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Dogs offer more emotional support than most people, study finds

Study shows that dog-human relationships can be meaningfully evaluated using the same multidimensional social support scales applied to human relationships. Dogs were rated more positively than most human partners, especially in companionship, nurturance, and low conflict.

22 Apr 2025

Carotid artery plaque contains elevated micronanoplastics

People with plaque in the blood vessels of their neck have a higher amount of tiny plastic particles in those vessels compared to people with healthy arteries.

22 Apr 2025

Cultural values shape body image and eating habits in young women

Body appreciation differs between Middle-Eastern and Western societies, a new international study can reveal, highlighting how cultural and family influences shape body image and eating behaviors in young women.

22 Apr 2025

Tulane researchers identify a potential new way to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Researchers at Tulane University have identified a potential new way to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a deadly and currently incurable lung disease that affects more than 3 million people worldwide.

22 Apr 2025

Study reveals how medulloblastoma spreads and grows on the leptomeninges

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and collaborating institutions reveal in Nature Cell Biology a strategy that helps medulloblastoma, the most prevalent malignant brain tumor in children, spread and grow on the leptomeninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

22 Apr 2025

Can a plant-based diet help prevent breast cancer?

A case-control study in Iranian women found that higher adherence to a healthy plant-based diet significantly reduces breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women and those with a BMI under 25. In contrast, high intake of unhealthy plant-based foods raised risk in premenopausal women.

22 Apr 2025

Walnut consumption linked to reduced inflammation and lower colon cancer risk

There are new findings out about the benefits of eating walnuts. Results from a UConn School of Medicine clinical trial on the cover of the April edition of the journal Cancer Prevention Research show walnuts improve systemic inflammation while also reducing colon cancer risk.

22 Apr 2025

Single psychedelic dose boosts long-term cognitive flexibility in mice

University of Michigan researchers have found that certain psychedelic compounds improve the brain’s ability to adapt and flexibly learn new concepts over long periods.

22 Apr 2025

Children’s mattresses expose sleepers to hidden chemical risks, study finds

A new study tested 16 children’s mattresses and found widespread contamination with harmful semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) like plasticizers and flame retardants. These chemicals can migrate into the sleeping environment, increasing children's risk of allergic and neurobehavioral effects.

22 Apr 2025

Study uncovers how prenatal stress leaves a molecular imprint on babies

A new study has uncovered how stress experienced by mothers during pregnancy leaves a molecular imprint on their babies—starting before birth.

22 Apr 2025

Disruption of sterol biosynthesis by prescription drugs: A hidden threat to brain development

A powerful editorial published today in Brain Medicine raises alarm about a previously overlooked threat to brain development and public health: the disruption of sterol biosynthesis by common prescription medications.

22 Apr 2025

Age and sex shape Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers, study finds

ESTHER study found that non-modifiable factors like age, sex, and APOE ε4 status significantly influence blood biomarker levels linked to Alzheimer’s disease. GFAP and NfL levels, in particular, showed strong age- and sex-related patterns, with GFAP levels rising faster in women.

22 Apr 2025

FDA approved anti-inflammatory drug shows promise for treating alcohol use disorder and pain

A preclinical study from scientists at Scripps Research finds that a drug already FDA-approved for treating inflammatory conditions may help reduce both alcohol intake and pain sensitivity-two issues that commonly co-occur with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

22 Apr 2025