A multiyear study of older adults found that both short and long sleepers experienced greater cognitive decline than people who slept a moderate amount, even when researchers took into account the effects of early Alzheimer’s disease. Poor sleep and Alzheimer’s disease are both associated with cognitive decline, and separating out the effects of each has proven challenging....
Month: <span>October 2021</span>
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Machine learning for the diagnosis of early-stage Diabetes using temporal glucose profiles
Correct and timely diagnosis of an early-stage diabetes is important in order to ensure proper patient care and correct treatment regimen while avoiding possible serious complications. For this reason, a lot of research is performed with aim to support the process of medical decision making in this area, including application of data processing models based...
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The key to understanding asthma may lie in our body clock
Our body clock allows bodily processes to occur at certain times of the day, like eating, sleeping, and body temperature. But did you know that monitoring a person’s body clock (or circadian rhythm) could help diagnose and treat asthma? New research supported by Asthma UK, a charity which provides health advice and a helpline to...
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“Like a magic trick,” certain proteins pass through cell walls
For decades, scientists have wondered how large molecules such as proteins pass through cell walls, also known as plasma membranes, without leaving a trace. That ability is part of what makes certain drugs – including some cancer treatments and the COVID-19 vaccine – work. And it is also how bacterial toxins enter human cells and...
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How staphylococci protect themselves against antibiotics
UNIVERSITY OF BONN IMAGE: LOOK AT A CULTIVATION PLATE WITH THE RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAIN. CREDIT: PHOTO: VOLKER LANNERT/UNIVERSITY OF BONN The skin bacterium Staphylococcus aureus often develops antibiotic resistance. It can then cause infections that are difficult to treat. Researchers at the University of Bonn have uncovered an ingenious way in which a certain...
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IU study illustrates the need to treat smoking and mental health problems together
INDIANA UNIVERSITY IMAGE: MARIA PARKER CREDIT: INDIANA UNIVERSITY Mental health problems are common among adults who smoke cigarettes and those with substance use disorders, illustrating a need for treating smoking and mental health problems together, according to a new study by Indiana University. The research, done in conjunction with other universities, found mental health problems...
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Blood flow simulations may improve the monitoring of atrial fibrillation
by Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Barcelona Scheme of the patient-specific computational workflow to predict the risk of device-related thrombus (DRT) formation after left atrial appendage occluder (LAAO) implantation. A: computerized tomography (CT) scan acquisition of whole left atrium (LA) and ultrasound (US) study with Doppler measurements at mitral valve (MV) level. B: 3D LA segmentation...
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Short-sleepers are more likely to suffer from irregular and heavy periods
by Kat Kennedy, Sara Nowakowski, The Conversation Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Menstruating women who sleep less than six hours a night tend to suffer heavier and irregular periods. That is the conclusion from our new study, which was recently published in the Journal of Sleep Research. We found that those who got less than six hours...
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Under arrest: Using nanofibers to stop brain tumor cells from spreading
UNIVERSITY OF FUKUI IMAGE: GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME (GBM) IS AN AGGRESSIVE BRAIN TUMOR THAT SPREADS ALONG THE WHITE MATTER TRACTS OF THE BRAIN. NOW, RESEARCHERS AT UNIVERSITY OF FUKUI, JAPAN, HAVE MANAGED TO ENGINEER NANOFIBERS MIMICKING THE BRAIN THAT CAN STOP THEM FROM SPREADING. CREDIT: COVER FOR ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS VOL. 4 NO. 10, REUSED...
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Bright prospects for OCT at 30
SPIE–INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICS AND PHOTONICS IMAGE: OPHTHALMIC OCT ON A CHIP. CREDIT: IMAGE COURTESY OF OCTCHIP. Around the world, every second, someone gets a retinal OCT scan, typically as a routine portion of an eye exam. The high-resolution images obtained by OCT allow ophthalmologists to diagnose and monitor treatment for many retinal diseases. Optical...