Health & Fitness

Parasitic worms that infect humans are not interbreeding with those that infect cattle as previously thought. This is good news for when it comes to controlling schistosomiasis, a disease caused by these worms that affects more than 200 million people globally.

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Long considered a disease brought to the Americas by European colonizers, leprosy may actually have a much older history on the American continent. Scientists reveal that a recently identified second species of bacteria responsible for leprosy, Mycobacterium lepromatosis, has been infecting humans in the Americas for at least 1,000 years, several centuries before the Europeans arrived.

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Researchers find high-fat diets set off metabolic dysfunction in cells, leading to weight gain, but these effects can be reversed by treatment with an antioxidant.

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Researchers compared the whole genome sequence of two genetically distinct lineages of bed bug, and their findings indicate bed bugs may well be the first true urban pest.

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Researchers reveal unprecedented insights into insulin resistance that could pave the way for better treatments and earlier detection of type 2 diabetes.

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Taking a statin medication is an effective, safe, and low-cost way to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of cardiovascular events. Despite clinicians recommending that many patients with diabetes take statins, nearly one-fifth of them opt to delay treatment. In a new study, researchers found that patients who started statin therapy right away reduced the rate of heart attack and stroke by one third compared to those who chose to delay taking the medication.

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A specific group of nerve cells in the brain stem appears to control how semaglutide affects appetite and weight -- without causing nausea.

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People who have been taking antidepressants for more than two years are substantially more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms compared to short-term users when they come off the medication, finds a new study.

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Keeping a human in the loop significantly enhances emotional engagement during online psychological interviews.

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Researchers found that the Wnt5a protein, secreted by inflammatory fibroblasts within cancerous tumors, inhibits angiogenesis and consequently promotes hypoxia within tumors. Hypoxic conditions help sustain the inflammatory fibroblasts, which also secrete the growth factor epiregulin, thereby promoting tumor growth. This newly proposed mechanism for tumor growth offers a promising new target for cancer therapies and possibly other conditions linked to inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease.

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A study has found that implementing robust air pollution control measures could mean Southeast Asian countries prevent as many as 36,000 ozone-related premature deaths each year by 2050.

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Hydrogen boride (HB) nanosheets can inactivate viruses, bacteria, and fungi within minutes in the dark conditions. By coating surfaces with HB nanosheets, it rapidly inactivates SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and other pathogens. The nanosheets work by denaturing microbial proteins, offering a safe, effective, and versatile antimicrobial coating for everyday items.

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Researchers have developed a vascularized organoid model of hormone secreting cells in the pancreas. The advance promises to improve diabetes research and cell-based therapies.

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Using a novel lab method they developed, researchers have identified nine molecules in the blood that were elevated in teens diagnosed with depression. These molecules also predicted how symptoms might progress over time. The findings of the clinical study could pave the way for earlier detection, before symptoms worsen and become hard to treat.

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A new risk calculator accurately identified participants who had calcium buildup in their heart arteries and those who had a higher future heart attack risk, in an analysis of about 7,000 adults in New York City referred for heart disease screening.

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A new study provides new insight into height differences between adult men and women, demonstrating that Y chromosome genes contribute more to height than their X chromosome counterparts.

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With its fascinating ability to regrow entire limbs and internal organs, the Mexican axolotl is the ideal model for studying regeneration. Scientists have now found a factor that tells cells which part of the arm to regenerate -- and used it to reprogram the identity of cells as they develop. This breakthrough for the regeneration research field has implications for tissue engineering, including in human tissues.

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Bats are known as natural hosts for highly pathogenic viruses such as MERS- and SARS-related coronaviruses, as well as the Marburg and Nipah viruses. In contrast to the severe and often fatal disease outcomes these viruses cause in humans, bats generally do not show obvious signs of viral illness following infection. An international research team has developed an innovative organoid research platform that allowed them to closely investigate the cellular antiviral defense mechanisms of mucosal epithelial tissues of bats. The results could pave the way for the development of new therapies against viral diseases.

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Unique Danish longitudinal study with over 136,000 measurements reveals the connection between pubertal development and weight throughout adolescence.

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Researchers have discovered that microscopic structural changes in the aging heart may help prevent irregular heartbeats. The discovery challenges the idea that all age-related heart changes are harmful.

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Small clinical study with obese dieters who had chronic health problems found that eating balanced meals and including craved foods with those meals helped dieters manage cravings, even into the yearlong maintenance phase of the program.

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Controlling blood pressure is not the only way to treat hypertension. A new study identified eight associated risk factors. Each risk factor addressed was associated with a 13% lower risk of premature death. Patients who addressed at least four of these risk factors had no greater risk of an early death than those without high blood pressure.

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Researchers found that consumers tend to overestimate fractional star ratings and underestimate fractional numerals. In either case, the ratings can be misleading, potentially causing a company to unknowingly overpromise and underdeliver -- or sell its own product short.

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A new study suggests that it might be possible to personalize care for people with bipolar disorder, using the results of detailed personality tests. It finds that such tests might help identify people who have certain combinations of personality traits that could raise or lower their risk of repeated depressive episodes or poor functioning in everyday life.

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A study shows a non-opioid pain reliever blocks pain at its source -- calming specific nerve signals that send pain messages to the brain. In mice, the compound SBI-810 eased pain from surgery, bone fractures, and nerve injury without causing sedation or constipation.

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As a group, carriers of recessive disorders are slightly less healthy and have a reduced chance of having offspring. This disadvantage is greatest for carriers of a recessive gene for intellectual disability, and reflected in a shorter school career and increased childlessness, according to new research. Time to rewrite the textbooks?

