Some people wake up vividly recalling their dreams from the night, and can tell precise stories experienced during the night, while others struggle to remember even a single detail. Why does this happen? A new study, conducted by researchers at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, and published on Communications Psychology explores the factors that influence so called "dream recall"— the ability to remember dreams upon awakening—and uncovers which individual traits and sleep patterns shape this phenomenon. The reason why there is such a difference in recalling dreams remains a mystery. Some studies found that women, young persons, ...

The immune systems of cancer patients are highly disrupted, with those who have a higher number of immune cells in their blood having a better survival rate, finds a new study that uses a pioneering technique developed by researchers at UCL and the Francis Crick Institute. The tool, described in Nature Genetics, is called Immune Lymphocyte Estimation from Nucleotide Sequencing (ImmuneLENS). It enables researchers to calculate the proportion of T cells and B cells (types of immune cell) from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data for the first time.   Whole genome sequencing (WGS) uses a blood sample to create a complete ...

*** Embargoed for release until Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at 5 a.m. EST *** A newly identified part of a brain circuit mixes sensory information, memories, and emotions to tell whether things are familiar or new, and important or just “background noise.” Led by researchers from NYU Langone Health, the work found that a circuit known to carry messages from a brain region that processes sensory information, the entorhinal cortex (EC), to the memory processing center in the hippocampus (HC) has a previously unrecognized pathway that carries messages directly back to the EC.  Publishing online Feb. 18 in Nature Neuroscience, the study results show that this direct feedback ...

The origins of human language remain mysterious. Are we the only animals truly capable of complex speech? Are Homo sapiens the only hominids who could give detailed directions to a far-off freshwater source or describe the nuanced purples and reds of a dramatic sunset? Close relatives of ours such as the Neanderthals likely had anatomical features in the throat and ears that could have enabled the speaking and hearing of spoken language, and they share with us a variant of a gene linked to the ability to speak. And yet it is only in modern humans that we find expanded brain regions that are critical for language production and comprehension. Now researchers from The Rockefeller University ...

SEATTLE – Scientists have developed a breakthrough method to track diet using stool metagenomic data. Developed by researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), the new method, called MEDI (Metagenomic Estimation of Dietary Intake), detects food-derived DNA in stool samples to estimate dietary intake. MEDI leverages stool metagenomics, which refers to sequencing all the DNA present in fecal samples (including microbial, human, and food-derived DNA). This non-invasive, data-driven approach offers an objective alternative to traditional food diaries and questionnaires, ...

Hundreds of different species of microbes live, laugh, and love in your gut. In the future, one of these might serve a new function: microscopic in-house pharmacist. A new study published Feb. 18 in Nature Biotechnology shows how gut bacteria can be directed to produce and release proteins within the lower gastrointestinal tract — eliminating a major roadblock to delivering drugs to that part of the body. Oral medication is the most common and practical means of drug administration, but the stomach doesn’t let much pass through unscathed. This is good when it comes to things like foodborne ...

The effectiveness of a common drug to quit smoking could be down to people’s genes, according to a study from the University of Leicester (United Kingdom). Varenicline is widely recognised as the most effective medication for helping people stop smoking, but unfortunately it does not work for everyone. Researchers from Leicester have uncovered important insights into how people’s DNA affects their response to the drug, which will soon be available to smokers through the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Varenicline ...

MONTREAL, Québec, Canada, 18 February 2025 - A comprehensive review published today in Brain Medicine by leading neuroendocrinologist Professor Hyman M. Schipper from McGill University’s Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery maps out the extensive influence of reproductive hormones on neurological health and disease. This landmark review, appearing in a special Festschrift issue honoring Dr. Seymour Reichlin’s centennial, systematically examines how sex hormones affect a broad ...

Across Kenya, grasslands underpin people’s lives — as well as those of animals like elephants, giraffes, and hyenas. But the climate crisis is drying out these habitats, forcing people and animals to compete for resources, and increasing both community tensions and conflict between humans and wildlife. Researchers monitoring both grassland restoration and conflicts have now found that restoration can help reduce human-wildlife conflict and improve community relations: the more local grassland is restored, the less conflict there is.  “Grassland restoration is playing a role in reducing human-wildlife conflicts, social conflicts and the overall feeling of insecurity ...

Bioaerosol emissions during toilet flushing are an often-overlooked source of potential health risks in shared public facilities. A new study published in Risk Analysis found that bioaerosol concentrations of two bacteria -- Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) -- exceeded acceptable levels established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) after toilet flushing. Inhaling these biological particles can produce symptoms like abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. The research was conducted in two restrooms located in an office building in China. One contained a squat toilet and the other a bidet toilet. Scientists measured the emissions ...

Swimming in some lakes with still water can lead to infection with Legionella, bacteria that can cause pneumonia, and people who engage in open water swimming should be aware of this risk, say the authors of a practice article published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241086. “Legionella infection represents a public health hazard owing to its ability to spread through exposure to natural water bodies and human-made water reservoirs,” writes Dr. Ashley Bryson, an internal medicine resident at the University of Manitoba, with coauthors. Legionella infection is an atypical cause of community-acquired ...

UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2025 AT 23.30 (UK TIME).    Peer reviewed | Randomised Controlled Trial | People  The NIDUS-Family package of care uses goal setting to help people with dementia live well at home for longer. New research from Queen Mary University of London in collaboration with UCL shows that, in addition to these known benefits, NIDUS-Family also reduces the costs associated with providing support to people with dementia.  Approximately ...

