ScienceDaily: Health - November 23, 2023
Top health research news
Perfecting the performance of nerve implants
Researchers are extending their understanding of the effectiveness of electrical fields that are increasingly being used in implants to stimulate and repair damaged nerves. Effective nerve stimulation is the key to helping alleviate debilitating conditions such as sciatica.
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High temperatures may have caused over 70,000 excess deaths in Europe in 2022
The burden of heat-related mortality during the summer of 2022 in Europe may have exceeded 70,000 deaths according to a new study. The authors of the study revised upwards initial estimates of the mortality associated with record temperatures in 2022 on the European continent.
Contrary to the commonly-held view, the brain does not have the ability to rewire itself to compensate for the loss of sight, an amputation or stroke, for example, say scientists. The researchers argue that the notion that the brain, in response to injury or deficit, can reorganize itself and repurpose particular regions for new functions, is fundamentally flawed -- despite being commonly cited in scientific textbooks. Instead, they argue that what is occurring is merely the brain being trained to utilize already existing, but latent, abilities.
Babies as young as four months show signs of self-awareness
Babies as young as four months old can make sense of how their bodies interact with the space around them, according to new research.
Certain skin bacteria can inhibit growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Researchers have found a bacteriocin that can help inhibit the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Hearing loss is associated with subtle changes in the brain
A team of researchers employed hearing tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whether hearing impairment is associated with differences in specific brain regions and affects dementia risk.
Could eating turkey ease colitis?
According to data in mice, extra tryptophan could reduce the risk of future colitis flares.
Bacteria store memories and pass them on for generations
Scientists have discovered that bacteria can create something like memories about when to form strategies that can cause dangerous infections in people, such as resistance to antibiotics and bacterial swarms when millions of bacteria come together on a single surface. The discovery -- which has potential applications for preventing and combatting bacterial infections and addressing antibiotic-resistant bacteria -- relates to a common chemical element bacterial cells can use to form and pass along these memories to their progeny over later generations.
Why emotions stirred by music create such powerful memories
Psychologists used music to manipulate emotions of volunteers and found the dynamics of their emotions molded otherwise neutral experiences into memorable events. The tug of war between integrating memories and separating them helps to form distinct memories, allowing people to understand and find meaning in their experiences, and retain information. These findings could hold therapeutic promise in helping people with PTSD and depression.
'Woman the hunter': Studies aim to correct history
New research combined both physiological and archaeological evidence to argue that not only did prehistoric women engage in the practice of hunting, but their female anatomy and biology would have made them intrinsically better suited for it.
Big-data study explores social factors affecting child health
Researchers have used an AI-based approach to uncover underlying patterns among the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, termed social determinants of health (SDoH), and then linked each pattern to children's health outcomes. Compared with traditional approaches, the strategy, in principle, provides a more objective and comprehensive picture of potential social factors that affect child health, which in turn, can enable better targeted interventions.
Study reveals bias in AI tools when diagnosing women's health issue
While artificial intelligence tools offer great potential for improving health care delivery, practitioners and scientists warn of their risk for perpetuating racial inequities. A new study evaluates fairness among these tools in connection to a women's health issue.
Personalized cancer medicine: Humans make better treatment decisions than AI
Treating cancer is becoming increasingly complex, but also offers more and more possibilities. After all, the better a tumor's biology and genetic features are understood, the more treatment approaches there are. To be able to offer patients personalized therapies tailored to their disease, laborious and time-consuming analysis and interpretation of various data is required. Researchers have now studied whether generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT can help with this step.
Brain hemorrhage cause other than injured blood vessels
A new study has revealed a new culprit in the formation of brain hemorrhages that does not involve injury to the blood vessels, as previously believed. Researchers discovered that interactions between aged red blood cells and brain capillaries can lead to cerebral microbleeds, offering deeper insights into how they occur and identifying potential new therapeutic targets for treatment and prevention.
Urban environmental exposures drive increased breast cancer incidence
An analysis of breast cancer showed that the state’s urban counties had higher overall incidences of disease than rural counties, especially at early stages upon diagnosis.
People watched other people shake boxes for science: Here's why
AI system self-organizes to develop features of brains of complex organisms
Scientists have shown that placing physical constraints on an artificially-intelligent system -- in much the same way that the human brain has to develop and operate within physical and biological constraints -- allows it to develop features of the brains of complex organisms in order to solve tasks.
