Articles Posted by ConservativeMind
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Inulin, a type of fiber found in certain plant-based foods and fiber supplements, causes inflammation in the gut and exacerbates inflammatory bowel disease in a preclinical model, according to a study. The study shows that inulin, which is found in foods such as garlic, leeks and sunchoke, as well as commonly used fiber supplements and foods with added fiber, stimulates microbes in the gut to release bile acids that increase the production of molecules that promote intestinal inflammation. Feeding inulin to mice in the context of a model of inflammatory bowel disease increased the production of certain bile acids by...
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Researchers have found naturally occurring compounds in the gut that can be harnessed to reduce inflammation and other symptoms of digestive issues. This can be achieved by binding the compounds to an important, but poorly understood, nuclear receptor. Said Jiabao Liu, "We found that these molecules act similarly to artificial compounds that are currently being used to regulate the constitutive androstane receptor, otherwise known as CAR." CAR plays a critical role in regulating the breakdown, uptake and removal of foreign substances in the liver, including drugs. It is also involved in intestinal inflammation. "One of the challenges with studying CAR...
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A drug that targets a protein known as phosphatidylserine boosted the response rate for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving immunotherapy without compromising their safety, according to results of a clinical trial. The findings show the potential benefits of augmenting immunotherapy for this and other forms of cancer. Several years ago, researchers discovered that phosphatidylserine, a fatty substance called a phospholipid sometimes present on the surface of cancer cells, appeared to interact with immune cells to prevent them from attacking tumors. An antibody drug called bavituximab that neutralizes phosphatidylserine showed no effect on tumor response, progression, or survival when administered alone...
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Protein imbalances that increase brain cell excitability may explain why individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) who also experience seizures demonstrate more rapid cognitive decline than those who do not experience seizures. These imbalances may be present in the brains of individuals before the onset of AD symptoms. The team found that an existing drug called rapamycin, initially developed as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients that suppresses signaling between neurons, was able to regulate the over-excited neurons in mouse models of AD and seizures, and preserve cognitive function, like memory and the ability to learn new things. "Experts used to...
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Combining time-restricted eating with high-intensity functional training may improve body composition and cardiometabolic parameters more than either alone, according to a study. Prior studies indicate that time-restricted eating (which limits when, but not what, individuals eat) and high-intensity functional training (which combines intense aerobic and resistance exercise) may be beneficial and easier for individuals to commit to long term. In a new study, researchers investigated the impact of time-restricted eating and high-intensity functional training on body composition and markers of cardiometabolic health such as cholesterol, blood glucose, and lipid levels. A total of 64 women with obesity were assigned to...
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A preclinical study from Karolinska Institutet offers hope for treating severe neurodegenerative diseases with an existing drug. The study suggests that the leprosy drug clofazimine may be effective in the treatment of Huntington's disease. The research group examined whether existing drugs could reduce the toxicity of so-called polyQ proteins. These proteins are found in patients with certain hereditary neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease, for which there is no cure. Screening hundreds of drugs, they found that the leprosy drug clofazimine reduces the toxicity of polyQ proteins and restores mitochondrial function in zebrafish and worms. The finding supports the previous hypothesis...
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For individuals without a family history of colorectal cancer (CRC), increasing the interval between colonoscopies for those with a first colonoscopy with negative findings seems safe and can avoid unnecessary colonoscopies, according to a study. Qunfeng Liang and colleagues assessed how many years after a first colonoscopy with findings negative for CRC a second colonoscopy can be performed. The exposed group included individuals without a family history of CRC who had a first colonoscopy with findings negative for CRC at age 45 to 69 years between 1990 and 2016, while the control group included matched individuals who did not have...
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Blood vessels in the lungs aren't like the others in the body. This difference becomes clear in pulmonary hypertension, in which only the lungs' blood vessels stiffen progressively, leading to chronic lung disease, heart failure and death. The underlying reasons for this organ-specific vessel stiffening remained a mystery until Stephen Chan and colleagues made a surprising discovery about these blood vessel cells in patients with pulmonary hypertension—they're hungry. They found that hypertensive pulmonary blood vessel cells have a voracious appetite for two amino acids, glutamine and serine, and—as happens with any unbalanced diet—there are consequences. This metabolism of glutamine and...
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Researchers found that metformin, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, can decrease the amount of COVID-19 virus in the body and lower the chances of the virus coming back strongly after initial treatment. A higher viral load—the amount of virus in a person's body—usually indicates a greater concentration of the virus, which can be important in understanding the severity of infection and monitoring the effectiveness of treatments. "The results of the study are important because COVID-19 continues to cause illness, both during acute infection and for months after infection," said Carolyn Bramante, MD. In this phase 3 randomized clinical...
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Cranberry extracts appear to improve intestinal microbiota and help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A recent study reported beneficial effects after only four days of use. The research team showed that the polyphenols and oligosaccharides present in a cranberry extract boost the genus Bifidobacterium, associated with a reduced risk of diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases. "Normally, these bacteria are stimulated by dietary fiber consumption. We observed the same effect with cranberry extract with a dose almost 20 times lower," says Jacob Lessard-Lord. Cranberry extracts also stimulate the Akkermansia muciniphila bacterium, which plays an important role in the...
