The human gut is home to trillions of microorganisms (the microbiome), a vast community that helps shape digestion, immune function and metabolism. Now, researchers led by the University of Vienna have found that many gut bacterial species are more complex than they appear.
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A major new analysis led by the American Cancer Society (ACS) paints a troubling picture of cancer worldwide while also highlighting how much of the burden could potentially be reduced through prevention, earlier diagnosis, and better access to care.
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More than 10,000 people in the United States with chronic liver disease are currently waiting for a liver transplant, yet the supply of donated organs falls far short of demand. Some patients with liver failure also cannot undergo transplantation because they are not healthy enough to withstand the operation.
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Before birth, the human brain is assembled through an enormous series of cellular choices. At the center of this process are radial glia, a special type of stem cell that helps create many of the features that distinguish the human brain.
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Adults may need far more weekly exercise than current guidelines recommend to achieve a major reduction in the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to findings from an observational study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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An immune molecule that appeared in evolution long before blood circulation may help improve cancer immunotherapy. Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan discovered that complement C3 can prevent immune-suppressing cells from building up inside tumors, but only when the protein is produced locally within the tumor. C3 traveling through the bloodstream did not influence how well treatment worked.
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Long space missions can force small crews to endure isolation, cramped living conditions, and intense psychological pressure for months at a time. To better understand how those conditions shape teamwork, an international research group studied a ten-month overwintering mission at Concordia Station in Antarctica.
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A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has uncovered a major shift in the immune environment of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that plays a central role in learning and memory. The findings suggest that this immune remodeling begins in midlife and may help explain how aging contributes to the long lasting brain inflammation often seen in neurodegenerative diseases.
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A UCLA Health study in mice has found that inflammation during pregnancy can produce lasting autism-like changes in offspring. The researchers also discovered that many of the resulting brain and behavioral effects could be improved rapidly in adulthood, although only temporarily, with a single dose of the immune-suppressing drug rapamycin.
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Popular weight-loss and diabetes medications such as semaglutide and Ozempic belong to a broader group known as GLP-1 drugs. A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has now identified a previously unrecognized way that some newer oral drugs in this class may affect the brain.
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