Health & Fitness

The hormone estrogen regulates binge drinking in females, causing them to 'pregame' -- consume large quantities of alcohol in the first 30 minutes after it's offered, according to a preclinical study. The study establishes -- for what is thought to be the first time -- that circulating estrogen increases binge alcohol consumption in females and contributes to known sex differences in this behavior.

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A study of nearly 10,000 adolescents has identified distinct differences in the brain structures of those who used substances before age 15 compared to those who did not. Many of these structural brain differences appeared to exist in childhood before any substance use, suggesting they may play a role in the risk of substance use initiation later in life, in tandem with genetic, environmental, and other neurological factors.

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Researchers have shown that people 60 years or older with weakened immunity do not respond as strongly to vaccines against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as people in the same age group with normal immune function.

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Digital healthcare consultations are not enough for a safe assessment of tonsillitis, according to a new study. Reliability will not be sufficient, thus increasing the risk of over- or under-treatment of a sore throat.

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Pediatric cardiologists have implanted a dual chamber leadless pacemaker in a child.

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Researchers have developed nanodiamond sensors with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, offering exceptional brightness and spin properties for quantum sensing and bioimaging. These nanodiamonds outperform commercial options, requiring 20 times less energy and maintaining quantum states 11 times longer. Enhanced sensitivity to magnetic fields and temperature enables precise applications, including disease detection, battery analysis, and thermal management of electronics, marking a significant advancement in nanotechnology-driven quantum sensing for biological and industrial innovations.

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A drug recently approved to prevent migraine may start working right away, according to a new study. The study looked at the drug atogepant, which is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist taken by mouth.

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Scientists have developed an innovative therapeutic platform by mimicking the intricate structures of viruses using artificial intelligence (AI).

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A choice was made to include each word in this sentence. Every message, even the most mundane, is crafted with a specific frame in mind that impacts how the message is perceived. The study of framing effects is a multidisciplinary line of research that investigates when, how, and why language influences those who receive a message and how it impacts their response.

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Researchers have uncovered important insights that could improve how mental health conditions are treated with brain stimulation therapy -- a treatment where electrical signals are used to stimulate specific parts of the brain.

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Researchers may have found a new target in fighting malaria -- a cholesterol-managing protein called PfNCR1.

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Inflammation in the hippocampus -- the brain's memory center -- significantly alters motivation and behavior in mice, according to new research.

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Researchers have revealed some of the precise mechanisms by which erroneous cells are recognized, marked for removal, and eliminated via apoptosis in developing zebrafish. Notably, they found that the protein Foxo3 may be a universal marker of cell competition in zebrafish and mice. These findings have important implications for congenital disorders, cancer, and aging, and may lead to novel treatments.

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By taking advantage of a 'giving up' behavior exhibited by zebrafish, the ability to image the fish's entire brain, and a unique virtual reality system, a team of researchers found where ketamine acts in the zebrafish brain: at supporting cells called astroglia, rather than neurons.

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A new study raises the possibility that jobs that require frequent spatial processing -- such as figuring out a taxi route or the best way to navigate to a hospital -- could lead to lower rates of death from Alzheimer's disease. Researchers investigated this possibility by using national data on the occupations of people who had died to evaluate risk of death from Alzheimer's disease across 443 professions. They found that taxi driving and ambulance driving were associated with a lower rate of death from Alzheimer's disease compared to other professions.

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It's that time of the year when most of us get the chance to sit back and enjoy some well-deserved down time. But whether you reach for the TV controller, or a favorite book, your choice could have implications for your long-term brain health, say researchers.

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People who started playing video games at an early school age developed problematic gaming more quickly compared to those who started playing a few years later.

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Detection of nitric oxide (NO) is important for monitoring air quality because the NO released in the combustion of fossil fuels contributes to acid rain and smog. In medicine, NO is an important messenger molecule and serves as a biomarker for asthma. A research team reports a material that can detect NO reversibly, with low power, and with high sensitivity and selectivity: a copper-containing, electrically conducting, two-dimensional metal--organic framework.