Targets for universal access, national roadmaps and more affordable and accessible care are vital to help fill the medical oxygen gap affecting more than half of the world’s population, according to a new global report. The Lancet Global Health Commission report details for the first time how future investment in strengthening medical oxygen systems could have a huge impact by saving millions of lives and improving pandemic preparedness. Almost 400 million children and adults require medical oxygen every year. More than five billion people, 60 per cent of the world’s population, don’t have access to safe and ...

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 17 February 2025    @Annalsofim          Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.          ----------------------------       1. ...

High demand: Mental health now tops health concerns in Singapore, surpassing cancer and COVID-19. New regional hub: MHIN Asia Hub, based in Singapore, aims to share innovative resources and ideas to promote mental health support across Asia. SINGAPORE, 17 February 2025 – In a significant advancement for mental health care, the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, in collaboration with the Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN), unveiled today the MHIN Asia Hub. This milestone event, a cornerstone of the inaugural Global Mental Health in Asia Symposium, marks a major step in addressing ...

Researchers found that teens with obesity ate more later in the day than their peers of healthy weight, and that their eating behaviors were strongly influenced by their internal body clock By 2030, roughly half of Americans are expected to have obesity, a condition that contributes to the onset of chronic diseases, including diabetes and cancer. While previous research has highlighted connections between sleep, eating patterns, and weight gain, scientists remain uncertain of the role of the circadian system—our internal biological clock—in shaping eating patterns. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham and the Warren Alpert Medical School ...

EMBARGOED PRESS RELEASE: MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2025 3:00PM U.S. EASTERN TIME (8:00PM GMT) Animals are not just inhabitants of the natural world—they are its architects. A new study led by Professor Gemma Harvey from Queen Mary University of London has revealed how hundreds of species shape the landscapes we depend on, from vast termite mounds visible from space to hippos carving drainage systems and beavers creating entire wetlands. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), this first-of-its-kind global synthesis identifies 603 species, genera, or families that influence ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The causes of obesity are complex and influenced by many factors. While research has highlighted connections between sleep, eating patterns and weight gain, scientists remain uncertain of the role of the circadian system — the biological clock — in shaping eating patterns.   But a new study from researchers at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Mass General Brigham reveals a distinct relationship between circadian rhythms, weight and eating habits in adolescents, a vulnerable age group whose eating patterns influence their lifelong ...

February 17, 2025 – Less than one in five patients are tested for cardiovascular risk factors following pregnancy-related hypertension or diabetes, according to a new study published in the "Go Red for Women" issue of Circulation.   Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death among women. People who develop hypertensive disorders of pregnancy or gestational diabetes are at a higher risk of experiencing a future stroke or heart disease. Screening for high blood pressure, lipids, and sugars plays a crucial role in the early diagnosis of risk factors for cardiovascular disease.   "There's increasing ...

A new study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine and led by researchers from the University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and School of Medicine, reveals a dramatic increase in sports betting and gambling addiction help-seeking since the landmark Murphy v. NCAA Supreme Court decision in 2018 paved the way for states to legalize sports betting. “When the Supreme Court legalized sportsbooks — a venue where people can wager on various sports competitions — in Murphy v. NCAA, public health experts paid little attention,” said the study’s senior author John W. Ayers, Ph.D., who is vice chief of innovation in the ...

Artificial intelligence (AI) can rapidly screen patients for clinical trial enrollment, according to a new study published in JAMA and led by Mass General Brigham researchers. Their novel AI-assisted patient screening tool significantly improved the speed of determining eligibility and enrollment in a heart failure clinical trial compared to manual screening. These findings suggest that using AI can be cheaper than conventional methods and speed up the research process, which could mean patients get earlier access to proven, effective treatments. “Seeing this AI capability accelerate screening and trial enrollment ...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with few treatment options. Since 2018, the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, has been working with national and international stakeholders to accelerate ALS research by launching the first platform trial in ALS to simultaneously test multiple drugs using shared trial infrastructure and placebo data. Findings from the first four drugs evaluated through the trial are published ...

Pancreatic cancer is fueled by connections to the nervous system. This is reported by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM)* in their current publication in Nature. The team discovered that the tumor specifically reprograms the neurons for its own benefit. In mice, blocking nerve function inhibited cancer growth and increased the sensitivity of tumor cells to certain chemotherapies and immunotherapies. For several years, ...

A nut used in herbal tea has become a hydrogel perfect for a variety of biomedical uses in new research from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Engineering (UChicago PME) and UChicago Chemistry Department. A paper published today in Matter created a malva nut hydrogel for medical uses ranging from wound care to ECG readings. The research doesn’t rely on the rumored health benefits of the nuts – in China, they’re known as the sore throat remedy Pangdahai (PDH) – but for their ability to swell in water. “You never saw the fruit from a tree expand in that kind of volume,” said first ...

Sucrase-isomaltase (SI) is an intestinal enzyme critical for the digestion of dietary carbohydrates, particularly sucrose and starch. Previous studies from the Gastrointestinal Genetics team at CIC bioGUNE - BRTA and LUM University suggested a genetic link between SI defects and IBS, whereby certain DNA changes cause reduced enzymatic activity and inefficient digestion of carbohydrates, thus inducing symptoms like bloating, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. As the name gives away, however, SI is a special case in that it encompasses two enzymes with different carbohydrate-digesting ...