Exposure to the heavy metal cadmium is known to irritate the stomach and lungs or cause kidney disease, but new research links another health issue to inadvertently ingesting low doses of the pollutant: high activation of the antibodies that cause an allergic response. Researchers traced this link in mice to gut bacteria that, after exposure…

A new study suggests that unrepaired DNA damage can increase the speed of aging. This exposure can lead to free-radical production in our bodies, which damages our DNA and tissues. A new study from West Virginia University researcher Eric E. Kelley — in collaboration with the University of Minnesota — suggests that unrepaired DNA damage…

Wine lovers recognize that a perfectly paired wine can make a delicious meal taste even better, but the reverse is also true: Certain foods can influence the flavors of wines. Now, researchers have explored how lipids — fatty molecules abundant in cheese, meats, vegetable oils and other foods — interact with grape tannins, masking the…

A study of overweight dogs fed a reduced calorie, high-protein, high-fiber diet for 24 weeks found that the dogs’ body composition and inflammatory markers changed over time in ways that parallel the positive changes seen in humans on similar diets. The dogs achieved a healthier weight without losing too much muscle mass, and their serum…

The mother’s diet while breastfeeding can shape the profile of human milk oligosaccharides (HMO), a type of complex carbohydrate in the mother’s milk. Changing the HMOs, which are food and fodder for healthy microbes, in turn modifies the functional abilities of the milk microbiome. In a new study published in Nature Scientific Reports, researchers from…

A new article shows people perform better in VR exercise games when they compete against a realistic avatar of themselves. «Idealised avatars increase wishful identification but seem to impact physical performance negatively,» said Dr Christof Lutteroth, who led the research from the University’s Department of Computer Science. The Bath study explores the effects of two…

Behavioral scientists have developed a virtual reality test that assesses a person’s vulnerability to stress while exploring immersive environments. The resulting model offers the field of stress research one of the first such tools that does not rely on subjective evaluations. Any event that causes stress is called a «stressor.» Our bodies are equipped to…

Home-based, self-administered tests for influenza are comparable in accuracy to rapid diagnostic tests in clinical settings, according to a peer-reviewed study. The researchers determined that sensitivity and specificity of the home test and clinical test were similar. False-negative results were more common when the self-test was administered after 72 hours of the onset of symptoms,…

New research shows that nearly 28% of all electric scooters reported injuries were head and neck injuries. A Henry Ford Health System study published in The Laryngoscope, shows that head and neck injuries caused by use of e-scooters have been on the rise since rideshare systems were introduced to the public in late 2017. Kathleen…

Infants born by cesarean section have a relatively meager array of bacteria in the gut. But by the age of three to five years they are broadly in line with their peers. This is shown by a study that also shows that it takes a remarkably long time for the mature intestinal microbiota to get…