All posts by : Felistas

Preterm birth―defined as delivery before the 37th week of pregnancy—is one of the leading causes of infant deaths in the United States. Babies born prematurely are also at an increased risk of having serious health problems. Yet despite advancements in many areas of obstetrics, little progress has been made to reduce the number of preterm births or improve neonatal outcomes. For the third consecutive year, the March of Dimes Annual Report Card has given the United States a D+ for the country’s persistently high preterm birth rate.

A group of 211 international experts from 79 countries has published a new framework to facilitate the design, development and implementation of digital health curricula in medical education worldwide.

It is well known that consuming sugary drinks increases the risk of diabetes, but the mechanism behind this relationship is unclear. Now, in a paper appearing in Cell Metabolism, researchers show that metabolites produced by gut microbes might play a role.

A recent study carried out by a research team from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut investigated the immunomodulating properties of β-glucans. These are natural sugar compounds found in bacteria, fungi and grains. The results indicate that β-glucans can target the immune system and modulate pro-inflammatory responses. Their potential to suppress allergic reactions and offer new approaches to allergy treatment is particularly promising. The research was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Long-term exposure to low levels of traffic-related air pollution harms the liver and may raise the risk of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, a new study in mice suggests.

Researchers at the University of Toronto are sounding the alarm about the high consumption of ultra-processed foods among preschool-aged children in Canada and its association with obesity development.

Between September and December 2024, four countries in the EU/EEA (Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain) and the United Kingdom reported detections of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in sewage samples. This is the first time cVDPV2 has been detected in EU/EEA countries from environmental surveillance.

Microplastics, which are less than 5 millimeters, and nanoplastics, which are invisible to the naked eye, are widespread throughout our environment. Research has shown that exposure to plastics in general is harmful to both the environment and humans.

A team of international researchers led by scientists at City of Hope have demonstrated a way to boost thymic function after damage in preclinical studies. The team’s study results, published today in the journal Immunity, outline their discovery of a specific type of regulatory T cell that can home back into the thymus and repair the organ when it’s damaged.

New research from the University of Minnesota shows that death rates for early adults, or adults aged 25–44, rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain higher than expected post-pandemic.