Health & Fitness

Microscopic plastic pollutants drifting through the air are lodging in the lungs of birds, a new study finds. Researchers worldwide are increasingly alarmed by how pervasive these harmful particles are in the air humans breathe and the food they eat.

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Researchers found that peristaltic pump flow mechanically breaks supersaturation to induce amyloid formation by hen egg white lysozyme, a-synuclein, amyloid b 1-40, and b2-microglobulin. The high shear stresses induced by peristaltic flow likely reflect those that occur the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting that this factor could promote amyloidosis.

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The ability to make the connection between an event and its consequences -- experts use the term associative learning -- is a crucial skill for adapting to the environment. It has a huge impact on our mental health. A study shows that children of primary school age demonstrate the highest learning performance in this area. The results pave the way for a fresh perspective on associative learning disorders, which are linked to the development of mental illness later in life.

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A new study of more than 2,900 patients provides evidence that it's likely best to use as little corticosteroid medicine as possible when treating people who have lupus pericarditis, a common heart complication of the autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

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Scientists have identified a potential new strategy for treating glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer, by reprogramming aggressive cancer cells into harmless ones.

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New findings could help make immunotherapies for brain cancer more effective. The team analyzed almost 200,000 individual immune cells in tumor samples taken from patients with glioma, the most common and aggressive type of primary brain cancer. The researchers describe four gene expression 'programs' -- sets of genes with coordinated activity -- that either suppress the immune system or make it more active. Defining and understanding what drives these programs could one day help researchers target them with new drugs to dial up or down specific parts of the immune system to improve patient response to immunotherapy.

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Imagine a future where the grip of cocaine use disorder can be loosened, where cravings fade, and the risk of relapse diminishes. A new study brings this vision closer to reality. The research has identified a critical brain circuit that plays a pivotal role in regulating cocaine-seeking behavior.

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Our organs age at different rates, and a blood test determining how much they've each aged could predict the risk of conditions like lung cancer and heart disease decades later, finds a new study.

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Researchers have found that specific gut cells, BEST4/CA7+ cells, regulate electrolyte and water balance in response to bacterial toxins that cause diarrhea. Their findings show that these cells greatly increase in number when exposed to the cytokine interferon- (IFN ), presenting a promising target for therapeutic strategies.

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Hormones may be leveraged to treat and prevent signs of aging such as wrinkles and hair graying, according to a new study.

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Making enemies isn't random. Traits like emotional instability, aggression, and disruptive behavior early in life can lead to antagonistic relationships. Research on students aged 9-14 found that negative behaviors, such as lack of empathy, increase the likelihood of mutual antagonisms, a pattern seen across genders and school levels. Emotionally struggling students were 35% more likely to develop enemies, showing that how we manage emotions and interact with others early on can have lasting social and emotional effects.

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A new study suggests that Neanderthals experienced a dramatic loss of genetic variation during the course of their evolution, foreshadowing their eventual extinction. Examination of semicircular canals of ear shows Neanderthals experienced 'bottleneck' event where physical and genetic variation was lost.

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A research team has found that telemedicine may help to reduce the use of low-value tests.

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Researchers developed a low-cost, scalable terahertz amplifier that could be used to make antenna arrays that can steer and focus high-frequency terahertz waves, for applications like high-resolution radar, high-speed communications, and medical imaging.

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Human evolution has revolved around food, from identifying and foraging for it to growing and preparing it. Researchers have identified a region in the brain's visual cortex that responds to food and have developed a theoretical framework that could explain the origins of this selectivity. The team outlines how visual and nonvisual signals contribute to the brain's cortical responses when people were shown images of food. Researchers also found that images of food in context elicited additional responses in the brain, as compared to images without context. One explanation for this finding is that seeing these objects in their natural context might invoke the varied experiences of interacting with food or other information related to identifying food as just that: food. For example, signals that could influence food selectivity in the visual cortex include color, social cues or the motor actions of eating.

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A new study analyzes the disease burden and the risk factors for severity among people who suffer from a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Researchers say the condition occurs in people who are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to repeated trips to the hospital.

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A new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health has shown that a range of environmental factors, including lifestyle (smoking and physical activity), and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes.

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AI is reshaping workplaces, particularly in retail. Researchers explored how AI service quality impacts retail employees' innovation, job fit, and satisfaction. Findings show when employees perceive AI as reliable and empathetic, they are more likely to engage in innovative behavior. AI's adaptability also plays a crucial role in enhancing service quality. While reliability strongly supports innovation, transparency and responsiveness had less influence than expected. Empathy in AI systems was found to have a significant positive effect on employee innovation, creating a more engaging work environment. The study underscores AI's potential to drive service innovation in retail.

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Very early exposure to even a very small dose of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in infant mice can lead to cognitive decline later in life, according to new findings. This is significant because of emerging data in human studies showing an association between HSV and Alzheimer's disease in humans.

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Two seemingly opposite spiritual practices -- Buddhist jhana meditation and the Christian practice of speaking in tongues -- have more in common than previously thought, a new study suggests. While one is quiet and deeply focused, and the other emotionally charged and expressive, both appear to harness the same cognitive feedback loop to create profound states of joy and surrender.

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How much does the evolution of human speech owe to one amino acid?

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Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the worst prognosis cancer globally, with just 13% of patients who are diagnosed with PC surviving for 5 years or more after initial diagnosis. Early detection of PC is the primary concern of most PC research, as it has the potential to make a substantial difference to the treatment and survival of patients. Survival rates, however, remain poor due to the vague nature of the symptoms associated with early-stage PC, and subsequently the late-stage of the disease at diagnosis. Now researchers are focusing on pancreatic cystic lesions to tackle the crucial issue of identifying patients who are at high-risk of developing pancreatic cancer, to improve survival rates.

