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Music to my ears! Researchers reconstruct Pink Floyd song from brain activity

Researchers successfully reconstructed a snippet of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1" using neural recordings from the brains of neurosurgical patients. The study provides insights into the brain regions responsible for music perception and may pave the way for more advanced brain-computer interfaces and therapies for auditory processing disorders.

6 Sep 2023

NHS hospitals may prioritize meeting 18-week target over clinical need, analysis shows

There's strong evidence of a 'threshold effect' in English hospitals' efforts to comply with the 18-week referral to treatment standard, concludes a long term data analysis of performance against the target, published online in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety.

5 Sep 2023

Vagus nerve stimulation shows mixed results in lowering stress hormone aldosterone

The study explored the effects of acute transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) on serum aldosterone levels in both younger and older adults. While active tVNS did lead to a reduction in aldosterone levels, the changes were not significantly different from those observed in sham treatments, with aldosterone levels also varying based on age and sex.

4 Sep 2023

Outbreak of piercing infections in Australia traced to contaminated aftercare solution

Researchers in New South Wales, Australia, used genomic sequencing to trace an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections following ear piercings to a specific batch of aftercare solution. The study led to a recall of the product and improvements in manufacturing standards, successfully reducing the number of infections.

4 Sep 2023

Higher educational attainment may have a protective effect against Alzheimer's in people with genetic risk

A new study by researchers from Mass General Brigham further illustrates that when it comes to risk of Alzheimer's disease, even genetically determined forms of the disease, genetics is only one piece of the puzzle.

30 Aug 2023

Gene therapy reduces hearing loss associated with Norrie disease in mice

An international team led by researchers at UCL and the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre have developed in mice a gene therapy that significantly reduces the hearing loss associated with Norrie disease.

29 Aug 2023

Influenza and pneumonia vaccinations associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Flu (influenza) and pneumonia vaccinations are associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2020.

28 Aug 2023

Ciliopathies: A new understanding of the role of the NSL complex

The non-specific lethal (NSL) complex is a chromatin-associated factor that has been shown to regulate the expression of thousands of genes in both fruit flies and mammals.

25 Aug 2023

Cholesterol loss in inner ear linked to age-related hearing loss

Researchers led by María Eugenia Gomez-Casati, the Institute of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires-CONICET; Mauricio Martin, the Institute of Medical Research Mercedes; and Martín Ferreyra, (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC), National University of Córdoba in Argentina report that age-related hearing loss is associated with a decrease of cholesterol in the inner ear.

24 Aug 2023

Asian Americans have the highest PFAS exposure, study finds

Asian Americans have significantly higher exposure than other ethnic or racial groups to PFAS, a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals also known as "toxic forever" chemicals, Mount Sinai-led researchers report.

24 Aug 2023

Study finds no link between short-term immunosuppressant use and cancer

Relatively short-term use of immunosuppressant medications to control an inflammatory disease was not associated with an increased risk of later developing cancer, according to new research led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and Mass Eye and Ear, a member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, and published today in the journal BMJ Oncology.

21 Aug 2023

Phase I trial shows positive results for stem cell treatment in patients with major cornea injuries

A team led by researchers from Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, reports the results of a phase I trial of a revolutionary stem cell treatment called cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation (CALEC), which was found to be safe and well-tolerated over the short term in four patients with significant chemical burns in one eye.

18 Aug 2023

Cleveland Clinic London performs first augmented reality-assisted total knee replacement

Cleveland Clinic London is the first hospital in London to successfully perform a total knee replacement procedure with the assistance of an augmented reality-based surgical platform that was designed with artificial intelligence and machine learning.

18 Aug 2023

Prior vaccinations may help protect against Alzheimer's disease

Prior vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria, with or without pertussis (Tdap/Td); herpes zoster (HZ), better known as shingles; and pneumococcus are all associated with a reduced risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, according to new research from UTHealth Houston.

16 Aug 2023