Health Fitness Archives - Page 7 of 7

Researchers identify why cancer immunotherapy can cause colitis

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have identified a mechanism that causes severe gastrointestinal problems with immune-based cancer treatment. They also found a way to deliver immunotherapy’s cancer-killing impact without the unwelcome side effect. The findings are published in Science. “This is a good example of how understanding a mechanism helps…

YAP and TAZ: Protein partners identified as potential key for fetal bone development

A pair of proteins, YAP and TAZ, has been identified as conductors of bone development in the womb and could provide insight into genetic diseases such as osteogenesis imperfecta, known commonly as “brittle bone disease.” This small animal-based research, published today in Developmental Cell and led by members of the McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory of…

Study shows liraglutide results in increased insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss

A new study published in the journal Diabetes demonstrates that a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, a member of a class of medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity, can lead to a rapid improvement in insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity is how responsive cells are to insulin, an essential hormone that controls blood…

The (wrong) reason we keep secrets

In and out of the workplace, people often keep adverse information about themselves secret because they worry that others will judge them harshly. But those fears are overblown, according to new research from the McCombs School of Business. In fact, when study participants pushed through fear to reveal a secret, those in whom they confided…

Nematode proteins shed light on infertility

We have two copies of each chromosome in every cell in our bodies except in our reproductive cells. Sperm and egg cells contain a single copy of each chromosome with a unique mix of genes from our parents, an evolutionary trick to give our offspring genetic variability. The sperm and egg are made during meiosis,…

Bacteria load their syringes | ScienceDaily

Many bacterial pathogens use small injection apparatuses to manipulate the cells of their hosts, such as humans, so that they can spread throughout the body. To do this, they need to fill their syringes with the relevant injection agent. A technique that tracks the individual movement of proteins revealed how bacteria accomplish this challenging task.…

Newly discovered genetic mutation protects against Parkinson’s disease and offers hope for new therapies

A previously unidentified genetic mutation in a small protein provides significant protection against Parkinson’s disease and offers a new direction for exploring potential treatments, according to a new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology study. The variant, located in a mitochondrial microprotein dubbed SHLP2, was found to be highly protective against Parkinson’s disease; individuals with…

Combine mindfulness with exercise for mental health boost in 2024

For people looking to start 2024 with a new routine to feel fitter and happier, a new study from the University of Bath suggests that combining mindfulness with exercise could be your key to success. A study, published in the academic journal Mental Health and Physical Activity, suggests that life changes which combine both physical…

Revolutionary nanodrones enable targeted cancer treatment

A groundbreaking study led by Professor Sebyung Kang and Professor Sung Ho Park in the Department of Biological Sciences at UNIST has unveiled a remarkable breakthrough in cancer treatment. The research team has successfully developed unprecedented “NK cell-engaging nanodrones” capable of selectively targeting and eliminating cancer cells, offering a potential solution for intractable types of…

GPCR structure: Research reveals molecular origins of function for a key drug target

Through an international collaboration, scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital leveraged data science, pharmacology and structural information to conduct an atomic-level investigation into how each amino acid in the receptor that binds adrenaline contributes to receptor activity in the presence of this natural ligand. They discovered precisely which amino acids control the key pharmacological…

Polymers that can kill bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a rapidly growing threat to public health. Each year, they account for more than 2.8 million infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without new antibiotics, even common injuries and infections harbor the potential to become lethal. Scientists are now one step closer to eliminating that threat,…

Location, location, location: The hidden power of intracellular neighborhoods

Back in 2018, the lab of Christine Mayr, MD, PhD, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) introduced the world to a key cellular component that had been hiding in plain sight. Now the lab is back with important results that build on that discovery. New findings published in Molecular Cell provide details about the…

Two types of CBT are equally effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia

There does not appear to be any profound differences between so-called exposure-based CBT and traditional CBT in the treatment of fibromyalgia, according to a study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. Both forms of treatment produced a significant reduction in symptoms in people affected by the disease. The study is one of the largest to…

Sniffing women’s tears reduces aggressive behavior in men, researchers report

New research, publishing December 21 in the open access journal in PLOS Biology, shows that tears from women contain chemicals that block aggression in men. The study led by Shani Agron at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, finds that sniffing tears leads to reduced brain activity related to aggression, which results is less aggressive…