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Wildfire smoke has long been known to exacerbate health problems like heart disease, lung conditions, and asthma, but now a new study finds that smoke from these fires can lead to poor health thousands of miles away. Researchers found that medical visits for heart and lung problems rose by nearly 20 percent during six days in June, 2023, when smoke from Western Canadian wildfires drifted across the country, leading to very poor air quality days in Baltimore and the surrounding region.

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A new study of plant-based drinks reveals a common issue: they are lacking in proteins and essential amino acids compared to cow's milk. The explanation lies in their extensive processing, causing chemical reactions that degrade protein quality in the product and, in some cases, produce new substances of concern.

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A new study shows that long-term exposure to air pollution contributes to millions of deaths in India. The research emphasizes the need for stricter air quality regulations in the country.

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People around the globe are living longer -- but not necessarily healthier -- lives, according to new research. A study of 183 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries found those additional years of life are increasingly fraught with disease.

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A newer vaccine against hepatitis B virus was clearly superior to an older vaccine type in inducing a protective antibody response among people living with HIV who didn't respond to prior vaccination.

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A groundbreaking piece of navigation technology that uses the ability to sense information through touch can help people with visual impairment perform a location task as well as sighted people, according to new research.

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Research shows that HPV accounts for 70% of all throat cancers, but only one-third of the public is aware that HPV causes throat cancer.

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Researchers have published two studies in which they surveyed readers on their thoughts about AI in journalism. When provided a sample of bylines stating AI was involved in producing news in some way or not at all, readers regularly stated they trusted the credibility of the news less if AI had a role. Even when they didn't understand exactly what AI contributed, they reported less trust and that 'humanness' was an important factor in producing reliable news.

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Loneliness and isolation among older Americans have mostly returned to pre-pandemic rates, but that still means more than one third of people age 50 to 80 feel lonely, and nearly as many feel isolated, a new national study shows.

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Bucking conventionality, boys in Norway are making early gains in reading English as a second language and even outperforming girls at age 10 and 13 -- a new a study of more than one million students suggests.

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Researchers have unraveled how immune cells called microglia can transform and drive harmful processes like neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease. The study also integrates drug databases with real-world patient data to identify FDA-approved drugs that may be repurposed to target disease-associated microglia in Alzheimer's disease without affecting the healthy type.

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Many recent studies assume that elderly people are at particular risk of dying from extreme heat as the planet warms. A new study of mortality in Mexico turns this assumption on its head: it shows that 75% of heat-related deaths are occurring among people under 35 -- a large percentage of them ages 18 to 35, or the very group that one might expect to be most resistant to heat.

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The U.S. is forecasted to fall in its global rankings below nearly all high-income and some middle-income countries. Drug use disorders, high body mass index, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure are driving mortality and disability higher across the U.S. Future scenarios for health outcomes identify the states that are forecasted to gain ground, face stagnation, or grow worse. Scientific evidence underscores the urgent need to prioritize public health to prevent the economic consequences of sickness, disabilities, and premature mortality in the U.S.

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New research has found that women who have had both ovaries surgically removed before the age of 50 and carry a variant of the apolipoprotein gene, the APOE4 allele, are at high risk of late-life Alzheimer disease (AD). Use of hormone therapy mitigates this risk.

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Researchers uncovered a population of cells that may provide protection from brain injury following cardiac arrest, leading them to examine a drug that can activate these cells to improve neurological outcomes.

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New research identifies an association between glyphosate exposure in mice and symptoms of neuroinflammation, as well as accelerated Alzheimer's disease-like pathology. This study tracks both the presence and impact of glyphosate's byproducts in the brain long after exposure ends, showing an array of persistent, damaging effects on brain health. The findings suggest the brain may be much more susceptible to the damaging effects of the herbicide than previously thought. Glyphosate is one of the most pervasive herbicides used in the U.S. and worldwide.

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A new study finds that owning a home in early adult life adds approximately four months to the lives of male Americans born in the early twentieth century.

