Medicine

A researcher at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has generated scanning electron microscopy images showing startlingly high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads on human bronchial epithelial cells. This SEM image shows SARS-CoV-2 virions (red) produced by human airway epithelia. Image credit: Camille Ehre, doi: 10.1056/NEJMicm2023328. Dr. Camille Ehre from …

Moderate adolescent cannabis use may have adverse effects on cognitive functioning, specifically verbal memory, that cannot be explained by familial factors, according to a study of siblings led by the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Ellingson et al aimed to examine whether moderate adolescent cannabis use has neurocognitive effects …

Honey is more effective and less harmful than usual care for improving symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, particularly cough frequency and cough severity, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies, published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine. Honey is more effective than usual care alternatives …

Opioid receptors in the inner ear can cause partial or full hearing loss, according to new research from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and New Jersey Poison Information and Education System. Inner ear anatomy. Image credit: Medical Gallery of Blausen Medical 2014, doi: 10.15347/wjm/2014.010. “Ototoxicity, or ‘ear poisoning,’ is a …

Chocolate Helps Keep Heart’s Blood Vessels Healthy, Review Suggests A new systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies suggests that the consumption of chocolates at least once a week is associated with a reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease. Krittanawong et al found that chocolate consumption (1 time …

Researchers Use Pencil to Draw Bioelectronic Devices on Human Skin Scientists from the University of Missouri, the University of Illinois and Yale University have demonstrated that a combination of pencils and paper could be used to create on-skin bioelectronic devices that might be used to monitor personal health. They’ve fabricated …

Eating Pickled Capers May Help Improve Brain and Heart Health A duo of researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine has discovered that a compound commonly found in pickled capers, which are the immature flower buds of the caper bush (Capparis spinosa), can directly regulate …

Study: Staring at Deep Red Light Can Improve Naturally Declining Vision Looking at 670-nm red light for three minutes a day can significantly improve cone color contrast sensitivity (the ability to detect colors) and rod sensitivity (the ability to see in low light), according to a new study published in …

People with Severe Vision Loss Less Accurately Judge Distance of Nearby Sounds, Study Shows A new study shows that greater severity of vision loss is associated with increased auditory judgments of distance and room size; on average, participants with severe visual losses perceived sounds to be twice as far away, …

Bearing Human Skin from Pluripotent Stem Cells A team of researchers from several U.S. institutions has created an organoid culture system that generates complex skin from human pluripotent stem cells. A hair-bearing skin organoid. Image credit: Indiana University School of Medicine. “This is the first study to show that human …