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Category: health
Cutting Arsenic in Drinking Water Slashed Deaths by 50 Percent
Lowering arsenic in drinking water can slash mortality by up to 50 percent, even for people exposed for decades.
Decades of meticulous well testing and urine monitoring show that safer wells rapidly translate into declining health risks.
Long-term evidence linking arsenic reduction to lower mortality.
Fibromyalgia: A Review of the Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Multidisciplinary Treatment Strategies
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, which may or may not be associated with muscle or joint stiffness, accompanied by other symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. It is a highly prevalent condition globally, being considered the third most common musculoskeletal disorder, following lower back pain and osteoarthritis. It is more prevalent in women than in men, and although it can occur at any age, it is more common between the ages of thirty and thirty-five. Although the pathophysiology and etiopathogenesis remain largely unknown, three underlying processes in fibromyalgia have been investigated. These include central sensitization, associated with an increase in the release of both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters; peripheral sensitization, involving alterations in peripheral nociceptor signaling; and inflammatory and immune mechanisms that develop concurrently with the aforementioned processes. Furthermore, it has been determined that genetic, endocrine, psychological, and sleep disorders may influence the development of this pathology. The accurate diagnosis of fibromyalgia remains challenging as it lacks specific diagnostic biomarkers, which are still under investigation. Nonetheless, diagnostic approaches to the condition have evolved based on the use of scales and questionnaires for pain identification. The complexity associated with this pathology makes it difficult to establish a single effective treatment. Therefore, treatment is multidisciplinary, involving both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions aimed at alleviating symptoms. The non-pharmacological treatments outlined in this review are primarily related to physiotherapy interventions. The effectiveness of physical exercise, both on land and in water, as well as the application of electrotherapy combined with transcranial therapy and manual therapy has been highlighted. All of these interventions aim to improve the quality of life of patients highly affected by fibromyalgia.
The Brain Connectome Explained Through Graph Theory (Neurofeedback Implications)
Dr. Cody shows takes a look Graph Theory related to Brain Circuitry and Neurofeedback.
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Cody Rall, M.D., is a United States Navy trained Psychiatrist who specializes in neurotechnology wearables. He is a co-founder of Stanford Brainstorm, the world’s first academic laboratory dedicated to transforming brain health through entrepreneurship.
Dr. Rall also served as a board member of the psychiatry innovation lab, an annual national competition at the American Psychiatric Association that works as an incubator for groups developing technological solutions to problems in mental health care. He is the founder of Techforpsych, a media and relations company that covers advancements in technology related to neuroscience.
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Immunomodulatory Role of Microbiota in Inflammation and Cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent form of lung cancer, accounting for approximately 85% of all cases, and is associated with a poor prognosis. Despite significant advancements in treatment modalities, therapeutic efficacy remains suboptimal, underscoring the urgent need for novel strategies. In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward the pivotal role of gut microbiota-host interactions in the treatment of NSCLC. This review systematically examines the influence of current NSCLC therapies on gut microbiota and metabolism, explores the relationship between the microbiome and therapeutic response, and highlights the critical functions of probiotics, microbial metabolites, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and dietary interventions in NSCLC management. By elucidating the mechanisms through which gut microbiota and their metabolites modulate treatment efficacy, we investigate the potential of exogenous interventions targeting the gut ecosystem to enhance therapeutic outcomes and mitigate adverse effects. Modulating the intestinal microbiota represents a promising clinical avenue and offers a new frontier for the development of future NSCLC treatment strategies.
The human microbiome comprises a diverse and dynamic community of microorganisms—including bacteria, fungi, viruses—their genetic material, and metabolic byproducts. The resident microbiota is an essential component of host health and homeostasis (1). Most microbiome research to date has focused on bacterial populations, which constitute a major proportion of these resident microbes (2). In the gut, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria dominate the bacterial composition (3– 5). The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in regulating host immunity and metabolism through the production of numerous metabolites that function as signaling molecules and metabolic substrates, linking dysbiosis with inflammation and tumorigenesis (6– 8).