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Today, women with estrogen-sensitive breast cancer receive anti-hormonal therapy. Researchers now show that postmenopausal women with low-risk tumors have a long-term benefit for at least 20 years, while the benefit was more short-term for younger women with similar tumor characteristics who had not yet gone through the menopause.

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Researchers have linked a specific type of body fat to the abnormal proteins in the brain that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease up to 20 years before the earliest symptoms of dementia appear, according to a new study. The researchers emphasized that lifestyle modifications targeted at reducing this fat could influence the development of Alzheimer's disease.

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The consumption of milk products, eggs and fish has a positive effect on childhood development in Africa. This has been demonstrated in a recent study. The researchers used representative data from five African countries with over 32,000 child observations. If the children had a diet containing animal products, they suffered less from malnutrition and related developmental deficiencies.

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Beta-blocker drugs -- commonly used to treat heart and blood pressure issues -- may slow the progression of Huntington's disease (HD), according to a new study.

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As muscles age, their cells lose the ability to regenerate and heal after injury. Now, researchers have created the most comprehensive portrait to date of how that change, in mice, unfolds over time.

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For pregnant women, exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) was associated with altered immune responses that can lead to adverse birth outcomes, according to a new study. The study is among the first to examine the relationship between PM2.5 and maternal and fetal health on a single-cell level and highlights the health risk of PM2.5 exposure for pregnant women.

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Researchers have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move independently, so that it can maneuver to specific locations -- in a tissue sample, for instance -- to take images and measure forces at the scale of some of the body's smallest structures.

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Each brain is unique, not only in its connections but also in the molecular composition of its neurons, particularly ion channels. Despite their variability, the brain functions reliably -- a paradox known as 'neuronal degeneration' (distinct from pathological degeneration). Researchers used mathematical tools to uncover two distinct mechanisms enabling this robustness. These mechanisms ensure reliable neuromodulation, even with variations in ion channels, offering insights into how the brain adapts its activity to internal and external signals.

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A new study found that a novel mRNA-based therapy that targets a protein called RUNX1 may be able to prevent blindness and scarring from proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), a disease caused by a traumatic eye injury or surgery like a retinal detachment repair that currently lacks effective treatments other than additional surgical procedures. Since RUNX1 is active in other diseases, the researchers also hope in the future to apply their mRNA technique to treat other retinal conditions like wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

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A study reveals that the effectiveness of brain stimulation on motor skills is determined by an individual's learning ability rather than age, highlighting the need for a more personalized approach to neurorehabilitation.

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A recent trial finds an injection given during some asthma and COPD attacks is more effective than the current treatment of steroid tablets, reducing the need for further treatment by 30%.

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A tiny, four-fingered 'hand' folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, researchers report. Dubbed the NanoGripper, the nanorobotic hand also could be programmed to interact with other viruses or to recognize cell surface markers for targeted drug delivery, such as for cancer treatment.

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Scientists create potential for genetic tools to control disease-spreading ticks.

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Increasing physical activity levels could extend your life up to 11 more years according to new research using accelometry data. The study found that for the least active people in the population, a single one-hour walk could return a benefit of six additional hours of life.

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Public health recommendations generally suggest drinking eight cups of water a day. And many people just assume it's healthy to drink plenty of water.

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Colorectal cancer screening is an effective tool for catching the disease early when it's most treatable, yet it is underutilized at federally qualified health centers (FQHC). A new study demonstrated that a targeted intervention that paired mailing at-home colorectal cancer screening kits with coordinated follow-up tripled screening completion rates compared to usual care at FQHCs.

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The biggest and most comprehensive analysis of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes shows they have significant benefits in people with and without diabetes.

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Short-term menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) did not have long-term cognitive effects when given to women in early postmenopause, according to a new study.

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Engineered proteins are critical industrial and medical applications, ranging from vaccine development to making crops or food proteins more resilient. Scientists can engineer proteins to improve upon nature, but such experiments are time- and labor-intensive. Researchers have developed an AI-based protein design tool known as EVOLVEPro, which is already showing promise for several applications and could be used to help solve other medical challenges.

