Health

Abnormally high levels of DNA methylation have been identified in dogs exposed to high levels of lead near a mining area in Kabwe, Zambia, by a team of scientists from Japan and Zambia.

Magnetic patterns in meteorites, Treating mitochondrial diseases, underwater sensors and a broad COVID-19 vaccine in the September Editor's Choice. Plus, what's it like to communicate vaccine research in a pandemic and Asia Research News 2022.

Researchers have identified a potential reason why lower numbers of COVID cases have appeared amongst smokers compared to non-smokers, even as other reports suggest smoking increases severity of the disease.

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan show that low metabolic flexibility is associated with reduced fat metabolism during sleep.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Kyoto University find that capillary blood flow in the brain, which is important for delivering oxygen and nutrients and removing waste products, is increased in mice during the dream-active phase of sleep.

Researchers from University of Tsukuba in collaboration with Yamagata University scientists find that exposure to light with less blue before sleep is better for energy metabolism. Extended exposure to light during nighttime can have negative consequences for human health. But now, researchers from Japan have identified a new type of light with reduced consequences for physiological changes during sleep.

A research team led by Hiroshima University Professor Satoshi Okada has determined that enhanced bone resorption activity due to a faulty immune response may underpin multifocal osteomyelitis — painful, chronic bone infections — in children with MSMD, a rare genetic condition resulting from a range of immune system mutations.

A research group has discovered an interorgan network between the mammary glands and the small intestine that plays an essential role in transferring antibodies via breastfeeding.

Recreating major pathological features of Parkinson’s disease in a lab-grown, human mini-brain will help researchers to explore new treatments. This is the first time that Lewy bodies, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease in patients’ brains, have been produced in the laboratory, offering new insights into the disease.

A comprehensive, systematic meta-analysis conducted by HKBU scientists found a significant association between exposure to PM2.5, i.e., fine particulates with equivalent diameters of less than 2.5 microns suspended in the air, and neurological disorders. These include stroke, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, posing serious challenges to global health.

Using data from 1,107 patients dating back over 30 years, researchers have connected prognostic impact to poorly differentiated tumor size in hepatocellular carcinoma. Data confirmed previous findings that after resection, <2 cm sized tumors had excellent long-term outcomes. However, ≥2 cm and ≥5 cm sizes shared a risk of early recurrence with the latter size also at risk of early extrahepatic recurrence.

KAIST researchers have used whole-genome sequencing to track the development from a single fertilized-egg to a human body.

The healthcare systems of the mainland and Hong Kong face similar challenge of spiralling costs in the face of increasing demand from a more prosperous and aging population, and a surge in non-communicable diseases. Hong Kong government reforms aim to reduce the burden on the over-stretched public healthcare system. The public policy research by Dr Alex He Jingwei, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Research and Development) at the Department of Asian and Policy Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, has contributed to knowledge informing large-scale reforms in both mainland China and Hong Kong, and generated public debate. His work provided a significant reference in a major government-supported reform blueprint for the mainland’s healthcare system, much of it now being implemented in the State Council’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), engagement with policymakers, and media engagement in mainland China and Hong Kong, reaching an audience of at least a billion people.

Speakers announced for the 10th edition of IPI’s premier technology matching event

A multi-functional, small molecule can tag mutant genetic sequences inside mitochondria for removal.

Distinguished Professor Reiko Kishi of the Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences was honored with the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE)’s prestigious 2021 John Goldsmith Award, on August 26, 2021.

A novel CT scan-based approach has revealed significant changes in a parameter indicating lung destruction in some asthmatics. This finding could lead to more personalized treatments for asthma accompanied by persistent airflow limitation.

Through a follow-up analysis of d-ROM values taken pre- and post-cardiopulmonary exercise tests, researchers have found that heart failure patients with increased oxidative stress during exercise have a poorer prognosis - leading to potential design of exercise routines around individual patients.

The nutritional status of children under five in Sri Lanka has not shown a significant improvement for the last 20 years. It has also been lagging behind most of the other health and social indicators on children. IPS research shows that household income, inadequate nutrient intake, breastfeeding practices, mothers’ education, etc., play a major role in child undernutrition in Sri Lanka. Moreover, given significant losses in household income experienced at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic, nutrient intake may have declined further over the past year. As such, it would be a challenging task for health planners to develop effective strategies to minimise undernutrition among children under five years. This article highlights some of the facts contributing to child undernutrition in Sri Lanka and suggests ways to address this critical issue.

Researchers discover a link between an increase in protein Ba of the complement immune system and the eventual development of thrombotic microangiopathy in patients who have received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

A new, energy-efficient method of electrical brain stimulation developed by researchers from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology could aid stroke rehabilitation and has few side effects.

People with autism spectrum disorder interpret facial expressions differently. A group of Tohoku University researchers have revealed more about how this comes to be. They induced abnormalities into a neural network model to explore the effects on the brain’s learning development.

Sleeping safe and sound is one of human’s most fundamental needs to stay reenergized and maintain our bodily functions. How does hearing environmental sounds influence our sleeping quality? Assistant Professor Junta Tagusari from the Laboratory of Regional Environmental Issues, Graduate School of Engineering, is investigating the best method to measure noises and how they affect human health.

Researchers have shown that postpartum depression can inhibit a mother’s ability to instill healthy tooth brushing habits in children. The study demonstrates the need to foster greater mental support and management for mothers and incorporate these factors when assessing children’s oral health.

Using neurons directly reprogrammed from tissues of stranded whales to assess brain health A research team of the Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES) of Ehime University, Japan succeeded for the first time in direct reprogramming of whale somatic cells to neuronal cells, and conducted a neurotoxicity test using these cells. Exposure to a metabolite (4′OH-CB72) of polychlorinated biphenyls, ubiquitous environmental pollutants, caused apoptosis in the reprogrammed neurons. Transcriptome analysis of 4′OH-CB72-treated whale neurons showed altered expressions of genes associated with oxidative phosphorylation, chromatin degradation, axonal transport, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Magnetic field could boost blood vessel growth to regenerate damaged tissue.

A subset of fibroblasts located in small foci of tissue on the edges of extensive scarring produce a protein that protects against cell aging.

A study showed braces that give our smiles a makeover could also transform oral microflora to a pre-gum disease state. Now scientists plan to use their findings to prevent this from happening.

Researchers have found a way to enhance radiation therapy using novel iodine nanoparticles.

Researchers from Osaka City University show the benefits of mixing alginic acid with calcium phosphate cement (CPC), a common bone replacement material, with in vitro and in vivo studies. The biopolymer is shown to improve the setting time and compressive strength of CPC, as well as help it acquire porosity – which allows cells to enter the defected area and grow new bone.