Author: healthadmin
A study examining whether loving-kindness meditation reduces feelings of loneliness by increasing empathy found that it does not. Loneliness was reduced as much as the control treatment, but empathy was unaffected. The study also found that loneliness was associated with lower self-reported empathy, but not with differences in neural functioning during empathy tasks. The paper is Social cognitive and affective neuroscience. Loneliness is a subjective feeling that a person’s social relationships are fewer, less intimate, or less satisfying than they would like. This is different from social isolation, which refers to the objective limitation of social contact. A person can…
Physical therapists have long been supporting stroke survivors during their recovery period. Now they are walking with them. Scientists at Northwestern University and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab have developed a first-of-its-kind rehabilitation system that virtually connects therapists and patients via a robotic exoskeleton. Real-time connectivity allows therapists to react to patient movements and continuously adapt support and assistance as patient performance evolves. After training with the new system, patients had increased range of motion in their joints, took longer and higher steps, and activated their muscles at the same levels seen with traditional treatment. The study is scheduled to…
An international research team led by a South Korean scientist has successfully used artificial intelligence (AI) to design a large-scale protein structure that faithfully reproduces the self-assembly principles found in naturally occurring viruses. The Ministry of Science, Information and Communications Technology (MSIT) announced that Professor Sangmin Lee of the Pohang University of Science and Technology’s (POSTECH) School of Chemical Engineering, in collaboration with Professor David Baker of the University of Washington (2024 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry), has developed a design principle that allows a single protein component to simultaneously form pentagonal and hexagonal arrays and self-assemble into virus-like structures.…
Explore the intersections of climate change, air pollution, and public health, with sustainability strategies for environmental scientists, urban planners, and advocates.
Recent research published in journals Fertility and infertility Studies suggest that checking testosterone levels with a blood test is not an effective way to diagnose low libido or other sexual difficulties in middle-aged women. Scientists found subtle connections between certain hormones and physical experiences such as arousal and orgasm, but these hormones were not related to sexual desire itself. The results of this study provide evidence that measuring testosterone and its chemical components should not be a standard part of the evaluation of women seeking medical help for sexual concerns. For more than 80 years, medical professionals have prescribed testosterone…
Want to stay up to date on the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to receive our biotech newsletter in your inbox. good morning. We have a lot of great reports today, so be sure to read the newsletter till the end. There will be no newsletter tomorrow, June 1st, so I’ll talk to you again on Monday. New announcements, old funds The Trump administration announced yesterday that it will spend $700 million in what Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called new investments in mental health and addiction programs. But behavioral health experts told STAT’s Lev…
A major new study has found that changes in mental health and behavior, including depression, anxiety and emotional instability, are common in people who survive encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can be caused by infections or autoimmune diseases. The study, led by a team of scientists and clinicians from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, the University of Oxford and the University of Liverpool, is the most comprehensive analysis of its kind. The study, published in Brain Communications, was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Encephalitis affects up to…
For more than a century, physics has been built on two great theories. Einstein’s theory of general relativity explains gravity as a bend in space and time. Quantum mechanics governs the world of particles and fields. Both work brilliantly in their own areas. But combining them creates contradictions, especially when it comes to black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and the origin of the universe. My colleagues and I have been exploring new ways to bridge that gap. The idea is to treat information as the most fundamental element of reality, including matter, energy, and even space-time itself. We call…
Widely prescribed drugs for weight loss and diabetes can have unintended side effects that extend to human behavior, including the potential to reduce the risk of violent crime. Recent analyzes have shown that these drugs weaken the normal link between impulsive tendencies and aggressive behavior. The study was published in the journal criminology. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are a class of medications that include popular brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy. These drugs mimic natural hormones that help regulate blood sugar levels and appetite. These are highly effective in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. In recent years, millions…
Adults who stutter experience differences in how their brains process sound, and these sensory differences tend to overlap in both stuttering severity and anxiety levels. Recent research published in BMC Psychology Evidence suggests that stuttering involves a complex interaction between sensory processing, emotional states, and speech production. The results of this study suggest that assessing both neurological and psychological factors may improve treatment for people who stutter. Stuttering is usually understood as a communication disorder that interrupts the physical flow of speech. People who stutter often have involuntary repetitions, lengthening, or interruptions in their vocal expressions. Most treatment approaches focus…