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Researchers recently developed a new approach for identifying new cellular RNA targets of snoRNAs. They uncovered thousands of previously unknown targets for snoRNAs in human cells and mouse brain tissues, including many that serve functions other than guiding rRNA modifications.

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Researchers have developed a groundbreaking microscopy method that enables detailed three-dimensional (3D) RNA analysis at cellular resolution in whole intact mouse brains. The new method, called TRISCO, has the potential to transform our understanding of brain function, both in normal conditions and in disease, according to the new study.

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Historical policies shaping educational attainment have enduring benefits for later life memory and risk of dementia, according to a new study. The study compared the differences in years of education based on variations in state schooling mandates with cognitive performance outcomes in residents decades later.

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A new animal study shows that males and females have profoundly different sleep patterns. The findings shed light on what may drive differences in humans and have broad implications for preclinical research that, for decades, has focused primarily on males.

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Salk scientists have tracked the flow of trans fats using mouse models to describe the molecular mechanisms that cause trans fats to promote atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), explaining how industrially produced trans-unsaturated fatty acids in our food significantly promote ASCVD and encouraging lawmakers to impose regulations on the use of these fats in food. This new insight into the flow of fats through the body points to new therapeutic targets for mitigating diseases like ASCVD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and neurodegeneration.

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Experts have identified five elements of a brain-based condition that has emerged as a leading cause of vision impairment starting in childhood in the United States and other industrialized nations. Known as cerebral (or cortical) visual impairment (CVI), some estimates suggest that at least 3% of primary school children exhibit CVI-related visual problems, which vary, but may include difficulty visually searching for an object or person or understanding a scene involving complex motion.

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The Wistar Institute and the University of Buea in Cameroon has uncovered the mechanisms for a medicinal plant with anti-HIV potential in Croton oligandrus Pierre & Hutch, a species of African tree that has been used in traditional healing in Cameroon to treat a variety of diseases and conditions including cancers and diabetes.

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New research found confined and isolating environments changed the way people smelled and responded emotionally to certain food aromas. The team in this study compared 44 people's emotional responses and perception of eight food aromas in two environmental scenarios: sitting in reclined chairs that mimic astronauts' posture in microgravity; and then in the confined setting of the International Space Station (ISS), which was simulated for participants with virtual reality goggles. The research builds on previous work by the team and aims to help explain why astronauts report meals taste different in space and struggle to eat their normal nutritional intake over long missions, which has been reported in the news recently.

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When pain signals are passed along the nervous system, proteins called calcium channels play a key role. Researchers have now pinpointed the exact location of a specific calcium channel fine-tuning the strength of pain signals. This knowledge can be used to develop drugs for chronic pain that are more effective and have fewer side effects.

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Researchers have used machine learning and supercomputer simulations to investigate how tiny gold nanoparticles bind to blood proteins. The studies discovered that favorable nanoparticle-protein interactions can be predicted from machine learning models that are trained from atom-scale molecular dynamics simulations. The new methodology opens ways to simulate efficacy of gold nanoparticles as targeted drug delivery systems in precision nanomedicine.

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In what could one day become a new treatment for epilepsy, researchers have used pulses of light to prevent seizure-like activity in neurons.

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A randomized, phase 2 clinical trial shows that adding high-dose, intravenous (IV) vitamin C to chemotherapy doubles the overall survival of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from eight months to 16 months. The finding adds to mounting evidence of the benefits of high-dose, IV vitamin C in treating cancer.

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It turns out gaming is good for you! New research indicates massive multiplayer online gamers learn by gaming and their skills in the workplace are enriched by those seemingly endless hours previously thought of as frittering away time.

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Clinical visits by patients suffering ocular surface eye conditions more than doubled during times when ambient particulate matter from air pollution was in the atmosphere, signaling a possible association between climate change and ocular health, according to a new study.

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To stem the surging antibiotic resistance public health crisis, scientists seek solutions inside the mechanics of bacterial infection. A new study has found a vulnerability related to magnesium availability. This limitation potentially could be exploited to stop the spread of antibiotic resistance.