Gold now has a golden future in revolutionizing wearable devices
Scientists have pioneered a novel approach to develop intelligent healthcare sensors using various gold nanowires.
Poor work performance among Japanese employees strongly associated with insufficient sleep
This study examined the association between work performance and lifestyle habits among Japanese employees. The results revealed that insufficient sleep was the predominant factor affecting work performance in men and women, followed by lack of regular exercise and eating late-evening meals. Furthermore, the study indicated that men were more likely to exhibit lifestyle habits that impacted work performance than women.
New approaches in the fight against drug resistance in malaria
Malaria is one of the most widespread and deadly infectious diseases worldwide. New compounds are continuously required due to the risk of malaria parasites becoming resistant to the medicines currently used. A team of researchers has now combined the anti-malaria drug artemisinin with coumarin, which, like artemisinin, is also found in plants, and developed an auto-fluorescent compound from both bioactive substances.
Why do some people get headaches from drinking red wine?
Researchers think that a flavanol found naturally in red wines can interfere with the proper metabolism of alcohol and can lead to a headache.
Proof of concept of new material for long lasting relief from dry mouth conditions
A novel aqueous lubricant technology designed to help people who suffer from a dry mouth is between four and five times more effective than existing commercially available products, according to laboratory tests. The saliva substitute is described as comparable to natural saliva in the way it hydrates the mouth and acts as a lubricant when food is chewed.
Nostalgia and memories after ten years of social media
As possibilities have changed and technology has advanced, memories and nostalgia are now a significant part of our use of social media.
More needs to be done to prevent dependence on pain medication
Dependence on pain medication is on the rise due to lack of vigilance by medical professionals, according to a new study. Patients dependent on pain medication describe feelings of 'living in a haze' and being ignored and misunderstood by the medical profession.
Infection-resistant, 3D-printed metals developed for implants
A novel surgical implant was able to kill 87% of the bacteria that cause staph infections in laboratory tests, while remaining strong and compatible with surrounding tissue like current implants. The work could someday lead to better infection control in many common surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements, that are performed daily around the world. Bacterial colonization of the implants is one of the leading causes of their failure and bad outcomes after surgery. Using 3D-printing technology, the researchers added 10% tantalum, a corrosion-resistant metal, and 3% copper to the titanium alloy typically used in implants. When bacteria come into contact with the material's copper surface, almost all of their cell walls rupture. Meanwhile, the tantalum encourages healthy cell growth with surrounding bone and tissue leading to expedited healing for the patient.
Feeding dogs raw meat increases the risk of antibiotic-resistant E. coli
Feeding dogs raw (uncooked) meat increases their risk of excreting E. coli that cannot be killed by a widely used antibiotic -- ciprofloxacin -- researchers have found from a study of 600 healthy pet dogs.
Tiny traps can provide new knowledge about difficult-to-treat diseases
Proteins that form clumps occur in many difficult-to-treat diseases, such as ALS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. The mechanisms behind how the proteins interact with each other are difficult to study, but now researchers have discovered a new method for capturing many proteins in nano-sized traps. Inside the traps, the proteins can be studied in a way that has not been possible before.
Suboptimal follow-up, prevention in geriatric fall-related head trauma
Out of 1,527 emergency department patients ages 65 and older who suffered a head trauma associated with a ground-level fall, only about 60 percent of them followed up with their primary care physician, while 72 percent received a fall assessment and only 56 percent adopted a fall prevention strategy. Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries in the U.S., and findings indicate an urgent need to promote primary care physician fall assessment and adoption of prevention strategies in these patients.
In many major crop regions, workers plant and harvest in spiraling heat and humidity
A global study of major crops has found that farmworkers are being increasingly exposed to combinations of extreme heat and humidity during planting and harvest seasons that can make it hard for them to function. Such conditions have nearly doubled across the world since 1979, the authors report, a trend that could eventually hinder cultivation. The most affected crop is rice, the world's number one staple, followed closely by maize.
