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Lower vitamin B12 levels could impact brain function in older adults

Meeting the minimum requirement for vitamin B12, needed to make DNA, red blood cells and nerve tissue, may not actually be enough – particularly if you are older. It may even put you at risk for cognitive impairment.

18 Feb 2025

Gut bacteria influence brain protein modifications via glycosylation

Our guts are home to trillions of bacteria, and research over the last few decades has established how essential they are to our physiology – in health and disease.

10 Feb 2025

Blood transfusions at the scene save lives. But ambulances are rarely equipped to do them.

One August afternoon in 2023, Angela Martin's cousin called with alarming news. Martin's 74-year-old aunt had been mauled by four dogs while out for a walk near her home in rural Purlear, North Carolina.

10 Feb 2025

Contraceptive pill could help reduce risk of ovarian cancer, study suggests

Screening for risk factors of ovarian cancer using artificial intelligence, UniSA researchers found that the oral contraceptive pill reduced the risk of ovarian cancer by 26% among women who had ever used the Pill, and by 43% for women who had used the Pill after the age of 45.

10 Feb 2025

Comprehensive gene map of malaria parasite offers path to better treatments

A new, comprehensive map of all the genes essential for blood infections in Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi), a parasite that causes malaria in humans, has been generated by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues.

7 Feb 2025

Could the contraceptive pill reduce risk of ovarian cancer?

It’s a little pill with big responsibilities. But despite its primary role to prevent pregnancy, the contraceptive pill (or ‘the Pill’) could also help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, according to new research from the University of South Australia.

From University of South Australia 3 Feb 2025

Hybrid diffuse optics could revolutionize blood flow monitoring in critical care

Red blood cell transfusions (RBCTs) are life-saving treatments for critically ill patients suffering from anemia, a condition where the body lacks enough healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen effectively.

31 Jan 2025

New system uses acoustic waves to separate tumor cells with precision

Cancer accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020 – almost one in every six deaths globally – according to the World Health Organization.

28 Jan 2025

Elevated uric acid levels may contribute to severe malaria outcomes in children

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers and their collaborators in Uganda at the Makerere University School of Medicine have uncovered a significant connection between elevated uric acid levels and life-threatening outcomes in children with severe malaria.

27 Jan 2025

Ozone exposure may contribute to reduced oxygen levels and arterial stiffness

Ozone (O3) exposure may reduce the availability of oxygen in the body, resulting in arterial stiffening due to the body's natural response to create more red blood cells and hemoglobin, according to a study published today in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

22 Jan 2025

Fizzy water may aid weight loss but can't replace healthy lifestyle

Fizzy water might aid weight loss by boosting blood glucose uptake and metabolism-the rate at which the body uses and converts energy-but the effects are so small, drinking it can't be relied on alone to shed the pounds, concludes a brief analysis published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.

21 Jan 2025

Groundbreaking G6PD diagnostic test prequalified by WHO to ensure safe malaria treatment

On 18 December 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified the first diagnostic test for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency which can help to safely deliver WHO-recommended treatments to prevent relapse of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) infection.

9 Jan 2025

Mutation in ASXL1 gene triggers chain reaction leading to blood disorders

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have discovered how a mutated gene kicks off a dangerous chain of events during blood cell production.

8 Jan 2025

New formula predicts oxygen delivery ability of red blood cells

SCIENTISTS have developed a way of assessing the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen by measuring their shape. This test could improve specialist transplant and transfusion practice as well as blood banking.

22 Dec 2024

Study reveals gaps in gestational diabetes diagnosis in pregnant women

Research investigating testing methods for gestational diabetes suggests that over half of pregnant women with the condition are not being diagnosed with the current NHS blood test process, leading to unnecessary complications for mother and baby.

17 Dec 2024

Gene variant in Andean populations could help predict blood cancer treatment outcomes

Two researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) have discovered a gene variant found in high-altitude Andean populations that they believe could be a new biomarker for predicting the severity of diseases and treatment responses for certain types of blood cancer.

14 Dec 2024