Study finds Spanish-speaking patients at increased risk for depression, anxiety during radiation treatment

Depression and anxiety among people living with a cancer diagnosis is a growing clinical and research priority. However, the prevalence of mood disorders in those living with cancer varies due to a multitude of variables such as stage and type of cancer, treatment, age, race, and ethnicity.

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How a failure to understand race leads to flawed health tech

A new study focused on wearable health monitors underscores an entrenched problem in the development of new health technologies—namely, that a failure to understand race means the way these devices are developed and tested can exacerbate existing racial health inequities.

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Q&A: How to care for patients while reducing gastroenterology's environmental impact

Modern medicine comes at a significant cost to the environment: The energy-intensive industry generates greenhouse gases that drive climate change and unrecyclable waste that packs landfills.

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New method is better able to map immune response and paves way for new treatments

A new method, developed at Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SciLifeLab in Sweden, can identify unique immune cell receptors and their location in tissue, a study published in the journal Science reports. The researchers predict that the method will improve the ability to identify which immune cells contribute to disease processes and open up opportunities to develop novel therapies for numerous diseases.

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Right inferior frontal gyrus study provides new insights into how our minds control impulses

A team of researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China has conclusively identified the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) as a key input and causal regulator within the subcortical response inhibition nodes. This right-lateralized inhibitory control circuit, characterized by its significant intrinsic connectivity, highlights the crucial role of the rIFG in orchestrating top-down cortical-subcortical control, underscoring the intricate dynamics of brain function in response inhibition.

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Study finds having a C-section is related to difficulties with conceiving

In a new study conducted at the University of Bergen, the researchers found a bidirectional relationship between C-section and the time it takes for a couple to conceive. The findings are published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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Criteria for better assessment of rare genetic variants that can lead to hereditary colorectal cancer

Genetic confirmation of the suspected diagnosis of "hereditary colorectal cancer" is of great importance for the medical care of affected families. However, many of the variants identified in the known genes cannot currently be classified with certainty with regard to their causative role in tumor formation.

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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.

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BCMA+ EV levels correlate with myeloma response to belantamab-mafodotin

A new research paper was published in Oncotarget, entitled, "Plasma levels of BCMA-positive extracellular vesicles correlate to response and side effects in myeloma patients treated with belantamab-mafodotin."

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Artificial intelligence for aging research in cancer drug development

A new editorial paper was published in Aging, entitled, "Artificial intelligence for aging research in cancer drug development."

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Researchers call attention to Denver's lack of water, toilet facilities for the unhoused

On a warm summer day in July, Hannah Higgins (MA '23) strolled the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver in search of something. Despite the mall's consumer-driven aura, she wasn't there to shop. She was there to document. And at the very end of 16th Street, she found what she was looking for—a public water fountain and restroom.

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Researchers discover metabolic pathway specific to granuloma formation in patients

On good days, the immune system can effectively handle pathogens that invade the body. However, when foreign matter takes the upper hand, the body builds a wall of immune cells called granuloma around the pathogens to isolate them.

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Sound waves harden 3D-printed treatments in deep tissues

Engineers at Duke University and Harvard Medical School have developed a bio-compatible ink that solidifies into different 3D shapes and structures by absorbing ultrasound waves. Because it responds to sound waves rather than light, the ink can be used in deep tissues for biomedical purposes ranging from bone healing to heart valve repair.

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Pesticide exposure linked to risk of developing Parkinson's disease via changes in gut microbiome

While the European Union has just renewed the approval of the use of herbicide glyphosate for another 10 years, scientists issue a call to action to reduce or replace the use of agrochemicals. Pesticides have a long-recognized link to Parkinson's disease (PD) based on epidemiological and experimental evidence from animal models.

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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.

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More ear checks needed to prevent hearing loss in remote Australia, says study

A study led by Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) has found a large gap in ear health services provided in remote Northern Territory communities in Australia.

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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.

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What does weight-inclusive health care mean? A dietitian explains what providers do to end weight stigma

Weight-inclusive health care means a focus on better health with no weight loss required.

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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.

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Decoding aggressive behavior in autistic children

A number of news media reports have detailed physical or even sexual assaults by children with autism or intellectual disabilities. In some cases, the victims have suffered serious head injuries.

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Breast cancer patients may use fertility preservation or assisted reproductive technologies

Using fertility preservation and/or assisted reproductive technologies (ART) did not adversely impact three-year cancer recurrence rates among patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer who paused endocrine therapy to become pregnant, according to results from the POSITIVE trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held December 5–9, 2023.

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What is needle spiking, and how can I protect myself?

Last week two young Australian women spoke candidly to the ABC about being sexually assaulted while on holidays. The alleged incidents occurred in Greece in 2022 and in Hawaii in 2019.

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Researchers determine the structural basis for ApoE-Aβ interactions

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating incurable disease that affects millions of patients worldwide. Deposits of amyloid beta (Aβ) amyloid in the brain is key to AD pathology at early stages. Apolipoprotein E (apoE) interacts with Aβ and can influence this pathologic process. Although apoE-Aβ interactions have been extensively studied and have been proposed as a therapeutic target in AD, results of prior studies are confusing. Some report that apoE promotes Aβ amyloid formation while others report that apoE blocks this pathological process.

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Younger postmenopausal patients with early-stage breast cancer may be able to safely omit adjuvant radiotherapy

Almost all postmenopausal patients aged 50-–69 years with stage I hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer and low scores on a common genetic test who opted out of adjuvant radiotherapy were disease free five years after surgery, according to results from the IDEA clinical trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held December 5–9, 2023.

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Exercise may boost quality of life for patients with metastatic breast cancer

Among patients with metastatic breast cancer, those who took part in a nine-month structured exercise program reported less fatigue and an improved quality of life compared to those who did not undergo the exercise program, according to results from the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held December 5–9, 2023.

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WIC participation helped families better cope with 2022 infant formula shortage

Families that participated in the WIC program—also known as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children—were much less likely to use potentially unsafe infant feeding practices during the 2022 U.S. infant formula shortage than income-eligible families that did not participate.

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Recent study identifies effective nutrition labels for India's diverse population

Research at the George Institute for Global Health has provided important insights into the creation of front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs) that are easy to understand and promote healthier food choices.

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Photoacoustic imaging improves diagnostic accuracy of cancerous ovarian lesions

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest cancer of the female reproductive system, and there is no screening test that can help with early detection. Ultrasound imaging, the standard of care used to determine whether lesions are cancerous or benign, is not always accurate, leading some patients to have the ovaries removed unnecessarily.

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Exploring novel leukemia therapies using the 'the complex alphabet of mRNA'

Around 320,000 new cases of leukemia, a type of blood cancer that can affect all population groups, are diagnosed every year in Europe. In children, cases of leukemia make up a third of diagnosed cancers. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment for leukemia.

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Novel pancreatic cancer organoids show promise for effective screening of anticancer drugs

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), that arises from pancreatic epithelial cells, is the most common form of pancreatic cancer, with a very high mortality rate. This elevated mortality is associated with the unique tumor microenvironment (TME), known for increased resistance to chemotherapy and high metastatic potential.

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