All posts by : Felistas

Bringing research from the lab to the home, from a controlled environment to real life, can be a way to understand human interaction. As technology evolves, its potential grows, driving both scientific exploration and real-world applications. In this sense, the authors of a new study have taken a step forward to understanding what happens at the brain level when two people come into contact and interact with each other, such as during a conversation, when giving each other a gift, or in other situations of cooperation.

A perfusion technique developed at University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) to test the quality of donor livers led to a record number of liver transplants last year; not only in Groningen, but throughout the Netherlands. Meanwhile, there is worldwide interest in this perfusion technique.

UCLA scientists have identified a potential new strategy for treating glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer, by reprogramming aggressive cancer cells into harmless ones.

How did humans evolve brains capable of complex language, civilization, and more? The answer could lie in exceptional DNA. Scientists at UC San Francisco have found that parts of our chromosomes have evolved at breakneck speeds to give us an edge in brain development compared to apes. But it might also put us at risk for uniquely human brain disorders.

According to the dimensional view of mental disorders, psychosis is expressed on a continuum ranging from mild subclinical traits and experiences present in the general population (schizotypy) to clinical symptoms in patients diagnosed with the disorder. Numerous studies have explored the genetic link between schizophrenia and its subclinical expressions, but the results have been inconsistent.

Familial chilomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is a genetic disease that causes persistent accumulation of triglycerides in the blood—more than 10 times higher than normal. The main symptoms are severe abdominal pain and frequent episodes of pancreatitis (severe inflammation of the pancreas). With a prevalence of 1 or 2 cases per million inhabitants, it is considered an ultrarare and underdiagnosed disease because it is unknown and difficult to diagnose.

Food-related allergies and their effects are insidiously common in the United States: over 7% of children and over 10% of adults are affected. Although a quarter of people with food allergies have an epinephrine pen, they are expensive and have to be replaced about once a year due to short expiration dates. About 40% of people with food allergies have at least one life-threatening, food allergy–related emergency department visit in their lifetimes.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have revealed promising results from a study evaluating the university’s “Strong Foundations” program, a digitally delivered fall prevention initiative for older adults. The findings, recently published in JMIR Aging, emphasize the program’s effectiveness in improving posture, balance and strength—key factors in reducing fall risk.

For children and teens living with migraine, there may be a new preventive treatment, according to a preliminary study released today, February 26, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5–9, 2025, in San Diego and online. Researchers found the drug zonisamide, which has been used to treat seizures, may reduce migraine days in this age group. This study does not prove that zonisamide reduces migraine days; it only shows an association.

Sugar added to food may be the “villain” when it comes to the relationship between stomach cancer and an unhealthy diet, while salt increases the risk of tumors in people with habits considered healthy. This is the result of a study carried out in Brazil and published in the journal BMC Medicine.