Author: healthadmin

New research published in journal neuroimage suggest that spending more time on social media is associated with physical differences in brain development in young adolescents. Specifically, children who spent more time on digital platforms had thinner outer layers of their brains in areas responsible for attention, memory, and emotional regulation. These findings provide evidence that daily digital habits may be related to how the brain physically matures during a highly sensitive period of development. Early adolescence is a period characterized by major physical, social, and psychological changes. During this period, the brain undergoes advanced restructuring to prepare the child for…

Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. Yesterday, I was so engrossed in Katie Weaver’s article detailing her epic exploration of the country’s best free restaurant bread that I almost ran late for a meeting. For other Massachusetts millennials, Mr. Bertucci (and us converts) certainly drew praise. AI could test heart risk scans if someone paid for them Every year, patients undergo 19 million general chest CT scans to check for lung cancer, investigate coughs, and more. The radiologist will then often flag any coronary artery…

A cloud of fear has hung over the immigrant community of San Bernardino, California, for months, making it difficult for Maria González to do her job as a community health worker in a city where nearly a quarter of the residents are foreign-born. Construction began this summer following news of immigration raids across Southern California, the Trump administration’s plans to share Medicaid data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the passage of state and federal restrictions on immigrants’ Medicaid eligibility. And in November, the federal government announced a new “public charge” proposal that, if passed, could block certain immigrants and…

Weight gain in your 20s may be more important than later in life, new evidence shows that weight trends in early adulthood can determine your risk of death from heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases decades later. Study: Weight trends, obesity incidence, and cause-specific mortality from ages 17 to 60 years: Obesity and Disease Development Sweden (ODDS) pooled cohort study. Image credit: Flotsam/Shutterstock.com research in e-clinical medicine Our findings suggest that weight gain in adulthood, especially before age 30, is associated with a higher risk of early death. Weight change in midlife is associated with significant mortality risk Existing…

During the first Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda, clinical evaluation was complicated by the fact that patients were also battling malaria. The Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) had diagnostic kits to confirm the infection, but additional genome sequencing was needed to investigate the source. For complex cases involving multiple pathogens, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) provides a more comprehensive approach. This advanced diagnostic capability is critical to saving time and improving patient outcomes during outbreaks. Image credit: AfricaCDC The cost of inaction is $350 billion. In a world of high-threat pathogens, delays are measured in both lives and GDP. The WHO says…

The sun was just warming the horizon when Mark Pieper left his home near his ranch on a crisp February morning. It’s not unusual for ranchers to wake up early to take care of their livestock, but on this day, the cows weren’t there even at 5:45 a.m. For the past three and a half years, Pieper commuted early three days a week to receive dialysis at a nearby hospital. Pieper lives in the suburb of Hay Springs, which has 599 residents, according to a sign on the outskirts of town. He makes sure to don his chocolate brown…

Milestone introduces MAIA (Milestone AI Agent), a new step in laboratory support designed to transform the way users interact with microwave digestion systems. Integrated with UltraWAVE 3 and ETHOS, MAIA acts as a virtual product specialist, providing instant, context-sensitive assistance directly at the device or via Milestone Connect. Image credit: MilEstonian MAIA gives laboratories instant access to expertise in method selection, sample handling, troubleshooting, and maintenance, helping to reduce downtime and improve operational efficiency. The system supports both chat and voice interaction, making it intuitive and quick to use even during busy workflows. A standout feature is the MAIA lens…

Researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center have made significant progress in efforts to stop Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV is a widespread infectious disease that affects approximately 95% of people worldwide and is associated with several cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and other long-term diseases. Using mice engineered to produce human antibodies, the researchers created a new monoclonal antibody designed to block the virus from attaching to and entering human immune cells. The findings, published in Cell Reports Medicine, show that one of these antibodies was able to completely prevent infection in mice, which have immune systems similar to humans, when exposed to…

New research published in Sex & Couple Therapy Journal It suggests that how a romantic relationship ends influences the subsequent emotional well-being of both partners. Specifically, this study shows that providing a sense of understanding and respect to your partner during a breakup tends to promote positive mood and feelings of being alive afterwards. These findings provide evidence that the communication strategies used during relationship dissolution can meaningfully shape the emotional recovery process. Although the end of a romantic relationship commonly results in significant emotional distress, scientists have done little research into how people soften this emotional blow during the…

At first glance, sponges seem too simple to be mysterious. They have no brains or guts, and scientists have long thought they originated about 700 million years ago. However, clear fossil evidence only goes back about 540 million years, leaving a puzzling gap in the record of 160 million years. Fossils of the “lost years” In a study published in a journal natureVirginia Tech geobiologist Shuhai Xiao and his colleagues describe a 550-million-year-old sponge fossil that falls squarely within this missing interval. The research team also proposes an important explanation for this gap. The earliest sponges may not have had…