Eurekalert

Compared to patients who don't have Parkinson's disease, patients with Parkinson's disease who were hospitalised for Covid-19 were more likely to develop a more severe course of the disease. The mortality rate of patients hospitalised with Parkinson's was also higher. This emerged following an evaluation of the data from the first wave of the pandemic by a team from the Department of Neurology at the St. Josef Hospital of Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB, Director: Professor Ralf Gold).

A chance find of old, well-preserved fish bones helped biologists to see how a changing environment drove evolution.

Problems for eigenmodes of a two-layered dielectric microcavity have become widespread thanks to the research of A.I. Nosich, E.I. Smotrova, S.V. Boriskina and others since the beginning of the 21st century. The KFU team first tackled this topic in 2014; undergraduates started working under the guidance of Evgeny Karchevsky, Professor of the Department of Applied Mathematics of the Institute of Computational Mathematics and Information Technology.

The latest findings show that with clever science, a single fingerprint left at a crime scene could be used to determine whether someone has touched or ingested class A drugs.

How can we determine how empty or full the soil reservoir is in areas that are difficult to access? Researchers at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), together with colleagues from Nepal, have now demonstrated an elegant method to track groundwater dynamics in high mountains: They use seismic waves. The researchers led by Luc Illien, Christoph Sens-Schönfelder and Christoff Andermann from GFZ report on this in the journal AGU Advances.

A study led by MedUni Vienna sheds light on the mechanisms that lead to extremely aggressive metastasis in a particular type of pancreatic cancer, the basal subtype of ductal adenocarcinoma. The results contribute to a better understanding of the disease.

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have found a potential neuroprotective effect of a protein modification that could be a therapeutic target in early Alzheimer's disease. The new study investigated the role of MECP2, a regulator of gene expression, in Alzheimer's disease related processes in brain cells.

New research shows that people with bipolar disorder may not take their medication because of side effects, fear of addiction and a preference for alternative treatment.Nearly half of people with bipolar disorder do not take their medication as prescribed leading to relapse, hospitalisation, and increased risk of suicide.The new study reveals six key factors that stop people taking their medication as prescribed.

Turns out the old adage, "monkey see, monkey do," does ring true -- even when it comes to cannabis use. However, when cannabis use involves youth it's see, think, then do, says a team of UBC Okanagan researchers.The team found that kids who grow up in homes where parents consume cannabis will more than likely use it themselves.

Cancer prevention and early detection measures show mixed progress, and substantial racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities continue to exist according to the recent American Cancer Society (ACS) article on cancer prevention and early detection efforts in the United States in 2018 and 2019.

Major progress has been made towards a global target on protected and conserved area coverage set in 2010, but commitments on the quality of these areas have fallen far short, according to a new report from the UN and IUCN.

Results from the VOYAGE study of dupilumab (Dupixent) showed that the monoclonal antibody significantly reduced exacerbations in children ages 6-11 with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma, compared to placebo, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference. VOYAGE (NCT02948959) is a recently completed randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind multicenter phase 3 clinical trial, that took place in a number of countries.

Results from the NAVIGATOR study of tezepelumab showed that the new biologic therapy significantly reduced exacerbations requiring hospital stays and emergency department (ED) visits for adults and adolescents with severe, uncontrolled asthma, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference. NAVIGATOR (NCT03347279) is a recently completed randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind multicenter phase 3 clinical trial.

A study led by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute has identified a tumor marker that may be used to predict which breast cancer patients will experience resistance to endocrine therapy. The research offers a new approach to selecting patients for therapy that targets HER2, a protein that promotes the growth of cancer cells, to help avoid disease relapse or progression of endocrine-sensitive disease.

Scientists have found that herbivores have a lot to say about plant evolution and determining the success of seedlings. The influence of birds, rabbits, mice and other herbivores likely counteracts early plant emergence due to climate change, the researchers found.

Among the large cast of microbiome players, bacteria have been hogging the spotlight. But the single-celled organisms known as protists are finally getting the starring role they deserve.

Traditionally, an infection is thought to happen when microbes enter and multiply in the body, and its severity is associated with how prevalent the microbes are in the body. Now, an international research team led by NTU Singapore is proposing that microbes in the body exist as a network, and that an infection's severity could be a result of 'negative interactions' between these microbes - when the microbes compete rather than cooperate with one another.

Researchers reveal the diversity of our neurons.

While a pint-sized snorer may seem adorable, studies shows that children with sleep disordered breathing are likely to show aggressive and hyperactive behaviours during the day. The recommended treatment is an adenotonsillectomy - not only to fix the snore, but also the behaviour - yet new research from the University of South Australia, while the surgery can cure a child's snoring it doesn't change their behaviour, despite common misconceptions by parents and doctors alike.

This is the first evidence that secondhand smoke during pregnancy correlates with changes in disease-related gene regulation in babies. These findings support the idea that many adult diseases have their origins in environmental exposures, such as stress, poor nutrition, pollution or tobacco smoke, during early development.