Category Health/Medical

Study Offers New Detail on how COVID-19 Affects the Lungs

An illustration of ferroptosis in the lungs of a COVID-19 patient.
In some severe cases of COVID-19, the lungs undergo extreme damage, resulting in a range of life-threatening conditions like pneumonia, inflammation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The root cause of those wide-ranging reactions in the lungs has until now remained unclear.

New research shows that ferroptosis, a form of cell death, occurs in severe COVID-19 patient lungs. Stopping it improves outcomes. In some severe cases of COVID-19, the lungs undergo extreme damage, resulting in a range of life-threatening conditions like pneumonia, inflammation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The root cause of those wide-ranging reactions in the lungs has until now remained unclear.

A new study by researchers at Columbia and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center sheds l...

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New Device Helps Paraplegics Regain Partial Use of Hands

New device helps paraplegics regain partial use of hands
ARC-EX device. Credit: ONWARD Medical N.V.

More than 40 people suffering from paralysis from the neck down regained partial control of their arms and hands thanks to a relatively simple to use device, a large study said Monday.

The trial raised hopes that the non-invasive device could be help people with spinal injuries get back the all-important use of their hands.

The device, developed by Swiss medical technology firm Onward, delivers an electrical current through electrodes placed on the skin of paralyzed patients near where their spinal cord was damaged.

After two months of therapy, 43 of the 60 people participating in the trial regained strength and ability to use their arms and hands, according to the study in the journal Nature Medicine.

“I think it could be life-cha...

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Drug-like Inhibitor shows Promise in Preventing Flu

Compound 7, a molecular inhibitor of the influenza virus, interacting with the influenza virus’ hemagglutinin protein. Credit: Scripps Research

Currently available flu medications only target the virus after it has already established an infection, but what if a drug could prevent infection in the first place? Now, scientists at Scripps Research and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have designed drug-like molecules to do just that, by thwarting the first stage of influenza infection.

The drug-like inhibitors block the virus from entering the body’s respiratory cells — specifically, they target hemagglutinin, a protein on the surface of type A influenza viruses...

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Creativity and Humor shown to Promote Well-Being in Older Adults via Similar Mechanisms

creative senior
Credit: cottonbro studio from Pexels

Many people associate aging with a decline in cognitive function, health issues, and reduced activity. Uncovering mental processes that can boost the well-being of the older adults could be highly beneficial, as it could help to devise more effective activities aimed at improving their quality of life.

Researchers at University of Brescia and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart recently carried out a study investigating the contribution of creativity and humor to the well-being of the elderly. Their findings, published in Neuroscience Letters, show that these two distinct human experiences share common psychological and neurobiological processes that promote well-being in older adults.

“Our recent study belongs to a line of research ai...

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