ScienceDaily: Health - July 18, 2024
Top health research news
New technique could help treat aggressive brain tumors
Burst sine wave electroporation was found to cause less damage to cells and tissue but more disruption to the blood-brain barrier.
Mental health training for line managers linked to better business performance in England
In a study of several thousand companies in England, mental health training for line managers was associated with organizational-level benefits, including lower levels of long-term mental health-related sickness absence and better business performance, customer service, and staff recruitment and retention.
Soft, stretchy 'jelly batteries' inspired by electric eels
Researchers have developed soft, stretchable 'jelly batteries' that could be used for wearable devices or soft robotics, or even implanted in the brain to deliver drugs or treat conditions such as epilepsy.
Mindfulness training may lead to altered states of consciousness
Mindfulness training may lead participants to experience disembodiment and unity -- so-called altered states of consciousness -- according to a new study.
Ancient viruses fuel modern-day cancers
The human genome is filled with flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago. Scientists used to think they were harmless, but new research shows that, when reawakened, they help cancer survive and thrive.
Ultra-processed food makes up almost two-thirds of calorie intake of UK adolescents, study finds
Adolescents consume around two-thirds of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) new research has found. The study found that UPF consumption was highest among adolescents from deprived backgrounds, those of white ethnicity, and younger adolescents.
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The eyes have it: Visual inspection experience essential for airport security screening
Researchers have used eye-tracking to study airport security screeners' performance during different visual inspection phases of a screening task.
A hydrogel implant to treat endometriosis
Researchers have developed a hydrogel implant that can help prevent endometriosis, a condition that affects a great many women. This innovation also acts as a contraceptive.
Paleolithic diets are not without risks
High-protein diets, known as 'Paleolithic diets', are popular. Using mouse models, scientists have studied their impact. While effective in regulating weight and stabilizing diabetes, these diets are not without risks. Excess protein greatly increases ammonium production, overwhelming the liver. Excess ammonium can cause neurological disorders and, in severe cases, lead to coma. These results suggest caution when following these diets.
New analgesic could replace opioids over the long term
Opioids have long been known as natural substances with substantial pharmacological effect. They have been used as effective painkillers. Researchers have now identified a natural active substance that may prove to be an effective alternative to opioids in the long run and could also help mitigate the opioid crisis.
Children living in greener neighborhoods show better lung function
A large study of 35,000 children from eight countries has found a 'robust' link between exposure to green spaces in early childhood and better lung function. The study used data from 10 European birth cohorts from 8 countries to conduct a meta-analysis. This assessment of the data was done at the individual level for each participant.
Boost in infant genetics research could change lives, say researchers
Investment in research into genetics could dramatically improve educational policies and understanding of parenting in ways that could help all children, according to a new paper.
Improving identification of human remains using craniofacial superimposition
Researchers propose an improvement in the identification of human remains using craniofacial superimposition. The forensic identification technique is based on the analysis of a skull (post-mortem) and photographs of the person's face (ante-mortem). It represents a major step in making objective decisions that are based on the ability to quantify the probability that a skull matches the photographs being examined.
Opioid medications offer people relief from debilitating pain, but these drugs come with dangers: the risk for addiction, miserable withdrawal symptoms and the potential for fatal overdose. Researchers have now identified a strategy to design safer opioids. They showed that an experimental opioid, which binds to an unconventional spot in the receptor, suppresses pain in animal models with fewer side effects -- most notably those linked to fatal overdoses.
Stress-related cell damage linked to negative mental and physical health effects among caregivers
Researchers have found that intense stress can be felt at the cellular level and is linked to negative physical and mental health effects.
What fat cats on a diet may tell us about obesity in humans
Pet cats may be excellent animal models for the study of obesity origins and treatment in humans, a new study of feline gut microbes suggests -- and both species would likely get healthier in the research process, scientists say.
