, published in the journal Stroke, has found that measuring concentrations of a network of inflammatory molecules in the blood could allow doctors to calculate a risk score for susceptibility for cerebral small vessel disease—a common cause of stroke and a contributor to cognitive decline found especially among the elderly. Currently, the only way to determine a Read More
As a young GI at Fort Ord in Monterey County, California, Dean Osborn spent much of his time in the oceanside woodlands, training on soil and guzzling water from streams and aquifers now known to be contaminated with cancer-causing pollutants. “They were marching the snot out of us,” he said, recalling his year and a half stationed on the base, from 1979 to 1980. He also remembers, not so fondly, the poison oak pervasive across the 28,000-acre installation that closed in 1994. He went on sick call at least three Read More
A BCI setup, where the user is interacting with a computer with their intention recorded and decoded from EEG. Credit: Forenzo et al Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to make life easier for people with motor or speech disorders, allowing them to manipulate prosthetic limbs and employ computers, among other uses. In addition, healthy and impaired people alike could enjoy BCI-based gaming. Non-invasive BCIs that work by analyzing brain waves recorded through electroencephalography are currently limited by inconsistent performance. Bin He and colleagues used deep-learning decoders to improve a Read More
EchoCLIP workflow. Credit: Nature Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02959-y Artificial intelligence experts at Cedars-Sinai and the Smidt Heart Institute created a dataset with more than 1 million echocardiograms, or cardiac ultrasound videos, and their corresponding clinical interpretations. Using this database, they created EchoCLIP, a powerful machine learning algorithm that can “interpret” echocardiogram images and assess key findings. The design and evaluation of EchoCLIP, described in a manuscript published in Nature Medicine, suggest that an EchoCLIP interpretation of a patient’s echocardiogram provides clinician-level evaluations of heart function, assessment of past surgeries and Read More
The border crossing separating San Diego, California, from Tijuana, Mexico, is a dynamic place. When it was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, drug tourism from San Diego to Tijuana continued. This provided a flow of people in both directions, bringing with them not only the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2) but also the virus that causes AIDS (HIV). A collaborative study led by researchers from University of California San Diego and Irvine, published in The Lancet Regional Health—Americas, found that rather than preventing the spread of disease, closing the border Read More
Local people gather to hear the research team brief them on the purpose of their visit to a village: to uncover why some homes in rural Madagascar where bubonic plague is endemic are infested with fleas and recommend ways to reduce the flea populations and their impact on human health. The women in the foreground are sitting on a traditional plant-fiber mat. Credit: Adelaide Miarinjara/Emory University Madagascar is one of the last places where outbreaks of human bubonic plague still happen regularly. Fleas carrying the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis can Read More
Diagram of the pancreas. Credit: Houston Methodist A new study has found that pancreatic cancer cells are different based on their location in the pancreas, providing new information about tumors that could lead to better targeted treatments. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer, and the diagnosis has dramatically increased over the last decade. It is currently the seventh leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women globally and projected to be the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide by 2030. This increase is due to several Read More
A large team of medical researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, has found very slight gender differences in temperature perception of a room at ambient conditions and very few gender differences in physiological response to a perceived chill. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes experiments they conducted with both male and female volunteers in a climate-controlled room. Prior studies and anecdotal evidence have suggested that women, on average, feel colder when living or working in a room at typical Read More
Anatomical and reverse total shoulder replacements. Anatomical total shoulder replacement—prosthetic ball and socket replacement that matches normal ball and socket anatomy of shoulder joint. Reverse total shoulder replacement—prosthetic ball and socket replacement that reverses normal ball and socket anatomy of shoulder joint. Credit: BMJ (2024) DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077939 A new study has provided valuable insights into the ongoing debate surrounding two types of shoulder replacement surgery: reverse total shoulder replacement and anatomical total shoulder replacement as a treatment for patients with osteoarthritis. The research, led by the University of Oxford and Read More
Graphical abstract. Credit: Cancer Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.04.004 A novel combination of two cancer drugs has shown great potential as a future treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), one of the most common types of blood cancers. A new study by WEHI researchers has revealed the combination of two existing drugs eradicated AML cancer cells in lab-based tests. The discovery, published in Cancer Cell, could soon lead to clinical trials, providing hope for the 1,100 Australians diagnosed with AML annually. Stimulating the ‘cell death enforcer’ The WEHI research Read More
A toxin found in paint strippers that’s responsible for 85 U.S. deaths over the past five decades will be phased out for many uses, under an Environmental Protection Agency rule finalized Tuesday. The cancer-causing solvent methylene chloride will still have some allowed uses, but with strict guidelines aimed at keeping workers safe. “Exposure to methylene chloride has devastated families across this country for too long, including some who saw loved ones go to work and never come home,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in an agency news release. “EPA’s final Read More
