A quick online search for ways to improve our mental health will often come up with a myriad of different results. However, one of the most common suggestions put forward as a step to achieving wellness – and preventing future issues – is doing some physical exercise, whether it be a walk or playing a...
Month: <span>September 2021</span>
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Medicine that treats gout could also battle COVID-19
by University of Georgia Ralph Tripp, GRA Eminent Scholar of Vaccine and Therapeutic Studies at the University of Georgia. Credit: UGA As COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket across the U.S. and the world, few options are available for treating patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2. But new research from the University of Georgia offers hope for a viable therapeutic...
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A T-cell power-up for tumor treatments
by University of Southern California Credit: DOI: 10.1089/hum.2021.050 Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. But in recent years, a revolutionary therapy has brought new hope in the fight against the disease that takes the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans each year. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a highly...
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Drugs that mimic effects of cigarette smoke reduce SARS-CoV-2’s ability to enter cells
by Hiroshima University A team of Japanese scientists demonstrates that treatment with AHR agonists decreases expression of ACE2 via AHR activation, resulting in suppression of COVID-19. Credit: DBCLS TogoTV / CC-BY-4.0 Researchers have identified a potential reason why lower numbers of COVID cases have appeared amongst smokers compared to non-smokers, even as other reports suggest smoking increases...
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Association between standing and insulin sensitivity
by University of Turku Fig. 1. Dose-response association between standing time and insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity presented as a) M-value and b) HOMA-IR stratified by tertiles of accelerometer-measured standing time (h/day; means [SD]) in sedentary adults with metabolic syndrome (n = 64). HOMA-IR = homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance. ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < 0.001. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2021.08.009 Insulin is a key hormone...
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Omics data suggests larger effect of smoking on body mass index than previously thought
by Public Library of Science Credit: monstreh, Pixabay, CC0 (creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) Smoking-related DNA methylation patterns explain around a fifth of the variation in body mass index (BMI) between individuals, according to a study publishing September 9th in the open-access journal PLOS Genetics, led by Carmen Amador at the University of Edinburgh. Amador and colleagues analyzed genomic sequence data from over...
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Vitamin D and lumisterol emerge as cheap and easily accessible potential treatments for COVID-19
by American Physiological Society Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Promising new data from a recent study indicates that active forms of vitamin D can inhibit the replication and expansion of COVID-19. The study’s findings also suggest lumisterol, produced by a chemical reaction in the body using light, works to block COVID-19. Vitamin D and lumisterol metabolites were...
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Brain molecule helps ‘wake up’ cells that could help tackle MS and similar diseases, study shows
by University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An immunological molecule called fractalkine can boost the production of brain cells that produce myelin, a key factor in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, according to recent research from the University of Alberta. Myelin is an insulating layer around nerves that is gradually worn away...
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Mu SARS-CoV-2 variant highly resistant to neutralization by convalescent and vaccinated sera
Researchers in Japan have warned that the Mu (B.1.621) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – appears to be highly resistant to neutralization by sera from convalescent or vaccinated individuals. The B.1.621 variant, first isolated in Colombia in January this year (2021), was classified...
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Reversal of the biological hallmarks responsible for development of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia using unique hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocol
IMAGE: STUDY RESULTS SHOW ELEVATED BLOOD FLOW AND IMPROVED OXYGENATION IN THE BRAIN OF PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT CREDIT: TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY (TAKEN FROM THE ARTICLE). Scientific Breakthrough: A team of investigators from Tel Aviv University has succeeded in restoring brain trauma by hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). This is the first time in the...