More social, cultural, and community engagement (SCCE) is associated with more dental and outpatient care utilization and reduced inpatient care among older adults, according to a study published online April 4 in JAMA Network Open.
Consumer Health: The truth about organ donation
April is National Donate Life Month. This annual observation raises awareness about donation, encourages people to register as donors and honors those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.
What science can tell us about the experience of unexplainable presence
If you’ve ever had the eerie sensation there’s a presence in the room when you were sure you were alone, you may be reluctant to admit it. Perhaps it was a profound experience that you are happy to share with others. Or—more likely—it was something in between the two.
Extracellular vesicles could be a marker for lung disease severity in premature infants
New research finds extracellular vesicles are present in the lungs of premature babies and may be involved in lung development and as a predictor of lung disease. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
Study reveals new insights into what caused the 1920 baby boom
A new study led by Oxford University’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science has found that the 1918 influenza pandemic had a much longer negative effect on fertility than previously thought. The results, published this week in the journal Population Studies, change our understanding of the social and demographic history of the 1918 pandemic.
Resistance-fighting antimalarial drug candidate enters the clinic
A new antimalarial drug candidate, discovered through a longstanding collaboration between WEHI and global biopharmaceutical company MSD has entered Phase 1 clinical testing in healthy participants. The candidate drug inhibits two essential enzymes required for the growth of malaria parasites and the spread of the disease through human-to-mosquito transmission.
Raincoats, undies, school uniforms: Are your clothes dripping in ‘forever chemicals’?
There could be more than just fashion risks involved when buying a pair of leggings or a raincoat.
Increasing use of asset building programs could lead to increase in wealth for low income families
New research from Boston Medical Center found that increasing the use of underutilized asset building programs could be part of the solution to help build wealth for low income families. Published in Pediatrics, the study showed that a novel approach–incorporating wealth-building programs into healthcare–may make them more accessible to families in need.
Researchers reveal why viruses like SARS-CoV-2 can reinfect hosts, evade the immune response
The human body is capable of creating a vast, diverse repertoire of antibodies—the Y-shaped sniffer dogs of the immune system that can find and flag foreign invaders. Despite our ability to create a range of antibodies to target viruses, humans create antibodies that target the same viral regions again and again, according to a new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and Harvard Medical School. These “public epitopes” mean that the generation of new antibodies is far from random and that a virus may be able to mutate a single amino acid to reinfect a population of previously immune hosts. The team’s findings, which have implications for our understanding of immunity and public health, are published in Science.
Cancer researchers identify protein with novel anti-tumoral activities
Understanding how cancer develops is critical for designing effective, personalized cancer therapies. Researchers have known for years that cancer begins with mutations in certain types of genes. One of these types of cancer genes are so-called “tumor suppressors.” When functioning normally, tumor suppressor genes can stop malignant cells from undergoing uncontrolled cell proliferation and initiate a process of cell elimination called apoptosis, a form of cell death.