Glioblastoma (histology slide). Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0 In a first-ever human clinical trial of four adult patients, an mRNA cancer vaccine developed at the University of Florida quickly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal brain tumor. The results mirror those in 10 pet dog patients suffering from naturally occurring brain tumors whose owners approved of their participation, as they had no other treatment options, as well as results from preclinical mouse models. The breakthrough now will be tested in a Phase I pediatric clinical Read More
The health benefits of exercise are well known but new research shows that the body’s response to exercise is more complex and far-reaching than previously thought. In a study on rats, a team of scientists from across the United States has found that physical activity causes many cellular and molecular changes in all 19 of the organs they studied in the animals. Exercise lowers the risk of many diseases, but scientists still don’t fully understand how exercise changes the body on a molecular level. Most studies have focused on a Read More
The ‘gut-germline axis’ is a connection between the gut, its microbiota and the germline. Credit: Joana Carvalho/Isabel Romero Calvo/EMBL A study from the Hackett group at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Rome shows that disrupting the gut microbiome of male mice increases the risk of disease in their future offspring. The gut microbiota is the microbial community that occupies the gastrointestinal tract. It is responsible for producing enzymes, metabolites, and other molecules crucial for host metabolism and in response to the environment. Consequently, a balanced gut microbiota is Read More
A University of Queensland researcher has found molecular doorways that could be used to help deliver drugs into the brain to treat neurological disorders. Dr. Rosemary Cater from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience led a team that discovered that an essential nutrient called choline is transported into the brain by a protein called FLVCR2. The research is published in Nature. “Choline is a vitamin-like nutrient that is essential for many important functions in the body, particularly for brain development,” Dr. Cater said. “We need to consume 400–500 mg of choline Read More
Researchers from the Brigham and colleagues report on the long-term follow-up of the largest study of women’s health in the U.S., shedding light on the role of menopausal hormone therapy, calcium and vitamin D supplementation, and a low-fat dietary pattern among postmenopausal women More than 1.1 billion women worldwide are postmenopausal. A review paper by authors from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and other leading experts from across the country helps to answer some of the most pressing questions in postmenopausal women’s health and to fill key knowledge gaps to improve Read More
Labeled in red are neurons in the brainstem of a mouse that control body inflammatory responses. Labeled in blue are the brain’s other cells. Credit: Hao Jin and Charles Zuker The brain can direct the immune system to an unexpected degree, capable of detecting, ramping up and tamping down inflammation, shows a new study in mice from researchers at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute. “The brain is the center of our thoughts, emotions, memories and feelings,” said Hao Jin, Ph.D., a co-first author of the study published online in Nature. “Thanks to Read More
Naja nigriciollis (black-necked spitting cobra). Credit: Marius Burger, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Scientists have discovered a new snakebite treatment to prevent the devastating tissue damage caused by African spitting cobra venom. Spitting cobra venom is incredibly potent and causes dermo necrosis, which presents as rapid destruction of skin, muscle, and bone around the site of the snakebite, and can lead to permanent injuries and disfigurements, including limb loss and amputations in extreme cases. Professor Nicholas Casewell and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine colleagues, including Dr. Steven Hall—who is now at Read More
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showing sensitivity and specificity for Botox injections in predicting migraine surgical success. The blue line indicates Botox injection success defined as an injection that caused MHI to be decreased by over 50%. The red line indicates Botox injection success defined as an injection that caused MHI to be decreased by over 70%. The green line indicates Botox injection success defined as an injection that caused MHI to be decreased by over 90%. Credit: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (2023). DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000010806 Preoperative Botox injections are a Read More
Region-stratified overdose-attributed MRRs comparing pre-COVID-19 pandemic and during pandemic years. Credit: The American Journal on Addictions (2024). DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13536 For as long as statistics about opioid overdose deaths have been collected in the United States, white individuals have been much more likely to die than Black individuals of the same age. With the rapidly increasing rate of fentanyl overdoses in the late 2010s, that trend began to reverse—by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, more Black Americans began to die of opioid overdoses and from drug overdoses of Read More
When Mass General transplant hepatologist Wei Zhang says he wants his colleagues to think before they speak, he has the tragedy of a recent patient in mind. Admitted to intensive care for advanced alcohol-associated liver disease, the 36-year-old woman hid the truth when asked about her drinking. “She was like, ‘No, I quit over a year ago, I didn’t drink at all,’” said Zhang, also director of the hospital’s Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Clinic. “But we have tools that can detect the use of alcohol in the past three, four weeks.” Read More