Decline in memory and other thinking abilities is the most well-known result of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, many individuals with this condition also experience mental health symptoms such as agitation, depression, apathy, and trouble with sleep. A new study has found that the pathology behind AD may be a direct reason for emotional and behavioral symptoms. Additionally, they discovered when individuals with AD experience decline in memory and thinking abilities, their mental health tends to be worse.
Study uncovers genetic cancer risks in 550 patients
Current screening protocols fail to catch a notable number of people carrying genetic mutations associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome and Lynch syndrome, which increase the risk of developing certain cancers, according to new findings.
Scientists define new type of memory loss in older adults
Researchers have established new criteria for a memory-loss syndrome in older adults that specifically impacts the brain's limbic system. It can often be mistaken for Alzheimer's disease.
Diabetes drug reduces drug resistance in lung cancer, improving chemotherapy effectiveness
A medication used to treat diabetic neuropathy may make chemotherapy treatments more effective for patients with lung cancer, according to new findings.
Cell donor's socioeconomic status shapes cancer treatment outcomes, new study finds
New research demonstrates that the socioeconomic status (SES) of cell donors affects the health outcomes of blood cancer patients who underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT).
Multiple moves during childhood can increase the risks of depression in later life
A new study has shown that experiences of moving during childhood -- whether between or within deprived or non-deprived neighborhoods -- is associated with significantly higher rates of depression in adulthood. The research analyzed the residential locations of almost 1.1 million people born in Denmark between 1981 and 2001 and who stayed in the country during the first 15 years of their lives. It then tracked those same individuals into adulthood, and found at least 35,000 of those still living within Denmark had subsequently received a medical diagnosis of depression.
Cuttlefish can form false memories, too
During an event, details like what you saw, smelled, and felt aren't stored as a single memory. Rather, they are encoded and stored in your brain separately. To retrieve that memory, those pieces must get put back together. When that doesn't happen in the right way or details are distorted, it can lead to the creation of false memories. Now researchers have evidence that the common cuttlefish may create false memories, too.
Psilocybin generates psychedelic experience by disrupting brain network
Researchers report that psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, destabilizes a critical network of brain areas involved in introspective thinking. The findings provide a neurobiological explanation for the drug's mind-bending effects.
Electronic prompt for surgeons may reduce breast cancer overtreatment
Researchers have developed a novel prompt, or 'nudge,' embedded in the electronic health record that flags, for treating surgeons, older patients with early-stage breast cancer who may be at risk for unnecessary lymph node surgery.
New study addresses a long-standing diversity bias in human genetics
Scientists have generated a new catalog of human gene expression data from around the world to address how most research in human genetics has historically focused on people of European ancestries -- a bias that may limit the accuracy of scientific predictions for people from other populations.
New gene therapy for muscular dystrophy offers hope
A new gene therapy treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) shows promise of not only arresting the decline of the muscles of those affected by this inherited genetic disease, but perhaps, in the future, repairing those muscles. The research focuses on delivering a series of protein packets inside shuttle vectors to replace the defective DMD gene within the muscles.The gene for dystrophin is one of the largest in the human genome, and is difficult to fit inside a delivery shuttle. Instead of one shuttle, the new gene therapy uses a series of shuttles which take parts of the therapeutic gene inside the muscles, along with embedded instructions to begin assembling the fragments once within the body. The assembled genetic code will then start producing dystrophin, the protein lacking in patients with muscular dystrophy.
Key driver for epithelial cancer development identified
A distinct signaling pathway called TNF- drives the transformation of epithelial cells into aggressive tumor cells. During cancer progression, cells activate their own TNF- program and become invasive. This finding could help to improve early detection and treatment of patients with cancers in skin, esophagus, bladder or colon.
