Health

Screening uptake may contribute to higher risk of colon cancer for black people

Black people have a higher risk of colorectal cancer than white people, but this risk is likely not due to genetics. Data from a recent study by researchers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine adds more data to the existing evidence.

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Moral disgust leaves us with a ‘bad taste’

When we witness behaviors that violate shared moral norms, our brain inhibits the neurons that control our tongue movements—just as it does when something tastes bad. An international research group led by the Universities of Bologna and Messina came to this result in their study published in the journal of Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience …

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Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine protective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is protective against several SARS-CoV-2 variants that have emerged, according to new research presented in the journal mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. While this is good news, the study also found that the only approved monoclonal antibody therapy for SARS-CoV-2 might be less effective against SARS-CoV-2 …

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New study gives clue to the cause, and possible treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Researchers from the Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Japan may have unraveled a new approach that could revolutionize the treatment, prevention, and possibly reversal of the damage that could lead to Parkinson’s disease (PD). This novel finding utilizing cellular and zebrafish models, demonstrates how the leakage of mitochondrial dsDNA into the cytosol environment of the …

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Memory biomarkers confirm aerobic exercise helps cognitive function in older adults

Increasing evidence shows that physical activity and exercise training may delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In aging humans, aerobic exercise training increases gray and white matter volume, enhances blood flow, and improves memory function. The ability to measure the effects of exercise on systemic biomarkers associated with risk for AD and …

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Study reports compound blocks SARS-CoV-2 and protects lung cells

Research conducted at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence reports that Elovanoids, bioactive chemical messengers made from omega-3 very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids discovered by the Bazan lab in 2017, may block the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering cells and protect the air cells (alveoli) of the lung. Their findings are published online …

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Model to predict drug overdose deaths in US

For two decades, the number of Americans who die each year from drug overdoses has steadily risen, from less than 20,000 in 1999 to more than 80,000 in 2020. By studying patterns of these drug-related fatalities, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego State University (SDSU), and international collaborators have …