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Research provides insights on why redheads exhibit altered sensitivity to pain

New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital provides insights on why people with red hair exhibit altered sensitivity to certain kinds of pain. The findings are published in Science Advances.

2 Apr 2021

HCAs are a promising risk indicator of type 2 diabetes

A series of studies led by researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University have revealed that hyocholic acid and its derivatives (collectively known as HCAs), a component of bile acids that facilitate fat digestion, are a promising risk indicator of type 2 diabetes.

1 Apr 2021

New scholarship could open more doors for most promising medical students

With a generous gift of $1.1 million, philanthropist Ann Bedell Hunt has established The Bedell Family Endowed Medical Scholarship at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in memory of her father, Omar Jaspering, and in honor of Simerjot K. Jassal, MD, a primary care physician at VA San Diego Healthcare System and director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

1 Apr 2021

Study identifies new cardiometabolic factors linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, researchers have found associations between certain lifestyle factors and a person's risk of getting infected.

1 Apr 2021

Research finds possible explanation for why many cancer drugs don't work in human trials

A possible explanation for why many cancer drugs that kill tumor cells in mouse models won't work in human trials has been found by researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Biomedical Informatics and McGovern Medical School.

1 Apr 2021

Comorbidities lead to an increased risk of death from Covid-19, research shows

Comorbidities such as heart disease, respiratory disease, renal disease and cancer lead to an increased risk of death from Covid-19 according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).

1 Apr 2021

Researchers receive $4.5 million grant to support lung cancer screenings and research

Two researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School, who also practice at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, join the Omaha VA Medical Center to lead the Upper Midwest VA Lung Cancer Screening and Research Network as part of a nationwide VA-funded Lung Precision Oncology Program (LPOP).

1 Apr 2021

Study looks at U.S. mammography screening rates during the COVID-19 pandemic

In looking at the broader impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and wellbeing, public health experts are examining screening rates for cancer.

31 Mar 2021

Introducing a neuro regenerative gene into mice with spinal cord injury improves motor function

Nagoya University researchers have identified a gene that plays a crucial role in regenerating neurons of African clawed frog tadpoles, which has an unusually high capacity for nerve regeneration.

31 Mar 2021

Early treatment with anti-VEGF injections slows diabetic retinopathy

Early treatment with anti-VEGF injections slowed diabetic retinopathy in a clinical study from the DRCR Retina Network (DRCR.net). However, two years into the four-year study its effect on vision was similar to standard treatment, which usually begins at the onset of late disease.

31 Mar 2021

Widely available drug reduces morbidity, mortality in COVID-19-infected mice

Mount Sinai researchers have found that a widely available and inexpensive drug targeting inflammatory genes has reduced morbidity and mortality in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

31 Mar 2021

COVID-19 associated seizures may increase death risk in patients

COVID-19 can have damaging effects on multiple organs in the body, including the brain. A new study led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) indicates that some hospitalized patients with COVID-19 experience non-convulsive seizures, which may put them at a higher risk of dying. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology.

31 Mar 2021

Combination of two existing drugs can kill cancer cells

Preclinical research from VCU Massey Cancer Center published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the combination of two existing drugs can exploit the metabolic "hunger" of a particularly aggressive type of neuroblastoma to kill cancer cells without inflicting too much collateral damage to healthy tissue.

31 Mar 2021

New technologies can screen for cervical cancer better than Pap smears

Emerging technologies can screen for cervical cancer better than Pap smears and, if widely used, could save lives both in developing nations and parts of countries, like the United States, where access to health care may be limited.

30 Mar 2021

Study compares performance of open-label placebo to blinded placebo in IBS patients

For decades, the power of the placebo effect was thought to lie in patients' belief that they were -- or at least, could be -- receiving a pharmacologically active treatment.

30 Mar 2021

Study reveals how exercise during pregnancy confers metabolic health benefits in offspring

A mechanism has been identified that explains how physical exercise in pregnancy confers metabolic health benefits in offspring.

30 Mar 2021

Drinking beetroot juice promotes oral bacteria linked to healthier blood vessels and brain function

Drinking beetroot juice promotes a mix of mouth bacteria associated with healthier blood vessels and brain function, according to a new study of people aged 70-80.

30 Mar 2021

Despite targeted efforts, racial disparities persist in rural areas

In the last 20 years, Black adults living in rural areas of the United States have experienced high mortality rates due to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke compared to white adults.

30 Mar 2021

New diagnostic test can detect COVID-19 virus even when it mutates

A team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a diagnostic test that can detect the virus that causes COVID-19 even after it has gone through mutations.

30 Mar 2021

FDA-approved cancer drug blunts SARS-CoV-2 protein's detrimental effects

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have identified the most toxic proteins made by SARS-COV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 – and then used an FDA-approved cancer drug to blunt the viral protein's detrimental effects. In their experiments in fruit flies and human cell lines, the team discovered the cell process that the virus hijacks, illuminating new potential candidate drugs that could be tested for treating severe COVID-19 disease patients.

29 Mar 2021