Body
New technological devices are prioritizing non-invasive tracking of vital signs not only for fitness monitoring, but also for the prevention of common health problems such as heart failure, hypertension, and stress related complications, among others. Wearables based on optical detection mechanisms are proving an invaluable approach for reporting on our bodies inner workings and have experienced a large penetration into the consumer market in recent years.
Boston, MA -- Three-quarters of older adults with a serious illness visit the emergency department during the last six months of their lives. Many will be admitted to the hospital. Some will never leave. But only a minority of patients have a conversation with their physician about preferences for end-of-life care before it is too late in their disease course for their wishes to be expressed. Identifying patients at greatest risk of near-term death early enough to engage in these conversations could both improve patients' experiences and drive down health care costs.
Researchers at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) have identified changes in retinal layer thickness, inflammation or thinning in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, confirming that the retina is one of the most important biomarkers for early diagnosis of the disease.
For the first time, researchers have determined the shape and size of the areas that present significant thinning in each retinal layer, which tend to occur in the same locations.
Certain drugs used to treat retinal diseases are excreted into breast milk, raising possible safety concerns for developing infants, suggests a first-of-its-kind study led by St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and published in Ophthalmology.
An international research team has developed a new strategy that can predict the potential clinical implications of new therapeutic compounds based on simple cellular responses. This discovery was partly led by scientists affiliated with Université de Montréal (UdeM), and represents a major step forward in developing more effective drugs with fewer side effects, much faster than before. The researchers conducted their work at Centre de Recherche de l'Hôpital Ste-Justine and published their findings in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.
Boston - A new study identifies specific locations where medication and harm reduction services for people with opioid use disorder should be available in order to have the greatest impact on reducing opioid overdose deaths. Led by researchers at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction, the data show that more than half of those who died of an opioid overdose in Massachusetts encountered the health care, public health and/or criminal justice systems within the 12 months prior to their fatal overdose.
Systemic lupus erythematosus, a chronic autoimmune disease commonly referred to as lupus or SLE, has been compared to volatile, unprovoked brawls within the body.
The disease, which has no cure, operates much like an allergic reaction gone awry: When activated, the immune system also attacks the body's healthy cells, tissues, and organs, causing inflammation and producing a host of symptoms that, though unique to each person, are universally called flares.
A research group led by Professor Tomoyuki Furuyashiki and Associate Professor Shiho Kitaoka (Graduate School of Medicine) in collaboration with researcher Yasuhisa Ano of Kirin Holdings have made discoveries regarding the effect of the dipeptide Leucine-Histidine (LH) in suppressing microglial activation and depression-associated emotional disturbances. LH dipeptide is found in fermented foods such as blue cheese and natto (fermented soy beans). Foods rich in LH dipeptide may be a safe, preventive method for maintaining good mental health.
Sept. 13, 2019--In patients with high blood pressure resistant to treatment who also have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the more severe their OSA, the higher their blood pressure, according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Melbourne researchers have discovered that the key to personalised therapies for some types of lung cancers may be to focus on their differences, not their similarities.
More than one in three lung cancers called adenocarcinomas have a common-cancer causing mutation in the gene KRAS, which is a potent cancer driver. Yet decades of attempts to develop a therapy that targets this gene have been unsuccessful.
WASHINGTON--A plant-based diet may alleviate painful symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new review published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
San Antonio, Texas (September 11, 2019) - Tuberculosis and HIV - two of the world's deadliest infectious diseases - are far worse when they occur together. Now, Texas Biomedical Research Institute researchers have pinpointed an important mechanism at work in this troubling health problem. And, their discovery could lead to a new mode of treatment for people at risk. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a top-tier venue for critical advances in biomedical research.
A person with drug resistant epilepsy who gets an early surgical intervention has a better chance of becoming seizure free. This is shown in a systematic review and meta-analysis in which Sahlgrenska Academy researchers, in collaboration with the Swedish Council for Assessment of Health Technology and Social Services (SBU), analysed results from a range of previous studies. They concluded that people with drug resistant epilepsy should, as early as possible, be referred for epilepsy surgery evaluation.
Decoding Messages in the Body's Microscopic Metropolises
by Aliyah Kovner
A study aimed at identifying and examining the small messenger proteins used by microbes living on and inside humans has revealed an astounding diversity of more than 4,000 families of molecules - many of which have never been described previously.
Scientists have determined a new way to protect the hair follicle from chemotherapy in an effort to prevent hair loss as a result of cancer treatments.
Researchers based at The University of Manchester have discovered a new strategy for how to protect hair follicles from chemotherapy, which could lead to new treatments that prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss - arguably one of the most psychologically distressing side effects of modern cancer therapy.