Can't sleep? Insomniacs may experience accelerated brain aging

Spinal cord injuries caused by external trauma, such as traffic accidents or falls, often lead to the permanent loss of motor and sensory functions. This is because the spinal cord—the central pathway connecting the brain and the rest of the body—harbors a "brake" mechanism that halts repair. For the first time, the molecular mechanism behind this braking system has been revealed.

Death rates from chronic diseases have fallen in four out of five countries around the world in the last decade—but progress has slowed, suggests an analysis led by researchers at Imperial College London and published in The Lancet.

Existing approaches to behavioral programs targeted at parents with children up to age 12 months and that aim to combat childhood obesity are insufficient to improve body mass index (BMI) at approximately two years of age, according to the largest study to date on the topic, published in The Lancet.

Early detection of even the slightest motor function changes can be critical to slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease. Yet these subtle signs often go unnoticed. Now, UF researcher Diego L. Guarín, Ph.D., is harnessing AI to spot these subtle changes from video recordings before clinical symptoms become evident to the clinician's eyes.

Older adults are increasingly discontinuing benzodiazepines soon after hospital discharge, but a significant number continue use for months, putting them at risk for serious health problems, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Scientists at Scripps Research have developed a novel method that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced imaging techniques to more accurately and efficiently identify therapeutic antibodies to treat infectious diseases.

Tumors are stressful places for cancer-fighting immune cells. Low oxygen, high acid levels, and other stressors put strain on mitochondria, the cell's energy factories, leading to T cell exhaustion and poor cancer outcomes.

Green tea is an ancient beverage recognized for its medicinal and antioxidant properties. It has been widely studied for its beneficial effects on metabolic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have deepened our understanding of the mechanisms of action of this infusion and revealed that green tea treatment reduced weight and significantly improved glucose sensitivity and insulin resistance in obese mice. These results reinforce the potential relevance of the beverage as an adjunct in the treatment of obesity in humans.

A study conducted by the University of Eastern Finland and Fimea found that the Finnish news media has given GLP-1 agonists used to treat obesity, such as semaglutide, a great deal of attention while many other new medicines have been ignored. Based on preliminary results, media visibility is not evenly divided between medicines intended for different indications, and the amount of visibility does not always correspond to such things as the user-specific costs of medicines or the prevalence of indications.

Surgical patients in rural areas who are undergoing colectomy for cancer could benefit greatly from the expanded use of minimally invasive surgery, according to new research findings published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

The hospital industry is one of the most important sectors of the U.S. economy because of its size and its impact on the health and well-being of the population. While much research has documented the effects of mergers on cost and quality, we know less about the effects of such actions on access to care.

Home care for older adults has received considerable attention in the Finnish media in recent years. A recent study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland found that newspaper images of home care tend to paint a picture of efficient care workers in a hectic work environment, while portraying older clients as passive recipients of care.

New research has revealed that people with similar levels of autistic traits are more attracted to each other, and their brains synchronize in unique ways during passive and active communication.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), manmade chemicals that accumulate in the body over time, have been linked to liver disease and cancer, but it is not yet clear how they cause damage. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have used a lab model of the human liver to analyze changes at the cellular level, finding that some PFAS triggered fat accumulation and others caused cell damage linked to cancer.

Children with a rare, debilitating muscle disease could benefit from the findings of new research by experts at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

New research from the University of Minnesota Medical School is providing important insights into how COVID-19 persists in cancer patients even long after testing positive. The findings were recently published in iScience.

An international multidisciplinary team has demonstrated for the first time that CRISPR-based gene activation (CRISPRa) can be used to treat genetic heart disease in vivo. The study, published in the European Heart Journal and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, paves the way for novel targeted therapies for patients with genetic cardiac disorders. This approach could be especially useful for patients with conditions caused by mutations in genes too large to be targeted with conventional gene therapy.

An international team led by the Clínic-IDIBAPS-UB along with the Institute of Cancer Research, London, has developed a new method based on DNA methylation to decipher the origin and evolution of cancer, which makes it possible to predict its future clinical course. The study, published today in the journal Nature, analyzes the evolution of the tumors of 2,000 patients with leukemias and lymphomas.