DIGESTIVE DISEASE WEEK Bethesda, MD (May 14, 2021) — Daily probiotic use was associated with fewer upper respiratory symptoms in overweight and older people, according to a study that suggests a potential role for probiotics in preventing respiratory infections. The study was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2021. “This is not necessarily...
Month: <span>May 2021</span>
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New immunotherapy double-crosses cancer to kill it from within
By Michael Irving May 13, 2021 Researchers have reprogrammed immune cells that were previously hijacked by cancer to wipe out the disease sciencepics/Depositphotos One of cancer’s crafty tricks involves manipulating the host’s immune cells to protect the tumors instead of fighting them. But now, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have turned the tables around...
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Depression and anxiety more common in heart failure than cancer patients
by European Society of Cardiology Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Nearly one in four patients with heart failure is depressed or anxious, according to a study published during this week’s Heart Failure Awareness Days. Patients with heart failure were 20% more likely to develop these mental health issues during the five years after diagnosis compared to those...
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New immunotherapy ‘highly effective’ against hepatitis B
by University College London Credit: CC0 Public Domain Scientists at UCL have identified a new immunotherapy to combat the hepatitis B virus (HBV), the most common cause of liver cancer in the world. Each year, globally, chronic HBV causes an estimated 880,000 deaths from liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma/liver cancer (HCC). The pioneering study used immune cells isolated...
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Delaying second Pfizer vaccines to 12 weeks significantly increases antibody responses in elderly people, finds study
by University of Birmingham Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Antibody response in people aged over 80 is three-and-a-half times greater in those who have the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after 12 weeks compared to those who have it at a three-week interval, finds a new study led by the University of Birmingham in collaboration...
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Study of 70,000 individuals links dementia to smoking and cardiovascular disease
by The Translational Genomics Research Institute Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In the largest study of the associations between smoking and cardiovascular disease on cognitive function, researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, found both impair the ability to learn and memorize; and that the effects of smoking are more...
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Online CBT effective against OCD symptoms in the young
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents is associated with impaired education and worse general health later in life. Access to specialist treatment is often limited. According to a study from the Centre for Psychiatry Research at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be as effective as conventional CBT. The...
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Early Screening Tool Leads to Earlier Diagnosis and Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Since it debuted in 2011, the Get SET Early program, which provides pediatricians and parents with a relatively simple process to screen for indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children as young as age 1, has steadily grown in use and validation. Early screening and identification of ASD has been linked to more effective...
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Scientists identify source of weight gain from antipsychotics
UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER IMAGE: CHEN LIU, PH.D. CREDIT: UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER DALLAS – May 12, 2021 – Scientists with UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute have identified the molecular mechanism that can cause weight gain for those using a common antipsychotic medication. The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggest new...
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What is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and how does it actually work?
by Paul Fitzgerald, The Conversation Credit: www.shutterstock.com A line in this week’s federal budget allocating A$288.5 million to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy might pass most people by. This is a brain stimulation technique that’s been used to treat conditions such as depression for almost ten years in Australia, but which has not been funded through Medicare and so has...