Age is a key risk factor associated with the severity of symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-2, and there is an urgent need to reduce COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in elderly individuals. We discuss evidence suggesting that trained immunity elicited by BCG vaccination may improve immune responses and can serve as a strategy to combat COVID-19 in...
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have shown that psilocybin–the active chemical in “magic mushrooms”– still works its antidepressant-like actions, at least in mice, even when the psychedelic experience is blocked. The new findings suggest that psychedelic drugs work in multiple ways in the brain and it...
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA AT AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY IMAGE: MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA INVESTIGATORS REPORT A SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION BETWEEN A FASTER DECREASE IN RESTING HEART RATE FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD AND A LARGER LEFT VENTRICLE, THE HEART’S MAJOR PUMPING. CREDIT: KIM RATLIFF, AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY While a slow resting heart rate is generally considered a good thing,...
UNIVERSITY OF GRANADA IMAGE: ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL SURVEY ON ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND OTHER ADDICTIONS IN SPAIN 2019-2020, CANNABIS USE HAS INCREASED SINCE 2011 IN SPAIN. CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF GRANADA A study carried out by the University of Granada indicates that smoking cannabis significantly alters key visual functions, such as visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, three-dimensional...
by Lancet Credit: CC0 Public Domain Two new studies, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and The Lancet Public Health, found no evidence that people with the B.1.1.7. variant experience worse symptoms or a heightened risk of developing long COVID compared with those infected with a different COVID-19 strain. However, viral load and R number were higher for...
by University of Pittsburgh Credit: CC0 Public Domain Wheezing, coughing that doesn’t stop, a pale and sweaty face: clinically, severe asthma attacks look very similar from patient to patient. But biologically, not all severe asthma is the same—and a team of scientists has, for the first time, identified the key difference in people, a finding that has...
By Matthew Herper April 13, 2021 A doctor inoculates someone with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.MICHELE TANTUSSI/GETTY IMAGES Aweek after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, a 37-year-old woman in Norway went to the emergency department with fever and persistent headaches. A CAT scan of her head showed a blood clot in blood vessels involved in draining the brain,...
The small intestine is ground zero for survival of animals. It is responsible for absorbing the nutrients crucial to life, and it wards off toxic chemicals and life-threatening bacteria. In a new study in the journal Science, researchers report the critical role that the gut’s immune system plays in these key processes. The findings may...
Researchers designed the study to supplement the diet of malnourished children with a formulation that contains locally available, culturally acceptable foods selected based on the ability of the ingredients to boost key growth-promoting gut microbes. The work supports the notion that healthy growth of infants and children is closely linked to healthy development of their...
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL BOSTON – Medical cannabis products are not always what they seem, according to a new study led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In fact, the contents of these products can vary considerably from distributors’ claims, according to the study, published in JAMA Network Open. This is particularly important when THC,...
