Learning to play a musical instrument helps fine-tune kids’ brains, researchers say. In a new study, 40 children (aged 10 to 13) performed memory and attention tasks while their brain activity was monitored with functional MRI. This type of imaging scan detects small changes in blood flow within the brain. Twenty of the children played an instrument, had completed at least two years of lessons, practiced at least two hours a week and regularly played in an orchestra or ensemble. The other 20 children had no musical training other than in the school curriculum. The two groups had no differences in reaction time. But the musically trained children did better on the memory task, according to the report published online Oct. 8 in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. And along with better memory recall, the musically trained kids had more activation in brain regions associated with attention control and auditory encoding — functions associated with improved reading, higher resilience, greater creativity and a better quality of life. “Our most important finding is that two different mechanisms seem to underlie the better performance of musically trained children in the attention and … memory task,” said team leader Leonie Kausel, a violinist and neuroscientist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, in Santiago. Music training may increase the functional activity of certain brain networks, Kausel explained in…  read on >

The so-called love hormone, oxytocin, may be worth investigating as a treatment for COVID-19, a new study suggests. One of the most serious complications of infection with the new coronavirus is a “cytokine storm,” in which the body attacks its own tissues. There are currently no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for COVID-19, which means that “repurposing existing drugs that can act on the adaptive immune response and prevent the cytokine storm in early phases of the disease is a priority,” according to the researchers. Previous research suggests that oxytocin — a hormone that’s produced in the brain and is involved in reproduction and childbirth — reduces inflammation. In this new study, researcher Ali Imami, a graduate research assistant at the University of Toledo in Ohio, and colleagues used a U.S. National Institutes of Health database to analyze characteristics of genes treated with drugs closely related to oxytocin. The investigators found that one drug in particular, carbetocin, has similar characteristics (called a signature) to genes with reduced expression of the inflammatory markers that trigger cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients. Carbetocin’s signature suggests that the drug may trigger activation of immune cells called T-cells that play an important role in immune response. In addition, carbetocin’s signature is also similar to that of lopinavir, an antiretroviral medication under study as a treatment for COVID-19. All of…  read on >

At Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s trauma center, Dr. Stephanie Bonne and her team noticed a string of patient injuries caused by broken glass tables. “They were quite serious, significant injuries that required pretty big operations and long hospital stays,” said Bonne, who is an assistant professor of surgery and trauma medical director. “We wanted to see, is there anything that’s known about this that we can figure out. And, if not, maybe we should talk about it.” Bonne’s group found more than 3,200 U.S. cases of glass table-related injuries requiring trauma center care occurring between 2009 and 2015. The data was collected from the 96 sample hospitals included in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. More than half of the injuries were traced to faulty glass tables, the researchers noted. Multiplying that by the almost 5,000 emergency care centers nationwide, Bonne’s team estimated there are about 13,800 U.S. cases of severe injury tied to glass tables each year. The team also looked more closely at the 24 cases that their Level 1 trauma center treated between 2001 and 2016. In this smaller grouping, the investigators found that half of their patients experienced injuries to their deep organs, upper torso, abdomen or joint cavities and required surgery. About 8% died within a month of injury. Most of the injuries were suffered by children younger…  read on >

Millions of Americans pop zinc supplements at the first sign of the common cold. Now, new research suggests the nutrient might play a role in COVID-19 outcomes, too. Researchers from Spain reporting at a European coronavirus conference found that hospitalized COVID-19 patients with low blood levels of zinc tended to fare worse than those with healthier levels. “Lower zinc levels at admission correlate with higher inflammation in the course of infection and poorer outcome,” said a team led by Dr. Roberto Guerri-Fernandez of the Hospital Del Mar in Barcelona. One expert in the United States said the finding makes intuitive sense. “It has long been thought that zinc bolsters the immune system,” said pulmonologist Dr. Len Horovitz, of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “A possible explanation in this study is that zinc may have an anti-inflammatory effect that is protective.” In the new study, Guerri-Fernandez’s team tracked medical outcomes against the results of lab tests for 249 patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 in March and April. Patients averaged 63 years of age and 21 (8%) died from their illness. All of the patients had their blood zinc levels tested upon arrival — the average level was 61 micrograms per deciliter of blood (mcg/dL). However, among those who died of COVID-19, blood levels of zinc were much lower, averaging just 43 mcg/dL,…  read on >

