Author: healthadmin
Current medications for schizophrenia treat symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, but have little effect on cognitive symptoms such as disorganized thinking and executive dysfunction. As a result, many patients are unable to work, rely on their families for lifelong support, become homeless, and in some cases experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors. A new Northwestern University study in humans and mice has discovered a novel biomarker for schizophrenia that may also serve as a potential drug to treat the disease’s cognitive symptoms. Schizophrenia affects 0.5% of the world’s population, including approximately 2 million people in the United States “Many people…
When a pack of wolves kills prey, crows are often the first to appear. Even before the wolf begins to feed, these birds gather nearby and try to steal any scraps that are available. The timing of crows has long been considered almost spooky, leading many to believe that crows were simply following wolves in search of food. A new study that tracked crows and wolves in Yellowstone National Park over two and a half years reveals a more sophisticated strategy. Rather than chasing wolves, crows memorize locations where kills are likely to occur and return to those locations, even…
New real-world evidence suggests that while continuing GLP-1 therapy may be important to maintain cardiovascular protection, even short-term discontinuation may reduce long-term benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes. Study: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist discontinuation and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes: Targeted emulation trial. Image credit: Love Employee / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal BMJ MedicineResearchers conducted a targeted trial emulation to assess the association between different scenarios of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) treatment and the risk of major cardiovascular events (MACE). GLP-1RA use is associated with…
Powerful AI-powered analysis uncovers hidden COVID-19 death tolls across the U.S., exposing deep inequities in how pandemic deaths are recorded. Research: Apply machine learning to identify unconfirmed COVID-19 deaths recorded as other causes of death in the United States. Image credit: Design_Cells / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal scientific progressresearchers developed a new machine learning (ML) model to estimate the previously unrecognized number of deaths from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States (US), rather than calculating the “true” death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. The model was coded to focus on the period…
A federal judge in Oregon said he is reversing a declaration late last year by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that said gender-affirming care for transgender youth did not meet medical standards. The Confederation of States and DC immediately sued Kennedy over this declaration, accusing him of overstepping his authority. Regulation of drugs is largely left to the states, and federal rules are subject to a public notice and comment period. Trump administration targets hospitals in massive effort to end gender-affirming care The Department of Justice, which represents HHS, pushed back against these claims, arguing that President Kennedy’s declaration…
A new study presented at the American Heart Association’s EPI|Lifestyle Science Session 2026 suggests that fat stored around the waist (central obesity or visceral fat) may increase the risk of heart failure primarily due to inflammation. The conference, held March 17-20 in Boston, will highlight the latest discoveries in prevention, lifestyle, and cardiometabolic health. The study found that higher levels of visceral fat were more closely associated with heart failure risk than overall body weight. Even in people whose body mass index (BMI) was within the normal range, a larger waist measurement was associated with increased risk. These results suggest…
A specialized network responsible for flushing out cellular waste in the brain may play a role in the development of schizophrenia and other mental disorders. In a recent brain imaging study, researchers found that young people at high genetic risk for psychosis show early signs of malfunctioning brain clearance systems, which are associated with toxic accumulation of irritating chemicals. The study was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science. Alessandro Pascucci, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Geneva and a resident in child psychiatry at the Paul Autism Foundation, led the research…
New imaging evidence linking thymus health to survival, cancer risk and cardiovascular outcomes in adults suggests a long-overlooked immune organ may hold important clues to longevity. Research: Effects on thymus health in adults. Image credit: Nerthuz / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal natureA group of researchers used imaging data and large cohort data to investigate how thymic health influences mortality, cancer and cardiovascular disease outcomes in adults. Thymus and immune aging process What if a tiny organ that you don’t often notice could predict your lifespan? The thymus gland produces T cells (a type of immune…
Using a proof-of-concept approach, researchers demonstrated that colorectal cancer-associated RNA biomarkers, including CDH1, can be detected in community wastewater. Research: Use of wastewater for population-level colorectal cancer surveillance: A future research agenda. Image credit: Siyanight / Shutterstock A proof-of-concept feasibility study Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reveals a feasibility-based approach to detect colorectal cancer (CRC)-related signals at the community level through wastewater monitoring systems. Researchers have for the first time detected specific human ribonucleic acid (RNA) biomarkers associated with colorectal tumors in community wastewater using a biomarker used in a sensitive multi-targeted fecal RNA (mt-sRNA) assay used for early…
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has launched an investigation into discrepancies in reports and observations of methane pollution from the Permian Basin, the largest producing oil field in the United States and one of the largest in the world. The study, released Wednesday, follows a recent report by MethaneSAT, a short-lived methane sensing satellite launched in 2024 by the Environmental Defense Fund, Harvard University and others. The report, released in early February, found that methane emissions from oil and gas production facilities in the Permian Basin from May 2024 to June 2025 were four times higher than official estimates from the…