Lifeboat Foundation

Men who regularly lift heavy objects at work have almost 50 percent higher sperm concentration and count.

As infertility is becoming a common problem of late, and medical professionals are scrambling to find solutions to nullify this rising trend. Researchers have found a link between male fertility and occupational factors, such as physical demands and work schedules.

The Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital collaborative effort found that men who “regularly lift heavy objects at work have higher sperm counts than men whose work is less physically demanding,” a press release said.

Continue reading “Physically active men at work are more fertile, a Harvard study confirms” »

Give at least 11 minutes to your body, and it could do wonders for you.

Cambridge University researchers propose that people can reduce their risk of early death from heart disease, cancer, and various other health problems — just by doing 11 minutes of brisk walking or any other moderate-intensity physical activity daily.

This is half the effort that National Health Service (NHS) recommended in the past to lead a long and healthy life. According to NHS, a person between 19 to 64 years of age should spend at least 150 minutes a week (about 21 hours a day) doing moderate-intensity exercise.

In a healthcare industry still burdened with 1960s technology, generative AI may offer a little relief — but companies are still working to overhaul a broken system that’s keeping doctors and nurses more focused on paperwork than patients.

Every week, Eli Gelfand, chief of general cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, wastes a lot of time on letters he doesn’t want to write — all of them to insurers disputing his recommendations. A new drug for a heart failure patient. A CAT scan for a patient with chest pain. A new drug for a patient with stiff heart syndrome.

A large team of cancer researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in Germany, working with a colleague from the U.S., has discovered some of the ways gut bacteria can positively impact treatments for cancer. In their study, published in the journal Nature, the group studied the impact of gut microbiota on chemotherapy given to patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Le Li and Florencia McAllister with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, have published a News and Views piece in the same journal issue, outlining the work done by the team in Germany.

Prior research has shown that chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer that has metastasized sometimes works well but is sometimes ineffective, and this difference may be tied to dietary resistance, though its source is not known. In this new study, the team in Germany looked at the possibility that certain microorganisms in the gut microbiome play a role in the process.

The team began their work by looking at samples of the gut microbiome of pancreatic cancer patients and found differences between those responding to treatment and those who were not. They also found that mice with sterilized guts who received biome samples from mice responding to chemotherapy also responded well.

A new study of 30 million people found that even small amounts of exercise could lower risk for heart disease, certain cancers and early death.

Patients with a large cerebral infarction have better functional recovery when they receive endovascular therapy early on in addition to usual medical management, a new study shows.

The trial was stopped early because a planned interim analysis showed efficacy of endovascular therapy in this patient population. #Stroke

A new study provides evidence for better functional recovery after endovascular therapy from a population of large-infarction strokes that could contribute to changing clinical practice.

Bruce Willis has FTD. I always wondered if gene therapy could help. Apparently so did Passage Bio, and they are doing clinical trials.

FTD is a disorder that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, areas that control personality, executive function, and language. FTD is a form of early onset dementia and currently has no approved disease-modifying therapies. In approximately 5–10% of individuals with FTD, the disease occurs because of mutations in the GRN gene. These mutations cause a deficiency of progranulin that helps regulate cellular processes.

Continue reading “Gene Therapy Clinical Trial for Frontotemporal Dementia Has Begun” »

Thinks he now has the answer to time travel — but you thankfully won’t be needing a DeLorean like the hit 8’0s movie Back to the Future A scientist believes he has finally cracked the code to enable time travel after having a big ‘eureka’ moment as he lay in hospital.

An ongoing study led by Cedars-Sinai has demonstrated that certain gut bacteria may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes while others may provide protection against it. These are early results from a prospective study.

According to the study, which was published in the journal Diabetes, higher levels of the bacterium Coprococcus are associated with improved insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that regulates the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is produced by the pancreas and released into the bloodstream when the level of glucose in the blood rises, such as after a meal. Insulin helps to transport glucose from the bloodstream into the cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for later use. Insulin also helps to regulate the metabolism of fat and protein. In individuals with diabetes, their body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t respond properly to insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels, which can lead to serious health problems if left untreated.