Pandemic lockdowns led to food insecurity and other evidence of risk for adolescents

Although adolescents are less susceptible to illness from COVID-19 than older people, there is evidence suggesting that pandemic lockdowns limited their ability to thrive. A new study by researchers at George Washington University and colleagues explored changes in outcomes for over 7,000 vulnerable adolescents living in Bangladesh, Jordan, and Ethiopia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Revealing the landscape of software as a medical device industry

There has been a surge in academic and business interest in software as a medical device (SaMD). It enables medical professionals to streamline existing medical practices and make innovative medical processes such as digital therapeutics a reality. Furthermore, SaMD is a billion-dollar market. However, it is not clearly understood as a technological change and emerging industry.

How first contact influences the immune response to new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Although SARS-CoV-2 is no longer a stranger to the immune system, new virus variants still pose a challenge. The working group led by Professor Dr. Florian Klein, Director of the Institute of Virology at the University Hospital Cologne and the Faculty of Medicine, has now published two studies investigating how the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 changes over time and how the immune system is preparing itself for new variants with clever strategies.

Manipulation of gut microbiota with flaxseed could reduce breast cancer risk, research suggests

A new study demonstrates that the human gut microbiome may be a factor in breast health. Lifestyle and diet have long been known to affect human health. In the study, flaxseed components called lignans were shown to influence the relationship between gut microorganisms and the expression of mammary gland microRNAs (miRNAs). A subset of these miRNAs regulates the genes involved in breast cancer, including genes that control cell proliferation and migration.