Latest news with #researchers
The Independent
6 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Why popular herbal supplements might be toxic for your liver
A growing number of liver damage and toxicity cases are linked to commonly used herbal and dietary supplements, and there has been a significant increase in people with supplement-related liver failure requiring transplants. Studies indicate that up to 20% of liver toxicity cases are connected to supplements, potentially leading to impaired liver function, liver failure, and, in severe cases, death, with over 50,000 liver disease-related deaths occurring annually. Common supplements like turmeric, black cohosh, red yeast rice, Garcinia cambogia, and green tea extract have been identified as potentially harmful, especially in high doses, and may not be accurately labeled. Experts highlight that supplements are not subject to the same rigorous testing as prescription drugs, leading to potential risks, and that many patients do not inform their doctors about their supplement use, increasing the danger. Symptoms of liver damage from supplements include fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, and jaundice; with researchers advocating for increased awareness and caution in supplement use to prevent future deaths.
Medscape
6 hours ago
- Business
- Medscape
Can Mindfulness Therapy Ease Resistant Depression?
In patients with depression resistant to National Health Service (NHS) Talking Therapies, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) plus treatment as usual was more effective in alleviating symptoms than treatment as usual alone, a new trial found. Additionally, MBCT plus treatment as usual had a 99% probability of being cost-effective. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a parallel, randomized, controlled, superiority trial across three sites in the United Kingdom (2021-2023). The study included 234 patients with major depressive disorder (mean age, 42.5 years; 71% women; 86% White) who couldn't achieve remission after ≥ 12 sessions of NHS Talking Therapies. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either treatment as usual alone (n = 116) or MBCT plus treatment as usual (n = 118), with minimization on the basis of depression severity, antidepressant use, and recruitment site. The primary outcome was depression symptoms, measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 at 34 weeks. Cost-effectiveness was assessed using the Adult Service Use Schedule. TAKEAWAY: Participants who received MBCT plus treatment as usual had significantly reduced depression symptoms than those who received treatment as usual alone ( P = .0006). = .0006). MBCT plus treatment as usual resulted in lower costs and higher utility scores than treatment as usual alone during the study period. Analysis revealed a 99% probability that MBCT plus treatment as usual was cost-effective at the £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year threshold. No serious adverse events related to the trial or treatment were observed. IN PRACTICE: "Our findings show that psychological further-line treatment for depression can bring clinical benefit at an affordable price, potentially helping to reduce the long-term disability burden and economic costs associated with difficult-to-treat depression," the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Thorsten Barnhofer, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, England. It was published online in the June 2025 issue of The Lancet Psychiatry . LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by a short follow-up period of 6 months. The representativeness of the findings was limited by a predominance of female and White participants. The trial was not powered for subgroup analyses, preventing gender-specific analyses. Additionally, limited information was available on the type and quality of psychologic treatment patients received as treatment as usual. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research. One author reported writing a book on MBCT. Several authors reported having financial or professional ties with various organizations. Details are provided in the original article.
Medscape
6 hours ago
- Health
- Medscape
Deep Learning Aids Diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis
A deep learning (DL)–based model achieved a high accuracy in pancreas segmentation for patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and healthy individuals, a new study finds. The model showed robust performance across diverse scanning protocols and anatomic variations, although its accuracy was affected by visceral fat area and pancreas volume. METHODOLOGY: Researchers developed a DL-based tool using the neural network U-Net (nnU-Net) architecture for the automated segmentation of retrospectively collected CT scans of the pancreas of healthy individuals and of patients with CP. Scans were obtained from one hospital each in Aalborg (n = 373; 223 patients with CP and 150 healthy individuals) and Bergen (n = 97 patients with CP), along with an online dataset from the National Institutes of Health (NIH; n = 80 healthy individuals). The tool was validated and tested using internal and external datasets, and its performance was compared with manual processing done by radiologists using the Sørensen-Dice index. The tool's performance was examined for potential correlation with factors including visceral fat area at the third lumbar level, pancreas volume, and CT scan parameters. TAKEAWAY: The tool demonstrated strong performance with mean Sørensen-Dice scores of 0.85 for the Aalborg test dataset, 0.79 for the Bergen dataset, and 0.79 for the NIH dataset. Sørensen-Dice scores were positively correlated with visceral fat area across datasets (correlation coefficient [r], 0.45; P < .0001) and with pancreas volume in the Aalborg test dataset (r, 0.53; P = .0002). < .0001) and with pancreas volume in the Aalborg test dataset (r, 0.53; = .0002). CT scan parameters had no significant effect on model performance. The tool maintained accuracy across diverse anatomic variations, except in cases with severe pancreatic fat infiltration. IN PRACTICE: "This study presents a novel AI [artificial intelligence]–based pancreas segmentation model trained on both healthy individuals and CP [chronic pancreatitis] patients, demonstrating consistent and robust performance across internal and external test datasets that vary in patient characteristics and scanner parameters. The model has the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of pancreas segmentation in clinical practice and research, particularly for CP patients with complex anatomical features," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Surenth Nalliah, Radiology Research Center, Department of Radiology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark. It was published online on May 14 in European Journal of Radiology . LIMITATIONS: Comprehensive hyperparameter optimisation was not performed due to computational constraints. Additionally, architectures beyond nnU-Net and other segmentation methods were not explored. Post hoc visualisation methods were not studied. Small sizes of datasets could have hindered model performance, and cases of severe pancreatic fat infiltration were not included. DISCLOSURES: Funding information was not provided for this study. One author reported receiving financial support from Health Hub, founded by the Spar Nord Foundation.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Scientists finally work out how clapping hands generates sound
A study has unravelled the physics behind the sound of hand claps, revealing it's more complex than just hands hitting each other. The sound is generated by a pocket of air compressed between the hands and rapidly expelled, causing air molecules to vibrate, similar to the Helmholtz resonance principle. Researchers used live experiments, theoretical modelling, and silicone replicas of hands, modifying speed, shape, and skin softness to understand clapping. The elasticity of hands causes energy absorption, resulting in a short "pop" sound rather than a longer noise. Researchers suggest clapping could potentially be used for human identification due to the unique sound and frequency of each person's clap.
