Author: healthadmin

RNA interference is a natural mechanism that controls whether living cells use certain genes. The discovery of RNA interference, which won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2006, has since been used by scientists to create a powerful and growing class of drugs that can suppress disease-related genes. Seven such drugs have already received FDA approval, including inclisiran, which can replace daily cholesterol-lowering medications with semiannual injections. Despite these clinical successes, the molecular details of how the system performs the cuts remained poorly understood. Now, scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have captured the first high-resolution structural images…

The Health Resources and Services Administration on Monday highlighted newly opened $140 million grant funding opportunities focused on local health priorities such as substance use treatment, workforce development and telehealth. Applications for a number of grants have opened in recent weeks and are expected to close in July. HRSA and its Administrator Tom Engels, who touted the funding opportunity at an event held Monday at an Iowa critical access hospital, said the program builds on the administration’s priorities of addressing opioid addiction and rural health care sustainability, the latter of which includes the ongoing $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program.…

For generations, environmental justice among Black Americans has been measured by asthma rates, cancer diagnoses, and poisoned drinking water. Scientists now say other effects may be at play. Chemicals and tiny plastics that are ubiquitous in everyday life may be having a negative impact on black men’s fertility. Researchers have found that black men tend to have higher levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which mimic or block hormones, because consumer products and certain foods contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In addition to contributing to lower birth rates, researchers have linked these chemicals, along with microplastics, to other health problems disproportionately affecting black men,…

Scientists typically use animal models when studying Parkinson’s disease. This is because these models mimic the disease well. However, the method has limitations because it requires genetic modification and injection of toxins, and may not accurately represent how the disease develops in humans. But now researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a model that uses a non-toxic method to induce Parkinson’s symptoms: infection with a virus called Tyler Mouse Encephalomyelitis Virus (TMEV), a natural pathogen in mice. Their work is game-changing because it demonstrates that a simple viral infection can cause the exact brain damage and disability seen in…

The Trump administration unveiled new efforts to increase oversight of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), including hiring a federal IT contractor to provide audit, review, and compliance support. TFCA is a government-sponsored health data sharing initiative that allows patients, health care providers, and payers to share health records. This was mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016 and went into effect in December 2023. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Medical Information Technology announced Friday that the number of medical records exchanged through TEFCA has increased from 10 million in early 2005…

An online study of an international sample of adolescent and adult alcohol users found that in social non-alcohol drinking environments, younger participants who experienced more social conformity reported higher overall alcohol use. The opposite is true for older adults: the more socially conformed they become, the less alcohol they consume. In social non-drinking environments, social conformity was associated with more alcohol use among older participants, but less among younger participants. The paper is addictive behavior. Social conformity is the degree to which an individual adjusts his or her behavior to be in harmony with the social environment without explicit social…

An experimental drug has been shown to reduce Huntington’s disease symptoms and extend lifespan in a mouse model. Further research is needed to determine whether these results also apply to humans. Huntington’s disease, a genetic disease, was previously thought to be incurable. Its clinical symptoms include motor control disorders and psychiatric symptoms. New research offers promising insights. This shows that a particular drug candidate, called anle138b, can significantly reduce the clumps of toxic proteins in the brain that are a hallmark of the disease. Affected mice treated with the compound remained motile for longer, had less brain shrinkage, and had…

Research published in onco target highlights a promising new approach to combating pancreatic cancer. The paper, titled “The anticancer effects of PCAI in pancreatic cancer cells involves hyperactivation of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways,” was led by first author Kweku Ofosu-Asante and corresponding author Nazarius S. Lamango of the Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Department of Pharmaceutical Science at the Institute of Public Health in Tallahassee, Florida. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most deadly cancers. The main reason is the high prevalence of KRAS mutations, which promote tumor growth and often make tumors difficult to treat.…

Working from home can bring unexpected challenges to relationships, and in some cases increases the likelihood that couples will consider breaking up. Psychological evaluations show evidence that when remote workers and their partners disagree about separating work and home, the resulting stress can foster deep feelings of loneliness. These research results have recently organizational behavior journal. To understand how remote work impacts couples, it’s helpful to focus on a concept known as segmentation preferences. This term describes a person’s psychological desire to protect their personal life from work-related interruptions. Some people have a strong preference for segmentation. They prefer to…

Researchers warn that using screens during the first 1,001 days of life could lead to developmental concerns in the next generation. Digital screen time in children under two years of age is associated with long-term effects and limited benefits on health and quality of life, according to the most comprehensive systematic review to date of global peer-reviewed research on screen time in infants, published today (Saturday 27 June). This affects an entire generation and the quality of life in the future. Leif Clayton, School of Media and Communication Based on the findings, the iADDICT group, made up of…