Pain tolerance found to increase during social interaction in VR

A recent study has revealed significant variations in the nutritional composition of donor human milk across different countries. These findings could transform how hospitals support critically ill preterm infants worldwide.

A research team working at MedUni Vienna has demonstrated that a specific component of the immune system (PTX-3) remains at significantly higher levels in the blood of patients who have suffered from severe COVID-19, even months after the acute infection has subsided. This study identifies PTX-3 as a potential biomarker for existing tissue damage, long-term immune activation and also for complications following COVID-19.

Researchers at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet have found a system in the brain that can explain why female mice, who are not normally aggressive, suddenly and dramatically gain access to this behavior after becoming pregnant and giving birth (so-called maternal aggression).

A new Northwestern Medicine study has shed light on how a class of diabetes drugs may protect the kidneys—not just by lowering blood sugar, but by triggering a molecular shift that dampens inflammation, according to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

At first glance, Alzheimer's disease and cancer have little in common. One erodes memory, while the other consumes the body. Yet researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center have discovered an unexpected link connecting the two.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is primarily known to many as a hormone for blood formation. However, it has been known for some years that EPO also plays an important role in the brain—specifically where particularly demanding mental performance takes place.

Some people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have abnormal levels of glutamate in the brain. New research led by Mass General Brigham has focused on this neuron-activating chemical, suggesting that a glutamate-modulating drug called memantine may improve social functioning in youth with ASD who do not have intellectual disabilities.

In a preclinical study, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists have developed a highly targeted gene therapy that could revolutionize treatment for cancers linked to a common herpesvirus, with minimal side effects.

Two distinct stem cell lineages that drive tooth root and alveolar bone formation have been identified by researchers from Science Tokyo. Using genetically modified mice and lineage-tracing techniques, the team has shed light on the cell signaling mechanisms guiding differentiation in stem cells in the developing teeth, offering key insights for future regenerative dental therapies.

Certain nutrients in food can trigger a mild stress response in nematodes. But instead of making them sick, this actually helps them stay healthier as they age, according to researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Researchers at the University of Bath, in collaboration with the Universities of Oxford and Bristol, have developed a molecule that prevents the clumping and build-up of a protein linked to Parkinson's disease and related dementias. The team has successfully demonstrated it works in an animal model of Parkinson's and hopes that in the future this could lead to a treatment that slows the progression of the disease.

A new brain imaging study led by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University, and published in JAMA Network Open, uses a specialized type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique named neuromelanin-sensitive MRI to shed light on the link between chronic depression and the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine plays important roles in many cognitive, emotional, and bodily functions and is a central cellular component to the reward/motivation system of the brain.

A new study led by University of California, Irvine's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory researchers found that aging changes the brain's overall shape in measurable ways. Instead of focusing only on the size of specific regions, the team used a new analytic method to see how the brain's form shifts and distorts over time.

A new international QUT-led study found that bariatric surgery improves work productivity and employment rates in the short term—but these gains may not last beyond five years without targeted support.

The Herpes simplex virus is a widespread virus that often causes cold sores, and most people carry it. By removing a virulence gene, i.e. a gene that makes the virus harmful to humans, the herpes virus can be repurposed as a cancer vaccine. This modification prevents the virus from harming healthy tissue while allowing it to target cancer cells, which function differently from normal cells. These findings are presented in a new doctoral thesis at Åbo Akademi University, Finland.

Previously, the primary endpoint results of the NRG-LU005 study assessing the addition of the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab to standard of care concurrent chemoradiation for limited-state small cell lung cancer were reported at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting.

Previously, results from the photon cohort of the NRG-BN001, a signal seeking Phase II randomized trial, indicated that photon radiation dose intensification (75 Gy) did not demonstrate improvement in overall survival (OS) for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM).

Demand-responsive transport (DRT) is promoted as an inclusive solution to first- and last-mile mobility challenges, but little is known about the barriers to adoption among people with poor health.