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A new study shows that the past 30 years of globalization have brought fundamental shifts in some aspects of family interaction among Indigenous people in Guatemala. But families have still maintained a unique level of harmony in their interactions.

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A new study has revealed that the shape of the heart is influenced in part by genetics and may help predict the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

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A new drug strategy that regulates the tumor immune microenvironment may transform a tumor that resists immunotherapy into a susceptible one, according to a new study.

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New findings uncover an alarming rise in depression rates among all higher education students in the United States, but especially among sexual and gender minorities.

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By exploiting the genetic variation in cancer cells, an already approved cancer drug demonstrated enhanced effects against cancer cells in specific patient groups, according to a new study. The findings suggest a potential for more individually tailored and more effective cancer therapies.

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A recent study shows that switching to an opt-out organ donation policy, where all adults are presumed organ donors unless they explicitly opt out, does not increase donations from deceased donors.

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Many bacterial-linked illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease or colorectal cancer, are associated with an overgrowth of gut bacteria thought to be bad actors. But when researchers used a machine learning algorithm to predict the density of microbes -- called microbial load, from their gut microbiomes, they found that changes in microbial load, rather than the disease, could be a driver behind the presence of disease-associated microbial species.

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Scientists detect a heightened 'threat vigilance' reaction in adolescents after a few hours of isolation, which socializing online doesn't appear to ameliorate. They say the findings might shed light on the link between loneliness and mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, which are on the rise in young people.

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Addition of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to standard of care for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma of the limb significantly improved disease-free survival, according to the results of the SU2C-SARC032 clinical trial.

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A new study has found frailty increases a person's risk of dementia, but early intervention may be the key to prevention.

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The potential of using compassion as a tool in elite sport is high, both for the individual athlete and in terms of sporting results, a study involving high-performance coaches shows.

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One of the first studies to investigate the prevalence of unrecognized cognitive impairment among patients seen at Federally Qualified Health Centers, has found that it is ubiquitous, especially among minoritized older adults. These facilities provide primary care and preventive services regardless of ability to pay or health insurance status to more than 30 million patients, including a growing number of older adults.

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Scientists believe individuals of the most recently discovered 'hominin' group (the Denisovans) that interbred with modern day humans passed on some of their genes via multiple, distinct interbreeding events that helped shape early human history. Scientists outline evidence suggesting that several Denisovan populations, who likely had an extensive geographical range from Siberia to Southeast Asia and from Oceania to South America, were adapted to distinct environments. They further outline a number of genes of Denisovan origin that gave modern day humans advantages in their different environments.

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In a study that identified male chromosome genetic material in the intestines of female patients undergoing fecal transplants, researchers say they have significantly expanded scientific understanding of how some of these transplants may succeed and work.

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Children too young to know words like 'impossible' and 'improbable' nonetheless understand how possibility works, finds new work with two- and three-year-olds. The findings demonstrate that young children distinguish between improbable and impossible events, and learn significantly better after 'impossible' occurrences.

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Researchers have uncovered new targets that could be the key to effectively treating glioblastoma, a lethal type of brain cancer. These targets were identified through a screen for genetic vulnerabilities in patient-derived cancer stem cells that represent the variability found in tumors.

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Being a scientist has its challenges. Knowing how to communicate your scientific research in a socially responsible manner can be even more difficult. Thankfully, researchers have identified some of the trade-offs and communication strategies that environmental health scientists can use to communicate more effectively.

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Researchers used an electrophysiological computer model of the heart's electrical circuits to examine the effect of the applied voltage field in multiple fibrillation-defibrillation scenarios. They discovered far less energy is needed than is currently used in state-of-the-art defibrillation techniques. The authors applied an adjoint optimization method and discovered adjusting the duration and the smooth variation in time of the voltage supplied by defibrillation devices is a more efficient mechanism that reduces the energy needed to stop fibrillation by three orders of magnitude.

