Study indicates neurosurgical procedure used to measure dopamine and serotonin is safe

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have demonstrated that a neurosurgical procedure used to research and measure dopamine and serotonin in the human brain is safe.

New chemical technology leads to better targeted therapeutics against high-risk leukemia in lab

More-effective therapies are greatly needed for children with the high-risk blood cancer T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have leveraged the latest chemical technology called a proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) to develop a drug for these patients. The findings were published today in Science Translational Medicine.

NIH experts review monkeypox challenges

Lessons learned from the public health responses to the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics should help guide the response to the current outbreak of monkeypox, National Institutes of Health experts write in an editorial published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and H. Clifford Lane, M.D., NIAID deputy director for clinical research and special projects, discuss a published case series (JP Thornhill et al.) detailing the symptoms and outcomes of 528 people with monkeypox from 16 countries in five continents.

Study: Pfizer COVID pill showed no benefit in younger adults

Pfizer's COVID-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk seniors, according to a large study published Wednesday.

Distress leads to higher COVID vaccine rates, less adherence to distancing guidelines

People who were more distressed—showing signs of anxiety or depression—during the COVID-19 pandemic were less likely to follow some best practice recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a new study by Washington University in St. Louis researchers.

Scientists help probe dark energy by testing gravity

Could one of the biggest puzzles in astrophysics be solved by reworking Albert Einstein's theory of gravity? A new study co-authored by NASA scientists says not yet.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/scientists-help-probe-dark-energy-by-testing-gravity

New fungus to help Australian farmers fight fast-spreading weed

Farmers now have a new biocontrol tool to help fight one of Australia's most challenging agricultural weeds, flaxleaf fleabane, which causes grain crop revenue losses of more than $43 million each year. Researchers from Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, are piloting the release of a fungus from Columbia to help farmers tackle the weed.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/new-fungus-to-help-australian-farmers-fight-fast-spreading-weed

Psychotic symptoms in children may have a genetic cause

A 6-year-old boy began hearing voices coming from the walls and the school intercom telling him to hurt himself and others. He saw ghosts, aliens in trees, and colored footprints. Joseph Gonzalez-Heydrich, MD, a psychiatrist at Boston Children's Hospital, put him on antipsychotic medications and the frightening hallucinations stopped. Another child, at age 4, had hallucinations with monsters, a big black wolf, spiders, and a man with blood on his face.

Survey finds demand for cosmetic surgery, driven by women under 45, surged after the pandemic

After the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new national survey called the Inaugural ASPS Insights and Trends Report: Cosmetic Surgery 2022 finds many Americans are now investing in themselves through cosmetic procedures, despite an uncertain economy. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons polled member surgeons nationwide and found more than three-quarters of cosmetic-focused plastic surgery practices are seeing more business than before the pandemic, with nearly 30 percent reporting their business has at least doubled.

News addiction is linked to not only poor mental well-being but physical health too, new study shows

People with an obsessive urge to constantly check the news are more likely to suffer from stress, anxiety, and physical ill health, finds a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Communication.