Genetic study yields personalized therapeutics for a rare skin disorder

A novel study investigating how physical activity and diet quality interact with different levels and patterns of alcohol consumption shows that healthy eating and increased levels of physical activity significantly lower the risk of alcohol-attributable liver-related mortality. The findings from this comprehensive study in the Journal of Hepatology, use data from a large multi-ethnic US cohort and highlight the importance of considering other lifestyle behaviors when estimating the risk of death from alcohol-related liver disease at a population level.

Psychotherapy leads to measurable changes in brain structure. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of Münster have demonstrated this for the first time in a study in Translational Psychiatry by using cognitive behavioral therapy.

Nearly 80% of U.S. neurologists prescribing drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) have received at least one pharma industry payment, with higher-volume prescribers more likely to be beneficiaries, finds a five-year analysis of Medicare database payments, published in the journal BMJ Open.

Making a smoothie, going for an evening walk, or having empathy for a loved one are all examples of executive functions that are controlled by the brain's frontal cortex. This area of the brain goes through profound change throughout adolescence, and it is during this time that abnormalities in maturing circuits can set the stage for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia and ADHD.

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of liver transplantation and death worldwide, and its impact is only growing. In 2022, the annual cost of ALD in the United States was $31 billion. By 2040, this number could be as high as $66 billion. ALD has limited therapeutic options, so scientists are looking for new ways to target the molecular biology of ALD to help prevent its occurrence or reduce its severity.

Does insurance play a role in which critically ill patients live or die? The unfortunate answer may be yes, due in part to a difference in the rate of inter-hospital transfer, according to new research from the University of Michigan. The work is published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

COVID-19 is once again climbing to troubling levels in California—a worrying trend as health officials attempt to navigate a vaccine landscape thrown into uncertainty by delays and decisions from the Trump administration.

Researchers at Kyoto University have discovered that "immune hubs" in the kidney create a unique metabolic environment that could be targeted for new treatments. These clusters of immune cells, called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), show high levels of oxidative stress but counter this by accumulating glutathione, a key antioxidant, maintaining a delicate balance.

What is it that makes us feel good about ourselves? And what motivates us to do something, regardless of whether it is important or not?

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the deadliest breast cancer subtype, disproportionately affects African American women—but until now, they have been underrepresented in genomic studies aimed at identifying the genetic mutations driving the disease.

UCLA researchers have created miniature stem cell-based organoid models of human lungs, hearts and brains to study how hantaviruses—rare but often deadly viruses spread by rodents—infect the body. Hantaviruses were thrust into the national spotlight earlier this year as the cause of death for Betsy Arakawa, the classical pianist and wife of late actor Gene Hackman.

A team from the Microbiology Department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has discovered three powerful monoclonal antibodies from a person who had previously been infected with mpox (formerly known as monkeypox).

Several studies have shown that students who attend afternoon classes tend to perform better in school than those who attend morning classes. This is due to greater synchrony between class times and students' biological clocks. However, a study of children and adolescents revealed that this does not apply to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or symptoms of the condition. For this group, changing school shifts does not significantly improve academic performance.

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), long-term routine laboratory toxicity monitoring (lt-RLTM) indicates that most very abnormal laboratory results are already known or suspected, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Breastfeeding offers many benefits, from emotional bonding to better nutrition and immune support. But for parents who need to pump and store breast milk, handling it safely is key.

Belgian scientists have uncovered new details about how the immune system responds to vaccines. Dendritic cells, which are key immune messengers that help kick-start the body's defenses, show specific responses to lipid nanoparticles. These findings, published in Cell Reports, could lead to safer and more effective vaccines.

Patients with intermediate stage primary liver cancer who received a vaccine of dendritic cells saw a longer time without tumor progression in response to standard treatment, according to a new study led by the University of Birmingham.

Lowering the activity of interleukin-6 (IL-6)—a key immune signal regulating inflammatory responses in the body—could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease without making people more vulnerable to infections, according to new research from LMU's Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research and international collaborators.