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Category: health – Page 15

How the tiny microbes in your mouth could be putting your health at risk

Current dental implants can work well, but they’re not perfect. They don’t attach to bones and gums in the same way that real teeth do. And around 20% of people who get implants end up developing an infection called peri-implantitis, which can lead to bone loss.

It is all down to the microbes that grow on them. There’s a complex community of microbes living in our mouths, and disruptions can lead to infection. But these organisms don’t just affect our mouths; they also seem to be linked to a growing number of disorders that can affect our bodies and brains. If you’re curious, read on.

The oral microbiome, as it is now called, was first discovered in 1670 by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a self-taught Dutch microbiologist. “I didn’t clean my teeth for three days and then took the material that had lodged in small amounts on the gums above my front teeth … I found a few living animalcules,” he wrote in a letter to the Royal Society at the time.

Dual-laser technique lowers Brillouin sensing frequency to 200 MHz

Scientists have developed a dual-laser Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR) system that uses two frequency-modulated lasers. By scanning the relative modulation phase between the pump and reference lasers, the setup measures strain and temperature all along an optical fiber. In a proof-of-concept test on a 13-meter silica fiber, the team recorded Brillouin gain spectra (BGS) at only about 200 MHz—over 50 times lower than the usual 11 GHz band.

The research was published in the Journal of Physics: Photonics on April 25, 2025.

“The dual-laser approach makes BOCDR equipment simpler, more cost-effective, and easier to deploy, giving engineers a practical tool for long-term structural health monitoring, factory process control, and many other sensing tasks,” said senior author Associate Professor Yosuke Mizuno of Yokohama National University.

Current biomarkers may be ineffective for evaluating heart failure risk post-pregnancy

Biomarkers used to predict heart failure risk in the general population may be ineffective for assessing risk after pregnancies complicated by hypertension or diabetes, according to a study published in JAMA Cardiology.

Several adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preeclampsia and gestational , have been linked to long-term heart health risks for , said Priya Freaney, MD, ‘22 GME, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, who was first author of the study.

“We know that features of complicated pregnancies can impact a woman’s heart disease risk decades later,” Freaney said. “It’s important for us to have some way to track and screen the patients that have pregnancy complications to further clarify if someone’s on a high-risk path toward and help bring their risk down with aggressive screening, prevention or early implementation of therapies.”

Engineered Vibrio natriegens strain boosts bioremediation of complex pollutants in harsh environments

A multi-institutional collaboration of synthetic biology research centers in China has developed a genetically engineered strain of Vibrio natriegens capable of bioremediating complex organic pollutants, including biphenyl, phenol, naphthalene, dibenzofuran, and toluene, in saline wastewater and soils.

Complex are prevalent in industrial wastewater generated by petroleum refining and chlor-alkali processing. Due to their and resistance to natural degradation, these compounds persist in marine and saline environments, posing ecological risks and potential threats to public health.

Microbial bioremediation methods typically use consortia of wild-type bacterial strains, yet these organisms demonstrate limited capacity to degrade complex pollutant mixtures. Elevated salinity levels further inhibit bacterial activity, diminishing bioremediation efficacy in industrial and marine wastewater. Developing capable of degrading pollutants while tolerating saline conditions remains a critical challenge.

We Emit a Visible Light That Vanishes When We Die, Says Surprising New Study

Life truly is radiant, according to an experiment conducted by researchers from the University of Calgary and the National Research Council of Canada.

An extraordinary experiment on mice and leaves from two different plant species has uncovered direct physical evidence of an eerie ‘biophoton’ phenomenon ceasing on death, suggesting all living things – including humans – could literally glow with health, until we don’t.

The findings might seem a little fringe at first glance. It’s hard not to associate scientific investigations into biological electromagnetic emissions with debunked and paranormal claims of auras and discharges surrounding living organisms.

AI tools may be weakening the quality of published research, study warns

Artificial intelligence could be affecting the scientific rigor of new research, according to a study from the University of Surrey.

The research team has called for a range of measures to reduce the flood of “low-quality” and “science fiction” papers, including stronger peer review processes and the use of statistical reviewers for complex datasets.

In a study published in PLOS Biology, researchers reviewed papers proposing an association between a predictor and a health condition using an American government dataset called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), published between 2014 and 2024.

The influence of the magnitude of sagittal correction and local junctional factors on proximal junctional kyphosis and failure following correction of adult spinal deformity: an inverse probability weighted analysis

Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and proximal junctional failure (PJF) remain difficult problems following correction of adult spinal deformity (ASD). The goal of this study was to perform a comprehensive evaluation of risk factors associated with PJK and PJF using advanced statistical methods through inverse probability weighting (IPW).

Patients who presented to the authors’ institution with symptomatic ASD from 2013 to 2021 and who underwent thoracolumbar fusion ending in the pelvis were included in the study. The primary outcomes were development of PJK and PJF following ASD correction. PJK was classified using Glattes’ criteria. PJF was defined as a proximal junctional angle 20° from preoperative measures or complications at the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) including vertebral body fracture, instability, and/or hardware failure. Patient charts and images (radiography, CT, and MRI) were used to extract demographics, measures of sagittal and coronal balance on pre-and postoperative radiography, operative techniques, and bone health metrics. Propensity score generation with IPW was used to control for confounding variables.

In total, 187 patients were included in the study with a median follow-up of 24.6 months. Sixty-nine patients (36.9%) developed PJK, while 26 (13.9%) developed PJF. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that both PJK and PJF largely occurred within the 1st year of index ASD correction. IPW showed that patients who developed PJK had a larger correction in the sagittal plane including global lumbar lordosis (p < 0.001) and sagittal vertical axis (p = 0.020). PJF development was associated with factors at the UIV including low Hounsfield units (p = 0.026) and cranially directed screws at the UIV (p = 0.040).

413,032 Americans Affected As Major Data Breach Leaks Customer Names, Social Security Numbers, Financial Records and More

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are now at risk of identity theft and fraud after a major data breach at a human resources firm.

In a new filing with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, Maryland-based Kelly Benefits says it has discovered a significant cybersecurity incident impacting 413,032 people.

The company says an internal investigation revealed that an unknown entity gained unauthorized access to its database and stole sensitive customer information, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, tax ID numbers, medical and health insurance records and financial account datasets.

Nanoplastics generated from real-world plastic waste readily adsorb heavy metal ions, study reveals

Some 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced globally each year, out of which a staggering 91% of plastic waste is never recycled—with 12% incinerated and 79% left to end up in landfills and oceans and linger in our environment.

Exposure to various elements causes the plastics to break down into microplastics (5 mm) and nanoplastics (1,000 nm). There is a growing public health concern as these nanoplastics (NPs) make their way into the human body through air, water, food and contact with skin.

A recent study published in ACS ES&T Water has revealed that the already detrimental effects of NPs are further amplified by their ability to interact with various toxic environmental contaminants, such as heavy metal ions.