Author: healthadmin
Chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body (a phenomenon known as “inflammation” because it increases with age) is associated with many of today’s leading causes of disease and death, including cancer, heart disease, metabolic disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. But scientists have struggled to understand what causes inflammation or how to reverse its effects. Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California have identified the thymus gland, a small organ behind the breastbone that plays a central role in the development of the immune system, as a key player in inflammation. They discovered that thymulin, a hormone…
The Broad Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Maine’s Jackson Laboratory announced a partnership Tuesday to develop gene therapies for people with rare diseases and make life-saving treatments cheaper and more accessible to patients. With relatively few gene therapies on the market, families of children with rare genetic diseases have little choice but to partner individually with researchers and raise millions of dollars to develop treatments for their conditions. The newly formed nonprofit Center for Therapeutic Genetics will develop precision medicines and share their methods, data and training with other clinicians so they can do the same. The goal is to…
Scientists have discovered that the condition of “sudden” cardiac death, which has been linked to high-profile deaths and critical medical episodes in sports stars such as Fabrice Muamba, Christian Ericsson and Marc Vivian Fau, is associated with a number of genetic mutations, or “mispellings,” highlighting potentially treatable vulnerabilities. In a study published today in Nature Communications, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including scientists from the University of Birmingham, revealed new insights into how ‘mispellings’ in DNA contribute to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the leading cause of sudden cardiac death worldwide. It was previously identified that misspellings of a protein called alpha-actinin-2,…
A few lines in a dating profile can reveal more than the creator intended. New research shows when and why sharing too much or too little about yourself can backfire. “It’s all cute.” It was the entire “About Me” section of one dating profile. As you scroll through dating profiles, you may be wondering, “What does this mean?” Is this person mysterious or just not willing to put in the effort? Are they looking for a serious relationship, something casual, or are they just filling out a box because the app demands it? A dating profile doesn’t just reveal whether…
Dietitians and researchers examine overlaps and conflicts between 2025 DGAs and AHA recommendations for heart-healthy MNT.
As stars similar to the Sun age, they expand and become red giants. During this stage, their outer layers are stirred up and gradually drift into space, while the dense cores left behind shrink into white dwarfs. This is the fate of most stars, so white dwarfs are one of the most common stellar remnants in the universe. A new model by Jim Fuller, a theoretical astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, suggests that this transformation may be much less orderly than it appears. According to his calculations, the uneven bursts of escaping material could repeatedly push the dying…
Recent research published in journals Telematics and informatics This suggests that college students are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence tools due to a strong fear of falling behind their classmates. This dependence tends to create a psychological tug-of-war, resulting in severe anxiety, along with a deep fear of being judged for using the technology when it is not available. These findings provide evidence that universities need to establish specific guidelines to help students avoid the mental stress of using artificial intelligence in their classes. The integration of artificial intelligence into higher education is progressing rapidly. Today, 80-90% of college students…
Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who loves bagged salads. In news, don’t miss Sarah Todd’s great article on THC beverages. This article was inspired by a colleague’s outburst during a regular team meeting. Revealing the latest information on Cyclospora Despite reports of false-positive tests for the diarrhea-causing parasite, federal officials said yesterday they were still focusing on the Taylor farm as the source of a cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened at least 1,644 people. The samples in…
A small exploratory study suggests that people who report experiencing mediumistic trance states appear to exhibit different brain connectivity patterns compared to people who engage in prayer. The researchers propose that the brain activity recorded during these episodes suggests altered states of consciousness that do not resemble typical sleep or mental illness. The findings were published in the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. Mediumship refers to the practice of subjectively believing that a person is acting as a vessel of communication from a source that exists outside of physical reality. Many people report these experiences as a sudden change in consciousness,…
New research published in journal current psychology This suggests that narcissistic personality traits are actually associated with lower levels of left-wing authoritarianism. This finding contradicts previous claims that individuals with dark personalities are widely drawn to left-wing activities simply to feed their egos. This study provides evidence that the relationship between progressive political aggressiveness and dark personality traits is highly complex and requires sophisticated statistical methods to fully understand. Interest in the psychological roots of political attitudes has increased significantly in recent years. Media reports and commentators often question whether prominent political activists are driven by genuine moral concerns or…