The cross-link between gut microbiota and lung cancer is a complex multifactorial relationship. Studies have shown that in patients with lung cancer, the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Spirochaetes increases in both pulmonary and intestinal microbiomes, while Firmicutes are significantly reduced (4, 9). Research on both gut and respiratory tract microbiota has revealed notable dysregulation in NSCLC, which is further associated with distant metastasis (DM) (10). The pathogenic contribution of the gut microbiome and its specific metabolites to NSCLC lies in their modulation of chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation (11). A study combining serum metabolomics and fecal microbiome profiling identified potential biomarkers in patients with early-stage NSCLC. The metabolomic analysis revealed elevated levels of sphingolipids (e.g. D-erythrosphingosine 1-phosphate, palmitoylsphingomyelin), fatty acyls (e.g.
Exercise-induced vesicles boost neuron growth when transplanted into sedentary mice
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report that extracellular vesicles released into the bloodstream during aerobic exercise can, on their own, drive a robust increase in adult hippocampal neurogenesis when transferred into sedentary mice, even without changes in hippocampal vascular coverage.
Aerobic physical activity preserves cognitive function across the lifespan and repeatedly links to structural and cellular plasticity in the hippocampus. Evidence from plasma transfer experiments indicates that bloodborne factors from exercising animals can transfer pro-neurogenic and pro-cognitive effects to sedentary or aged recipients, partly through reduced inflammation.
Many circulating molecules have been implicated in this exercise–brain connection, including vascular endothelial growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, platelet factor 4, selenoprotein P, irisin, cathepsin B, L-lactate, and interleukin-6. Each contributes to specific aspects of neurogenesis or neuronal survival.
Legend or Truth: Mature CD4+CD8+ Double-Positive T Cells in the Periphery in Health and Disease
The expression of CD4 and CD8 co-receptors defines two distinct T cell populations with specialized functions. While CD4+ T cells support and modulate immune responses through different T-helper (Th) and regulatory subtypes, CD8+ T cells eliminate cells that might threaten the organism, for example, virus-infected or tumor cells. However, a paradoxical population of CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) T cells challenging this paradigm has been found in the peripheral blood. This subset has been observed in healthy as well as pathological conditions, suggesting unique and well-defined functions. Furthermore, DP T cells express activation markers and exhibit memory-like features, displaying an effector memory (EM) and central memory (CM) phenotype.
How the human brain anticipates and regulates the body’s needs
They also used a recently validated map of deep brain areas. This in vivo atlas, Brainstem Navigator, maps the regions involved in regulating the autonomic, immune and endocrine systems.
The authors analytic approach was guided by decades of basic research that has identified two main brain pathways in mammals: one set of pathways (allostatic) that sends signals from the brain to control the body’s organs, and the other set (interoceptive) that sends signals from the body to the brain, informing it about what’s happening inside us.
The findings replicated and expanded on their previous 3 Tesla work, confirming nearly all the direct connections identified in non-human mammals: 100% of those between cortical areas and 96% of those linking subcortical areas to both cortical and other subcortical areas. As expected, the authors found two-way connections between the brain areas that help manage the body’s needs (like the anterior cingulate cortex) and the areas that sense what’s happening inside the body (like the posterior insula). This means these regions communicate back and forth, helping the brain predict and regulate what the body needs.
Mounting evidence suggests that one of the brain’s central roles is to anticipate and meet the body’s energy needs. The findings place the monitoring and regulation of the body’s needs at the functional core of the human brain, showing the close connection between mental and physical health.
Previous studies in both animal models and humans have pointed to the existence of a distributed system in the brain that helps it anticipate and prepare for the body’s energy needs — a process called allostasis — as well as monitor the sensory conditions inside the body, known as interoception.
In an earlier study using 3 Tesla fMRI, the team mapped a network supporting allostasis and interoception in the human brain, but the comparatively limited spatial resolution and sensitivity of the 3 Tesla technology made it difficult to fully capture the system’s smaller structures in the brainstem, which are known to play a key role in these processes.
Family history key to predicting antidepressant response
A new study from Queen Mary University of London shows that a family’s experience with certain medicines could help doctors predict how future generations will respond to the same drugs.
The researchers found that people were almost five times more likely to have a genetic difference affecting how they process antidepressants if both they and a parent had stopped taking the same medication early.
Published in Communications Medicine, the study looked at 600 British, Bangladeshi and Pakistani families from the Genes and Health Project—one of the world’s largest community genetics studies.