Genome recording makes living cells their own historians
Genomes can now be used to store information about a variety of transient biological events inside of living cells, as they happen, like a flight recorder collecting data from an aircraft. The method, called ENGRAM, aims to turn cells into their own historians. ENGRAM couples each kind of biological signal or event inside a cell to a symbolic barcode. This new strategy traces and archives the type and timing of biological signals inside the cell by inserting this information into the genome. For example, this record-keeping can track the commands that turn genes on or off.
Study finds persistent proteins may influence metabolomics results
Scientists have identified more than 1,000 previously undetected proteins in common metabolite samples, which persist despite extraction methods designed to weed them out. The findings give scientists new insights and tools for improving future metabolomics experiments, including a novel protocol for removing these proteins during the extraction process. The study does not invalidate prior results but instead reinforces the importance of appropriate controls and validation in experimental design and analysis.
Llama nanobodies: A breakthrough in building HIV immunity
Biology researchers have developed a new antibody therapy that can neutralize a wide variety of HIV-1 strains. They found success in an unlikely source -- llamas.
Chatbot Iris offers students individual support
Researchers have developed the chatbot Iris, which offers informatics students personalized assistance with programming assignments. A study has now confirmed the chatbot's success: Iris improves the understanding of programming concepts and represents a valuable complement to human tutors.
Enzyme-powered 'snot bots' help deliver drugs in sticky situations
Snot might not be the first place you'd expect nanobots to be swimming around. But this slimy secretion exists in more places than just your nose and piles of dirty tissues -- it also lines and helps protect the lungs, stomach, intestines and eyes. And now, researchers have demonstrated in mice that their tiny, enzyme-powered 'snot bots' can push through the defensive, sticky layer and potentially deliver drugs more efficiently.
Research shows protein isoform inhibitors may hold the key to making opioids safer
Researchers have identified a new way to make opioids safer, increasing the pain-relieving properties of opioids while decreasing unwanted side effects through the spinal inhibition of a Heat shock protein 90 isoform.
A new addition to the CRISPR toolbox: Teaching the gene scissors to detect RNA
CRISPR-Cas systems, defense systems in bacteria, have become a plentiful source of technologies for molecular diagnostics. Researchers have now expanded this extensive toolbox further. Their novel method, called PUMA, enables the detection of RNA with Cas12 nucleases, which naturally target DNA. PUMA promises a wide range of applications and high accuracy.
Evening activity for better sleep
Rigorous exercise before bed has long been discouraged, but researchers have now found short bursts of light activity can lead to better sleep.
Large study confirms: Siblings of autistic children have 20% chance of autism
A new, large study confirms earlier findings that children with an autistic sibling have a 20% chance of being autistic themselves.
Youth with conduct disorder show widespread differences in brain structure
The largest neuroimaging study of conduct disorder to date has revealed extensive changes in brain structure among young people with the disorder. The largest difference was a smaller area of the brain's outer layer, known as the cerebral cortex, which is critical for many aspects of behavior, cognition and emotion.
Could intensive farming raise risk of new pandemics?
Industrialized farming is often thought to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases because of better control, biosecurity and separation of livestock. A new study examines the effect of social and economic factors -- which are often overlooked in traditional assessments.
For the first time, scientists have found that sleep can be detected by patterns of neuronal activity just milliseconds long, 1000 times shorter than a second, revealing a new way to study and understand the basic brain wave patterns that govern consciousness.
A new report highlights a troubling trend: while global adolescent fertility rates have significantly declined, sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing an increase in teen births. This region's share of global adolescent births surged from 12 percent in 1950 to 47 percent in 2020 and is projected to reach a clear majority -- a full 67 percent -- by 2035.
Supplements slow disease progression during late stage of 'dry' age-related macular degeneration
In a new analysis of data, researchers have found that taking a daily supplement containing antioxidant vitamins and minerals slows progression of late-stage dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), potentially helping people with late-stage disease preserve their central vision.
Transporting precious cargo using the body's own delivery system
Delivery systems in body continuously move materials between cells. Hijacking these systems allowed scientists to improve loading and delivery of therapeutic proteins. Biophysical principles could be used to enable more cost-effective loading of biological cargo into cell-derived delivery systems. Engineered molecules loaded up to 240 times more protein than other loading methods.
