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Approximately ten out of every 100 people who are bitten by mosquitos infected by the yellow fever virus develop symptoms of the disease. Although most infected people do not develop the disease, it is lethal to approximately 40% of those who do. Outbreaks of yellow fever have occurred in Brazil in recent years despite the existence of a safe and efficacious vaccine since 1938. Even after more than a century of research, scientists and physicians were unaware of any specific clinical and [...]

Researchers and caregivers have noted that excessive daytime napping can develop long before the memory problems associated with Alzheimer's disease begin to unfold. Prior studies have considered this excessive daytime napping to be compensation for poor nighttime sleep caused by Alzheimer's-related disruptions in sleep-promoting brain regions, while others have argued that the sleep problems themselves contribute to the progression of the disease. But now UC San Francisco scientists [...]

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), an endangered species, is often referred to as a "gardener" in recognition of its role as a disperser of fruit seeds from the large diversity of trees it feeds on as it moves through the continent's tropical forests, contributing to the germination of over 100 species that supply food or shelter to primates, birds, and insects. However, its importance is even greater than that, according to a new international study. With [...]

Corn starch, an abundant, cheap and biodegradable raw material, is the basis for a novel larvicide developed by researchers at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo State, Brazil. The material is used in microcapsules for storage and controlled release of active compounds to kill larvae of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue, zika, yellow fever and chikungunya. A patent application has been filed via UNICAMP's innovation agency (Inova). The methodology is [...]

The incidence of thyroid cancer among first responders who volunteered or were employed as firefighters, rescue personnel and cleanup workers at Ground Zero in New York on or after September 11, 2001, is three times higher than that in the general population. This difference has been confirmed by a method involving a panel of four biomarkers that distinguish benign from malignant thyroid cancer cases on the basis of gene expression. The tests were developed by researchers at the Federal [...]

Evaluating body composition, especially appendicular muscle mass, can be an effective strategy for predicting longevity in people over 65 years of age, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil. The appendicular muscles are the muscles that move the appendages or extremities – the arms and legs. They also play a key role in stabilizing the shoulders and hips. The researchers studied a group of 839 men [...]

A new study has concluded that cannabidiol attenuates the aggressiveness induced by social isolation. The research, based on a mouse model, was performed by scientists at the University of São Paulo's Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP) in Brazil. The results are published in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. "Our study shows that cannabidiol can inhibit aggressiveness and that it does so by facilitating the activation of [...]

A paper published in Scientific Reports describes how researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil and colleagues at institutions in Europe evaluated behaviors leading to weight gain in adolescents. Childhood obesity can favor the premature emergence of health issues such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The main finding is that skipping breakfast, a common habit among teenagers, correlates directly with increased waist [...]

Biologists Laura Carolina Leal and Felipe Passos performed a series of experiments in Brazil's Northeast region - specifically in the interior of Bahia State, where the semiarid Caatinga biome predominates - to determine how plants with extrafloral nectaries interact with ants. Extrafloral nectaries are nectar-secreting glands not involved in pollination which supply insects with carbohydrates in exchange for defense against herbivores. The nectar attracts predatory insects that consume [...]