A study presented at the ECNP Congress in Vienna found that strict parenting can alter the way a child’s body reads DNA. These changes can effectively become ‘hard-wired’ into the DNA of those children who perceive their parents as harsh, increasing their biological risk for depression in adolescence and later life. “We discovered that perceived harsh parenting, with physical
Researchers at Mount Sinai’s Tisch Cancer Institute have identified a new gene that is essential to colon cancer growth and found that inflammation in the external environment around the tumor can contribute to the growth of tumor cells. The scientists reported these findings in Nature Communications in October. This is the first time that scientists have discovered that the environment around a
Having a skin lesion biopsied for nonmelanoma skin cancer is a quick office procedure, but it can take days to get the pathology report. A novel 2-photon fluorescence microscopy imaging system developed by University of Rochester researchers could shorten the wait to as little as 2 minutes. This would enable a surgeon to immediately determine whether the lesion is cancerous
A recent social media video challenge encourages people to cook chicken in NyQuil (acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine) or another similar OTC cough and cold medication, presumably to eat. The challenge sounds ridiculous. But it could also be very unsafe. Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways. Even if you don’t eat
Lucas, a 4-year-old African Penguin living at the San Diego Zoo was diagnosed with a degenerative foot condition known as bumblefoot 3 years ago. Left untreated, his condition could lead to sepsis and death. The zoo’s wildlife care specialists called on Thera-Paw, an organization which creates rehabilitative and assistive products for animals with special needs to help. Thera-Paw created custom-designed
Understanding the link between diabetes and cancer has been the focus of intense research for many years. A new study suggests that people with elevated levels of the plasma protein prostasin may be at higher risk of developing diabetes. The findings also indicate that individuals with elevated levels of both blood sugar and prostasin appear at a significantly greater risk
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the BA.5 Variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is now the most dominant strain in the US. Currently, there is no evidence that this variant causes more serious illness. However, case numbers and hospitalizations do seem to be rising and it has been suggested that this new variant may be able to
Researchers have developed a two-step approach using whole exome sequencing to predict whether cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy. Immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, have transformed the treatment of advanced cancers. However, these therapies have not worked for everyone. To better predict who will benefit from immunotherapy, scientists have developed various biomarkers that help anticipate immunotherapy treatment response. Several
The number of West African monkeypox cases in the US has risen significantly in the last week to 349. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched an Emergency Operations Center that will monitor and coordinate the emergency response to monkeypox and mobilize additional personnel and resources. The Center is staffed by 300 CDC staff in collaboration with
How long someone lives with Parkinson’s disease may depend on specific gene mutations, according to new research presented at the 8th European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress in Vienna Austria. Researchers studied the records of 2,037 Parkinson’s disease patients from their first hospital visit and believe the genetic variants may shed light on how fast or slow Parkinson’s disease progresses