Keyword: medicalxpress
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New research has found that nitrate from plant sources is associated with a lower risk of mortality while nitrate from other sources such as animal-based foods, processed meat and tap water, is linked to a higher risk of mortality. Emerging evidence suggests that dietary nitrate may play a role in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD), dementia, and diabetes. Dr. Nicola Bondonno led the project which has found that among 52,247 participants, moderate to high intakes of plant and vegetable sourced nitrate were associated with a 14% to 24% lower risk of all-cause, CVD-related, and cancer-related mortality. Conversely, higher intakes of naturally...
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Avoiding bright light at night could be a simple way to reduce your risk of diabetes, a study shows. The study reveals the compelling relationship between exposure to light and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. "We found that exposure to brighter light at night was associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes," says Associate Professor Andrew Phillips. In the large modeling study, the research team investigated whether personal light exposure patterns predicted the risk of diabetes using data from approximately 85,000 people and around 13 million hours of light sensor data. The participants—who did not...
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Getting more than six hours of quality sleep a night may help prevent, or slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The research has found the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, a process linked to the development and progression of the disease, is closely related to individual sleep patterns. The study highlighted that poorer sleep quality, and lower quantity, were associated with faster accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain, in older adults whose memory and thinking were still unimpaired. Associate Professor Stephanie Rainey-Smith said the findings suggest new hope for us all. "Alzheimer's disease is...
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A new study shows that a 30-minute exercise session can increase the proportion of tumor-killing white blood cells in the bloodstream of breast cancer patients. White blood cells, the cells of our immune system, fight against cancer, bacteria, and viruses. The most important cell types that destroy cancer cells are cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. Cell types that support cancer growth include, for example, regulatory T cells and myeloid derived suppressor cells. Twenty breast cancer patients who had just been diagnosed and therefore had not yet started their cancer treatments participated in the study. During the study, the...
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Researchers have found a potential link between putative retinal gliosis and Alzheimer's disease. The study demonstrates that putative retinal gliosis could be a sign of Alzheimer's disease-related neuroinflammation, an inflammatory response within the brain or spinal cord. Putative retinal gliosis refers to changes in the retina caused by activation of glial cells, which are support cells that become activated when there is damage or disease in the retina. In this study, Edmund Arthur, O.D., Ph.D. found that presumed neuroinflammation was larger in the retina of preclinical Alzheimer's disease patients compared to similarly aged controls, like from postmortem tissues and animal...
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New research may help explain recurrent Crohn's disease in children and open the door to new ways to treat or even cure the devastating condition. Crohn's is a debilitating—and possibly life-threatening—inflammation of the digestive tract. It's most common in adults but afflicts children. New research suggests answers to why children with relapsing Crohn's endure repeated bouts even after appearing to recover. Rebecca Pierce found that children with relapsing Crohn's had a persistent disruption of their microbiomes—the collection of microorganisms that lives in our guts—even after inflammation was successfully controlled by treatment. "Currently, the main goal of most Crohn's disease treatments...
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A large analysis of data from nearly 400,000 healthy U.S. adults followed for more than 20 years has found no association between regular multivitamin use and lower risk of death. The study, "Multivitamin Use and Mortality Risk in 3 Prospective US Cohorts" led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute, was published June 26, 2024, in JAMA Network Open.
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Periods of fasting reprogram the immune system's natural killer cells to better fight cancer, according to a study in mice. Now a team of researchers have shown for the first time that fasting can reprogram the metabolism of natural killer cells, helping them to survive in the harsh environment in and around tumors, while also improving their cancer-fighting ability. Natural killer cells, or NK cells for short, are a type of white blood cell that can kill abnormal or damaged cells, like cancer cells or cells infected with a virus. For the study, mice with cancer were denied food for...
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For children, longer sleep duration and earlier sleep onset are associated with lower blood pressure, according to a study. Amy J. Kogon, M.D. and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of initial ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data and self-report sleep data collected from patients referred to a pediatric nephrology clinic for evaluation of elevated blood pressure. Associations between sleep exposures and continuous and dichotomous blood pressure outcomes were examined. The sample included 539 patients (mean age, 14.6 years), of whom 56 percent met the criteria for hypertension. The average sleep duration was 9.1 hours per night, and the average timing of...
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The over-the-counter supplement nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3, increased the walking endurance of patients with peripheral artery disease, a chronic leg condition for which there are few effective treatments. In a preliminary, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, patients who took nicotinamide riboside daily for six months increased their timed walking distance by more than 57 feet, compared to participants who took a placebo. As expected, walking speed declined in those who took a placebo, because peripheral artery disease causes progressive declines in walking performance. The scientists recruited 90 people with an average age of 71 who had peripheral artery...
