The gut is one of the most complex organs in the body. Inside, it teems with a diverse microbial population that interacts and cooperates with intestinal cells to digest food and drugs. Disruptions in this microbiome have strong links to a wide spectrum of diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, asthma, and even psychological and behavioral disorders.
Eight-week bedaquiline-linezolid noninferior for TB
A strategy of eight weeks of bedaquiline-linezolid is noninferior to a standard regimen for tuberculosis, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, held from Feb. 19 to 22 in Seattle.
Profiling abortions in low- and middle-income countries
Multiple factors including a women’s age, marriage status, education and how many living children she has are associated with pregnancy termination in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Djibril Ba of Penn State College of Medicine, U.S., and colleagues.
HIV reservoirs found to be established earlier than expected
For the first time in humans, a research team has shown that, as early as the first days of infection, HIV is able to create reservoirs where it will hide and persist during antiretroviral therapy.
Breast milk boosts premature babies’ brain development, suggests study
The more breast milk premature babies are fed while in neonatal intensive care, the greater the level of brain development, a study suggests.
Severe obesity riskier for Swedish men than American men, suggests thesis
The fact that obesity is a major risk factor for disease and death is well known, as is the fact that obesity is more common in the United States than in Europe. On the other hand, a new thesis at UmeƄ University shows that obese Swedish men are at greater risk of dying prematurely than equally obese American men. For women, however, the risk picture of obesity is similar in the countries.
How obesity makes it harder to diagnose and treat heart disease
Being overweight impacts your heart health in more ways than you might think. A new Journal of the American College of Cardiology review paper from Mayo Clinic outlines how obesity affects the common tests used to diagnose heart disease and impacts treatments. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and globally, yet it is largely preventable.
Study identifies new test to accurately predict end of life for lung cancer patients
Lung cancer patients can have their risk of dying accurately predicted within the last four weeks of life, a study involving University of Liverpool researchers has shown.
Research shows how children learn emotion labels through parents’ speech
Learning about emotions is an important part of children’s social and communicative development. Whether children can use words like “happy” or “sad” to talk about emotions predicts how well they get along with their peers, self-soothe after a negative event and thrive at school.
Parental support for LGBTQ youth is important, research shows
Depression is more widespread among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) youth than heterosexual, cisgender youth, making parental support more important for these adolescents. A new study released in Child Development by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin looks at parental social support and psychological control in relation to depressive symptoms for LGBTQ youth in the United States.