In a major Swedish study, researchers have discovered a link between the levels of certain bacteria living in the gut and coronary atherosclerotic plaques. The new study was based on analyses of gut bacteria and cardiac imaging among 8,973 participants aged 50 to 65 from Uppsala and Malmö without previously known heart disease. “We found […]
“Social isolation is a growing problem for older adults,” said study author Toshiharu Ninomiya, MD, PhD. “These results suggest that providing support for people to help them start and maintain their connections to others may be beneficial for preventing brain atrophy and the development of dementia.” The study involved 8,896 people with an average age […]
Current treatments for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common heart condition characterized by fast and irregular beats that can lead to stroke and heart failure, have multiple side effects and are ineffective for preventing AFib recurrence. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in Science reveals that certain immune cells play […]
University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a way to identify pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia, a serious disorder characterized by high blood pressure and kidney dysfunction which can result in premature delivery, seizures and even death. Complications from the condition are the second-leading cause of maternal death around the world. The […]
A low-cost version of ketamine to treat severe depression has performed strongly in a double-blind trial that compared it with placebo. In research published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers led by UNSW Sydney and the affiliated Black Dog Institute found that more than one in five participants achieved total remission from their […]
Expanding home blood pressure monitoring among US adults with hypertension could substantially reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and save healthcare costs in the long term, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier. The results of the study show that expanding home monitoring has the potential to […]
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Pneumococcal disease leads to over three million hospitalizations and hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. While vaccines to protect against the bacteria are available, these vaccines are not effective against all strains. Currently, there are very limited treatment options for combating multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae infections. In […]
Fiber-rich foods promote intestinal and metabolic health, but the extent of protection varies for each fiber type and the mechanisms that offer this protection are poorly defined. It has been unclear whether dietary fiber can benefit severe forms of intestinal inflammation, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which are collectively known as inflammatory bowel […]
A bacterium that causes a disease called scrub typhus — a disease not previously reported in the United States — has been detected in North Carolina, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University and UNC-Greensboro. The researchers stress that scrub typhus, which can cause fever, headache and body aches — […]
Researchers from the School of Public Health at TAU’s Faculty of Medicine examined the anthropometric data of about 3,000 Israeli women and men and concluded that body fat percentage is a much more reliable indicator of an individual’s overall health and cardiometabolic risk than the BMI index, widely used in clinics today. The researchers suggest […]