Tara Haelle July 29, 2022 A simple blood test that looks for a combination of specific RNA snippets may become a novel way to screen for early-onset colorectal cancer, suggests a new study published online in Gastroenterology. Researchers identified four microRNAs that together comprise a signature biomarker that can be used to detect and diagnose the presence of colorectal cancer...
Month: <span>August 2022</span>
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Blood Test for Cancer Available, but Is It Ready for Prime Time?
Megan Brooks August 08, 2022 A novel blood test that can detect up to 50 different cancers from a single blood draw is gaining traction in the United States. The Galleri blood test is being now offered by a number of US health networks. The company marketing the test, GRAIL, has established partnerships with the...
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Study finds exposure to sun, heat and humidity can exacerbate symptoms of mental disorders
by University at Albany Graphical abstract. Credit: Environment International (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107411 Exposure to sunny, hot and humid weather can trigger severe symptoms of mental disorders, requiring emergency care. So reports a recent study, led by researchers at the University at Albany, which used data on New York State weather and hospital emergency visits to assess how...
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Universal flu vaccine protects against variants of both influenza A and B viruses
by Georgia State University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new universal flu vaccine protects against diverse variants of both influenza A and B viruses in mice, according to a new study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University. The researchers designed a single, universal influenza vaccine candidate with key cross-protective,...
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Potential way to tune the brain into learning mode
by University of Manchester Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A study by University of Manchester neuroscientists into the effect of surprise on our memory has inadvertently discovered a method which might help us to perform better in exams. In the study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, 26 people were shown pictures of objects that were either...
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USE 2 BIG RUBBER BANDS TO MAJORLY IMPROVE A SURGICAL MASK
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and when maximum protection is needed against air-born infections, the N95 respirator has remained the gold standard of personal protective equipment. However, it is also much more difficult to produce and obtain than a standard surgical mask. To achieve N95-level protection, the respirators should demonstrate a minimum score of 100 on a standardized battery...
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How new motion-sensing technology may help standardize back-pain care
Digital health systems can tell clinicians when someone’s heart-disease risk calls for a drug to lower cholesterol or whether insulin shots are warranted for a person with type 2 diabetes. William Marras. Image credit: Ohio State University But for millions of low-back pain sufferers, care decisions rely heavily on subjective measures of patient discomfort – often...
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Study highlights lifelong benefits of statin therapy
by European Society of Cardiology Stopping statin treatment early could substantially reduce lifetime protection against heart disease since a large share of the benefit occurs later in life. That’s the finding of a modeling study presented at ESC Congress 2022. Lead author Dr. Runguo Wu of Queen Mary University of London, UK said: “The study...
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Breaking stereotype: Brain models are not one-size-fits-all
by Yale University Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Machine learning has helped scientists understand how the brain gives rise to complex human characteristics, uncovering patterns of brain activity that are related to behaviors like working memory, traits like impulsivity, and disorders like depression. And with these tools, scientists can create models of these relationships that can...
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Investigating the role of dopamine circuits in habit formation
by Melissa Rohman, Northwestern University Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111228 Scientists have uncovered how dopamine connects subregions of the striatum essential for habit formation, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Cell Reports, findings that may change the overall understanding of how habits are formed—and could be broken. “The circuits are going both ways,...