Meth-Related Cardiomyopathy: Where the Biggest Clusters Are
The American West has seen the biggest surge of cardiomyopathy-associated hospital admissions among methamphetamine users, based on 13 years of the latest available hospital admission data. The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) showed that methamphetamine-related cardiomyopathy admissions spiked by 231% from 2008 to 2020 nationwide — whereas overall admissions for heart failure increased just 12% during […]
Making plant-based meat alternatives more palatable
One of the biggest obstacles to the uptake of plant-based alternatives to meat is their very dry and astringent feel when they are eaten. Scientists, led by Professor Anwesha Sarkar at the University of Leeds, are revolutionising the sensation of plant proteins, transforming them from a substance that can be experienced as gloopy and dry […]
These Surgeries Made the Sharpest Turns to Outpatient Setting After COVID
Some common general surgeries had the biggest migrations to the outpatient setting during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a retrospective cohort study confirmed. Compared with the previous few years, calendar year 2020 saw disproportionately more outpatient cases of mastectomy for cancer, minimally invasive adrenalectomy, thyroid lobectomy, breast lumpectomy, minimally invasive ventral hernia repair, […]
What did Megalodon eat? Anything it wanted — including other predators.
New Princeton research shows that prehistoric megatooth sharks — the biggest sharks that ever lived — were apex predators at the highest level ever measured. Megatooth sharks get their name from their massive teeth, which can each be bigger than a human hand. The group includes Megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived, as well […]
Obesity: A dangerous immune response
Obesity and overweight are among the biggest health challenges of the 21st century, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Almost 60 percent of Germans are considered overweight, while 25 percent are obese. Moreover, being overweight often triggers severe secondary diseases such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, or heart attacks. Immunological processes determine the course of this […]
Sustained fast rates of evolution explain how tetrapods evolved from fish
One of the biggest questions in evolution is when and how major groups of animals first evolved. The rise of tetrapods (all limbed vertebrates) from their fish relatives marks one of the most important evolutionary events in the history of life. This “fish-to-tetrapod” transition took place somewhere between the Middle and Late Devonian (~400-360 million […]