Baylor College of Medicine researchers have found that the human brain is capable of sophisticated language processing while in an unconscious state from general anesthesia. The findings, published in the latest edition of Nature, challenge what we know about the role of consciousness and cognition, and could open new ways of understanding memory, language and brain-computer interfaces.

About The Study: The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that single and repeated intravenous ketamine infusions are efficacious in reducing suicidal and depressive symptoms in patients with a major depressive episode in the acute phase, while longer-term outcomes are not well established. 

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, genotype-guided prescribing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) did not improve control of depression symptoms at 3 months compared with usual care but was associated with higher depression remission rates at 6 months. These findings suggest a possible longer-term clinical benefit and indicate that future studies should focus on the durability and long-term impact of genotype-guided prescribing in the management of depressive symptoms.

Biodiversity loss is directly threatening human health and welfare, according to new research led by the University of Bristol.  The study, published in Nature today [6 May] reveals, for the first time, how the decline of insect pollinators undermines essential ecosystem services that support human nutrition and livelihoods.  Biodiversity also plays a vital role in supporting people’s everyday health and resilience, too.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study has found that an emerging class of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs suppress eating for pleasure, or hedonic feeding, in mice by modulating a reward circuit deep within the brain.

The human gut harbours a complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms (the microbiome), which influences digestion, the immune system and metabolism. A research team led by the University of Vienna has used the 'reverse ecology' analytical approach to demonstrate that many known gut bacterial species consist of several evolutionarily distinct groups that have adapted to different conditions in the gut. Some of these populations are associated with advanced age, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes. The findings have now been published in Nature and may in future improve the search for biomarkers and, in the long term, enable more precise therapies. 

The subject of the first joint clinical assessment (JCA) was the anticancer drug tovorafenib for the treatment of paediatric low-grade glioma. For Germany, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) acted as the co-assessor. It produced the report in collaboration with the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics in Ireland.