ScienceDaily: Health - September 14, 2023
Top health research news
From hagfish to membrane: Modeling age-related macular degeneration
Researchers have successfully demonstrated that hagfish slime proteins can accurately replicate membranes in the human eye. Scientists were able to properly grow retinal cells on hagfish slime proteins and prove that the protein's behavior changes as the membrane mimics stages of aging and disease.
PopTika/shutterstock.com
Researchers use AI to predict recovery after serious brain injury
Western University has developed a ground-breaking method for predicting which intensive care unit (ICU) patients will survive a severe brain injury by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with state-of-the art machine learning techniques.
During a bout of influenza, B cells interact with other immune cells and then take different paths to defend the body. One path is the B cells that differentiate into lung-resident memory B cells, or lung-BRMs, that are critical for pulmonary immunity. These long-lived, non-circulating lung-BRMs migrate to the lungs from draining lymph nodes and reside there permanently as the first layer of defense that can quickly react to produce antibodies in a future infection.
Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities
If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles -- including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks -- with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new study.
AI foundation model for eye care to supercharge global efforts to prevent blindness
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that has the potential to not only identify sight-threatening eye diseases but also predict general health, including heart attacks, stroke, and Parkinson's disease.
Potential new approach to PTSD treatment
A research study has found that cerebellar inhibitory interneurons are essential for fear memory, a type of emotional memory formation. Inhibitory interneurons within the cerebellar circuitry act as gatekeepers and control the output of the cerebellar cortex. The formation of fear memory requires the activity of these interneurons. The findings may lead to a novel treatment approach for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Natural compound found in plants inhibits deadly fungi
A new study finds that a natural compound found in many plants inhibits the growth of drug-resistant Candida fungi -- including its most virulent species, Candida auris, an emerging global health threat.
A protein on cancer cells supports the immune response against tumors
Scientists identify a new and surprising function of a membrane protein on the surface of cancer cells: It supports and stabilizes an important 'co-stimulatory' factor that enhances the activation of T cells, thus improving the immune response against the tumor.
Socioeconomic status may be an uneven predictor of heart health
The benefits of four measures of socioeconomic status (education, income, employment status and health insurance) on ideal heart health were greater for non-Hispanic white adults compared to Black, Hispanic and Asian adults in the U.S.
No increase in cancer risk for most patients with reflux disease
Reflux disease manifests as acid regurgitation and heartburn and is a known risk factor for esophageal cancer. However, a new study now reports that the majority of patients do not have a higher risk of cancer. A large-scale study from three Nordic countries shows that the cancer risk is only elevated in patients whom gastroscopy reveals to have changes in the esophageal mucosa.
Bacteria resistant to antibiotics in hospital wastewater system
New research finds bacteria resistant to antibiotics in hospital wastewater system.
Inflammatory signs for adolescent depression differ between boys and girls
New research has found that depression and the risk of depression are linked to different inflammatory proteins in boys and girls.
How education, work and motherhood shape women's life 'pathways'
A new study offers insights into the ways that education, work and motherhood shape the lives of women in the United States. In a longitudinal study of more than 8,100 women, the researchers found seven 'pathways' that illustrate the way major life events can have long-term ripple effects.
New method offers hope of fewer fractures
Thousands of people could be spared from a hip fracture each year if a new method to identify the risk of osteoporotic fractures were to be introduced in healthcare. This is the view of the researchers who are behind a new 3D-simulation method.
'Dormant' HIV produces RNA and proteins during anti-retroviral therapy
HIV anti-retroviral therapy is considered a treatment and not a cure because patients usually carry a reservoir of HIV-infected cells that can re-emerge if treatment stops. These reservoirs have long been thought to be dormant, but two independent groups of researchers report that a subset of these cells spontaneously produce HIV RNA and proteins that may impact patients' HIV-specific immune responses.
Could a breakdown in the brain's networks allow infections to contribute to Alzheimer's disease?
New data gives more evidence to the possibility that developing a pathobiome in the brain could cause some forms of Alzheimer's and related dementias.
Surveillance system detected infection linked to eye drops months before outbreak declared
An infectious diseases surveillance system deployed at a hospital successfully flagged cases of a drug-resistant infection spread by eye drops months before national public health officials announced an outbreak.
