Health & Fitness

Researchers have found a way to better control the preclinical generation of key neurons depleted in Parkinson's disease, pointing toward a new approach for a disease with no cure and few effective treatments.

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Researchers have discovered over a hundred new regions of the human genome, also known as genomic loci, that appear to influence a person's blood pressure. In total, over 2,000 independent genetic signals for blood pressure are now reported, demonstrating that blood pressure is a highly complex trait influenced by thousands of different genetic variants.

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The first study of the use of microarray patches to vaccinate children has shown that the method is safe and induces strong immune responses. The phase 1/2 randomized trial compared results from the measles and rubella vaccine delivered by a microarray patch, a small sticking plaster-like device with an array of microscopic projections that painlessly penetrate the skin and deliver the vaccine, or by conventional injection with a needle and syringe.

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A new study examining the role of aspirin in breast cancer treatment reveals critical issues related to health equity and aging that have broad implications for cancer and other disease intervention trials, say researchers.

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For most human proteins, there are no small molecules known to bind them chemically (so called 'ligands'). Ligands frequently represent important starting points for drug development but this knowledge gap critically hampers the development of novel medicines. Researchers at CeMM, in a collaboration with Pfizer, have now leveraged and scaled a method to measure the binding activity of hundreds of small molecules against thousands of human proteins. This large-scale study revealed tens of thousands of ligand-protein interactions that can now be explored for the development of chemical tools and therapeutics. Moreover, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, it allows unbiased predictions of how small molecules interact with all proteins present in living human cells. These groundbreaking results have been published in the journal Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.adk5864), and all generated data and models are freely available for the scientific community.

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Researchers have found a protein that is responsible for turning off brown fat activity. This new discovery could lead to a promising strategy for safely activating brown fat and tackling obesity and related health problems.

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Researchers have discovered in a preclinical model that cytokines, proteins that control immune response, circulating in maternal blood during pregnancy may mitigate an offspring's risk for psychiatric conditions. The findings are surprising because circulating maternal cytokines are at such low levels that they were not implicated in fetal brain development and offspring behavior before.

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A collaborative research team has successfully developed a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) device that executes brain-like information processing through few-molecule reservoir computing. This innovation utilizes the molecular vibrations of a select number of organic molecules. By applying this device for the blood glucose level prediction in patients with diabetes, it has significantly outperformed existing AI devices in terms of prediction accuracy.

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Scientists discovered a novel signaling pathway in liver cells, leading to a treatment for fibrosis.

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Physical activity in natural environments prevent almost 13,000 cases of non-communicable diseases a year in England and save treatment costs of more than 100 million, new research has found.

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Uveitis is a rare inflammatory eye disease. Posterior and panuveitis in particular are associated with a poor prognosis and a protracted course of the disease. Diagnosis and monitoring can be challenging for healthcare professionals. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a fast and non-invasive imaging technique that supports this. Researchers have drafted a review on how FAF can facilitate the diagnosis and monitoring of posterior uveitis and panuveitis.

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A new study found certain genetic variants could help explain how long-term pesticide exposure could increase the risk of Parkinson's disease.

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New research has highlighted the profound link between dietary choices and brain health.

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As a malignant disease of the liver cells, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths. While the treatment options for this aggressive type of cancer remain limited, the incidence is increasing. A research team has now described a molecular signalling pathway that plays a key role in the development of liver cancer, thereby identifying a potential new starting point for the development of therapeutic treatments.

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Researchers have developed a new tool to better understand how chemicals like dopamine and epinephrine interact with neurons.

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The enzyme PI3K plays a critical role in cell migration. Scientists have long understood this function. But researchers have recently unveiled that a subunit of this enzyme also has the ability to slam on the breaks to this process.

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In a scientific breakthrough, researchers have revealed the biological mechanisms by which a family of proteins known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) activate immune system cells linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases.

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Researchers have developed a method to determine how reliably target proteins can be labeled using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

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Some pathogens hide inside human cells to enhance their survival. Researchers have uncovered a unique tactic certain bacteria use to spread in the body without being detected by the immune system. In their study, they reveal the crucial role of a bacterial nanomachine in this infection process.