Immune system in the spotlight
Our immune system is always on alert, detecting and eliminating pathogens and cancer cells. Cellular control mechanisms cause diseased cells to present antigens on their surface like signs for the immune system. For analysis of the necessary complex antigen processing and transport processes in real time, researchers have developed a 'cage' that is opened with light to release trapped antigens at a specific place and time.
Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials
Researchers have developed a strategy to identify new antimicrobial drugs with therapeutic promise from bacterial datasets, providing clues for discovering alternatives to traditional antibiotics.
E. coli variant may cause antimicrobial resistance in dogs, humans
Researchers studying antimicrobial-resistant E. coli -- the leading cause of human death due to antimicrobial resistance worldwide -- have identified a mechanism in dogs that may render multiple antibiotic classes ineffective.
Timing is everything: Study finds link between bowel movement frequency and overall health
Researchers examined the clinical, lifestyle, and multi-omic data of more than 1,400 healthy adults. How often people poop, they found, can have a large influence on one's physiology and health.
Hormone therapy for breast cancer linked with lower dementia risk
Hormone modulating therapy (HMT) used for the treatment of breast cancer was associated with a 7% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias later in life, according to a new study.
AI tool successfully responds to patient questions in electronic health record
Unlocking the mystery of preexisting drug resistance: New study sheds light on cancer evolution
The evolution of resistance to diseases, from infectious illnesses to cancers, poses a formidable challenge. Despite the expectation that resistance-conferring mutations would dwindle in the absence of treatment due to a reduced growth rate, preexisting resistance is pervasive across diseases that evolve -- like cancer and pathogens -- defying conventional wisdom.
A network of proteins found in the central nervous system could be harnessed to increase the effectiveness and reduce the side effects of popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs, according to new research.
Antioxidant strategy to address mitochondrial dysfunction caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus
Building upon groundbreaking research demonstrating how the SARS-CoV-2 virus disrupts mitochondrial function in multiple organs, researchers demonstrated that mitochondrially-targeted antioxidants could reduce the effects of the virus while avoiding viral gene mutation resistance, a strategy that may be useful for treating other viruses.
American diets got briefly healthier, more diverse during COVID-19 pandemic, study finds
American diets may have gotten healthier and more diverse in the months following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.
A novel and unique neural signature for depression revealed
A recent study identified beta frequency neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the brain's frontal lobe as the key neural signature underlying processes associated with recognizing rewards and determining subsequent choices and, thus, shaping future behaviors.
Protein droplets likely don't cause Parkinson's
Liquid-liquid phase separation is not a precursor to formation of amyloid fibrils, a pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease, shows study. Rather, the formation of protein into liquid droplets may help to dissolve aggregated protein. The study deepens our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases linked to protein aggregation and could help develop new therapies.
Personalized simulations predict patient outcomes for blood cancer treatment
A new study unveiled a groundbreaking approach to predicting the effectiveness of treatments for patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), a common form of blood cancer.
Lab develops smallest free-floating bubbles for medical imaging
Bioengineering researchers developed ultrasmall, stable gas-filled protein nanostructures that could revolutionize ultrasound imaging and drug delivery for cancers and infectious diseases.
Safe, successful pregnancies possible after alloHCT
Despite treatment-related fertility challenges, female patients can become pregnant and give birth to healthy children after undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), according to a new study.
How a gene for obesity affects the brain
Researchers reveal how a gene called SH2B1 works in the brain to regulate food intake.
Early exposure to antibiotics can trigger long term susceptibility to asthma, according to new research. Importantly the research team isolated a molecule produced by gut bacteria that in the future could potentially be trialed as a simple treatment, in the form of a dietary supplement, for children at risk of asthma to prevent them developing the disease.