Sniffing women’s tears reduces aggressive behavior in men, researchers report

New study examines the relationship between the rate of wound healing, the circadian rhythm, and ‘hair’ on cells

Nearly every organism on Earth follows a natural circadian rhythm that is coded by your cell’s clock genes, which do exactly as you suspect from the name: regulate your body’s rhythm on a 24-hour basis. Most cells in mammalian bodies have cilia of some sort, which are hair-like structures that perform a variety of functions…

Large language models validate misinformation

New research into large language models shows that they repeat conspiracy theories, harmful stereotypes, and other forms of misinformation. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Waterloo systematically tested an early version of ChatGPT’s understanding of statements in six categories: facts, conspiracies, controversies, misconceptions, stereotypes, and fiction. This was part of Waterloo researchers’…

New discovery could aid regenerative heart therapies

Scientists led by Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) in the United States have discovered a new control mechanism that can drive the maturation of human stem cell-derived heart muscle cells, providing fresh insight into the maturation process of heart muscle cells from fetal to adult form. After…

Parents’ top resolutions: More patience, less time on phones

Among many parents’ top resolutions for the New Year: More patience, less time on phones, better consistency with discipline and healthier family habits. Their tweens and teens are setting goals too — including achievements related to grades and school, success in an activity, exercise and nutrition and earning money, according to the University of Michigan…

Scientists might be using a flawed strategy to predict how species will fare under climate change

As the world heats up, and the climate shifts, life will migrate, adapt or go extinct. For decades, scientists have deployed a specific method to predict how a species will fare during this time of great change. But according to new research, that method might be producing results that are misleading or wrong. University of…

Where you live matters: A first-of-its-kind study illustrates how racism is interrelated with poor health

A team of health equity researchers from several institutions has leveraged a complex web of data to test a hypothesis: That structural racism is associated with resources and structures at the neighborhood level that are closely associated with poor health. What they found in an analysis of highly localized, community level data illustrates how racism…

Cells of the future: A key to reprogramming cell identities

The intricate process of duplicating genetic information, referred to as DNA replication, lies at the heart of the transmission of life from one cell to another and from one organism to the next. This happens by not just simply copying the genetic information; a well-orchestrated sequence of molecular events has to happen at the right…

Meet ‘Coscientist,’ your AI lab partner

In less time than it will take you to read this article, an artificial intelligence-driven system was able to autonomously learn about certain Nobel Prize-winning chemical reactions and design a successful laboratory procedure to make them. The AI did all that in just a few minutes — and nailed it on the first try. “This…

Integrating research and clinical care to uncover secrets of brain development

The human brain continues to be built after we are born for far longer than previously recognized, suggests research by Shawn Sorrells, assistant professor of neuroscience in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Sorrells’s research on postnatal brain development, published today inthe journal Nature, shines light on fundamental processes that contribute to…

New tool unifies single-cell data

A new methodology that allows for the categorisation and organisation of single-cell data has been launched. It can be used to create a harmonised dataset for the study of human health and disease. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Cambridge, EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), and collaborators developed the tool, known as…

New brain-like transistor mimics human intelligence

Taking inspiration from the human brain, researchers have developed a new synaptic transistor capable of higher-level thinking. Designed by researchers at Northwestern University, Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the device simultaneously processes and stores information just like the human brain. In new experiments, the researchers demonstrated that the transistor goes beyond…

A trillion scents, one nose

The mammalian nose is a work of evolutionary art. Its millions of nerve cells, each tailored with just one of thousands of specific odor-chemical receptors encoded in the genome, can collectively distinguish a trillion distinct scents. Those sensations, in turn, inform many behaviors, from assessing food options to discerning friends from foes to sparking memories.…

Light color is less important for the internal clock than originally thought

Light in the evening is thought to be bad for sleep. However, does the color of the light play a role? Researchers from the University of Basel and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) compared the influence of different light colors on the human body. The researchers’ findings contradict the results of a previous study…

Strong connections found between vaccine hesitancy and support for vaccinating pets

Texas A&M University School of Public Health research on attitudes toward pet vaccination and how they may be linked with human vaccine hesitancy was the subject of a new study recently published in the journal Vaccine. Simon Haeder, Ph.D., associate professor, analyzed data from an August 2023 survey of more than 2,000 dog and more…