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Plant-derived nanoparticles have demonstrated significant anticancer effects. Researchers recently developed rice bran-derived nanoparticles (rbNPs) that efficiently suppressed cell proliferation and induced programmed cell death of only cancer cells. Furthermore, rbNPs successfully suppressed the growth of tumors in mice having aggressive adenocarcinoma in their peritoneal cavity, without any adverse effects. Given their low production costs and high efficacy, rbNPs hold great promise for developing affordable and safe anticancer agents.

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Primary health care, conditional cash transfers and social pensions have prevented 1.4 million deaths of all ages in Brazil over the past two decades, according to a new study. If expanded, these programs could avert an additional 1.3 million deaths and 6.6 million hospitalizations by 2030.

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Blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus) is a plant in the family Asteraceae. For centuries, it has been used as a medicinal herb as an extract or tea, e.g. to aid the digestive system. Researchers have now found a completely novel use for Cnicin. Animal models as well as human cells have shown that Cnicin significantly accelerates axon (nerve fibers) growth.

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Researchers explore a cancer immunotherapy treatment that involves activating the immune cells in the body and reprogramming them to attack and destroy cancer cells. This therapeutic method frequently uses cytokines, small protein molecules that act as intercellular biochemical messengers and are released by the body's immune cells to coordinate their response.

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Researchers have revealed the regulatory mechanism of a specific protein, TRBP, that plays a key role in balancing the immune response triggered by viral infections in mammal cells. These findings could help drive the development of antiviral therapies and nucleic acid medicines to treat genetic disorders.

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When epileptic patients suffer seizures, their brain is undergoing repetitive and excessive neuronal firing. But what triggers this has stumped scientists for years. Now, researchers have used fluorescence calcium sensors to track astrocytes' role in epileptic seizures, finding that that astrocyte activity starts approximately 20 seconds before the onset of epileptic neuronal hyperactivity.

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Dietary treatment is more effective than medications in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). With dietary adjustments, more than seven out of ten patients had significantly reduced symptoms.

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The annual influenza vaccine has become less effective on average over time. One reason may be reduced vaccine efficacy in people with obesity than those with a healthier body mass index (BMI), while the number of people with high BMI grows. Findings showed switching mice to a healthy diet four weeks before influenza vaccination protected 100% from a later flu exposure, despite still having a high BMI.

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Although there are still some aspects pending confirmation for its use in the clinical setting, and its resolution needs to be improved slightly, a study has shown that a method routinely used to carry out ophthalmological tests can also be used to monitor the neurodegeneration that occurs in Parkinson's patients. In the course of the research it was found that the neurodegeneration of the retina probably precedes cognitive impairment.

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The first health impact study of coal train pollution centers on the San Francisco Bay Area, with scientists finding communities near passing coal trains suffer worse health outcomes.

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In posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intrusive thoughts, changes in mood, and other symptoms after exposure to trauma can greatly impact a person's quality of life. About 6 percent of people who experience trauma develop the disorder, but scientists don't yet understand the neurobiology underlying PTSD. Now, a new genetic study of more than 1.2 million people has pinpointed 95 loci, or locations in the genome, that are associated with risk of developing PTSD, including 80 that had not been previously identified.

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Monitoring and treating a case of multiple sclerosis requires reliable and long-term data on how the disease is progressing in the person in question. Fitness trackers and smartphones can supply this data, as a research team has now shown.

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A study has found that the AI model GPT-4 significantly exceeds the ability of non-specialist doctors to assess eye problems and provide advice.

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Researchers have identified a variant in the gene TBX1 as key in the development of the unique morphology at the base of the skull. TBX1 is present at higher levels in humans than in closely related hominins. Low TBX1 also occurs in certain genetic conditions causing altered skull base morphology. This study provides a greater understanding of human disease and evolution.

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More than five million central lines are placed in patients who need prolonged drug delivery, such as those undergoing cancer treatments, in the United States every year, yet the common procedure can lead to a bevy of complications in almost a million of those cases. Researchers developed a robotic simulation training program to provide trainee physicians with more practice on the procedure. A year after deploying the program the team found that all complication types -- mechanical issues, infections and blood clots -- were significantly lower.