Modified online Delphi process conducted through multiple rounds of idea generation, assessment, feedback, discussion, and presentation of the final MASCC-ASCO Standards and Practice Recommendations for Advanced or Metastatic Cancer. Credit: Supportive Care in Cancer (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s00520-024-08465-8 In the past, advanced or metastatic cancers were rapidly fatal, however with new treatments people with these cancers can now survive for a long time, sometimes many years. They have unique and complex care needs but because they usually can’t be cured, and do not yet need palliative care, they can often be Read More
Soccer players in England’s top-tier WSL were six times more likely to experience a muscle injury in the days leading up to their period compared to when they were on their period, according to new research from UCL, the University of Bath and St. Mary’s University. The study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, is the first prospective longitudinal study monitoring menstrual cycles alongside injuries in female soccer players. The findings suggest there could be increased injury risk windows at particular times in the cycle. Despite being Read More
People actively engaging with death, for instance by reading about it, and then watching a film where that subject is central, learn to deal with death better. This is shown in research, by Enny Das and Anneke de Graaf from Radboud University, published in the journal Communication Research. “It’s quite strange that we enjoy watching films about death,” explains professor of Persuasive Communication Enny Das. “Generally, people try to avoid death as much as possible, by not talking about it or thinking about it. But we willingly watch dramatic films Read More
High-resolution model of six insulin molecules assembled in a hexamer. Credit: Isaac Yonemoto/Wikipedia Bromodomain-containing protein 7 (BRD7) was initially identified as a tumor suppressor, but further research has shown it has a broader role in other cellular processes, including the remodeling of chromosomes and cell cycle progression. Now, Boston Children’s Division of Endocrinology researchers have discovered another purpose for BRD7: It seems to be involved in an alternative insulin signaling pathway, the existence of which had been speculated about for decades. Their findings, published in Journal of Endocrinology, could lead Read More
Pre-term babies consuming donor breast milk may be missing out on important hormones, such as melatonin, which are crucial for healthy infant development according to La Trobe University research. Melatonin has been shown to have a significant decrease in inflammation, oxidative stress and cell death, especially when given to pre-term infants. Furthermore, the sleep hormone has been found to improve the clinical outcomes of pre-term infants with neonatal sepsis within 24–72 hours of being administered. Donor breast milk banks are used when mothers cannot supply their own breast milk and Read More
An index of neighborhood environmental and social conditions can help to predict the risk of severe asthma among children at the hyperlocal level, according to a study led by Emily Skeen, MD, a University of Colorado School of Medicine fellow. Skeen, a pediatric pulmonologist with Children’s Hospital Colorado, will become an assistant professor in the CU Department of Pediatrics this summer. She and her colleagues set out to gauge the usefulness of an assessment tool called the Child Opportunity Index 2.0 (COI) as a predictor of the risk of exacerbation-prone Read More
Musculoskeletal pain is a prevalent menopause symptom, which helps explain why women typically experience more pain than men, especially around the age of 50 years. Beyond pain, muscle function and mass are also affected by menopause. A new study suggests premature surgical menopause can lead to an increased risk of muscle disorders. Results of the survey are published online in an article titled “Association of muscle disorders in late postmenopausal women according to the type of experienced menopause” in Menopause. The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation spotlighted a Read More
Weight-bearing activity appears tied to incident knee osteoarthritis (OA) in people who have low levels of lower-limb muscle mass, according to a study published online April 30 in JAMA Network Open. Yahong Wu, M.D., of the University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the Rotterdam Study. They included participants who had knee X-ray measurements at baseline and follow-up examinations. They evaluated the incidence of knee OA by knee X-ray and the incidence of symptomatic knee OA defined by X-ray and Read More
For an OB-GYN, one of the worst-case scenarios runs like this: A woman comes in, overjoyed that she is finally pregnant after years of fertility treatments. Then a month later, she finds out she has cancer—news that is devastating for the patient and difficult for the doctor because options, both practically and politically, can be limited. It’s this scenario that starts the commentary penned by UW Medicine OB-GYNs Drs. Alisa Kachikis and Linda Eckert in support of research published April 17 in JAMA Network Open. Researchers from the University of Read More
Eligible out-of-bed index (events per day) across intensive care unit (ICU) types. Index is calculated as number of out-of-bed mobility events on eligible days divided by number of mobility-eligible ICU days. Credit: American Journal of Critical Care (2024). DOI: 10.4037/ajcc2024747 More out-of-bed mobility interventions for critically ill patients were associated with shorter mechanical ventilation duration and hospital stays, suggesting a dose-response relationship between daily mobility and patient outcomes, according to a study published in the American Journal of Critical Care. “Early Mobility Index and Patient Outcomes: A Retrospective Study in Read More
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca admitted in court this week that its COVID-19 vaccine can cause a rare but deadly blood-clotting condition that has become the central focus of a class-action lawsuit worth potentially $125 million. A Northeastern University legal scholar says the admission isn’t especially damning, as the rare condition—called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS—was well-studied prior to the ongoing litigation. “The fact that this had already been listed as a potential side effect reduces its legal impact,” says Richard Daynard, university distinguished professor of law and president of the Read More
