Author: healthadmin

Katherine Levy remembers a childhood deeply rooted in Lake Tahoe’s natural offerings. He water skied in the summer and worked as a ski instructor in the surrounding snowy mountains in the winter. After years away from the area, Levy recently returned to live a retired life along the north shore of the lake. But she doesn’t like what she finds when she returns home. The U.S. government plans to spray multiple types of herbicides, including the cancer-linked herbicide glyphosate, on National Forest property adjacent to the community’s treasured lake. “I was horrified to find out what was going on,” Levy…

Every two to five weeks, patients with severe thalassemia undergo a life-saving ritual: forced blood transfusions. Without this, severe anemia can quickly lead to organ failure, failure to thrive, and early death. The treatment typically drains up to $60,000 per patient each year, straining both household incomes and strained health systems in developing countries. For families, the burden of this treatment is staggering, straining emotional and financial resources to breaking point. However, health experts around the world agree on one important fact: continued blood donation combined with effective prevention strategies offers the most promising path to reducing the long-term effects…

“While technological successes are celebrated, the social fabric is slowly being eroded, as if by a silent virus.” — Pope Leo XIV Announcements, events, and more from Tyee and select partners Do you think there is still work for human journalists to do? Only if the people who read it support it. And then comes AI. Contest: Win tickets to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival One lucky Tyee reader will win two weekend passes worth $500. The artificial intelligence industry prefers to refer to large “hyperscale” data centers as “campuses.” That’s complete bullshit. There are no students, no laughter, no…

Protein shakes may soon be easier to enjoy thanks to new research showing that varying the amount of whey protein produced can improve both taste and texture. Scientists from the University of Reading, Aberystwyth University and Arla Foods Ingredients have collaborated to develop textured whey protein – the dairy-based ingredient found in gym shakes and sports supplements. Their findings were; International Dairy Journalshows that tweaking the manufacturing process could make whey protein drinks more drinkable. Lead author and postdoctoral researcher Holly Giles, from the University of Reading, said: ‘Protein drinks often have taste and texture issues and are difficult to…

Vegetation may reveal recent airborne PFA contamination that was missed by traditional soil monitoringA new study finds that plants can act as sensitive indicators of recent PFAS contamination, detecting air pollution that may go unnoticed by traditional soil analysis. The study showed that potato leaves contained significantly higher levels of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals,” than the surrounding agricultural soil, suggesting direct exposure through atmospheric deposition as well as root uptake.The findings, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, show that vegetation may provide an early warning system for emerging PFAS contamination and complement…

Beneath the ground, a vast network of fungi quietly supports plant life and plays a key role in regulating Earth’s climate by moving carbon into the soil. Now, researchers have created the first global map showing where these subterranean fungal networks are found and how many exist around the world. This study sciencefocuses on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a group of fungi that form partnerships with most plants on Earth. Alongside the research, scientists have released an interactive visualization that allows users to explore the surprising scale of this hidden underground infrastructure. The map is expected to help researchers and policymakers…

Brain scans reveal how sweet and sour soundtracks shape taste processing, with sweet music making simple taste solutions feel more pleasant. Research: Interaction between music and taste enhances gustatory and sensorimotor brain activity. Image credit: LightField Studios / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal scientific reportresearchers evaluated the effects of music on the brain’s encoding of taste. Eating and reproduction are essential for survival. Sensory systems support these basic behaviors by identifying, evaluating, and predicting external stimuli. The brain integrates input from different sensory modalities to optimize information processing. Although the influence of smell and vision on…

New research to be presented today (Monday) at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Genetics shows that a cancer patient’s genetic ancestry can have a significant impact on both disease progression and survival. In the largest study of its kind, researchers looked at about 1,900 specific genetic changes in tumors to determine whether certain mutations are more common in patients of different historical and geographic origins. Presenting the results, Yixuan He, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas, USA, explained how he, in collaboration with doctoral student Jiawei…

A large-scale analysis of 25 studies from Africa and Asia found that insecticide-treated nets can reduce malaria transmission by up to 68%, but also highlighted challenges that could undermine long-term impact. This study was published in a peer-reviewed journal infectious diseaseconfirmed that insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) continue to provide strong protection against malaria, but found that their effectiveness varies widely by region and community. These findings suggest that the implementation of this relatively simple and low-cost intervention is under pressure, especially in areas where insecticide resistance is already established. Researchers warn that without locally adapted control strategies that combine ITNs with…

Female patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are 26 per cent less likely to be admitted to a specialized trauma center than men, according to a study of data published in Ontario. CMJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251721. This difference persisted even after researchers took into account factors such as age, injury severity, other health conditions, and socioeconomic status. Traumatic brain injuries (often due to falls) are the leading cause of trauma-related death and disability worldwide. The study, based on ICES data of 55,606 patients hospitalized for traumatic brain injury in Ontario between April 2009 and March 2020, found that…