Researchers map how measles virus spreads in human brain

Mayo Clinic researchers mapped how the measles virus mutated and spread in the brain of a person who succumbed to a rare, lethal brain disease. New cases of this disease, which is a complication of the measles virus, may occur as measles reemerges among the unvaccinated, say researchers. Using the latest tools in genetic sequencing,…

Study unveils a role of mitochondria in dietary fat processing

The maintenance of a balanced lipid homeostasis is critical for our health. While consumption of excessive amounts of fatty foods contributes to metabolic diseases such as obesity and atherosclerosis, fat is an indispensable component of our diet. Digested lipids supply the body with essential building blocks and facilitate the absorption of important vitamins. In a…

Air conditioning has reduced mortality due to high temperatures in Spain by one third

Air conditioning and heating systems have contributed considerably to reducing mortality linked to extreme temperatures in Spain, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation. The findings, published in Environment International, provide valuable insights for designing policies to adapt to climate change.…

Night sweats reveal the severity of sleep apnea

A collaborative effort between the University of Córdoba and IMIBIC uses, for the first time, changes in sweat metabolism to diagnose the severity of sleep apnea In Greek, apnea (ἄπνοια) denotes the “absence of breathing.” Hence, obstructive sleep apnea is a disease defined by interruptions in breathing, which recurs while the person suffering from it…

Childhood trauma increases risk of chronic pain in adulthood, research to-date highlights

Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect, either alone or combined with other types of childhood trauma, increases the risk of chronic pain and related disability in adulthood, according to new research. These new findings underscore the urgency of addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — potentially traumatic events that occur before 18 years of age…

Toothbrushing tied to lower rates of pneumonia among hospitalized patients

Researchers have found an inexpensive tool that may help reduce rates of pneumonia for hospitalized patients — and it comes with bristles on one end. A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute examined whether daily toothbrushing…

Memory research: Breathing in sleep impacts memory processes

Researchers at LMU, the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, and the University of Oxford have investigated how sleep affects memory. They found a link between breathing and the emergence of certain brain activity patterns in sleep that are associated with the reactivation of memory contents. The data points to possible consequences of unhealthy breathing…

AI’s memory-forming mechanism found to be strikingly similar to that of the brain

An interdisciplinary team consisting of researchers from the Center for Cognition and Sociality and the Data Science Group within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) revealed a striking similarity between the memory processing of artificial intelligence (AI) models and the hippocampus of the human brain. This new finding provides a novel perspective on memory consolidation,…

Prone to abandoning New Year’s resolutions? Research suggests blaming money worries rather than being time-poor

People who abandon New Year’s resolutions or other commitments can maintain the respect of their peers by blaming external factors such as lack of money, new research suggests. Studies have found that people were more likely to be seen as having good self-control despite abandoning a commitment to live a healthier life if they claimed…

‘Long flu’ has emerged as a consequence similar to long COVID

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, extensive research has emerged detailing the virus’s ability to attack multiple organ systems, potentially resulting in a set of enduring and often disabling health problems known as long COVID. Now, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System…

Researchers discover first ever link between hemoglobin-like protein and normal heart development

In a landmark study led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, researchers discovered for the first time that a certain kind of protein similar to hemoglobin, called cytoglobin, plays an important role in the development of the heart. Specifically, it affects the correct left-right pattern of the heart and other asymmetric organs. The…

Revolutionary seaweed and carbonated water based hydrogel for treating skin wounds

Acting as the main interface between the internal and the external world, the skin is the largest and most important organ of the human body. It is frequently exposed to many types of physical injuries or wounds, including cuts, scrapes, scratches, infections, and ulcers. Unfortunately, as one ages, the skin becomes more frail and less…

Study shows exposure to household chemicals can lower odds of getting pregnant

Exposure to phthalates, a group of plasticizing and solvent chemicals found in many household products, was linked to a lower probability of getting pregnant, but not to pregnancy loss, according to research by a University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental and reproductive epidemiologist. The study, published this week in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, also noted…

