Depression linked to a less diverse oral microbiome

A new molecule developed by University at Buffalo researchers acts like a local, long-lasting anesthetic, providing robust pain relief for up to three weeks, according to the results of preclinical studies reported recently in the journal Pain.

Out-of-body experiences—where people feel like spirits disconnected from their physical form—may be a coping mechanism triggered by trauma or other overwhelming stress, new University of Virginia School of Medicine research suggests.

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports indicates that physical exercise combined with omega-3 supplementation considerably improves the immune response and reduces the severity of chronic apical periodontitis.

Inspired by advances in cancer therapy, a team at the Buck Institute has engineered immune cells equipped with specialized targeting devices called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that can distinguish and respond to tau tangles and various forms of toxic amyloid plaques, both of which are implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of tumor and is responsible for around 10% of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The tumor is particularly dangerous when it forms metastases—i.e. secondary tumors—in other organs. This occurs primarily in the liver and lungs, and more rarely in the brain.

A growing number of firearm suicides in the United States occur outside the home, most commonly in motor vehicles, according to a study published online in JAMA Network Open.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved George Medicines' Widaplik (telmisartan, amlodipine, and indapamide) for the treatment of hypertension in adults.

Hyponatremia, or low blood sodium concentration, is typically viewed as a symptomless condition—until recently. A research team has demonstrated that chronic hyponatremia (CHN) can directly cause anxiety-like behaviors in mice by disrupting key neurotransmitters in the brain.

Thanks to lab-grown miniature intestines, researchers at Uppsala University have successfully mapped how aggressive Shigella bacteria infect the human gut. The study opens the door to using cultured human mini-organs to investigate a wide range of other serious infections.

Researchers, led by UC San Francisco, tested the effectiveness of a weeklong, web-based well-being intervention, known as the Big Joy Project. This consisted of daily micro-acts, which included asking someone to share a fun, inspiring, or proud moment, making a gratitude list, and performing a kind act to brighten someone's day.

The human brain, like the brain of other mammals, is known to start developing before birth, via a coordinated sequence of molecular and cellular processes. Neuroscience studies have found that the choroid plexus (ChP), a specialized brain structure that regulates the production of a liquid that nourishes the brain and spinal cord, plays a key role in the brain's early development.

Leg amputation rates caused by arterial disease are four times as high in the most disadvantaged areas in England. The study, from the University of Sheffield, also found patients living in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are more likely to die following leg amputation compared with those living in the least disadvantaged areas.

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have developed a more accurate and cost-effective method to predict asthma diagnoses in children by using readily available electronic health records. This scalable approach could enhance early detection rates and help reduce the risk of asthma disease progression in young patients.

A new method improving the accuracy of interpreting blood pressure measurements taken at the ankle could be crucial for people who cannot have their arm blood pressure measured.

Taking the progestogen-only contraceptive pill desogestrel continuously for more than five years is associated with a small increased risk of developing a type of brain tumor called an intracranial meningioma, finds a study from France published by The BMJ.

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has unveiled a new tool: the Healthy Urban Design Index (HUDI). The HUDI is a composite index that evaluates 917 European cities based on 13 indicators connected to peoples' health and well-being and divided into four domains: urban design, sustainable transport, environmental quality and green space accessibility.

The rise in non-prescribed ketamine use across the UK in recent years is a cause for concern, say doctors in The BMJ.

When it comes to family leave, American fathers are left behind. In a survey of new fathers led by scientists at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, 64% of fathers reported taking less than two weeks of leave or no leave after the birth of their child. Only 36% of dads reported taking more than two weeks of leave. The survey is the first of a state-representative sample of fathers.