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Adding a pre-ketone supplement—a component of a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet—to a type of cancer therapy in a laboratory setting was highly effective for treating prostate cancer, researchers found. Prostate cancer is resistant to a type of immunotherapy called immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. ICB therapy paves the way for our body's fighter cells, T cells, to kill the cancer. Murphy divided the models into different groups: immunotherapy alone, ketogenic diet alone, a pre-ketone supplement alone, the ketogenic diet with the immunotherapy, the supplement with the immunotherapy, and the control. While the immunotherapy alone had almost no effect on the...
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A common practice of shoulder surgeons may be impairing the success of rotator cuff surgery, a study from orthopedic scientists and biomedical engineers suggests. During the surgery, surgeons often remove a tissue called the bursa while repairing torn tendons in the shoulder joint, but the study suggests that the small tissue plays a role in helping the shoulder heal. The bursa is a thin, fluid-filled sac originally thought to protect the tendons by providing a cushion between the tendons and adjacent bones. The bursa often becomes inflamed, sometimes concurrently, when underlying tendons are injured, and surgeons often remove the tissue...
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A study suggests that a range of respiratory viral infections—including COVID-19 and influenza—may be preventable or treatable with a generic antibiotic that is delivered to the nasal passageway. A team successfully tested the effectiveness of neomycin, a common antibiotic, to prevent or treat respiratory viral infections in animal models when given to the animals via the nose. The team then found that the same nasal approach—this time applying the over-the-counter ointment Neosporin—also triggers a swift immune response by interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in the noses of healthy humans. "This is an exciting finding, that a cheap over-the-counter antibiotic ointment can stimulate...
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Researchers have found vitamin D encourages the growth of a type of gut bacteria in mice which improves immunity to cancer. The researchers found mice given a diet rich in vitamin D had better immune resistance to experimentally transplanted cancers and improved responses to immunotherapy treatment. This effect was also seen when gene editing was used to remove a protein that binds to vitamin D in the blood and keeps it away from tissues. Surprisingly, the team found that vitamin D acts on epithelial cells in the intestine, which in turn increase the amount of a bacteria called Bacteroides fragilis....
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A research team found positive effects of tai chi and aerobic exercise on sleep quality, psychological well-being, physical function, and circadian rhythm in patients with advanced lung cancer. The study, conducted over a four-year period, discovered additional advantages in terms of improving one-year survival rates and reducing fatigue. The research has demonstrated remarkable potential of tai chi as a non-pharmacological intervention for improving survival in advanced lung cancer patients. The research team conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of aerobic and mind-body exercises, two widely recognized forms of physical exercises, which differ in intensity and modality. The study showed...
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A quality improvement (QI) initiative to standardize care for babies in the NICU following surgery correlated with fewer unplanned intubations and improved mortality rates. The study streamlined care following surgery in 2019 through routine use of acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain control, rather than opioids, and use of a checklist to ensure patients were ready for extubation. Following these changes, the number of unplanned intubations decreased more than 75%, resulting in 11 fewer unplanned intubations each year in the NICU. The percentage of infants receiving acetaminophen following surgery increased from 25% to 90%, which resulted in a significant decline in opioid...
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Conditions such as diabetes, heart attack, and vascular diseases commonly diagnosed in people with spinal cord injuries can be traced to abnormal post-injury neuronal activity that causes abdominal fat tissue compounds to leak and pool in the liver and other organs, a new animal study has found. Researchers found that a short course of the drug gabapentin prevented the damaging metabolic effects of spinal cord injury. Experiments revealed a cascade of abnormal activity within seven days after the injury in neurons and in visceral fat tissue. "As soon as we disrupt sensory processing as a result of spinal cord injury,...
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Managing a stroke victim's blood sugar levels after they receive powerful clot-busting drugs might help them survive their health crisis, a new trial finds. People with high blood sugar levels were more likely to suffer a potentially deadly brain bleed after clot-busters reopened their blocked brain arteries, researchers found. The risk was particularly high in older patients with more severe strokes. "These data suggest that more focus and research is needed on the management of high blood sugar in the treatment of stroke patients, particularly those with higher risk, more severe strokes," said Dr. Andrew Southerland. For the study, researchers...
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Researchers from the University of Cologne have found a new use for cnicin, a substance produced in blessed thistle. Blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus) is a plant in the family Asteraceae and also grows in our climate. For centuries, it has been used as a medicinal herb as an extract or tea, e.g. to aid the digestive system. Researchers at the Center for Pharmacology of University Hospital Cologne and at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne have now found a completely novel use for cnicin under the direction of Dr. Philipp Gobrecht and Professor Dr. Dietmar Fischer. Animal...
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Keeping blood pressure under control could be crucial for women in preventing uterine fibroids, new research shows. Middle-aged women tracked for up to 17 years in a new study were 37% less likely to develop these painful growths if they treated their high blood pressure with medication. On the other hand, "patients with new-onset hypertension had a 45% increased risk of newly reported fibroids," said a team led by Susannah Mitro. As outlined in the study, uterine fibroids are benign but painful tumors that arise in the uterus and affect up to 80% of women by the age of 50....
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