Author: healthadmin
Cancer remains notoriously difficult to treat. This is partly because tumors take advantage of the surrounding environment, including the resident microbiota, to evade immune surveillance and resist conventional treatments. While traditional oncology has primarily focused on genetic and cellular changes within tumor cells, the role of the gut and intratumoral microbiome has long been neglected. However, new insights into how bacterial metabolites modulate host immunity, how tumor-resident bacteria directly interact with cancer cells, and how microbial signatures correlate with clinical outcomes are opening up unexpected avenues of intervention. Based on these challenges, deeper exploration is needed into how microbiome science…
For decades, biology textbooks have taught that human hair grows because cells at the base of the hair follicle divide and push up the hair shaft. But new research suggests the explanation is incomplete. Scientists have now found evidence that hair growth is stimulated by hidden pulling forces generated by the movement of cells within the hair follicle. The discovery challenges long-held ideas about how hair grows and could prompt researchers to rethink everything from hair loss treatments to regenerative medicine. The findings, by researchers from L’Oréal Research & Innovation and Queen Mary University of London, were published in the…
King’s College London Research, nature communicationsprovides insight into how long-term inflammation contributes to cognitive decline in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, aging, depression, and the lingering neurological effects of viral infections. Scientists have discovered that adding molecules involved in inflammatory responses to stem cells in the hippocampus impedes the development of new neurons. The formation of new neurons in this region, known as hippocampal neurogenesis, is essential for learning, memory, and regulating mood. It is one of the few parts of the human brain where new neurons are created in adulthood. Changes in adult hippocampal neurogenesis are associated with aging,…
Lawyers have filed a complaint against Belgium, accusing it of failing to protect its citizens from serious health risks posed by chemicals. advertisement advertisement ClientEarth has filed a human rights complaint with the European Committee for Social Rights (ECSR). Belgium has the highest levels of Permanent Chemical Substances (PFAS) of any European country. “We realized that not only has the pollution been present for a long time, but that authorities have had information about this pollution for years, if not decades, and very little is being done,” says Hélène Dugui, an environmental lawyer at Client Earth. NGO ClientEarth has extensive…
Ending a marriage is often a stressful experience, but the level of hostility between partners can have a lasting impact on physical and mental health. A recent study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology followed individuals over a 10-year period and found that those who experienced a high-conflict divorce often used more health services before and after the divorce. By tracking patterns in health outcomes, this study suggests that relationship dissolution is not just an isolated event, but a long-term process that begins to negatively impact health long before the marriage officially ends. The end of a marriage…
Handspring Health provides virtual mental health clinics for youth and families built around evidence-based care and ongoing training and support for clinicians. The four-year-old startup has secured $19 million in Series B funding to expand its clinician workforce, expand its value-based care partnerships with payers, and expand its geographic reach. The company also plans to expand its complex care models and invest in its technology platform, Handspring CEO and co-founder Sahil Choudhry told Fierce Healthcare in an exclusive interview about the funding round. RPS Ventures led the Series B round, with participation from new investor Angelini Ventures, and continued support…
Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning everyone. This is Alison. I’ll be covering this for Teresa today. I have to say that the recent news about the presidential physical fitness test reminded me. I remember the “sit and reach” exam. I know that my school had climbing ropes, but I don’t think we were allowed to actually climb on them for fear of falling and getting hurt. Do any other Millennial Morning Round readers remember what activities they did on the test? Send your memories…
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified a key factor that may help colorectal cancer spread to the liver. Their findings suggest that losing GATA6, a transcription factor that helps control which genes are turned on and off, may push cancer cells into a more primitive and adaptive state, allowing them to metastasize. Understanding how this change occurs could lead to new strategies to prevent one of the most deadly aspects of colorectal cancer. GATA6 normally acts as a molecular “identity keeper” within the cells lining the intestine, helping to maintain specialized cell functions.…
A major new study reveals that different types of intelligence share distinct genetic links with a variety of mental illnesses. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that genetic risk for diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder corresponds to lower problem-solving abilities and higher knowledge reserves. These findings indicate that the genetic relationship between mental health and cognition is highly specific to the particular mental skill in question. Researchers have documented that many mental illnesses involve differences in cognitive abilities. People diagnosed with a particular disorder often score differently on standardized tests compared to unaffected people. Genetic data also…
Written by Katherine Nakarebu, Yale University Climate Studies July 7, 2026 From May to October each year, the United States enters what climate scientists and emergency managers now call the “danger season.” It’s been a six-month ordeal as hurricane season peaks, heat domes settle over cities for days, wildfires spread across millions of acres, and flash floods tear through communities with little warning. AI-powered predictions are constantly improving and can help keep some people safe by helping us understand when it’s time to stock up on food, get off the roads, and evacuate before a major storm. But whether in…