Posts in category: Uncategorized

Despite COPD’s pervasiveness, it is generally assumed that the main instigator in its development is tobacco smoking. The 2023 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease or GOLD report is proposing a new definition of COPD, one that acknowledges the key pathogenic role of tobacco smoking but accounts for other factors that also contribute to COPD. The report is now available online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Prescription opioid use could have a negative effect on cognitive function in older adults, according to a recent Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The population-based observational study used data from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a research initiative examining the cognitive decline in older people for nearly 20 years.

The findings of the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Healthy Minds Monthly Poll are clear: in addition to feeling like part of the family, Americans’ furry friends offer many mental health benefits.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Multi-Society Task Force on colon cancer encourage patients to start screening at age 50 unless they have other risk factors like family history or inflammatory diseases that could predispose them to colon cancer. However, African Americans may consider getting screened at an earlier age. Dr. John Kisiel, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, explains who is at risk.

Despite being a source of constant bad news, the internet is also awash with attempts at countering negativity. A quick search for “inspirational” content yields heaps of speeches, songs and sayings intended to make sense of tough times.

Is it better to live in a city or in the countryside? While urban dwellers may benefit from more employment opportunities, better access to public services alongside cultural activities and entertainment, people who live in rural areas often argue they have a better sense of community and greater access to nature.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that more than 1.2 million people in the U.K. report living with long COVID for 12 months or more.

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bone responsible for making red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Bone marrow failure syndromes lead to an increased risk of developing dangerous infections, anemia and an increased risk of blood cancers.

The words that researchers use to describe their results can be harnessed to discover potential new treatments for Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study publishing March 2nd in the open access journal PLoS Biology by Angus McQuibban of the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues. The study employed an artificial intelligence (AI) system to identify an existing anti-cholesterol drug that has the ability to promote disposal of mitochondria, energy-making components of the cell which are damaged in the disease.

How many children an individual may have is influenced by reproductive biology and human behavior, according to the largest study to date, which identifies genetic determinants. The study, led by researchers at the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Pennsylvania, also identified that the human genome has been influenced by natural selection for thousands of years and continues to affect fertility today.