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GP38 identified as key viral toxin and vaccine target in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus research

A recent study published in Science Translational Medicine involving scientists from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in collaboration with scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of California-Berkeley have advanced discoveries surrounding the viral glycoprotein GP38 expressed by the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV).

8 Apr 2025

Unexpected function of gene network in gut microbes revealed

Could a gene regulatory network in gut microbes have evolved its elaborate and tightly regulated molecular machinery only to pump out antibiotics indiscriminately? Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) show this is an auxiliary function.

8 Apr 2025

Perimenopause can begin in the thirties yet remains widely misunderstood

Hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain and insomnia are all signs of hormonal changes and symptoms of menopause, when a woman no longer has menstrual cycles. They can also signal perimenopause, when the body is preparing for this next season of life.

8 Apr 2025

Shingles vaccination associated with reduction in probability of new dementia diagnosis

Vaccination to prevent shingles also reduces the risk of developing dementia in later life, according to a research paper published recently in Nature.

8 Apr 2025

Study links gut microbe shifts in migrants to cardiovascular risk

An Amsterdam UMC-led study has found that migrants, this case from West Africa to Europe, experience a 'clear change' in their microbiome composition as compared to their non-migrant peers in West Africa, which expose them to an increase of cardiovascular disease.

8 Apr 2025

Babies as young as three months can sense their own heartbeat

Body signals such as heartbeat and breathing accompany us constantly, often unnoticed as background noise of our perception. Even in the earliest years of life, these signals are important as they contribute to the development of self-awareness and identity. However, until know little has been known about whether and how babies can perceive their own body signals. A recent study from Wiener Kinderstudien Lab at the University of Vienna demonstrates for the first time that babies as young as 3 months can perceive their own heartbeat. In addition, the team, headed by researchers from the University of Vienna, together with colleagues from the University of Potsdam and Royal Holloway University of London, also investigated for the first-time infants' perception of their own breathing and found developments during the first two years of life. The results are now published in the prestigious journal eLife. The perception of internal body signals is closely linked to emotional awareness, mental health, and self-perception. Early in life the ability to perceive one's own body signals may be particularly important, as it often forms the basis for interactions with caregivers - for example babies rely on their caregivers to respond appropriately to signs of hunger or discomfort. Moreover, the development of self-awareness and identity partly depends on the perception and experience of one's own body. The study shows that even 3-month-old babies can perceive their own heartbeat and that this ability remains relatively stable during the first two years of life. At the same time, the findings indicate that the perception of breathing improves significantly during the second year. Interestingly, the ability to perceive the heartbeat and breathing does not appear to be related - much like in adults. Measuring body awareness in babies is challenging, as, unlike adults, you cannot simply rely on verbal report. Therefore, the research team used innovative methods by tracking the infants' eye movements as they watched child-friendly figures. These figures moved either in synchrony with the child's heartbeat or breathing, or with a slight time delay. Results showed that even at an early age, babies recognize the correspondence between their own heartbeat or breathing rhythm and the animated figures. They looked longer at the screen when the figures were in synchrony than when they were delayed. "The babies must have recognized that the figures moved simultaneously with their heartbeat or breathing, and then they paid more attention," said the study's lead author, Markus Tünte from the University of Vienna. These findings open up exciting perspectives for future developmental psychology research. In particular, it is important to explore how early body awareness relates to the development of emotional and social skills, as well as the role parents play in shaping early body perception. In the long term, such research could be used to promote healthy body awareness and, consequently, the mental health of children.

8 Apr 2025

New drug compound offers pain relief without opioid side effects

University of Florida scientists have helped identify a novel drug compound that selectively activates pain-altering receptors in the body, offering a potentially safer alternative to conventional pain medications.

8 Apr 2025

Scientists find early signs of T cell exhaustion in early infection stages

Even in the case of uncomplicated infections, the body prepares itself early on for the possibility of a more severe course. A research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Munich has now uncovered this mechanism.

8 Apr 2025

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

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From Trilobio 8 Apr 2025

Proteins linked to Parkinson's and ALS found to protect mitochondria

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have discovered how a group of proteins linked to Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis act as "guardians" of mitochondria, small organelles, or subunits, within a cell that make and store energy and are found in almost all plants and animals.

8 Apr 2025

Medically tailored meals could save billions and prevent millions of hospitalizations

While Food is Medicine programs are successfully helping patients manage their health, many initiatives are small-scale pilots, providing treatment to several hundred or several thousand patients.

8 Apr 2025

New 3D imaging technique enhances basal cell carcinoma diagnosis

Researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the National Healthcare Group (NHG) have jointly pioneered an innovative imaging technique combining Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) with artificial intelligence (AI) that could significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common form of skin cancer worldwide.

8 Apr 2025

Public health risks of urban wildfire smoke prompt push for more monitoring

When the catastrophic Los Angeles fires broke out, John Volckens suspected firefighters and residents were breathing toxic air from the burning homes, buildings, and cars, but it was unclear how much risk the public faced.

8 Apr 2025

For opioid victims, payouts fall short while governments reap millions

Christopher Julian's opioid journey is familiar to many Americans.

8 Apr 2025

How air pollution may be undermining your brain—one breath at a time

Research reveals air pollution, particularly from industry and fuels, negatively affects cognitive function in older adults, with language skills most impacted.

8 Apr 2025

Powerful new tool promises major advances in cancer treatment

New Australian technology is set to transform the way that gastrointestinal cancers are detected and treated with precise, minimally invasive surgery.

8 Apr 2025

New data reveals diabetes prevalence in Australia may be 35% higher

New research from the University of Sydney reveals that the number of Australians living with diabetes may be up to 35 percent higher than previously estimated.

8 Apr 2025

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences launches safer, Next-Generation Basophil Activation Test to improve, expedite allergy research

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a global leader in laboratory automation and innovation, introduces the Next-Generation Basophil Activation Test (BAT) for research use only to more effectively characterize food allergies without exposure to potentially harmful allergens.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Flow Cytometry 8 Apr 2025

Wiley releases updated Maurer, Meyer, Helfer, Weber: LC-HR-MS/MS Library of Drugs, Poisons and Their Metabolites database

Wiley, one of the world's largest publishers and a global leader in research and learning, today announced the much-anticipated release of the second edition of Maurer, Meyer, Helfer, Weber: LC-HR-MS/MS Library of Drugs, Poisons, and Their Metabolites.

From John Wiley and Sons - Scientific Publishers 8 Apr 2025

Study reveals high rate of diagnostic changes in Parkinson’s disease

A new study by the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland, found that a significant proportion of Parkinson's disease diagnoses are later corrected.

7 Apr 2025