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Researchers employed analysis tools and machine learning algorithms to identify two genes linked to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis that could serve as diagnostic tools and potential targets for treatments. Drawing from a large database of genetic information, they gathered dozens of sequenced genomes from people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis to look for any similarities, using recently developed computational methods to narrow down their search. They identified genes ATXN2L and MMP14 as significantly associated with the progression of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.

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Scientists have long suspected the keto diet might be able to calm an overactive immune system and help some people with diseases like multiple sclerosis. Now, they have reason to believe it could be true. Scientists have discovered that the diet makes the gut and its microbes produce two factors that attenuated symptoms of MS in mice.

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Expanded protocols promote early detection in high-risk patients and prevent hospital outbreaks of Candida auris.

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A concerning increase in global rates of severe invasive infections becoming resistant to key antibiotics has a team of infectious disease researchers studying a recently emerged strain of bacteria called Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis. These infections range in severity from strep throat to flesh-eating disease.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) can provide same-day assessments of antimicrobial resistance for patients in intensive care -- critical to preventing life-threatening sepsis.

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Patients with Huntington's disease have a genetic mutation that triggers proteins to misfold and clump together in the brain. These clumps interfere with cell function and eventually lead to cell death. The new treatment leverages peptide-brush polymers, which act as a shield to prevent proteins from binding to one another. In studies in mice, the treatment successfully rescued neurons to reverse symptoms.

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A team has developed a large-scale drug screening technique that can track target molecule behavior within cells. The researchers verified their technique by testing the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a known target for cancer drugs. Their drug screening resulted in the identification of the known drugs, as well as others that were not previously known to affect EGFR. This new method can potentially help develop new drugs and repurpose existing drugs.

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Scientists have developed a new method of genetic analysis, which extracts more precise data than previously used methods when looking at DNA, and will improve our understanding of the genetic basis of rare and complex diseases. The findings explain a new method of analyzing genetics, which determines the extent to which genes are involved in phenotype formation. The previously used method extracted information using averages from different datasets, meaning that it had limitations in terms of the type of information it could provide, and what scientists could learn from it.

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People with stronger autistic trails showed distinct exploration patterns and higher levels of persistence in a computer game, ultimately resulting in better performance than people with lower scores of autistic traits, according to a new study.

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With its emphasis on opioid overdose prevention, the first guideline for primary care providers from the American Academy of Pediatrics on prescribing opioids for acute pain in children and adolescents extends beyond responsible pain management.

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A new study of human skeletal remains from the wreck of the 16th century English warship Mary Rose suggests that whether a person is right- versus left-handed may influence how their clavicle bone chemistry changes as they age.

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An important new study has demonstrated that a combination therapy can slow cognitive decline in older adults at risk for dementia.

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Medical scientists involved in a large international study have identified new signs of kidney transplant rejection that could lead to more precise diagnosis and treatment for transplant recipients. The research examined more than 16,000 kidney transplant biopsies and found that certain results previously thought to be of questionable significance actually indicate an increased risk of transplant failure.

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Researches made major strides toward the creation of artificial kidney tissue by demonstrating an undiscovered mechanism behind kidney development and a novel technique for culturing kidney cells, both of which could ultimately reduce the need for both dialysis and transplantation.

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Propofol is used in the operating room to induce anesthesia. To maintain anesthesia, a continuous infusion of the agent via a separate syringe pump is the standard procedure for total intravenous anesthesia. However, this is not entirely sustainable: propofol produces about 45 percent of the drug waste in the operating room, and a quarter of the agent remains unused. Researchers have now shown that an alternative method reduces the amount of waste.

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An ancient gene mutation among First Nations inhabitants of Oceania may make them more susceptible to infectious diseases like influenza, according to a new study.

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Researchers have identified a key biochemical mechanism relevant to the development of Huntington's Disease. This discovery opens up the possibility of studying the disease before its clinical onset and eventually stopping its progression.

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Researchers have developed a miniature soft lithium-ion battery that could be used as a defibrillator to control heart rhythm during surgery. The flexible lithium-ion battery is constructed by assembling biocompatible hydrogel droplets. The state-of-the-art device is the smallest soft lithium-ion battery with the highest energy density. The research opens the way to developing tiny bio-integrated devices, with a range of applications in robotics, biology, and medicine.