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Researchers have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging.

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Investigators have discovered how brain cells responsible for working memory--the type required to remember a phone number long enough to dial it--coordinate intentional focus and short-term storage of information.

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New research has found that spaces with a diverse range of natural features are associated with stronger improvements in our mental wellbeing compared to spaces with less natural diversity.

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Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery regarding number sense in animals by confirming the existence of discrete number sense in rats, offering a crucial animal model for investigating the neural basis of numerical ability and disability in humans.

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A third of the nearly 20 million women who participated in a national health survey reports migraines during menstruation, and of them, 11.8 million, or 52.5%, were premenopausal.

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Innovative carbon beads reduce bad bacteria and inflammation in animal models, which are linked to liver cirrhosis and other serious health issues.

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Although lung cancer is traditionally thought of as a 'smoker's disease,' a surprising 15-20% of newly diagnosed lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked, many of whom are in their 40s or 50s.

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Most disease-causing bacteria are known for their speed: In mere minutes, they can double their population, quickly making a person sick. But just as dangerous as this rapid growth can be a bacterium's resting state, which helps the pathogen evade antibiotics and contributes to severe chronic infections in the lungs and blood, within wounds, and on the surfaces of medical devices. Now, scientists have discovered how long chains of molecules called polyphosphates (polyP) are needed for bacteria to slow down movements within cells and let them enter this resting state.

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Researchers have identified a suite of genes explaining the disconnect between diagnosis and symptom.

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Childhood maltreatment can continue to have an impact long into adulthood because of how it effects an individual's risk of poor physical health and traumatic experiences many years later, a new study has found.

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Health researchers identify patients at risk for preventable death in the year after pregnancy.

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People who use willpower to overcome temptations and achieve their goals are perceived as more trustworthy than those who use strategies that involve external incentives or deterrents -- such as swear jars or internet-blocking apps -- according to new research.

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Researchers have developed a technique to connect lab-grown neural 'organoids' (three-dimensional developmental brain-like structures grown from human stem cells) using axonal bundles, similar to the connections between regions in the human brain. This technique allows brain networks to be better represented experimentally in the lab, and will improve understanding and studies of network-related brain disorders.

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In a new breakthrough that could revolutionise medical and material engineering, scientists have developed a first-of-its-kind molecular device that controls the release of multiple small molecules using force.

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Researchers have compiled a detailed catalogue of bacteria living in cancer metastases. Having analyzed over 4000 tumors, they shed light on the diversity of these co-inhabitants and how they might interact with cancer cells and their surroundings. For example, certain bacteria were linked to a worse response to immunotherapy. This study paves the way to a better understanding of how bacteria help or hinder cancer (therapy), and how we can use this for patients' advantage.

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Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for around 90% of esophageal cancers, especially in East Asia. New findings in indicate that periostin, or POSTN, promotes ESCC progression by enhancing cancer and stromal cell migration in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Therefore, it may be a novel therapeutic target for treating ESCC.

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Researchers use network analysis to study whether it can reveal the subtle changes associated with subjective cognitive decline that cannot otherwise be detected through standard test analyses. By running a statistical analysis of data merged from two large Canadian data sets, the researchers were able to visualize the strength of relationships between the nodes among people who are classified as cognitively normal (CN), or who have diagnoses of subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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Researchers have identified new variations in neuroblastoma that could lead to a more accurate prognosis and better-targeted treatments for this devastating childhood cancer. A study reveals three new subgroups of the most common type of neuroblastoma, each with different genetic traits, expected outcomes, and distinguishing features that offer clues as to which treatments may be most effective.

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Researchers found that when the adult talked and played socially with a 5-month-old baby, the baby's brain activity particularly increased in regions responsible for attention -- and the level of this type of activity predicted enhanced language development at later ages.

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Half of all patients discharged from hospital after a heart attack are treated with beta-blockers unnecessarily, new study suggests.

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Trial findings suggest that the less invasive approach to heart bypass surgery offers comparable safety and efficacy to established methods and that safety issues inherent to invasive catheterisation investigation can be replaced by a non-invasive technique using CT scan imaging and AI-powered blood flow analysis.