Fox News
9 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Smoking marijuana and eating cannabis gummies both linked to dangerous health risk, study finds
Long-term cannabis use in any form has been linked to a greater risk of heart disease. In a new study, researchers at UC San Francisco determined that eating edible cannabis, such as gummies, has the same impact on cardiovascular risk as smoking marijuana. The risk stems from reduced blood vessel function, according to the study, which was published in JAMA Cardiology on May 28. The study included 55 people between 18 and 50 years of age who were "outwardly healthy." The participants were divided into three groups: those who regularly smoked marijuana, those who ate edibles containing THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and those who didn't use cannabis, according to a UCSF press release. The cannabis users had been consuming the substance at least three times weekly for at least one year. On average, the smokers had the habit for 10 years, while those consuming edibles had been doing so for five years, the release noted. In September 2024, the participants underwent testing to determine how well their blood vessels functioned and whether the cells lining the blood vessels were affected. All cannabis users were found to have "decreased vascular function," comparable to those who smoke tobacco. Their blood vessel function was roughly half compared to those who did not use cannabis. This side effect has been linked to a higher risk of heart attack, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions, the researchers noted. The participants who smoked marijuana were also found to have changes in their blood serum that harmed cells lining their blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, an effect that was not seen in those who ate edible cannabis. The researchers noted that while smoking marijuana and consuming edibles both affect vascular function, they likely do so for different reasons. "Chronic cannabis smoking and THC ingestion were associated with endothelial dysfunction [impaired functioning of the endothelial cells lining the inside of blood vessels] similar to that observed in tobacco smokers, although apparently occurring via distinct mechanisms," the researchers wrote. "This study enhances the understanding of the potential risks to vascular health linked to cannabis use and provides more evidence that cannabis use is not benign." Dr. Bradley Serwer, a Maryland-based cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, said he was not surprised by the study's findings. "We have known that the chronic use of THC-containing compounds can have negative health consequences — this study just reaffirms those prior studies," Serwer, who was not involved in the UCSF research, told Fox News Digital. The study did have some limitations. "Variability in cannabis strains complicates standardization," the researchers wrote. "Self-reported cannabis use may introduce recall bias; thus, participants were queried at multiple points: in the online survey, at the eligibility interview and before each visit." It was also challenging to determine whether blood vessel function could have also been affected by lifestyle factors like stress, caffeine and secondhand smoke exposure, they noted. Serwer pointed out that this was a "very small" study of only 55 people, all living in the San Francisco Bay area. "The decision to use or avoid it should be made with all benefits and risks in mind." "The study did not allow for variability in the different strains of cannabis, and they used a self-reporting survey, which can be under- or over-reported," he told Fox News Digital. "They looked for physiologic endpoints and not hard endpoints, such as heart attacks, strokes or death. We have to infer that the physiologic endpoints would result in cardiovascular events." The cardiologist said he agreed, however, with the conclusion that cannabis use is "not benign." "Chronic use does have potential cardiovascular risks," he warned. "There are therapeutic uses of cannabis, and the decision to use or avoid it should be made with all benefits and risks in mind." In general, Serwer said he cautions all of his patients to avoid any unnecessary cardiac risks. "As clinicians, we must weigh the benefits and the risks of a medicine/drug or intervention," he said. "If the risks outweigh the benefits, it should be avoided." For more Health articles, visit The study was funded mainly by the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the California Department of Cannabis Control; the California Tobacco-Related Disease Program; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products. Fox News Digital reached out to cannabis industry organizations requesting comment.
