Hundreds of genes selected in West Eurasia since farming began, many linked to health
Category: health – Page 3
Activities Like Reading May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk by 38%
Intellectually engaging and stimulating activities like reading, writing, and learning new languages are linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment in later life. The corresponding study was published in Neurology.
“Our study looked at cognitive enrichment from childhood to later life, focusing on activities and resources that stimulate the mind. Our findings suggest that cognitive health in later life is strongly influenced by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments,” said study author, Andrea Zammit, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, in a press release.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 1939 adults with an average age of 80 years old who were dementia-free at the start of the study. They were followed for around eight years.
Abstract: Offering a topical strategy in skin cancer
https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI189044 Brian C. Capell & team identify the epigenetic regulator LSD1 as critical for epidermal development and find its inhibition suppresses tumors in two cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma mouse models by promoting immunosurveillance.
The image shows immunofluorescence from mice lacking LSD1 in the skin, revealing profound activation of cutaneous retinoid signaling (as measured by CRABP2 levels in green); keratin 14 (red); nuclei (blue).
1Department of Dermatology and.
2Penn Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
3Division of Allergy and Immunology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
How do cancer cells ‘learn’ to resist treatment?
Researchers at NYU Langone Health propose a model that could explain how cancer cells adapt to environmental stress, an approach that may lead to new therapies. Published online April 15 as the cover story of the journal Nature, the perspective article centers on a family of proteins called AP-1, which are quickly activated in cells in response to stressful situations—like being exposed to chemotherapy.
While AP-1 proteins have been studied for many decades, the authors propose they are part of a previously overlooked molecular mechanism in which cells survive by learning to rewire their circuitry. This process depends not on permanent changes to a cell’s DNA code, but rather on the cell’s ability to turn genes on or off, and then “remember” the changes that improve its survival chances.
The work suggests that cancer cells use this plasticity to explore gene expression patterns until they find a combination that helps them survive. Once a successful survival state is discovered, it can be locked in and passed down to future cell generations, leading to drug-resistant tumors.
Abstract: Immune signaling and function in neurodegeneration:
Yvonne L. Latour & Dorian B. McGavern contribute a Review to the JCI Series on Neurodegeneration, discussing signaling pathways, cellular players, and immune responses shared across multiple neurodegenerative diseases, while considering external factors that may influence CNS disease progression. Neurodegeneration.
Viral Immunology and Intravital Imaging Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Lifestyle-Driven Variations in Nutrimiromic MicroRNA Expression Patterns across and beyond Genders
The importance of diet and lifestyle in maintaining overall health has long been recognised. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key players in the intricate interplay between health and disease. This study, including 305 participants, examined the role of miRNAs from capillary blood as indicators of individual physiological characteristics, diet, and lifestyle influences. Key findings include specific miRNAs associated with inflammatory processes and dietary patterns. Notably, miR-155 was associated with subjects with metabolic diseases and upregulated in age. Additionally, the study revealed diet-related miRNA expressions: high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains correlated with increased levels of miR-let-7a and miR-328, both implicated in anti-inflammatory pathways, and decreased expression of pro-inflammatory miR-21.
Unlocking secrets of human development: How early nerve cell choices shape the peripheral nervous system
Millions of neurons branch throughout our bodies, keeping them in close communication with our brains. This peripheral network begins to take shape long before birth, as the cells of a growing embryo move into position and adopt their specialized roles. This crucial stage of human development can’t be monitored directly, but by examining genetic clues that linger in adult cells, scientists have now gained surprising insights into the developmental origins of the peripheral nervous system.
Researchers led by Xiaoxu Yang, Ph.D., at University of Utah Health, and Keng Ioi Vong, Ph.D., and Joseph Gleeson, M.D., at the University of California San Diego, have discovered that within the first few weeks of development, some of an embryo’s cells have already been selected to take on particular roles in the peripheral nervous system. Their findings, recently reported in the journal Nature, overturn longstanding assumptions in biology.
Their discovery could change the way scientists think about treatments for a variety of childhood diseases that begin in the cells of the peripheral nervous system.
Abstract: In obesity, the heart muscle can thicken, preventing it from relaxing properly between beats
While diet and inflammation likely contribute, the underlying molecular mechanism has been unclear.
https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI196238 Here, Junichi Sadoshima & team find direct stimulation of IL-6 transcription by PPARα in cardiomyocytes plays an important role in mediating the initial development of obesity cardiomyopathy.
The figure indicates binding of PPARα to NFkB (via PLA assay).
1Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
2Precision Medicine Research Center, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Address correspondence to: Junichi Sadoshima, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Science, 185 South Orange Ave., MSB G609, Newark, New Jersey, 7,103, USA. Phone 973.972.8619; Email: sadoshju@njms.rutgers.edu.
A missing link in how the brain regulates appetite
Bile acids at the center of hepato-ocular crosstalk.
Hepatic dysfunction with ocular pathology has been linked to dysregulated bile acid metabolism.
Bile acid imbalance has been shown to drive ocular injury along the gut-liver-eye axis through direct cytotoxicity, disruption of retinal and lens homeostasis mediated by FXR and TGR5 signaling, and immune activation and these mechanisms are implicated across a spectrum of conditions, ranging from inborn metabolic disorders to acquired cholestatic diseases.
The researchers in this review discuss translational potential of targeting bile acid homeostasis and summarize emerging therapeutic strategies, including bile acid-based interventions, targeted drug delivery, and microbiome modulation, that aim to restore systemic bile acid balance.
Thus, bile acid homeostasis act as a unifying therapeutic framework for hepato-ocular comorbidities. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/Hepato-ocular-crosstalk
Health sciences.
Low-frequency wireless sensor tracks artery stiffening in real time with less interference
Wireless sensors used in wearable smart devices and medical equipment must be capable of detecting minute changes while maintaining high operational stability. However, existing technologies often utilize excessively high frequencies, leading to electromagnetic interference (EMI) or potential health risks to the human body. To address these fundamental issues, a Korean research team has developed a low-frequency-based wireless sensor technology.
A joint research team, led by Professor Seungyoung Ahn from the KAIST Cho Chun Shik Graduate School of Mobility and Professor Do Hwan Kim from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Hanyang University, has developed the “WiLECS” (Wireless Ionic-Electronic Coupling System), a low-frequency wireless electrochemical sensing platform that combines ion-based materials with wireless power transfer technology. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Conventional wireless sensors suffer from low capacitance (the ability to store electrical charge), requiring high frequencies in the megahertz (MHz) range to compensate. However, these high-frequency methods can cause tissue heating or signal instability, limiting their practical application in clinical medical settings.