Six years before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, an Ebola outbreak in West Africa had people fearing the possibility of a global outbreak. This was the first time many had ever heard of the virus, but since it was first identified in 1976, there have actually been more than 20 serious Ebola…
Category: 5. Health
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Remember ebola?
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mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines train the ‘long-term memory’ of the immune system
Researchers at the University of Cologne and University Hospital Cologne have shown in their study that the novel mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines not only induce acquired immune responses such as antibody production, but also cause persistent epigenetic changes in innate immune cells. The study…
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Smart insoles that could change the game for sports and health
What if your insoles could do more than just cushion your feet? Imagine a pair that could track your movements, help athletes avoid injuries, or even assist doctors in monitoring recovery.
A new study by scientists at the University of Portsmouth and technology company TG0, funded by Innovate UK…
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Target to repair injured muscles discovered
For millions of people, losing muscle isn’t just about weakness; it’s about losing independence. Whether caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, aging or other degenerative conditions, muscle loss can make everyday activities — like walking, climbing stairs or even standing up — a daily…
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Study identifies Shisa7 gene as key driver in heroin addiction
Opioid use disorder is associated with more than 350,000 deaths annually worldwide. Guided by the need for an increased understanding of critical neurobiological features of addiction, researchers have now found a unique molecular signature and genes in the orbitofrontal cortex associated with…
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Repetitive behaviors and special interests are more indicative of an autism diagnosis than a lack of social skills
People with autism are typically diagnosed by clinical observation and assessment. To deconstruct the clinical decision process, which is often subjective and difficult to describe, researchers used a large language model (LLM) to synthesize the behaviors and observations that are most…
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Scientists discover why obesity takes away the pleasure of eating
The pleasure we get from eating junk food — the dopamine rush from crunching down on salty, greasy French fries and a luscious burger — is often blamed as the cause of overeating and rising obesity rates in our society.
But a new study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley,…
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Lasso-shaped antibiotic evades standard drug resistance
A small molecule shaped like a lasso may be a powerful tool in the fight against infectious diseases, according to a new study in Nature co-authored by University of Illinois Chicago researchers.
Lariocidin, a peptide made by bacteria living in soil, was effective against several different…
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Highly educated people face steeper mental declines after stroke
When someone has a stroke, it can accelerate the loss of cognitive ability over the coming years.
Stroke survivors who have attended some level of higher education may face even steeper mental declines, according to a study led by Michigan Medicine.
In an analysis of cognitive outcomes for more…
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How cells respond to stress is more nuanced than previously believed
The body’s cells respond to stress — toxins, mutations, starvation or other assaults — by pausing normal functions to focus on conserving energy, repairing damaged components and boosting defenses.
If the stress is manageable, cells resume normal activity; if not, they…
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