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in menstrual products

The average menstruator will use over 11,000 tampons or sanitary pads in their lifetime. Vaginal and vulvar tissue that touch pads and tampons is highly permeable. Through this permeable tissue chemicals are absorbed without being metabolized, which makes endocrine-disrupting chemicals potentially dangerous when found in menstrual products. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with human hormones and…

Jurors recommend death penalty based on looks, but new training can correct the bias

Certain facial features — like downturned lips and a heavy brow — are known to make someone appear untrustworthy to others, even though these do not indicate a person’s actual character. Such facial biases influence our everyday social interactions as well as high-stakes decisions, including who we hire, or elect to political office. But a…

AI study reveals individuality of tongue’s surface

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 3D images of the human tongue have revealed that the surface of our tongues are unique to each of us, new findings suggest. The results offer an unprecedented insight into the biological make-up of our tongue’s surface and how our sense of taste and touch differ from person to person. The…

Vikings in Sweden suffered from tooth decay

Vikings in Sweden suffered from painful dental issues and occasionally tried to treat them, according to a study published December 13, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Carolina Bertilsson of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and colleagues. In 2005, excavations in Varnhem, Sweden uncovered the remains of a Christian church, nearby which was…

Scientists unveil complete cell map of a whole mammalian brain

For the first time ever, an international team of researchers has created a complete cell atlas of a whole mammalian brain. This atlas serves as a map for the mouse brain, describing the type, location, and molecular information of more than 32 million cells and providing information on connectivity between these cells. The mouse is…

Caregiving can be stressful, but it could also lower risk of depression

Becoming a caregiver to an aging parent or spouse can be stressful, but a new study from a researcher at The University of Texas at Austin is questioning the idea that family caregiving is also a risk factor for depression. The study, published in the journal Advances in Life Course Research, found that depression in…

Protein study could one day advance Parkinson’s, breast cancer care

New research from Oregon Health & Science University could one day lead to therapies that prevent or treat diseases and infections tied to a protein that’s found in all human cells. A study published today in the journal Molecular Cell describes how the protein ubiquitin is modified during a bacterial infection. The study details the…

Clinical trial demonstrates that the ketogenic diet is effective at controlling polycystic kidney disease

It’s official: The ketogenic diet proved to be effective at controlling polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in the first randomized controlled clinical trial of ketogenic metabolic therapy for PKD. “I’m really happy about these clinical trial results,” said UC Santa Barbara biologist Thomas Weimbs, whose lab was part of an international collaboration to investigate the effect…

Holidays crank up kilos for kids

On the cusp of summer holidays, Aussie kids are looking forward to some well-deserved time off. But too much downtime could create health problems, as new research shows that holidays are the prime time for excessive weight gain in kids. Conducted by the University of South Australia’s Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity…

Potential new drug treatment for multiple sclerosis

CAMH-led pre-clinical studies using a small molecule drug have shown promise as a potential new treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The results have been published today in the journal Science Advances. Expanding on Dr. Fang Liu’s earlier work that identified a novel drug target for the treatment of MS, she and her team have now…

Zika’s shape-shifting machinery, and a possible vulnerability

Viruses have limited genetic material — and few proteins — so all the pieces must work extra hard. Zika is a great example; the virus only produces 10 proteins. Now, in a study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys have shown how the virus does so much with so little…

Battle of the AIs in medical research: ChatGPT vs Elicit

The use of generative AI in literature search suggests the possibility of efficiently collecting a vast amount of medical information, provided that users are well aware that the performance of generative AI is still in its infancy and that not all information presented is necessarily reliable. It is advised to use different generative AIs depending…

What happens when the brain loses a hub?

A University of Iowa-led team of international neuroscientists have obtained the first direct recordings of the human brain in the minutes before and after a brain hub crucial for language meaning was surgically disconnected. The results reveal the importance of brain hubs in neural networks and the remarkable way in which the human brain attempts…

Major breakthrough for severe asthma treatment

A landmark study has shown that severe asthma can be controlled using biologic therapies, without the addition of regular high-dose inhaled steroids which can have significant side effects. The findings from the multinational SHAMAL study, published in The Lancet, demonstrated that 92% of patients using the biologic therapy benralizumab could safely reduce inhaled steroid dose…