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New research adds evidence that learning a successful strategy for approaching a task doesn't prevent further exploration, even if it reduces performance.

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In a study measuring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and satellite-based air pollution data, newborns exposed to higher levels of NO2 have a 30-35% higher risk of NICU admission and an 11-22% increased risk associated with PM2.5.

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Aging is a privilege, but it also brings risks -- including an increased likelihood of developing age-related diseases including cancer. Researchers have now created a landmark atlas of how healthy breast tissue ages, revealing key cellular, molecular, and genetic changes that may tip the balance toward breast cancer development.

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Researchers developed a new gene-editing strategy that dramatically boosts the effectiveness of gene therapies in the liver, a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for about 700 genetic disorders in this vital organ as well as in other organs and tissues.

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Study participants who went on an IgG-based elimination diet--based on a novel blood test--experienced less abdominal pain than those on a sham diet.

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Using a new technology and computational method, researchers have uncovered a biomarker capable of accurately predicting outcomes in meningioma brain tumors and breast cancers.

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Scientists have uncovered the equipment that enables bacteria to survive exposure to antibiotics: a shuttling mechanism that helps a complex of proteins pump out a wide spectrum of antibiotics along with other physiological substrates from the cell.

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A study reveals that traumatic brain injury alters the small vessels in the brain, resulting in an accumulation of amyloid beta -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The findings suggest that vascular dysfunction could be an early driver in neurodegenerative disorders rather than being caused by neuronal damage.

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Researchers have systematically detailed, step by step, how cognitive maps form in the brain's hippocampus -- a region responsible for learning and memory.

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Researchers have discovered a new type of neuron that plays a fundamental role in recognition memory -- how the brain registers the difference between new and familiar objects and forms long-term memories. The new cell type, called ovoid cells, are found in the hippocampus of mice, humans and other mammals. Discovering the neuron provides key insights into how memories form and into treatment of brain conditions related to object-recognition like Alzheimer's disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder and epilepsy.

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Scientists have developed new light-sensitive chemicals that can radically improve the treatment of aggressive cancers with minimal side effects. In mouse tests, the new therapy completely eradicated metastatic breast cancer tumors.

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Researchers find that tiny plastic particles increase the absorption of environmental arsenic and pesticides in lettuce and human intestinal cells, raising new safety concerns about plastic pollution.

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Answer seven questions and get an indication of how your relationship is right now. Just in time for Valentine's Day, researchers are publishing a new study that introduces a scientifically validated scale, the 'Valentine's Scale'. The scale measures how satisfied you are in your love relationship.

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Scientists have discovered that some tiny segments of RNA thought to be junk instead have a functional role in suppressing production of certain messenger RNAs and appear to help cells respond to oxidative stress.

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Researchers describe successful tumor removal through the use of immunotherapy and targeted radiation therapy (TARE), in a patient previously considered ineligible for the procedure.

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Rapid weight loss affects muscle mass and can increase the risk of osteoporosis. But now there is good news for people taking weight loss medication who may be at risk. A new study indicates that the drug bimagrumab can counteract the side effects.

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A study sheds light on how networks in the brain detect new information, offering insight into disorders like schizophrenia.

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Findings suggest a safe, inexpensive, and effective pathway for allergists to treat children who already tolerate at least half a peanut.

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To evaluate the effectiveness of public video campaigns against risky alcohol consumption, psychologists used EEG measurements to examine the synchronization of brain activity in groups of viewers. In a recent study, they present new ways to bring the method out of the laboratory and into real-life application in the public health sector.

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Using a pioneering artificial intelligence platform, researchers have assessed whether a cardiac AI tool recently trialed in South Australian hospitals actually has the potential to assist doctors and nurses to rapidly diagnose heart issues in emergency departments.

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Students attending schools that ban the use of phones throughout the school day aren't necessarily experiencing better mental health and wellbeing, as the first worldwide study of its kind has found that just banning smartphones is not enough to tackle their negative impacts.

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The research found that heavy drinkers with either diabetes, high blood pressure or a high waist circumference are as much as 2.4 times more likely to develop advanced liver disease.

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Researchers have revealed novel sequence-structure-property relationships for customizing engineered living materials (ELMs), enabling more precise control over their structure and how they respond to deformation forces like stretching or compression.

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Researchers report that all nine patients in a clinical trial being treated for stage III or IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (a form of kidney cancer), generated a successful anti-cancer immune response after initiation of a personalized cancer vaccine.

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Researchers have used mathematical analysis tools to study the effect of classical music on a fetal heartbeat and identify patterns in heart rate variability. They recruited 36 pregnant women and played two classical pieces for their fetuses. By attaching external heart rate monitors, the researchers could measure the fetal heart rate response to both songs, and by employing nonlinear recurrence quantification analysis, they could identify changes in heart rate variability during and after the music was played. They found evidence music can calm fetal heart rates, potentially providing developmental benefits.

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Despite humanity's scientific achievements and globalized economy, malnutrition remains a global issue. The United Nations estimated that 2.33 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023.

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Men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer who experience side effects early in treatment may face a higher risk of developing more serious long-term urinary and bowel health issues, according to a new study.

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A microbe found in the lower part of the gut that is associated with good health has been comprehensively analyzed and found to have a focused diet breaking down sugars locked away in mucus, according to a new study.

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