All posts by : Felistas

The brain is a unique place. It is shielded from much of the body by the blood-brain barrier, meaning it’s protected from pathogens and potentially dangerous substances that might be in our blood. And historically, many scientists believed that separation extended to the immune system as well: the brain has its own specialized immune cells called microglia, but immune cells present in the rest of the body were long thought to steer clear of the brain unless there was a disease or other problem requiring their presence.

A new study from the Vanderbilt Health Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy (CPPA) provides health care leaders with an effective framework for addressing concerns that may require an investigation through a standardized huddle process.

U.S. adults with both hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D) face a significantly higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared to those with only one of these conditions—or neither, reports a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

The global measles outbreak must trigger an urgent debate into whether a vaccine should be recommended earlier to better protect against the highly contagious disease during infancy, a new review states.

You’ve probably heard the claim that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. It’s usually framed as a feel-good reason to turn your frown upside down—less effort, more joy. But anatomically, the numbers don’t quite add up.

It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and then expectant mothers don’t quite make it to the delivery suite on time—requiring specialized care from emergency medical services (EMS).

Over the past few decades, researchers have repeatedly identified loneliness as a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, most of this research has focused on people in the United States and Europe, in which social norms tend to favor the individual over collective identity.

Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer, but public awareness of the connection remains strikingly low in the U.S., with just 40% of American adults recognizing alcohol as a cancer risk, according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Researchers gave participants face tattoos that can track when their brain is working too hard. Published in the journal Device, the study introduces a non-permanent wireless forehead e-tattoo that decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain without bulky headgear.

The liver has a unique structure, especially at the level of individual cells. Hepatocytes, the main liver cells, release bile into tiny channels called bile canaliculi, which drain into the bile duct in the liver periportal region. When this bile drainage system is disrupted, it causes liver damage and disease.