Closing the gap on premature deaths from non-communicable diseases is key to economic prosperity, global health and social justice. Digital tools can help tackle the problem.
A study of physiological responses of college-age Overwatch players found that many skilled players tend to start the game with elevated physiological stress responses, adjusting them during gameplay. The physiological stress responses of low skill players, in contrast, tend to increase as the game progresses. The study was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Competitive electronic gaming or eSport is gaining traction as a recognized sport. The rise of eSports into a multi-billion dollar industry has been attributed to the emergence of streaming platforms and advertisement revenues and high-values sponsorships that came with them. eSports are one of the 24 competitive sports included in the 2022 Asian games held in Hangzhou, China.
Following their rise in popularity, scientists have become interested in studying eSports athletes to understand the stress related to participating in eSports both in competitive and noncompetitive settings. First studies focused on health concerns, given the sedentary nature of eSports, and primarily studied players of League of Legends (LOL) as one of the most popular eSports games at the time.
November is Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, which makes this a good time to learn more about treating stomach cancer.
More than 26,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with stomach cancer this year, and more than 11,000 people will die of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. Stomach cancer accounts for about 1.5% of all new cancers diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, can affect any part of the stomach. In most of the world, stomach cancers form in the main part of the stomach. In the U.S., stomach cancer is more likely to affect the area where the esophagus meets the stomach. Where the cancer occurs in the stomach is one factor health care professionals consider when determining treatment options.
It’s difficult to trace the epidemiology since the patient didn’t travel, the mutations in the viruses are small and international travel in and out of New York is heavy, he said.
“With a single case there’s no way to know exactly how many infections there were between the vaccine vial and the paralyzed person,” Oberste said.
It’s unlikely public health authorities will figure out the origin of the virus that paralyzed the patient in New York, Oberste said. Dozens of countries around the world — primarily in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia — are still using oral vaccines that contain the Sabin Type 2 strain.
They then used QUARTZ to analyze retinal images from 7,411 more people, these aged 48 to 92, and combined this data with information about their health history (such as smoking, statin use, and previous heart attacks) to predict their risk of heart disease. Participants’ health was tracked for seven to nine years, and their outcomes were compared to Framingham risk score (FRS) predictions.
A common tool for estimating heart disease risk, the FRS looks at age, gender, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking habits, and systolic blood pressure to estimate the probability someone will develop heart disease within a given span of time, usually 10 to 30 years.
The QUARTZ team compared their data to 10-year FRS predictions and said the algorithm’s accuracy was on par with that of the conventional tool.
A University of Maryland researcher and colleagues found that the fungus Metarhizium robertsii removes mercury from the soil around plant roots, and from fresh and saltwater. The researchers also genetically engineered the fungus to amplify its mercury detoxifying effects.
Mercury pollution of soil and water is a worldwide threat to public health. This new work suggests Metarhizium could provide an inexpensive and efficient way to protect crops grown in polluted areas and remediate mercury-laden waterways.
The study, which was conducted by UMD professor of entomology Raymond St. Leger and researchers in the laboratory of his former post-doctoral fellow, Weiguo Fang (now at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China), was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on November 14, 2022.
A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, demonstrated that shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is associated with an almost 30% higher long-term risk of a major cardiovascular event such a stroke or heart attack. Their results are published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Our findings suggest there are long-term implications of shingles and highlight the importance of public health efforts for prevention,” said lead author Sharon Curhan, MD, ScM, a physician and epidemiologist in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Given the growing number of Americans at risk for this painful and often disabling disease and the availability of an effective vaccine, shingles vaccination could provide a valuable opportunity to reduce the burden of shingles and reduce the risk of subsequent cardiovascular complications.”
A seven-year study reveals that variations in specific isotopes linked to magmatic ‘foams’ can be used to predict volcanic unrest.
Scientists have found a way to use the ratio of atoms in specific gases created by volcanic fumaroles (gaps in the Earth’s surface) to detect what’s happening to magma deep below.
Volcanic eruptions are dangerous and challenging to predict. Could the new findings change this?
Studies have shown poor balance can be associated with serious health problems – as well as increased risks of falls as we get older. But there are ways to make yours better.
AI can also be of benefit in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Tools have been created that help diagnose a patient as well as a human would.
AI isn’t a new technology—it’s been researched and developed since the 1950s and is currently present in many of our daily routines. Most of these applications are so common that we don’t even notice them.
Our lives often depend on the healthcare industry. So, having a technology that allows you to speed up patient registration processes and help diagnose more quickly and effectively is essential. Every health center should consider the use of AI for the benefit of its processes so it can adapt to the modern world and its accelerated pace.
