During the pandemic, medical doctors and researchers noticed that children and adolescents infected with COVID-19 became less ill than adults. A possible explanation for this is that children already had a prior level of immunity to COVID-19 provided by memory T cells generated by common colds.
Potential treatment target for drug-resistant epilepsy identified
Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and colleagues have identified a small molecule that may help treat people with epilepsy whose condition has become resistant to the benzodiazepine drugs usually used in managing seizures. The research, conducted in laboratory cells and rodents, was published online March 7 in Cell Reports Medicine.
Novobiocin attacks BRCA-mutated cancer cells from within and without, study shows
As the first clinical trial of the drug novobiocin is about to open for patients with cancers carrying BRCA gene mutations, new research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute shows the drug poses a double threat to tumor cells.
Study finds non-Hodgkins lymphoma treatment also targets related forms of lymphoma
The search for new therapies to treat a rare type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma has had an unexpected success—identifying a potential molecular target to treat other related forms of lymphoma as well.
How neuroimaging can be better utilized to yield diagnostic information about individuals
Since the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging in the 1990s, the reliance on neuroimaging has skyrocketed as researchers investigate how fMRI data from the brain at rest, and anatomical brain structure itself, can be used to predict individual traits, such as depression, cognitive decline, and brain disorders.
Study: Non-discriminatory state-level insurance can improve access to gender-affirming care
Implementation of a state-level insurance policy that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression can increase access to gender-affirming surgical care, according to a new study by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.
SIDS rates increased significantly from 2019 to 2020, finds study
From 2019 to 2020, there was an increase in the rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and sudden unexplained infant death (SUID) rates increased among non-Hispanic Black infants, according to a study published online March 13 in Pediatrics.
Common dry cleaning chemical linked to Parkinson’s
A common and widely used chemical may be fueling the rise of the world’s fastest growing brain condition—Parkinson’s disease. For the past 100 years, trichloroethylene (TCE) has been used to decaffeinate coffee, degrease metal, and dry clean clothes. It contaminates the Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune, 15 toxic Superfund sites in Silicon Valley, and up to one-third of groundwater in the U.S. TCE causes cancer, is linked to miscarriages and congenital heart disease, and is associated with a 500% increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Report: Prevalence of subjective cognitive decline 9.6 percent in ages 45 and up
The age-adjusted prevalence of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is 9.6 percent among adults aged 45 years and older, according to research published in the March 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Molecular component of caffeine may play a role in gut health
Brigham researchers studying how and why certain cell types proliferate in the gut found that xanthine, which is found in coffee, tea and chocolate, may play a role in Th17 differentiation. Insights may help investigators better understand gut health and the development of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.