When you stop wearing a bra, this is what happens to your body

Getting your first training bra was a major milestone and was likely considered an important and exciting rite of passage as a tween. But, over time, bras lose their novelty, and, for many women, the desire to buy lacy breast-hiking lingerie will eventually wane. Some may even rebuke the notion of wearing these restrictive undergarments […]

New evidence for a blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease

A potential blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases seems even more promising thanks to new research from a Massachusetts General Hospital-led study. According to this team’s work, neurofilament light chain (NfL) has great potential as a biomarker for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and could be also useful for monitoring treatment response for […]

Researchers discover key player in hepatitis A virus infection

How hepatitis A virus (HAV) manages to enter liver cells called hepatocytes and initiate infection had remained a mystery for fifty years until now. University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers designed experiments using gene-editing tools to discover how molecules called gangliosides serve as de facto gatekeepers to allow the virus entry into liver […]

Review study shows social interaction a major factor in both morbidity and mortality

A large team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions across the U.S. has conducted a review study of the role that social interaction plays in both morbidity and mortality rates. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their review and what they learned from it. One of the major consequences of […]

A novel prognostic biomarker for a doubled survival in head and neck cancer

A recent study conducted by the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) discovered a novel genetic biomarker which can predict the survival of head and neck cancer patients. There are over 0.7 million new head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cases globally each year. However, currently there is […]

As a music therapist, I know a good song can get you through lockdown

In these challenging times of fear and isolation it is difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of the mental health crisis we face.  People are detached from friends, family, work and the world outside their homes. As a music therapist I have also had to adapt to make sure those who are in need are […]

Using a smartphone to diagnose COVID-19 at home

In Pennsylvania and other U.S. states, one of the keys to safely reopening society amid the COVID-19 pandemic is providing sufficient testing so that new cases of the disease do not overwhelm the public healthcare system. University of Pittsburgh professors are reimagining testing using a device that nearly every American owns—a smartphone. Using the existing […]

Kidney failure often a COVID-19 complication

Many COVID-19 patients are at risk for acute kidney failure, according to a new study. Acute kidney failure—also called acute kidney injury (AKI)—is a serious complication of COVID-19 that’s underreported and not well understood, the Northwestern University researchers said. The death rate for patients with severe acute kidney failure is about 50%, they noted. “Patients […]