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Researchers have elucidated the role of the p53 gene in ulcerative colitis. The study suggests a potential new drug target to stop disease progression to cancer.

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A new analysis shows that political polarization also poses significant health risks -- by obstructing the implementation of legislation and policies aimed at keeping Americans healthy, by discouraging individual action to address health needs, such as getting a flu shot, and by boosting the spread of misinformation that can reduce trust in health professionals.

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Elite ice hockey players with a history of concussion report heightened mental health symptoms, according to a new study.

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Researchers have successfully developed an ultra-sensitive pressure sensor for electronic skin modeled after the nervous system in the human brain. This technology is applicable to future devices, including AI-based digital healthcare devices, and is expected to be utilized across various fields, such as transparent displays and wearable devices, due to its transparency and physical flexibility.

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A new study reveals that setting reminders can eliminate some age-related declines in memory. The findings offer a significant breakthrough in addressing the cognitive challenges faced by older adults, particularly in the context of prospective memory, which is the ability to remember to perform an intended action at the right moment, like taking medication or attending appointments.

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A new paper explains why there needs to be a shift in cannabis policies to a public health approach as opposed to the prevailing, more punitive approach that pushes abstinence instead of public education. With cannabis now legal to some extent in most U.S. states, the authors say the case for such a shift is all the more urgent.

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Workplace bullying poses a serious threat to employees' health and well-being. A study sheds new light on the impact of social relationships on workplace bullying. Focusing on the dynamics of social relationships, the study shows how workplace culture, interaction and social relationships play a role in bullying.

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While artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as home assistants, search engines or large language models like ChatGPT, may seem nearly omniscient, their outputs are only as good as the data on which they are trained. However, ease of use often leads users to adopt AI systems without understanding what training data was used or who prepared the data, including potential biases in the data or held by trainers. A new study suggests that making this information available could shape appropriate expectations of AI systems and further help users make more informed decisions about whether and how to use these systems.

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SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can counteract a cell's innate defense mechanism against viruses, explaining why it is more infectious than the previous SARS and MERS-causing viruses. The discovery may point the way to the development of more effective drugs against this and possibly similar, future diseases.

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A device that delivers direct stimulation to the brain was found to be a safe and effective means of treating depression at home, according to a new study.

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New research quantified the association between loneliness and dementia by analyzing data from more than 600,000 people around the world. The meta-analysis of 21 longitudinal studies showed that experiencing feelings of loneliness increased the risk of developing dementia by 31%.

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A new PET scan reliably detects benign tumors in the pancreas, according to new research. Current scans often fail to detect these insulinomas, even though they cause symptoms due to low blood sugar levels. Once the tumor is found, surgery is possible.

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U.S. babies died at a higher rate in the months following the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision, and infant mortality was highest among those born with chromosomal or genetic abnormalities, new research has found. The findings mirror previous research analyzing the experience in Texas after a ban on abortions in early pregnancy and illuminate the consequences of restricting access to abortion care, said researchers who conducted the national analysis.

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Researchers created a liquid gel that quickly transforms into a spongelike antimicrobial foam to stymie severe bleeding and ultimately preserve lives.

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Research provides evidence that a drug used to slow the progression of the disease ALS shows promise in suppressing the self-renewing cancerous stem cells that challenge the present standards of care for these lethal grade 4 brain tumours.

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How do complex mixtures of chemicals affect our health? New research has shown that chemicals that occur in complex mixtures and in concentration ratios as found in humans act together. Even if the concentrations of the individual substances were each below the effect threshold, the chemicals in the mixture showed a cumulative neurotoxic effect.

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For people with ischemic stroke, treatment with the clot-busting drug tenecteplase is associated with a slightly higher likelihood of an excellent recovery and reduced disability three months later than the drug alteplase, according to a meta-analysis. Researchers found that the likelihood of good recovery was similar between the two treatments.

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