Guillain-Barré syndrome is an infamous autoimmune neuropathy, yet genetic variants predisposing individuals to this disease have yet to be described. In a new study, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discovered two novel genetic variants in a protein…
Read More
Women may transmit cancer to infants in childbirth, reports suggest
In extremely rare instances, newborns can contract cancer from their pregnant moms during delivery, a new case report suggests. Two boys, a 23-month-old and a 6-year-old, developed lung cancers that proved an exact genetic match to cervical cancers within their…
Read More
Light smokers may not escape nicotine addiction, study reveals
Even people who consider themselves to be casual cigarette smokers may be addicted, according to current diagnostic criteria. Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and Duke University found that many light smokers—those who smoke one to four cigarettes per…
Read More
More Plant Foods, Less Red Meat May Cut Heart Disease Risk
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2020 — Substituting high-quality plant foods such as legumes, nuts, or soy for red meat might reduce the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), according to a study published online Dec. 2 in The BMJ. Laila Al-Shaar,…
Read More
Nursing homes may misinterpret mental changes, falls as infection
There is a widespread belief that a change in the mental status or an increase in falls in a nursing home resident may indicate an underlying infection. This contributes to the overuse of antibiotics, according to revised clinical guidance by…
Read More
Study shows why some people may become seriously ill from meningococcal bacteria
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have come one step closer toward understanding why some people become seriously ill or die from a common bacterium that leaves most people unharmed. In a study published in The Lancet Microbe, the researchers…
Read More
Potential cancer therapy may boost immune response
A new approach to cancer therapy shows potential to transform the commonly used chemotherapy drug gemcitabine into a drug that kills cancer cells in a specialized way, activating immune cells to fight the cancer, according to a study led by…
Read More
Hair-like structures in cells of the vessel wall may be relevant for diabetes treatment
A new study from Karolinska Institutet and the Helmholtz Diabetes Research Center shows that primary cilia, hair-like protrusions on endothelial cells inside vessels, play an important role in the blood supply and delivery of glucose to the insulin-producing beta cells…
Read More
How the vaginal microbiome may affect HIV prevention
Healthy Lactobacillus bacteria in the vagina are critical for women’s health, but the accumulation of additional bacterial genera can imbalance the vaginal ecosystem. Such an imbalance may result in bacterial metabolism of drugs designed to prevent HIV infection, thereby decreasing…
Read More
Air Pollution May Harm Older Women’s Brains
THURSDAY, Nov. 19, 2020 — Pollutants in the air — fine particulates that are 30 times smaller than the width of a strand of hair — may be damaging older women’s brains. In a new study, researchers linked breathing in…
Read More