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The ketogenic diet has a scientifically documented impact on memory in mice. Scientists identified a new molecular signaling pathway that improves synapse function and helps explain the diet's benefit on brain health and aging. The findings provide new directions for targeting the memory effects on a molecular level, without requiring a ketogenic diet or even the byproducts of it. "We now know that being able to manipulate lifespan is not about specifically eating less," said Newman, but actually is related to signals inside cells that turn on and off specific pathways in response to available nutrients. Many of those pathways...
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Among adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery, infusion of amino acids reduces the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a study published online. Giovanni Landoni, M.D. and colleagues examined the efficacy of amino acids in reducing the occurrence of AKI after cardiac surgery. The analysis included 3,511 adult patients who were scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass who were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous infusion of either a balanced mixture of amino acids (2 g per kilogram of ideal body weight per day) or placebo (Ringer's solution) for up to three days. The researchers found that...
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Twelve months of heavy resistance training—exercise that makes muscles work against force—around the time of retirement preserves vital leg strength years later, show the follow-up results of a clinical trial, published online. Resistance training can help to counteract this loss, but most of the published research has involved relatively short periods of time (6-9 months) to monitor its effects. The researchers therefore wanted to know whether a year of supervised resistance training with heavy loads would make any difference over the longer term. At the time, participants who had recently retired and were healthy. They were randomly assigned either to...
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A substance naturally occurring in pomegranates, strawberries and walnuts can improve memory and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, a new study concludes. Forgetfulness, difficulty finding words and confusion about time and place. These are some of the most common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Now researchers have discovered that an ordinary fruit can help. "Our study on mouse models with AD shows that urolithin A can alleviate memory problems and other consequences of dementia," says Vilhelm Bohr. "Even though the study was conducted on mouse models, the prospects are positive. So far, research has shown promising results for the substance in the...
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A recent study shows that there may be a more effective way to treat melanoma by using ascorbate (vitamin C) to increase DNA damage in cancer cells, leading to their death, according to Marcus Cooke. The multi-disciplinary research team found that melanoma cells have more DNA damage and fewer antioxidant defenses compared to normal skin cells. When treated with hydrogen peroxide and vitamin C, melanoma cells showed even more DNA damage and higher cell death rates, while normal cells were protected. Additionally, the study results found that vitamin C boosted the effectiveness of an existing melanoma drug, elesclomol. "We've been...
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A short course of immunotherapy was found to be highly effective in a subset of patients with colon cancer. The treatment, which consisted of two cycles of immunotherapy prior to surgery, was effective in almost all patients. In two-thirds of patients, there were no longer any live tumor cells at the time of surgery. The patients' immune systems had cleaned up the cancer cells. These discoveries were made as part of the NICHE-2 trial. Patients with colon cancer with a specific genetic makeup, known as mismatch-repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instable (MSI), were treated with one cycle of ipilimumab and...
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Researchers have identified mechanisms in the brain's hippocampal network that are rescued by ketones. These findings build on previous research showing that ketones can alleviate neurological and cognitive affects. As we age, our brain naturally becomes more insulin resistant. This creates a breakdown in communication between neurons, causing symptoms like changes in mood, cognitive decline, and eventually neurodegeneration. Nathan A. Smith, MS, Ph.D. and fellow researchers studied the mechanisms in the brain that break down when insulin resistance is suddenly present, like in trauma, but before symptoms manifest into chronic conditions, like diabetes or Alzheimer's. "Once neuronal function is lost,...
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A strict "keto-friendly" diet popular for weight loss and diabetes, depending on both the diet and individual, might not be all that friendly. A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) found that a continuous long-term ketogenic diet may induce senescence, or aged, cells in normal tissues, with effects on heart and kidney function in particular. However, an intermittent ketogenic diet, with a planned keto vacation or break, did not exhibit any pro-inflammatory effects due to aged cells, according to the research. The findings have significant clinical...
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In emergency rooms and intensive care units across the country, clinicians make split-second decisions about which antibiotics to give a patient. A new study reveals that these decisions may have unintended consequences for patient outcomes. Beginning in 2015, a 15-month national shortage of a commonly prescribed antibiotic, piperacillin/tazobactam--known by the brand name Zosyn--provided a unique opportunity to compare rates of death in hospitalized patients with sepsis who were administered two different types of antibiotics—one that spares the gut microbiome and one that profoundly alters it. Piperacillin/tazobactam is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is commonly administered for sepsis, a life-threatening complication from...
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Gut microbiota or the population of microbial inhabitants in the intestine, plays a key role in digestion and maintenance of overall health. Intestinal microbes metabolize dietary components into beneficial fatty acids (FAs), supporting metabolism and maintaining host body homeostasis. Metabolites originating from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), influenced by gut microbes such as Lactobacillus plantarum, exhibit potent effects on inflammation and immune responses. The researchers used antigen-stimulated spleen cells to elicit an enhanced immune response. Subsequently, they investigated the impacts of different polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) derivatives, focusing on metabolites of linoleic acid, a prevalent dietary fatty acid. Their findings revealed...
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