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Scientists report that a progressive neurodegenerative disease can be triggered by a viral infection. The mechanism relates to mitochondrial roles in antiviral defense mechanisms.

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Researchers have connected KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer to microbial signatures in the gut.

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Researchers have made a breakthrough into how two chronic respiratory diseases in childhood affect the immune system, paving the way for better treatments.

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Researchers 3D printed a miniature ionizer, a key component of a mass spectrometer. Their device could someday enable an affordable, in-home mass spectrometer for health monitoring.

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Researchers describe a new technique for the minimally invasive removal of benign tumors located in the challenging posterior head of the pancreas (right side of abdomen, nestled in the curve of the duodenum (or first part of the small intestine). The technique, called the retro-laparoscopic approach, allows surgeons to safely and effectively remove these tumors without removing healthy pancreatic tissue, thereby preserving organ functionality.

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In old age, a tighter interlinkage between different domains of functional capacity may indicate a loss of system resilience. When functional capacity domains are tightly interconnected, a disruption in one domain can affect others and lead to a collapse in functioning. It is therefore important to look at functioning as a whole and to take care of the different aspects of physical and mental well-being.

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Research into the protective effects of two anti-inflammatory molecules, transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF 1) and Heligmosomoides polygyrus TGM (HpTGM), following heart attack found that both proteins reduced the inflammatory response within the injured heart and reduced mature scarring. Anti-inflammatory therapy to treat patients following acute myocardial infarction is an exciting prospect that deserves further translational studies, report investigators.

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Researchers have succeeded in correcting a gene defect that causes a hereditary liver disease and its adverse effects on cells.

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A new study reveals how large language models (LLMs) respond to different motivational states. In their evaluation of three LLM-based generative conversational agents (GAs)--ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Llama 2, scientists found that while GAs are able to identify users' motivation states and provide relevant information when individuals have established goals, they are less likely to provide guidance when the users are hesitant or ambivalent about changing their behavior.

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Chemical biologists design an early 'proof-of-concept' vaccine that could lead to the first effective treatment of xylazine overdose in people.

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A new study is among the first of its kind to separate activity relating to emotion generation from emotion regulation in the human brain. The findings provide new insights that could help inform therapeutic treatments regarding mental health and drug addiction.

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A group of researchers is calling on colleagues around the world to join them in what they call 'pathogen prospecting' by tracking down archival specimens of mosquitoes in museums and other collections to examine them for pathogens that would have infected people with malaria while feeding on their blood.

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Infant gut microbiomes oscillate with a circadian rhythm, even when they are cultivated outside of the body. Researchers report that the rhythm is detectable as early as 2 weeks after birth but becomes more pronounced with age. The finding comes from a randomized controlled trial that also showed that diet has less impact on the development and composition of the infant microbiome than previously thought.

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Using state-of-the-art tissue engineering techniques and a 3D printer, researchers have assembled a replica of an adult human ear that looks and feels natural. The study offers the promise of grafts with well-defined anatomy and the correct biomechanical properties for those who are born with a congenital malformation or who lose an ear later in life.

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A small clinical trial found that the metabolic effects of a ketogenic diet may help stabilize the brain.

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Engineers have created a brain-computer interface that doesn't require calibration for each user, paving the way for widespread clinical applicability.

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ChatGPT-4, an artificial intelligence program designed to understand and generate human-like text, outperformed internal medicine residents and attending physicians at two academic medical centers at processing medical data and demonstrating clinical reasoning.

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Replacing sugar with artificial and natural sweeteners in foods does not make people hungrier -- and also helps to reduce blood sugar levels, a significant new study has found. The double blind randomized controlled trial found that consuming food containing sweeteners produced a similar reduction in appetite sensations and appetite-related hormone responses as sugary foods -- and provides some benefits such as lowering blood sugar, which may be particularly important in people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The use of sweeteners in place of sugar in foods can be controversial due to conflicting reports about their potential to increase appetite. Previous studies have been carried out but did not provide robust evidence. However, the researchers say their study, which meets the gold standard level of proof in scientific investigation, provides very strong evidence that sweeteners and sweetness enhancers do not negatively impact appetite and are beneficial for reducing sugar intake.

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