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Added on the 28/07/2017 15:51:05 - Copyright : Wochit
It's been widely noted that survivors of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 may suffer neurological damage long after other symptoms survive. It's believed that this brain damage isn't caused by the virus, but rather by the body's immune response to it. Now, UPI reports an international group of researchers has called for studies to explore the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain. Previous studies have documented brain inflammation, or encephalitis, in patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms. Some patients also suffered strokes. Postmortem MRI scans of patients who have died from COVID-19 have revealed lesions, or damage, in different regions of the brain. Researchers say it's becoming clear that the damage done by COVID-19 may have chronic, long-term consequences that could impact patients' quality of life.
A new study says better heart health in middle age may help reduce a person's risk significantly for dementia later in life. Researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institute studied 1,449 Finns enrolled in the Finnish Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia study. Adults with 'ideal' results on several cardiovascular health metrics were found to be 86% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those with lower scores. According to UPI, the metrics considered included smoking history, engagement in physical activity, body weight, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. The findings suggest that maintaining lifelong heart health by not smoking, exercising regularly, and staying slim may reduce dementia risk later in life.
Scientists have identified the brain's 'signature' for major depression. According to UPI, Japanese researchers used machine learning to ID distinct patterns of coordinated brain activity in people with major depressive disorder. Major depression is fairly easy to diagnose. However, the researchers say a better understanding of the brain networks associated with the disease could improve treatment. The new brain network signature could serve as a foundation for discovering brain network patterns associated with different types of depression. It could also reveal relationships between depression and other disorders.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants Americans to know: COVID-19 is nothing like the seasonal flu. According to Gizmodo, a new CDC report reveals people hospitalized with COVID-19 are over five times more likely to die than those hospitalized for influenza. Also, the risk of serious complications like pneumonia and shock is significantly higher from the novel coronavirus than from the flu. Gizmodo reports that compared to flu patients, COVID-19 sufferers are at increased risk for 17 respiratory and nonrespiratory complications. They are also 19 times more likely to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, a life-threatening condition that fills the lungs with fluid. Heart inflammation, pneumonia, liver failure, shock, blood infections, and brain bleeds are among the other complications more likely in COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 patients also stay in the hospital longer than flu patients, taking approximately 8.6 days versus three days.
A study conducted on mice by a team of scientists at John Hopkins University found that high doses of cocaine can cause out-of-control autophagy, a physiological process that causes the destruction of cells and the formation of new ones.
Scans show there's no such thing as a 'male' or 'female' brain, according to an Israeli research team. Edward Baran reports.
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