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Social media bans could deny teenagers mental health help

Social media's effects on the mental health of young people are not well understood. That hasn't stopped Congress, state legislatures, and the U.S. surgeon general from moving ahead with age bans and warning labels for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

7 Aug 2024

Small-town patients face big hurdles as rural hospitals cut cancer care

The night before her chemotherapy, Herlinda Sanchez sets out her clothes and checks that she has everything she needs: a blanket, medications, an iPad and chargers, a small Bible and rosary, fuzzy socks, and snacks for the road.

7 Aug 2024

Hospital discharges linked to higher MRSA risk for family members

Family members of patients recently discharged from the hospital may have a higher risk of getting an antibiotic-resistant infection, often called a superbug, even if the patient was not diagnosed with the same infection, suggesting hospitals play a role in the community spread of resistant bacteria, according to study in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

7 Aug 2024

Understanding the age gap in leukemia survival rates

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) affects both children and adults, but children have better chances to be cured, with long-term survival rates over 85% compared to 50-75% in adults. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital conducted a comprehensive study to understand the biological causes driving this difference. The work, published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, provides a blueprint for understanding B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common form of the disease.

7 Aug 2024

METRNL protein identified as key player in cancer progression

A protein called Meteorin-like (METRNL) in the tumor microenvironment saps energy from T cells, thereby severely limiting their ability to fight cancer, according to new research directed by investigators at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Finding ways to block the effects of METRNL signaling on tumor-infiltrating T cells may allow these immune cells to regain the energy necessary to eliminate tumors.

7 Aug 2024

Surgery improves long-term outcomes for T-OPLL

Thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (TOPLL) is a rare condition associated with ectopic bone formation in the thoracic spine.

7 Aug 2024

Study highlights the need for language services in cancer trials

Underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minority populations in cancer clinical trials persists partly because translation and interpretation services and resources are unavailable or inadequate in the United States, according to a Children's Oncology Group (COG) study led by Columbia University School of Nursing. The updated study was published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Cancer Spectrum on July 25, 2024, and will appear in the August 2024 journal issue.

7 Aug 2024

Study advances understanding of complex neurological disorder

To effectively treat a disease or disorder, doctors must first know the root cause. Such is the case for developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), whose root causes can be hugely complex and heterogeneous. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital demonstrated the value of DNA methylation patterns for identifying the root cause of DEEs, showing specific gene methylation and genome-wide methylation "episignatures" can help identify the genes that cause DEE. The findings were published today in Nature Communications.

7 Aug 2024

Researchers uncover immune system barrier to cancer treatment

By recruiting the immune system to combat tumor cells, immunotherapy has improved survival rates, offering hope to millions of cancer patients. However, only about one in five people responds favorably to these treatments.

7 Aug 2024

FDA approves vorasidenib for Grade 2 gliomas with IDH mutations

Vorasidenib has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with Grade 2 gliomas with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations.

6 Aug 2024

Analyzing the impact of heart disease treatments on patients with CHIP

Nicholas A. Marston, MD, MPH, of the TIMI Study Group and Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, is the corresponding author of a paper published in Nature Medicine, "Clonal hematopoiesis, cardiovascular events and treatment benefit in 63,700 individuals from five TIMI randomized trials."

6 Aug 2024

The real cost of processed foods: How Western diets are harming global health

A recent study in Nature Medicine reviews the adverse effects of Western diets on human health, highlighting increased risks of chronic diseases and gut dysbiosis. Researchers call for global awareness and promotion of healthier dietary patterns.

6 Aug 2024

Cambridge experts question efficacy and practicality of new amyloid immunotherapy drugs

Cambridge researchers have cast doubt on whether new amyloid immunotherapy drugs will have the desired effect of significantly reducing the impact of Alzheimer's disease.

6 Aug 2024

How social drinking and dopamine influence alcohol-induced euphoria in fruit flies

Grab a drink with friends at happy hour and you're likely to feel chatty, friendly and upbeat. But grab a drink alone and you may experience feelings of depression.

6 Aug 2024

Enhancing nitrofurantoin solubility and bioavailability through solid dispersion formulation

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. Nitrofurantoin is a BCS II drug with a low solubility and dissolution rate.

6 Aug 2024

Research reveals widespread use of potentially liver-damaging botanicals

Millions of Americans consume supplements that contain potentially hepatoxic botanical ingredients, according to a study from University of Michigan researchers.

6 Aug 2024

Breakthrough therapy enhances longevity and vitality in aging mice

Everyone wants to live to a ripe old age, but no one wants to be decrepit. Now, University of Connecticut researchers have demonstrated a treatment that could lengthen life - and vigor - up to the very end.

6 Aug 2024

New target identified for melanoma resistant to current therapies

Some proteins, such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1), can stop the immune system from attacking cancer cells and, therefore, support the growth of cancer.

6 Aug 2024

Mini intestines uncover mechanisms behind COVID-19-related diarrhea and potential treatments

Working with human stem cells that form a kind of "mini intestine-in-a-dish," Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have found several molecular mechanisms for COVID-19-related diarrhea, suggesting potential ways to control it.

6 Aug 2024