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New polymer microparticles can be used to deliver vaccines at different times. The work could lead to childhood vaccines given just once, eliminating the need for booster doses.

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That 'aha' moment when you come back to a puzzle and immediately figure it out? Something fascinating is going on in your brain. A new study using functional magnetic resonance imaging shows that these flashes of insight aren't just satisfying -- they create strong memories that can help etch learning into the brain.

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Researchers have revealed insight into why embryos erase a key epigenetic mark during early development, suggesting this may have evolved to help form a placenta.

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the heart could help to detect a life-threatening heart disease and enable clinicians to better predict which patients are most at risk, according to a new study.

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Researchers developed a new machine learning method that, given a relevant amino acid sequence, can automatically predict the location of a protein in any human cell line down to the single-cell level. This advance could help clinicians identify certain diseases, streamline the process of drug discovery, and give biologists new insights into the effects of protein mutations.

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In many neurodegenerative diseases, proteins misfold and clump together in brain tissue. Scientists developed a new therapy made of peptides and a sugar that naturally occurs in plants. The therapeutic molecules self-assemble into nanofibers, which bond to the neuron-killing proteins. Now trapped, the toxic proteins can no longer enter neurons and instead harmlessly degrade.

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Evidence of a unique T cell may explain why urban children are more prone to allergies than rural children. Differences in the development of the gut microbiome may be an underlying cause.

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People with multiple long-term physical health conditions are at a significantly greater risk of developing depression, a study shows.

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A new study finds that an easily measurable brain wave shift of phase may be a universal marker of unconsciousness under general anesthesia.

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Why does the brain split visual spatial perception between its hemispheres? A new review by neuroscientists examines the advantages and trade-offs, and how the brain ultimately makes vision feel seamless.

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What makes people think an AI system is creative? New research shows that it depends on how much they see of the creative act. The findings have implications for how we research and design creative AI systems, and they also raise fundamental questions about how we perceive creativity in other people.

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New research has uncovered how lipid-rich fluid in the abdomen, known as ascites, plays a central role in weakening the body's immune response in advanced ovarian cancer. The findings offer new insights into immune suppression in ovarian cancer and open promising avenues for future immunotherapy approaches. Over 70% of patients with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage, often presenting with large volumes of ascites. This ascites fluid not only supports the spread of cancer throughout the abdominal cavity but also significantly impairs the body's immune defenses. Understanding how ascites affects the immune system is important for developing better treatments that use the immune system to fight cancer.

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A new study puts the spotlight on the rising burden of ischemic heart disease across Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, and calls for localized, equity-focused interventions in these regions. The researchers identified region-specific, modifiable risk factors that influence the increasing prevalence of ischemic heart disease, such as toxic air pollution in East Asia and ultra-processed dietary dependence in Oceania.

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Your optimal amount of sleep may depend on where you live, new research has found. An analysis of sleep data and health outcomes for nearly 5,000 people in 20 countries revealed that the hours of sleep required for good health varies significantly across different cultures, challenging the common belief that everyone needs the same amount. The study was the first to investigate whether people from countries with shorter sleep durations suffer from worse health, and it found no evidence that this is so.

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Bacterial resistance negates the effect of antibiotics in the treatment of infection. Using mouse models, researchers now show that if antibiotics are administered with an enzyme called endolysin, the combined effect protects against infection by resistant bacteria in all bodily organs -- including the brain, which antibiotics alone have difficulty reaching.

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A study of starlings in Africa shows that they form long-term social bonds similar to human friendships.

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A new study examines the choices healthy research volunteers make when given the opportunity to learn their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease dementia. The researchers found a large discrepancy between the percentage of participants who said they would like to learn their risk if such estimates became available and the percentage who followed through to learn those results when given the actual opportunity.

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Scientists have identified essential genetic code for a method called plasmid curing, which aims to 'displace' antibiotic resistance genes from bacteria.

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A new study suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could help detect interval breast cancers before they become more advanced and harder to treat.

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Scientists inserted DNA-encoding methylmercury detoxification enzymes into the genome of an abundant human gut bacterium. The engineered bacterium detoxified methylmercury in the gut of mice and dramatically reduced the amount that reached other tissues, such as the brain and liver. Mice given an oral probiotic containing the engineered microbe and fed a diet high in bluefin tuna had much lower methylmercury levels than expected, suggesting that a probiotic might eventually make it safer for people to consume fish. Researchers performed the tests using pregnant mice and found lower levels of methylmercury in both maternal and fetal tissues, and lower signs of mercury toxicity in the fetal brain.

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Artificial intelligence algorithms have now been combined with traditional laboratory methods to uncover promising drug leads against human enterovirus 71 (EV71), the pathogen behind most cases of hand, foot and mouth disease. The study showed that reliable antiviral predictions can be made even when only a modest amount of experimental data are available.

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What is the secret to happiness? Does happiness come from within, or is it shaped by external influences such as our jobs, health, relationships and material circumstances? A new study shows that happiness can come from either within or from external influences, from both, or neither -- and which is true differs across people.

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Researchers have identified the neural mechanisms in the brain that regulate both positive and negative impressions of a social encounter, as well as how an imbalance between the two could lead to common neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Persistently high blood sugar and insulin resistance significantly increased the risk of worsening functional and structural heart damage during growth from adolescence to young adulthood, a new study shows.

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Protein sources appear to have major effects on both the population and function of the mouse gut microbiome.

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