Micro magnetic resonance relaxometry (µMRR) is a rapid, label-free process-monitoring tool for the expansion of MSCs. Credit: Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Researchers have developed a novel method to enhance the ability of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to generate cartilage tissue by adding ascorbic acid (AA) during MSC expansion. The research also discovered...
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The silent threat of sarcopenia among elderly type 2 diabetes patients
Credit: CC0 Public Domain As global populations age, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its associated complications, such as sarcopenia, continues to rise. Sarcopenia, which involves the progressive decline of muscle mass and strength, is common among older adults and is linked to various negative health outcomes, including increased risk of falls, frailty, and...
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Study suggests around 40% of postmenopausal hormone positive breast cancers are linked to excess body fat
Credit: Bryce Carithers from Pexels Around 40% of postmenopausal hormone positive breast cancer cases may be linked to excess body fat, suggests Spanish research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. This proportion is significantly higher than one in 10 such cases currently attributed to excess weight, using the widely used measure of...
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Standing more may not reduce cardiovascular disease risk, could increase circulatory issues
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Standing has gained popularity among people looking to offset the harms of a sedentary lifestyle often caused by spending long days sitting in front of the computer, television or driving wheel. Standing desks have become a popular option among office workers, and in other industries like retail, workers may opt to...
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Study finds young adults at risk for large vessel occlusion strokes
Interaction between treatment groups and TOAST. Credit: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2024.108027 New research published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases confirms that strokes thought to happen in older adults are possible in the younger (defined as 18–50 years old) population. Large Vessel Occlusion Acute ischemic Strokes (LVO-AIS) are considered to be the most debilitating...
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Walgreens plans to close 1,200 pharmacies
Walgreens is closing 1,200 stores, or 14% of its locations, as it fights to turn around its business. UnitedHealth Group lowered its full-year earnings outlook, as it grapples with higher-than-expected medical costs and expenses related to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. The insurer said its medical loss ratio (the percentage of premiums spent on medical care) was about 85%...
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Identifying focal cortical dysplasia lesion from magnetic resonance images
One case that failed to detect any lesion. The lesion ground truths are superimposed on the FLAIR slices in blue, highlighting the regions of interest. Credit: Insights into Imaging (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s13244-024-01803-8 Epilepsy is a neurological condition marked by seizures. Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is a leading cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. Surgical removal of FCD lesions is...
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Older adults wary of AI health info, struggle with misinformation
Confidence levels among adults age 50 and over that they can spot health misinformation if they came across it online. Data from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. Credit: University of Michigan While the vast majority of people over 50 look for health information on the internet, a new poll shows 74%...
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For people with Parkinson’s, moving is a mental challenge as well as a physical one
Distribution of participant scores on different tasks. (A) Index scores generated from mental chronometry of the box and blocks task are shown for the more affected versus less affected side. (B) Density plots represent distribution of index scores and our predictors of interest. Credit: Brain and Cognition (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106181 It’s well known that Parkinson’s disease can...
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Money, peer pressure, and guilt: How UnitedHealth pushed doctors to diagnose more Medicare patients
In late 2020, an email from a UnitedHealth Group manager detailed the “#1 PRIORITY” for one practice. The goal was for doctors to document older patients’ chronic illnesses to generate more revenue from the federal government. As an incentive for seeing more patients, emails promised “ADDITIONAL BONUSES!!” Also, receiving a “SHOUT OUT!!” The latest investigation in...