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Researchers identify distinct link between autism and brain cell abnormalities

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that new experiments with genetically engineered mice have found clear connections among a range of autism types and abnormalities in brain cells whose chemical output forges platonic (non-sexual) feelings of love and sociability.

30 Oct 2020

Researchers reveal potential mechanisms behind the healing power of extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) -- nanometer sized messengers that travel between cells to deliver cues and cargo -- are promising tools for the next generation of therapies for everything from autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases to cancer and tissue injury.

15 Oct 2020

Waterbirths as safe as traditional births, study shows

A new U.S. study of waterbirths found that hospital-based births involving water immersion had no higher risk of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care nursery admission than comparable deliveries in the control group without water immersion.

14 Oct 2020

Researchers develop unique diagnostic tool to detect dystonia from MRI scans

Researchers at Mass Eye and Ear have developed a unique diagnostic tool that can detect dystonia from MRI scans, the first technology of its kind to provide an objective diagnosis of the disorder.

29 Sep 2020

Black women turn to midwives to avoid COVID and ‘feel cared for’

From the moment she learned she was pregnant late last year, TaNefer Camara knew she didn't want to have her baby in a hospital bed.

17 Sep 2020

Wearable device may more accurately assess the effects of hemorrhage blood loss

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs), military medics, and emergency room physicians could one day be better able to treat victims of vehicular accidents, gunshot wounds, and battlefield injuries thanks to a new device under development that may more accurately assess the effects of blood loss due to hemorrhage.

31 Aug 2020

Scientists investigate the role of contractility and microbiota in chronic constipation

Chronic constipation (CC) remains a serious medical and social problem because the complexity of diagnosis, the lack of a single approach to treatment, and unsatisfactory treatment results.

20 Aug 2020

Mental stress and anger may worsen heart failure

Mental stress and anger may have clinical implications for patients with heart failure according to a new report published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

12 Aug 2020

New technology could serve as more reliable model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A new study published today demonstrates that a technology developed at the University of Central Florida could serve as a more reliable clinically-based model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a better screening tool for novel therapies than currently use preclinical models.

12 Aug 2020

4D OCT can provide unprecedented information about embryonic heart development

How a valveless embryonic heart tube pumps blood is a long-standing scientific mystery. Thanks to innovations in light-based technology, fresh insights are now available into the biomechanics of mammalian cardiogenesis - and in particular, the pumping dynamics of the mammalian tubular embryonic heart.

7 Aug 2020

New method of communication relies on ‘mechano-chemical’ signals to control cell movement

Cells work around the clock to deliver, maintain, and control every aspect of life. And just as with humans, communication is a key to their success.

22 Jul 2020

Pain relief drugs offer more choices for women during childbirth

Choice and control are important factors for ensuring a positive childbirth experience, yet until recently, little was known about the impact of alternative administrations of fentanyl – one of the pain relief drugs used during labour– on both mother and baby.

1 Jul 2020

Female reproductive organs not susceptible to direct SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the University in San Francisco, California, report that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unlikely to negatively impact on pregnancy-related outcomes such as premature birth, transmission to babies via breast milk, and infertility.

23 Jun 2020

Non-invasive fetal oxygen monitor could improve outcomes in difficult deliveries

A device to directly measure blood oxygen saturation in a fetus during labor has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis.

17 Jun 2020

Physical activity prevents the accumulation of damaged proteins and keeps muscles healthy

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports have demonstrated that physical activity prompts a clean-up of muscles as the protein Ubiquitin tags onto worn-out proteins, causing them to be degraded.

28 May 2020

Rat spinal cords control muscular behaviors in novel biohybrid robots

Biological robots, or biobots, draw inspiration from natural systems to mimic the motions of organisms, such as swimming or jumping.

28 Apr 2020

Researchers describe an underlying biological basis for mylagic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

Mylagic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling and complex illness. Affected persons often cannot pursue ordinary activities -- physical or mental -- because of an incapacitating loss of energy and other symptoms, and may find themselves confined to bed or house-bound for years.

28 Apr 2020

Four drugs that could halt preterm labor identified

As the number of preterm births in the U.S. continues to rise, there is an increasing need for new approaches to prevent preterm labor from progressing to preterm birth. Researchers have discovered a common molecular pathway in women who experience preterm labor and are using this insight to develop new treatments for woman who experience early labor.

27 Apr 2020

Active ingredient from parasite larvae could help treat asthma

The larvae of the roundworm Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri (Hpb) need a very special environment in order to survive: They have to invade the mucosal layer of the intestine in rodents, the only place where they can then develop into adult worms capable of reproduction.

24 Apr 2020

Born into a pandemic: Virus complicates births for moms and babies

Mallory Pease's contractions grew stronger as her husband, Mitchell, drove her to Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall, Michigan, to give birth to their second child. It had been a routine pregnancy, but she told her doctor she'd recently developed a sore throat, aches, coughing and shortness of breath — symptoms her provider knew could indicate COVID-19.