Past News

How COVID-19 may have reversed gains in maternal and child mortality

August 30, 2022

Declines in essential health care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and lower-middle-income countries devastatingly impact women and children's health, according to a new study. In some of the world's poorest countries, the projected corresponding increases in child and maternal mortality can erase years of progress and cause thousands of preventable deaths.

How COVID-19 may have reversed gains in maternal and child mortality

Successful labor outcomes in expectant mothers using AI

August 30, 2022

Researchers have found that using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to analyze patterns of changes in women who are in labor can help identify whether a successful vaginal delivery will occur with good outcomes for mom and baby.

Successful labor outcomes in expectant mothers using AI

Genetic testing before pregnancy detects up to half of the risk

August 30, 2022

Are would-be parents carrying a genetic risk of serious illnesses that they could potentially pass on to their children? In the USA, doctors recommend that couples have genetic screening before trying to conceive. Researchers have now shown that a maximal variant of this test detects the risk in 44 percent of couples who are related by blood, and in just 5 percent of other couples. Non-hereditary newly acquired mutations are a major reason for the reduced detection rate in the latter.

Genetic testing before pregnancy detects up to half of the risk

Sensor-based early detection of age-related diseases from home

August 30, 2022

Researchers have demonstrated how sensors that record movement patterns could help detect health problems in the elderly, including old-age depression, risk of falls or cognitive impairment, at an early stage. In the future, this could help seniors to live a self-determined life at home for longer and relieve increasing pressure on the healthcare system.

Sensor-based early detection of age-related diseases from home

Breast MRI illuminates risk of second breast cancer

August 30, 2022

Breast tissue features apparent on MRI are linked with future second breast cancer risk in women with a personal history of breast cancer, according to a new study.

Breast MRI illuminates risk of second breast cancer

Scientists reveal how key cancer target could halt cancer spread

August 30, 2022

Researchers have shown that a protein called fascin acts in the control center of cancer cells and influences their ability to repair themselves, grow and move, according to a new study.

Scientists reveal how key cancer target could halt cancer spread

New therapeutic prospect for preeclampsia

August 30, 2022

Preeclampsia is a condition that affects the placenta during pregnancy and is dangerous for both the fetus and the mother. Scientists have proposed a new therapy, tested in two rodent models, that corrects the defects identified in placental cells, and restores placental and fetal weight. The treatment successfully lowers blood pressure in the mother and resolves the characteristic preeclampsia symptoms of excess protein in urine and cardiovascular abnormalities.

New therapeutic prospect for preeclampsia

Artificial Intelligence Improves Treatment in Women with Heart Attacks

August 29, 2022

Heart attacks in women are more likely to be fatal than in men. The reasons are differences in age and in comorbidity burden which makes risk assessment in women a challenge. Researchers have now developed a novel artificial-intelligence-based risk score that improves personalized care for female patients with heart attacks.

Artificial Intelligence Improves Treatment in Women with Heart Attacks

Brief exposure to rapamycin has the same anti-aging effects as lifelong treatment

August 29, 2022

Brief exposure with rapamycin has the same positive effects on lifespan and health in old age as a lifelong treatment, researchers show in fruit flies and mice. Rapamycin is currently the most promising anti-aging drug. To maximize the medicine's effectiveness, it is often administered for life. However, even at low doses used to prevent age-related decline, side effects can occur. Therefore, the shorter duration of treatment may make it more likely to be used in humans.

Brief exposure to rapamycin has the same anti-aging effects as lifelong treatment

Autoimmune disorders increase risk of cardiovascular disease

August 27, 2022

An international research team presents the outcome of a thorough epidemiological investigation into possible links between nineteen of the most common autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular disease. The results of the study show that patients with autoimmune disease have a substantially higher risk (between 1.4 and 3.6 times depending on which autoimmune condition) of developing cardiovascular disease than people without an autoimmune disorder.

Autoimmune disorders increase risk of cardiovascular disease