Potential glaucoma treatment strategy to guide stem cells to the retina
Scientists have developed a novel approach that allows stem cells to be turned into retinal ganglion cells that are capable of migrating and surviving in the eye's retina. This approach presents a promising new treatment strategy for diseases like glaucoma, in which the loss of retinal ganglion cells caused by the disease leads to irreversible vision loss.
Nanoplastics promote conditions for Parkinson's across various lab models
Nanoplastics interact with a particular protein that is naturally found in the brain, creating changes linked to Parkinson's disease and some types of dementia.
In the fight against malaria-carrying mosquitoes, just add soap
Lung cancer cells' 'memories' suggest new strategy for improving treatment
Research shows that some lung cancer cells retain a 'memory' of the healthy cell where they came from -- one that might be exploited to make an emerging type of lung cancer treatment called KRAS inhibition more effective.
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's: Scientists produce human norepinephrine neurons from stem cells
Researchers have identified a protein key to the development of a type of brain cell believed to play a role in disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and used the discovery to grow the neurons from stem cells for the first time. The stem-cell-derived norepinephrine neurons of the type found in a part of the human brain called the locus coeruleus may enable research into many psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases and provide a tool for developing new ways to treat them.
Cheap medicines prevented migraine as well as expensive ones
A new study sheds light on what works best to prevent migraine attacks, and surprisingly, cheaper medicines worked as well as the expensive ones.
Study reveals surprising link between malnutrition and rising antibiotic resistance
Researchers have uncovered startling connections between micronutrient deficiencies and the composition of gut microbiomes in early life that could help explain why resistance to antibiotics has been rising across the globe. The team investigated how deficiencies in crucial micronutrients such as vitamin A, B12, folate, iron, and zinc affected the community of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes that live in the digestive system. They discovered that these deficiencies led to significant shifts in the gut microbiome of mice -- most notably an alarming expansion of bacteria and fungi known to be opportunistic pathogens. Importantly, mice with micronutrient deficiencies also exhibited a higher enrichment of genes that have been linked to antibiotic resistance.
New study reveals the genetics of human head shape
Researchers have discovered a suite of genes that influence head shape in humans. These findings help explain the diversity of human head shapes and may also offer important clues about the genetic basis of conditions that affect the skull, such as craniosynostosis.
Ingestible electronic device detects breathing depression in patients
A new ingestible capsule can monitor vital signs from within the patient's GI tract. The sensor could be used for less intrusive monitoring of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, or for detecting opioid overdoses.
Benefits of adolescent fitness to future cardiovascular health possibly overestimated
There is a well-known relationship between good physical fitness at a young age and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, when researchers adjusted for familial factors by means of sibling analysis, they found a weaker association, although the link between high body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease remained strong.
Comprehensive guideline on using biomarkers for monitoring Crohn's disease
New AGA guideline outlines reliable blood and stool tests to monitor inflammation that can reduce how often patients need invasive endoscopy.
Following a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cognitive decline in older people
Old people who follow a Mediterranean diet are at a lower risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study. The study provides new evidence for a better understanding of the biological mechanisms related to the impact of the diet on cognitive health in the aging population.
Heart repair via neuroimmune crosstalk
Unlike humans, zebrafish can completely regenerate their hearts after injury. They owe this ability to the interaction between their nervous and immune systems, as researchers now report.
Environment and wallet benefit from redispensing cancer pills
Redispensing cancer drugs reduces both environmental impact and medical costs, according to new research. The annual savings could amount to tens of millions.
Air cleaners don't stop you getting sick
New research shows that air filtration systems or 'air cleaners' don't stop you getting sick. Air cleaners are designed to filter pollutants or contaminants out of the air that passes through them.
Discovery of hemoglobin in the epidermis sheds new light on our skin's protective properties
Researchers have shown for the first time that hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells where it binds oxygen, is also present in the epidermis, our skin's outermost body tissue. The study provides important insights into the properties of our skin's protective external layer.
Division of cells in cell cultures and cancer
If cells in cell cultures grow while being treated with division-suppressing agents, their growth becomes excessive and they permanently lose their ability to divide. However, if the cells are treated with a combination of division inhibitors and growth inhibitors, they remain capable of dividing after these substances have been discontinued. The findings could be transferred to certain cancer therapies, but first need to be clinically tested and confirmed.