New genes can arise from nothing

The complexity of living organisms is encoded within their genes, but where do these genes come from? Researchers at the University of Helsinki resolved outstanding questions around the origin of small regulatory genes, and described a mechanism that creates their DNA palindromes. Under suitable circumstances, these palindromes evolve into microRNA genes. The human genome contains…

Hydrogen sulfide regulates neural circuit for respiration

Hydrogen sulfide, recognized by its characteristic rotten egg smell, is synthesized in the respiratory center — an integral brain region governing respiration. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have identified that hydrogen sulfide within the respiratory center plays a crucial role in maintaining the rhythm and depth of respiration by modulating neurotransmissions. While commonly associated…

Predicting which of our organs will fail first

Like any typical car or house or society, the pace at which parts of our bodies fall apart varies from part to part. A study of 5,678 people, led by Stanford Medicine investigators, has shown that our organs age at different rates — and when an organ’s age is especially advanced in comparison with its…

Fungus-fighting protein could help overcome severe autoimmune disease and cancer

A protein in the immune system programmed to protect the body from fungal infections is also responsible for exacerbating the severity of certain autoimmune diseases such as irritable bowel disease (IBS), type 1 diabetes, eczema and other chronic disorders, new research from The Australian National University (ANU) has found. The discovery could pave the way…

Repeated blast exposures may harm the brain health of military personnel

The brains of special warfare community personnel repeatedly exposed to blasts show increased inflammation and structural changes compared with a control group, potentially increasing the risk of long-term, brain-related disease, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC) led the study, which compared…

Bacteria’s mucus maneuvers: Study reveals how snot facilitates infection

Sniffles, snorts and blows of runny noses are the hallmarks of cold and flu season — and that increase in mucus is exactly what bacteria use to mount a coordinated attack on the immune system, according to a new study from researchers at Penn State. The team found that the thicker the mucus, the better…

A farsighted approach to tackle nearsightedness

As humans age, our eyes adjust based on how we use them, growing or shortening to focus where needed, and we now know that blurred input to the eye while the eye is growing causes myopia. It is so specific that the eye grows exactly to compensate for the amount and the direction of blur.…

Survey finds Americans struggle to maintain healthy habits during the holiday season

The holiday season is a time for joy and celebration but many Americans admit the endless flurry of activities make it difficult to eat healthy, exercise and get adequate rest, according to a new survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they overindulge in food, nearly 45% said…

A patch of protection against Zika virus

A simple-to-apply, needle-free vaccine patch is being developed to protect people from the potentially deadly mosquito-borne Zika virus. A prototype using The University of Queensland-developed and Vaxxas-commercialised high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) has delivered a University of Adelaide-developed vaccine and elicited an effective immune response to Zika virus in mice. UQ alum and Vaxxas researcher Dr…

Scientists work to bring tissue regeneration to replace root canal treatment

Want to avoid a root canal? In the future, you might be able to opt for tissue regeneration instead. ADA Forsyth scientists are testing a novel technology to treat endodontic diseases (diseases of the soft tissue or pulp in your teeth) more effectively. The study, “RvE1 Promotes Axin2+Cell Regeneration and Reduces Bacterial Invasion,” which appeared…

Human behavior guided by fast changes in dopamine levels

What happens in the human brain when we learn from positive and negative experiences? To help answer that question and better understand decision-making and human behavior, scientists are studying dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that serves as a chemical messenger, facilitating communication between nerve cells in the brain and the body.…

Pathogens use force to breach immune defenses, study finds

Similar to a burglar breaking a window to get into a house, Indiana University researchers have discovered a previously unknown process by which pathogens enter a cell with physical force, breaching the body’s immune defenses that prevent infection. The work, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, introduces a potential game-changer…

Can preeclampsia be prevented? | ScienceDaily

Preeclampsia is a mysterious condition that occurs in about one of 10 pregnancies without any early warning signs. After 20 weeks or more of normal blood pressure during the pregnancy, patients with preeclampsia will begin to experience elevated blood pressure and may also have increased levels of protein in their urine due to hypertension reducing…

To help autonomous vehicles make moral decisions, researchers ditch the ‘trolley problem’

Researchers have developed a new experiment to better understand what people view as moral and immoral decisions related to driving vehicles, with the goal of collecting data to train autonomous vehicles how to make “good” decisions. The work is designed to capture a more realistic array of moral challenges in traffic than the widely discussed…