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Trash incinerators disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic people

When leaders of Florida's most populous county met in September to pick a site for what could become the nation's largest trash incinerator, so many people went to the government center to protest that overflow seating spilled into the building's atrium.

23 Dec 2024

Higher daily step counts associated with fewer depressive symptoms

A systematic review reveals that walking 7,000+ steps daily is associated with lower depression risk, underscoring physical activity's role in mental health.

20 Dec 2024

Subjective walking speed is a quick, equipment-free tool for identifying metabolic health risks

The study reveals a strong association between walking speed and metabolic disease risk in obesity, suggesting fast walking as a vital health intervention.

20 Dec 2024

Self-reported walking speed can predict metabolic disease risk

Walking speed can provide insights into health, extending beyond mere mobility, so much so that it is considered to be the "sixth vital sign."

19 Dec 2024

Decoding sleep disorders through fairy tales

Some traditional fairy tales and classic children's fiction that have soothed many a child to sleep may also provide accessible and engaging ways to discuss healthy sleep with children, suggest researchers in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

18 Dec 2024

Researchers receive NIH grant to study dementia caused by cerebral small vessel disease

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been awarded $7.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a form of dementia caused by cerebral small vessel disease, the second-leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

17 Dec 2024

Kessler Foundation scientist receives grant for fall prevention research in older adults

Kiran Karunakaran, PhD, research scientist in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering and director of the Balance Assessment and Training Laboratory at Kessler Foundation, has been awarded a three-year grant for $599,998 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

16 Dec 2024

Women face greater barriers to accessing mobility aids despite higher need

Women are more likely than men to experience mobility limitations that could benefit from the use of mobility aids but are much less likely to use them when needed, according to a new study from researchers at UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

14 Dec 2024

Wearables and machine learning predict five-year fall risk in Parkinson’s patients

Wearable sensor data combined with machine learning predicts fall risk in Parkinson's patients, enhancing preventive care and clinical outcomes over five years.

10 Dec 2024

A centenarian thrives living alone, active and engaged

"The future is here," the email announced. Hilda Jaffe, then 88, was letting her children know she planned to sell the family home in Verona, New Jersey. She'd decided to begin life anew — on her own — in a one-bedroom apartment in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan.

10 Dec 2024

Eating breakfast later lowers blood sugar spikes in type 2 diabetes patients

Skipping early breakfasts may reduce blood sugar spikes in people with type 2 diabetes, with later breakfast timings showing significant benefits.

10 Dec 2024

How lifestyle and health shape your dementia risk

New RAND research identifies early predictors of cognitive impairment and dementia using a nationally representative U.S. dataset, highlighting the role of modifiable factors and baseline cognitive health in prevention and intervention strategies.

9 Dec 2024

Exercise enhances memory for up to 24 hours, study finds

The short-term boost our brains get after we do exercise persists throughout the following day, suggests a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

9 Dec 2024

Brief bursts of activity linked to heart health benefits for women

Research shows 3.4 minutes of daily VILPA is associated with a 45% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events, highlighting sex differences in benefits.

5 Dec 2024

Behavioral chaos in Alzheimer’s disease mice decoded by machine learning

Researchers use machine learning to identify behavioral disruptions in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models, highlighting a potential therapeutic target in fibrinogen-microglia interactions.

3 Dec 2024

Research sheds light on how mutated PSEN2 accelerates familial Alzheimer's disease progression

Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating condition that slowly robs people of their memory and cognitive abilities, affecting millions of people worldwide.

3 Dec 2024

Greening cities saves lives and transforms urban health

Increasing urban green spaces in Italy could prevent 28,433 deaths annually, highlighting their critical role in reducing mortality and improving public health.

2 Dec 2024

Hypothalamic deep brain stimulation restores walking after spinal cord injury

Scientists have identified neurons in the lateral hypothalamus that can be targeted through deep brain stimulation to improve walking after spinal cord injury (SCI). This innovative approach shows promise in both animal models and initial human trials, paving the way for groundbreaking treatments.

2 Dec 2024

Hypothalamic DBS therapy improves recovery of lower limb movements after spinal cord injury

Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), led by professors Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have achieved a major milestone in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI).

2 Dec 2024

Ancient footprints reveal two hominin species coexisting 1.5 million years ago

More than a million years ago, on a hot savannah teeming with wildlife near the shore of what would someday become Lake Turkana in Kenya, two completely different species of hominins may have passed each other as they scavenged for food.

28 Nov 2024