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Biomarker

All articles tagged with #biomarker

Brain protein tags track sleep and forecast wakefulness
science28 days ago

Brain protein tags track sleep and forecast wakefulness

A mouse study cited by Nature reports that protein tagging linked to protein kinase A creates a real-time clock for sleep: tagging declines during sleep and spikes with brief awakenings, tallying sleep duration and interruptions and predicting the likelihood of waking. If validated, this molecular signal could become a biomarker for sleep debt and help gauge alertness in high‑stakes jobs, but the work is a bioRxiv preprint and not yet peer‑reviewed. Some experts caution it may reflect vigilance or REM transition rather than sleep need, and follow-up experiments aim to test whether manipulating PKA could relieve sleep debt.

via Nature|
#biomarker#brain#pka
Alzheimer’s sleep breakthrough: brain immune cells offer new therapeutic angle
health-and-medicine28 days ago

Alzheimer’s sleep breakthrough: brain immune cells offer new therapeutic angle

UK researchers report that brain immune cells called microglia drive sleep loss in Alzheimer’s; in a mouse model, turning off microglia restored about two hours of restorative sleep and could help detect early disease and slow progression, signaling a shift from neuron-focused treatments toward targeting microglia with future human trials.

via Lexington Herald Leader|
#alzheimers#biomarker#health-and-medicine
Ghrelin's Antagonist LEAP2 Could Flag Anorexia Relapse, Study Finds
health1 month ago

Ghrelin's Antagonist LEAP2 Could Flag Anorexia Relapse, Study Finds

New research finds higher LEAP2 levels (a ghrelin antagonist) in hospitalized anorexia nervosa patients and shows the ghrelin/LEAP2 balance relates to impulse control and relapse risk; patients who relapsed had LEAP2 rebound, and mouse studies linked LEAP2 to impulsivity after weight loss. If replicated, LEAP2 could serve as a relapse biomarker and potential drug target.

via ScienceAlert|
#anorexia-nervosa#biomarker#ghrelin
GDF15 in Blood May Signal Dementia Risk From Midlife
health1 month ago

GDF15 in Blood May Signal Dementia Risk From Midlife

Researchers analyzing six large cohorts found that higher blood levels of the protein GDF15 in people under 55 predict future dementia, especially vascular dementia, and Mendelian randomization suggests GDF15 may drive risk via metabolic and inflammatory pathways; brain and CSF data show related changes, indicating potential for early screening and a better understanding of disease mechanisms.

via ScienceAlert|
#biomarker#dementia#early-detection
Low Testosterone May Mark Higher Cancer Risk, Large Study Finds
science1 month ago

Low Testosterone May Mark Higher Cancer Risk, Large Study Finds

An international analysis of 11 long-term studies including over 26,000 men found that very low testosterone levels are associated with a higher risk of cancer diagnosis and cancer death, particularly when testosterone falls below about 7.3–8.6 nmol/L; the study does not prove causation and does not advocate testosterone supplementation, but suggests testosterone could be a biomarker for overall health, with prostate cancer not showing a clear link in these data.

via ScienceAlert|
#biomarker#cancer-risk#prostate-cancer
AI-detected ECG signature reveals new high-risk group for sudden cardiac death
science2 months ago

AI-detected ECG signature reveals new high-risk group for sudden cardiac death

A Swedish deep-learning model trained on hundreds of thousands of ECGs linked to death data identifies a 2.2% high-risk group with a 7.0% annual Sudden Cardiac Death rate, most of whom would not be flagged by reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF); external validation in the US and Taiwan shows the model generalizes to predict arrhythmic events; a generative model visualizes a concrete ECG biomarker and implicates conduction changes related to fibrosis; these findings point to a sizable, previously unrecognized population that could potentially benefit from defibrillators and warrant randomized trials.

via Nature|
#biomarker#deep-learning#defibrillator
Vitamin B12: High Blood Levels as a Possible Cancer Signal, Not a Cure
health3 months ago

Vitamin B12: High Blood Levels as a Possible Cancer Signal, Not a Cure

Vitamin B12 is essential for DNA repair, nerve function, and blood cell health, but very high levels may signal underlying illness rather than provide cancer protection. While deficiency is a real risk, long-term high-dose B12 supplements have not shown clear cancer-preventive benefits, and elevated B12 in cancer patients is often an epiphenomenon caused by liver release or B12-binding proteins. High B12 could serve as a cancer marker in some cases, especially for colon or oral cancers, but for most people a balanced diet suffices and megadoses should only be taken under medical advice, with emphasis on overall healthy habits and routine screenings.

via SciTechDaily|
#biomarker#cancer#health
Blood biomarker p-tau217 signals dementia risk in women decades before symptoms
health5 months ago

Blood biomarker p-tau217 signals dementia risk in women decades before symptoms

A long-term study of 2,766 cognitively healthy women found higher blood levels of p-tau217 predict an increased risk of developing dementia or mild cognitive impairment over up to 25 years, suggesting a blood test could help identify those at greatest risk years before symptoms, though it is not deterministic and results vary by race, hormone therapy use, and age; more research is needed before public screening.

via ScienceAlert|
#biomarker#blood-test#dementia
Blood biomarker p-tau217 signals dementia risk decades ahead, UCSD study finds
health5 months ago

Blood biomarker p-tau217 signals dementia risk decades ahead, UCSD study finds

A UC San Diego–led study analyzed archived blood samples from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study and found that higher levels of the brain protein p-tau217 in cognitively healthy women predicted dementia or mild cognitive impairment up to 25 years later. Published in JAMA Network Open, the finding suggests a simple blood test could identify future dementia risk long before symptoms, enabling earlier lifestyle interventions and more targeted trial recruitment. The study involved only women, with ongoing work to understand modifiable risk factors and whether results apply to men.

via San Diego Union-Tribune|
#biomarker#blood-test#dementia
Blood Biomarker Could Flag Dementia Risk Decades Ahead in Women
health5 months ago

Blood Biomarker Could Flag Dementia Risk Decades Ahead in Women

A UC San Diego study of over 2,500 women found that higher blood levels of the biomarker p-tau217 can predict future dementia risk up to 25 years before symptoms, with stronger links in women over 70, those with Alzheimer’s genetic risk, or on estrogen-progestin therapy; while promising, more studies are needed and it isn’t yet ready for routine clinical use, but could guide prevention trials.

via Gizmodo|
#alzheimers-disease#biomarker#blood-test
Blood tau clock could forecast when Alzheimer’s symptoms begin
health6 months ago

Blood tau clock could forecast when Alzheimer’s symptoms begin

A Nature Medicine study describes a blood test that detects an abnormal form of tau in the blood, which may serve as a molecular clock to predict not only if someone will develop Alzheimer’s but also when symptoms could start. If validated in larger trials, it could enable earlier interventions and streamline clinical testing for therapies, though experts caution that it’s not yet recommended for cognitively unimpaired individuals to use this biomarker outside of research.

via Nature|
#alzheimers-disease#biomarker#blood-test
Semen analysis as a routine health check for men sparks hype and skepticism
health6 months ago

Semen analysis as a routine health check for men sparks hype and skepticism

The piece explores the idea that routine semen analysis could serve as a broad biomarker for men’s health—potentially a “new Pap smear” that flags risks for metabolic, cardiovascular, and cancer conditions. Startups are offering mail-in and at-home testing to tap a growing market, while medical experts caution that there is insufficient evidence that broad semen screening improves health outcomes, and warn of logistical, ethical, and equity concerns and possible overdiagnosis.

via statnews.com|
#biomarker#fertility#health