Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Birth Defects, Dieting and Weight Control
Published First multi-chamber heart organoids unravel human heart development and disease
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Heart disease kills 18 million people each year, but the development of new therapies faces a bottleneck: no physiological model of the entire human heart exists -- so far. A new multi-chamber organoid that mirrors the heart's intricate structure enables scientists to advance screening platforms for drug development, toxicology studies, and understanding heart development.
Published Spike in premature births caused by COVID, halted by vaccines, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source COVID-19 caused an alarming surge in premature births, but vaccines were key to returning the early birth rate to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new analysis of California birth records.
Published Researchers develop new method for prenatal genetic testing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a non-invasive genetic test that can screen the blood of pregnant individuals to survey all genes from the fetal genome.
Published From the first bite, our sense of taste helps pace our eating
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When you eagerly dig into a long-awaited dinner, signals from your stomach to your brain keep you from eating so much you'll regret it -- or so it's been thought.
Published Clinical trial results give new hope for children with rare gliomas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A collaboration of researchers has published successful results from a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of BRAF mutated low-grade paediatric gliomas.
Published Poor work performance among Japanese employees strongly associated with insufficient sleep
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source This study examined the association between work performance and lifestyle habits among Japanese employees. The results revealed that insufficient sleep was the predominant factor affecting work performance in men and women, followed by lack of regular exercise and eating late-evening meals. Furthermore, the study indicated that men were more likely to exhibit lifestyle habits that impacted work performance than women.
Published Following a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cognitive decline in older people
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Old people who follow a Mediterranean diet are at a lower risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study. The study provides new evidence for a better understanding of the biological mechanisms related to the impact of the diet on cognitive health in the aging population.
Published Lab-grown 'small blood vessels' point to potential treatment for major cause of stroke and vascular dementia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have grown small blood vessel-like models in the lab and used them to show how damage to the scaffolding that supports these vessels can cause them to leak, leading to conditions such as vascular dementia and stroke.
Published High levels of maternal stress during pregnancy linked to children's behavior problems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Children whose mothers are highly stressed, anxious or depressed during pregnancy may be at higher risk for mental health and behavior issues during their childhood and teen years, according to new research.
Published Exposure to air pollution in utero may affect reproductive system development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source From invisible wafts of diesel exhaust to sun-choking plumes of orange smoke, air pollution is known to damage respiratory well-being. Now, research suggests another reason to hold our breath: Polluted air also may hurt reproductive health. In a study of air pollution data in relation to markers of reproductive development in infancy, Rutgers researchers found certain pollutants may negatively alter anogenital distance, a measure of prenatal exposure to hormones.
Published A thyroxine derivative enhances brain drug delivery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that the delivery of drugs into the brain, and especially into glial cells, can be enhanced with prodrugs that temporarily incorporate thyroxine or a thyroxine-like molecule.
Published Obesity linked to neurodegeneration through insulin resistance
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a link between obesity and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease. Using the common fruit fly, the research shows that a high-sugar diet -- a hallmark of obesity -- causes insulin resistance in the brain, which in turn reduces the ability to remove neuronal debris, thus increasing the risk of neurodegeneration.
Published Maternal microbiota can affect fetal development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Significant differences in the gene activity of the fetal intestine, brain and placenta were identified, depending on the microbes in the mother's body and the compounds produced by them. The findings indicate that maternal microbes are important to her offspring's development and health.
Published Lab unlocks keys to alcohol withdrawal headache
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered mechanisms by which specific cells are activated in alcohol withdrawal-induced headache. The research may benefit further studies of various substance use disorder mechanisms including withdrawal. It may be possible to develop a small-molecule drug therapy to inhibit interactions, resulting in fewer pain signals during alcohol withdrawal.
Published Zika infection in pregnant macaques slows fetal growth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques slows fetal growth and affects how infants and mothers interact in the first month of life, according to a new study. The work has implications for both humans exposed to Zika virus and for other viruses that can cross the placenta, including SARS-CoV2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published New clues to early development of schizophrenia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disease that remains poorly understood and treated. Schizophrenia onset is typically in adolescence or early adulthood, but its underlying causes are thought to involve neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Because human prenatal and postnatal brain tissue is exceedingly difficult to procure and therefore study, researchers have had limited opportunities to identify early disease mechanisms, especially during the critical prenatal period. Now, a pair of studies use new technology to study schizophrenia in models of early human brain development.
Published Women with a heart healthy diet in midlife are less likely to report cognitive decline later
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Women with diets during middle age designed to lower blood pressure were about 17 percent less likely to report memory loss and other signs of cognitive decline decades later, a new study finds.
Published How brain inflammation in children may cause neurological disorders
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Severe inflammation in early childhood is a clinically known risk factor for developing autism and schizophrenia. Now, scientists have discovered that inflammation alters the development of vulnerable brain cells, and this could have mechanistic links to neurodevelopmental disorders.
Published Researchers construct first 'multiome' atlas of cell development in the human cerebral cortex from before birth to adulthood
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has created the first 'multiome' atlas of brain cell development in the human cerebral cortex across six broad developmental time points from fetal development into adulthood, shedding new light on their roles during brain development and disease.
Published Discovery reveals fragile X syndrome begins developing even before birth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, may be unfolding in brain cells even before birth, despite typically going undiagnosed until age 3 or later. A new study showed that FMRP, a protein deficient in individuals with fragile X syndrome, has a role in the function of mitochondria, part of a cell that produces energy, during prenatal development.