Many heart attack survivors worry that resuming sex too soon afterwards might trigger another attack. But new research suggests the opposite may be true. Research out of Israel finds that resuming a normal sex life in the months after a heart attack may actually boost survival. Lead researcher Yariv Gerber believes part of the benefit could lie in a person’s mindset. “Sexuality and sexual activity are markers of well-being,” said Gerber, head of the School of Public Health at Tel Aviv University. “Resumption of sexual activity soon after a heart attack may be a part of one’s self-perception as a healthy, functioning, young and energetic person. This may lead to a healthier lifestyle generally.” In the study, Gerber’s team collected data on nearly 500 sexually active people aged 65 or under who were hospitalized for a heart attack in either 1992 or 1993. During a median follow-up of 22 years, 43% of the patients died. But the study found that those who’d maintained or increased the frequency of sex during the first six months after a heart attack had 35% lower risk of death, compared with those who had not. The survival benefit of having more sex appeared tied to reductions in non-cardiovascular deaths — for example, fewer deaths tied to cancer — the researchers noted. Of course the findings can’t prove that a return…  read on >

COVID-19 is unlike other respiratory viruses known to humans, but in time it could evolve into a seasonal scourge like the flu. That’s according to a new report in which researchers lay out the case for a possible seasonal COVID. The scenario depends on many unknowns, and assumes the new coronavirus will bend to weather factors. And that would not happen until enough people have been exposed to the virus — or vaccinated — to provide a level of herd immunity, the researchers said in their report in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. But they believe that endemic respiratory viruses — including the flu and common coronaviruses that cause cold symptoms — give hints as to what could happen with COVID. All of those viruses have a seasonal variation, being susceptible to changes in weather patterns like temperature and humidity. SARS-CoV-2 has yet to show any signs of seasonality. Cases in the United States soared during the hot summer months, in contrast to typical respiratory viruses that dissipate at that time. But as more people are exposed to SARS-CoV-2, that pattern could change, according to report author Dr. Hassan Zaraket, of American University of Beirut in Lebanon. “We think it’s highly likely, given what we know so far, COVID-19 will eventually become seasonal, like other coronaviruses,” he said in a journal news release. However,…  read on >

A drug long used to treat Parkinson’s disease may benefit patients with a severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a small clinical trial suggests. One of the leading causes of vision loss in older people is a condition called dry macular degeneration. More than 15% of Americans over age 70 have AMD, and 10% to 15% of those cases go on to develop the more severe wet macular degeneration, which can cause swift and complete vision loss. Typically, wet AMD is treated with injections of medication into the eye. Most people need several per year to keep the disease from progressing. But this small, early-stage clinical trial suggests an alternative may be on the horizon: the leading drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, called levodopa. The trial was an outgrowth of a 2016 study that found Parkinson’s patients who took levodopa were less likely to develop macular degeneration. “The study found a relationship between taking levodopa and macular regeneration,” said Dr. Robert Snyder, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Arizona, in Tucson. “It delayed the onset of both dry and wet macular degeneration, and reduced the odds of getting wet macular degeneration.” Macular degeneration affects the macula, part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail. Wet AMD happens when abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula; often, these blood…  read on >

Dealing with acne can be especially difficult for people of color, a skin expert says. Acne affects up to 50 million people in the United States each year. For people of color, acne is often accompanied by dark spots or patches called hyperpigmentation. “Acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S., and it can be particularly frustrating for people with skin of color because of the discoloration and scarring that can occur after blemishes heal,” said Dr. Crystal Aguh, a dermatologist in Columbia, Md. “For these reasons, it’s critical to treat acne in skin of color carefully and avoid skin care products that can exacerbate discoloration,” she explained in an American Academy of Dermatology news release. For mild acne, try using products that contain a retinoid and benzoyl peroxide or a product containing salicylic acid or retinol. Use only skin care labeled “non-comedogenic” or “won’t clog pores,” since clogged pores can lead to breakouts. Don’t use skin care products that contain cocoa butter, as these can cause acne. Always check with your dermatologist before using at-home or herbal remedies, Aguh advised. Don’t pick, squeeze or pop your acne, as this can lead to scarring, she said. This is especially important for people with darker skin tones, as they’re more prone to developing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation — which appears as dark spots on the skin…  read on >