King’s College London – Page 3

Genetic study reveals causal link between blood type and COVID severity

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Rich Haridy

The large genetic study has affirmed prior observations linking persons with type A blood to increased risk of severe COVID-19

Very early in the pandemic doctors began tracking the association between COVID-19 disease severity and a patient’s blood type. Now researchers have validated those early observations, finding several blood proteins are causally linked to an increased risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle

Tags: Coronavirus (COVID-19), Blood, Protein, Genetics, King’s College London, New Atlas Audio

Continue reading Genetic study reveals causal link between blood type and COVID severity→

Psilocybin clinical trial confirms safety of group psychedelic sessions

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Rich Haridy

Subjects in the trial were given a private space in a larger room and given eye masks and earplugs while up to six people were simultaneously administered psilocybin

A new study published in the The Journal of Psychopharmacology is reporting the results of a large clinical trial testing the short- and long-term safety of administering psilocybin in a group setting. Exploring the psychedelic therapy in groups of up to six people, the trial found no detrimental effects from simultaneous administration of the drug.

Category: Science

Tags: Psychedelic Medicine, Psychology, Drugs, King’s College London

Continue reading Psilocybin clinical trial confirms safety of group psychedelic sessions→

Depression, bipolar and schizophrenia share gut bacteria similarities

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Rich Haridy

New research detected common microbiome signatures shared by several psychiatric conditions, including depression and bipolar disorder

A new review article published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry is suggesting a number of different psychiatric disorders share common gut microbiome perturbations. The meta-analysis found depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety all present with similar gut microbial abnormalities, including higher amounts of pro-inflammatory bacteria.

Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle

Tags: Gut Bacteria, Microbiome, Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, King’s College London, New Atlas Audio

Continue reading Depression, bipolar and schizophrenia share gut bacteria similarities→

Massive study confirms vaccination reduces risk of long COVID

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Rich Haridy

Fully vaccinated people experiencing a COVID-19 infection were 50 percent less likely to report symptoms persisting longer than 28 days

A large study led by researchers from King’s College London has found fully vaccinated adults are around 50 percent less likely to suffer from long COVID if they are unfortunate enough to experience a breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle

Tags: Coronavirus (COVID-19), Chronic, Disease, Virus, King’s College London, New Atlas Audio

Continue reading Massive study confirms vaccination reduces risk of long COVID→

Blood biomarker detects whether depression is due to neurodegeneration

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Rich Haridy

A test could be used as a rapid screening tool in clinics to determine whether a patient's cognitive problems are due to neurodegeneration.

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications is reporting a single blood-based biomarker can detect the presence of 13 neurodegenerative disorders, from frontotemporal dementia to motor neuron disease. The test cannot specifically distinguish each disorder but instead is proposed as a way to determine whether patients with memory problems are suffering from the early stages of neurodegenerative disease.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Brain, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, Blood, Diagnosis, King’s College London, New Atlas Audio

Continue reading Blood biomarker detects whether depression is due to neurodegeneration→

Fasting boosts “longevity gene” to improve long-term memory in mice

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Nick Lavars

A new study has found that intermittent fasting can boost long-term memory retention in mice

Fasting diets in their many forms have gained serious popularity as effective ways to lose weight, but researchers studying the physiological underpinnings continue to show how they might do much more than that. Scientists at King’s College London have used experiments in mice to demonstrate how fasting can also improve long-term memory and tackle age-related cognitive impairment, by boosting expression of what’s known as the “longevity gene.”

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Fasting, Memory, King’s College London, Brain, Aging, New Atlas Audio

Continue reading Fasting boosts “longevity gene” to improve long-term memory in mice→

Nasal spray gel directly delivers Parkinson’s drugs to the brain

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Michael Irving

A hydrogel nasal spray could be the most direct route for drugs to treat Parkinson's disease

Getting drugs into the brain is no easy feat, but the nose is emerging as one of the most direct routes. Now, researchers in the UK have developed a hydrogel that can be administered as a nasal spray, lining the tissue and delivering a common Parkinson’s drug straight to the brain.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: Parkinson’s Disease, Brain, Blood-brain barrier, Drug, Drugs, Drug delivery, York University, King’s College London

Continue reading Nasal spray gel directly delivers Parkinson’s drugs to the brain→

New clues to link between depression and inflammation

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Rich Haridy

An inflammatory biomarker was found in higher levels in depressed subjects compared to non-depressed subjects

Research from King’s College London has found new evidence of a link between low-grade systemic inflammation and depression. The large-scale case-control study identified higher levels of an inflammatory biomarker in depressed subjects compared to non-depressed subjects, however, not all experts are convinced inflammation plays a causal role in depression.

Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle

Tags: Inflammatory, The Immune System, Depression, King’s College London, New Atlas Audio

Continue reading New clues to link between depression and inflammation→

Trial finds introducing gluten into diet early may prevent celiac disease

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Rich Haridy

The researchers say it is too soon to offer dietary recommendations to new parents, but instead call for large trials to establish clear evidence

The results of a long-term clinical trial have found carefully introducing gluten into an infant’s diet from the age of four months could reduce their risk of developing celiac disease. The trial only offers preliminary evidence of this association, and the researchers stress larger trials are necessary before any broader dietary recommendations are suggested.

Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle

Tags: Allergies, Immunotherapy, Wheat, Diet, Baby, Food, King’s College London, New Atlas Audio

Continue reading Trial finds introducing gluten into diet early may prevent celiac disease→

Bone-healing bandage gets loaded with cells

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Ben Coxworth

A diagram illustrating how the bandage helps heal broken bones

For some time now, we’ve heard about scaffolding-like materials that are implanted into bone fractures, prompting the body’s own bone cells to grow into them and heal the break. Now, however, scientists have developed a special bandage that may also do the job.

Category: Medical, Science

Tags: King’s College London, Bones, Injuries, Stem Cells

Continue reading Bone-healing bandage gets loaded with cells→