New research by Edith Cowan University (ECU) and Fiona Stanley Hospital aims to decrease noise levels in intensive care units (ICUs) by implementing improvements in acoustic design. Up to 50% of patients in ICUs experience sleep disturbance due to noise which can hinder recovery and negatively impact their health. The study, by ECU Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Dr. Emil Jonescu and Director of ICU Research at Fiona Stanley Hospital Professor Ed Litton, was conducted at a 40-bed ICU in Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, and involved clinicians, medical practitioners, academics, and Read More
Graphical abstract. Credit: Patterns (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2024.100973 Scientists have designed a new artificial intelligence model that emulates randomized clinical trials to determine the treatment options most effective at preventing stroke in people with heart disease. The model was front-loaded with de-identified data on millions of patients gleaned from health care claims information submitted by employers, health plans, and hospitals—a foundation model strategy similar to that of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. By pre-training the model on a huge cache of general data, researchers could then fine-tune the model with information Read More
Children’s sporting events are a fun time to cheer on the kids and socialize, but they can quickly go south if parents act excessively competitive. A Baylor College of Medicine child and adolescent psychiatrist details the impact of poor sports behavior on kids. “Some of those behaviors would be setting unrealistic expectations for the young athlete, such as perfection in a game and displaying disappointment or embarrassment if their kid isn’t meeting those expectations,” said Dr. Lauren Havel, assistant professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Read More
Credit: Unsplash/Jonathan Pielmayer, CC BY-SA Most Australian adults would know they’re meant to eat two or more servings of fruit and five or more servings of vegetables every day. Whether or not they get there is another question. A recent national survey reported 45% of Australian women and 56% of Australian men didn’t eat enough fruit. And 90% of women and 96% of men didn’t eat enough vegetables. This figure is worse than for the preceding 10 years. Men had on average 1.6 servings of fruit and 2.3 servings of Read More
If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more popular in recent years partly because of the boom in wearable technology which, among other functions, allows people to easily track their heart rates. Heart rate zones reflect different levels of intensity during aerobic exercise. They’re most often based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate, which is the highest number of beats your heart can achieve per minute. But Read More
Scoring the ACLM Diet Screener. Credit: Frontiers in Nutrition (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1356676 The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has developed a clinical tool to help health care professionals incorporate a food as medicine approach into their practice by assessing and tracking the proportion of whole, unrefined plant-based foods and water intake in their patients’ dietary patterns. The ACLM Diet Screener, a 27-item diet assessment tool available free on ACLM’s website, was designed to guide clinical conversations around diet and support nutrition prescriptions, while also being brief enough for use Read More
Loneliness in adulthood follows a U-shaped pattern: it’s higher in younger and older adulthood, and lowest during middle adulthood, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study that examined nine longitudinal studies from around the world. The study also identified several risk factors for heightened loneliness across the whole lifespan, including social isolation, sex, education and physical impairment. “What was striking was how consistent the uptick in loneliness is in older adulthood,” said corresponding author Eileen Graham, associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “There’s a Read More
Sources of air pollution. Credit: Environmental Protection Agency A new review explores the interaction between exercise and air pollution exposure to determine how a person’s physiology reacts—and in some cases, acclimates—to environmental pollutants. The review is published in Physiological Reports. Exposure to air pollution can lead to a variety of chronic health conditions, including dementia, Type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease and an increased risk of dying by any cause. However, air pollution is not constant in type or state. Different kinds of pollutants include dust and Read More
The teenage brain evolved over a long history, says Juliet Davidow, assistant professor of psychology, but today it has to face the modern world. Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Imagine you’re at a carnival and want to win a big stuffed toy. You play different games and, if successful, collect tickets. But it’s not the tickets you care about, it’s the big toy they’ll buy. And you’re likely to stick to the easier games to earn as many tickets as possible. An experience like this would be goal-directed learning, says Juliet Read More
From skin to hair, scabs and even tears, the external appearance of the body can offer clues about the state of your health. But there’s another part of the anatomy that’s often overlooked: the feet. Feet are wired up to nerve fiber tracts from the brain so you can stand, balance and wiggle your toes. They’re also plumbed by blood vessels, which lead all the way from the heart. The appearance and function of our feet, then, can indicate viral infections, diseases of the cardiovascular system and even neurological disorders. Read More
Characterization of the cranberry extract. Credit: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41522-024-00493-w Cranberry extracts appear to improve intestinal microbiota and help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A recent study by Université Laval and the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) reported beneficial effects after only four days of use. Cranberries and berries are associated with multiple health benefits, mainly attributed to their high content of polyphenols, in the form of tannins. They also contain high concentrations of oligosaccharides, small fibers that are thought to Read More