Researchers identify brain center responsible for responses to rapid temperature change
The boiling frog parable seems to have inspired new research, which identified a brain pathway responsible for rapid-threat detection.
Study proposes new framework to identify keystone microbial species
Microbial communities are thought to contain keystone species, which can disproportionately affect the stability of the communities, even if only present in low abundances. Identifying these keystone species can be challenging, especially in the human gut, since it is not feasible to isolate them through systematic elimination. Researchers have designed a new data-driven keystone species identification (DKI) framework that uses machine learning to resolve this difficulty.
Genomic tug of war could boost cancer therapy
Researchers have discovered a 'genomic tug of war' in animal studies that could influence how well certain patients -- or certain cancers -- respond to decitabine, a drug used to treat myelodysplastic syndromes that is plagued by drug resistance issues. For the first time, researchers show that decitabine causes coding and non-coding regions of DNA to engage in a tug of war for a gene activator, called H2A.Z. Typically, deticabine draws this gene activator away from coding DNA, causing gene expression to grind to a halt and cells to die. However, many types of cancer have very high levels of H2A.Z, which may help them overcome this decitabine-induced tug of war, allowing the cancer to grow.
How cell identity is preserved when cells divide
A new theoretical model helps explain how epigenetic memories, encoded in chemical modifications of chromatin, are passed from generation to generation. Within each cell's nucleus, researchers suggest, the 3D folding patterns of its genome determines which parts of the genome will be marked by these chemical modifications.
Hunger hormones impact decision-making brain area to drive behavior
A hunger hormone produced in the gut can directly impact a decision-making part of the brain in order to drive an animal's behavior, finds a new study.
New research advances understanding of cancer risk in gene therapies
Researchers have discovered that 'cell competition' following gene therapy results in the accumulation of stem cells with genetic mutations which make them grow faster. Some of these genetic mutations have been previously seen at higher levels in elderly individuals and those with certain blood cancers, such as leukaemia.
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world, but current anti-depressants have yet to meet the needs of many patients. Neuroscientists recently discovered a small molecule that can effectively alleviate stress-induced depressive symptoms in mice by preventing aversive memory formation with a lower dosage, offering a new direction for developing anti-depressants in the future.
Scientists have grown small blood vessel-like models in the lab and used them to show how damage to the scaffolding that supports these vessels can cause them to leak, leading to conditions such as vascular dementia and stroke.
Wearables capture body sounds to continuously monitor health
From heart beats to stomach gurgles, sounds hold important health information. New wireless devices sit on skin to continuously capture these sounds, then stream data to smartphones or tablets in real time. In pilot studies, devices accurately tracked sounds associated with cardiorespiratory function, gastrointestinal activity, swallowing and respiration. The devices are particularly valuable for premature babies, who can experience apneas and gastrointestinal complications, which are accompanied by sounds.
How a mutation in microglia elevates Alzheimer's risk
A new study finds that microglia with mutant TREM2 protein reduce brain circuit connections, promote inflammation and contribute to Alzheimer's pathology in other ways.
High levels of maternal stress during pregnancy linked to children's behavior problems
Children whose mothers are highly stressed, anxious or depressed during pregnancy may be at higher risk for mental health and behavior issues during their childhood and teen years, according to new research.
Immunotherapies that target the CD20 antigen have revolutionized how patients with a variety of blood cancers and hematologic disorders have been treated. However, many patients develop resistance to these treatments due to a loss of the antigen that's being targeted. Now, a new study has found that gene splicing occurring within these cells can cause significant changes in CD20 protein levels that render the therapies ineffective.
New therapeutic strategy to reduce neuronal death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons in the brain and spinal cord causing loss of muscle control. Scientists have now suggested a potential therapeutic strategy to tackle this pathology that has no treatment to date. It is a molecular trap that prevents one of the most common genetic ALS-causing peptide compounds, the Poly-GR dipeptide, from causing its toxic effects in the body. The results show that this strategy reduces the death of neurons in patients and in an animal model (vinegar flies) of the disease.
Breakthrough in bladder cancer research
For 40 years, chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for bladder cancer patients who can tolerate this medicine. However, the results were limited, and lasting results were rare. In recent years, two groundbreaking phase-3 clinical studies have focused on a new form of treatment to improve this. They investigated the effects of combining immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
