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Gut bacteria and insomnia influence each other in small but significant ways, study shows

Scientists used Mendelian randomisation to explore the two-way relationship between gut microbiota and insomnia, analyzing GWAS data from over 386,000 individuals and two major microbiome cohorts. The study found only limited taxa surviving strict correction, suggesting small but causal links that highlight the gut–brain axis in sleep health.

21 Aug 2025

Evidence review questions ketamine’s role in chronic pain treatment

A Cochrane review assessed ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic non-cancer pain. The evidence was low to very low certainty, showing no clear pain relief and potential adverse effects with intravenous ketamine.

21 Aug 2025

Can AI help you eat healthier?

Researchers developed and validated an AI-based nutrition recommendation system (AINR) that generates weekly Mediterranean meal plans tailored to individual needs and dietary restrictions. Tested on 4,000 simulated users, the system achieved high accuracy in calorie and nutrient targets but struggled with profiles involving milk and nut allergies.

21 Aug 2025

Gut bacteria in mothers and newborns may shape infants’ risk of early respiratory infections

Finnish researchers found that differences in maternal and infant gut microbiota during the first weeks of life were linked to the risk of respiratory tract infections in the first six months. Specific bacteria, including butyrate producers and opportunistic pathogens, may shape early infection susceptibility.

21 Aug 2025

New study uncovers a surprising mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy

A new international study led by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, the Karolinska Institutet and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has uncovered a surprising mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy: cancer's ability to injure nearby nerves.

21 Aug 2025

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 hijacks testicular lipid metabolism to replicate

The COVID-19 virus hijacks the machinery of testicular cells that produce the hormone testosterone in order to replicate.

21 Aug 2025

Research shows how lysosomes respond to stress

New research, published today in the journal Science, shows how lysosomes - organelles that act like cells' waste disposal system - respond to stress by becoming abnormally bloated, a process called lysosomal vacuolation that is associated with numerous diseases.

21 Aug 2025

Midkine found to prevent Alzheimer’s-related protein assemblies

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital demonstrated for the first time that the protein midkine plays a preventative role against Alzheimer's disease.

21 Aug 2025

Yale researchers uncover new RNA editing tools for safer genetic surgery

The ability to correct disease-causing genetic mistakes using genome editors holds great promise in medicine, but it is not without risk.

21 Aug 2025

Physical forces play key role in shaping developing organs

A new study looks at the physical forces that help shape developing organs. Scientists in the past believed that the fast-acting biochemistry of genes and proteins is responsible for directing this choreography.

21 Aug 2025

Using light to control tissue folding in developing embryos

The complex 3D shapes of brains, lungs, eyes, hands, and other vital bodily structures emerge from the way in which flat 2D sheets of cells fold during embryonic development.

21 Aug 2025

Computational approach provides insight into neural progenitor cells and their role in brain disorders

For much of the 20th century it was thought that the adult brain was incapable of regeneration. This view has since shifted dramatically and neurogenesis – the birth of new neurons – is now a widely accepted phenomenon in the adult brain, offering promising avenues for treating many neurological conditions.

21 Aug 2025

New sweat sensor could unlock the secrets of biological aging

People want to stay healthy and active for as long as possible. But how young and resilient is our body actually? Researchers at ETH Zurich, Empa, Caltech and the University Hospital Basel now want to make our biological age precise and easy to measure.

21 Aug 2025

Virus inside the fungus drives deadly fungal infections

Researchers have discovered that a virus living inside the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus significantly boosts the fungus's ability to survive stress and cause severe infections in mammals.

21 Aug 2025

New formulation of chemotherapy drug opens doors to advanced cancer treatment options

University of Arizona researchers devised a new method to deliver cancer chemotherapy drugs to pancreatic and breast cancer tumors more effectively and with less damage to healthy tissues than standard forms of chemotherapy.

21 Aug 2025

Study shows the brain’s body map remains stable after limb loss

New research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Cambridge University upends a long-standing belief about brain plasticity.

21 Aug 2025

Nanodroplet array revolutionizes search for new drugs

Until now, the early phase of drug discovery for the development of new therapeutics has been both cost- and time-intensive.

21 Aug 2025

Australian researchers identify GATOR1 complex as key to preventing lymphoma

Australian researchers have used an innovative genome-wide screening approach to identify genes, and their encoded proteins, that play critical roles in the prevention of lymphoma development, revealing new potential treatment targets for these blood cancers.

21 Aug 2025

New 'dual-mode' tracer agent enhances precision in prostate cancer procedures

A preclinical evaluation of a new 'dual-mode' tracer agent shows promise in not only helping surgeons image and plan prostate cancer procedures, but also provide them with much more consistent and targeted guidance during surgery.

21 Aug 2025