Category Health/Medical

COVID-19 on the brain: Neurological Symptoms Persist in Majority of Long-Haulers

Study: Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 “long haulers.” Image Credit: fizkes / Shutterstock.com

Longitudinal study describes short- and long-term neurological symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection; identifies new subgroup with advanced symptoms. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine are conducting a longitudinal study to track neurological symptoms in COVID-19 “long-haulers.”

The first round of results, published June 15, 2022 in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, revealed the prevalence of various short- and long-term symptoms and found that, while many patients showed improvement, the majority still had some neurological symptoms after six months...

Read More

Vitamin D Deficiency directly linked to Dementia

Vitamin D supplement

Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, affecting thinking and behaviors as you age. But what if you could stop this degenerative disease in its tracks?

A world-first study from the University of South Australia could make this a reality as new genetic research shows a direct link between dementia and a lack of vitamin D.

Investigating the association between vitamin D, neuroimaging features, and the risk of dementia and stroke, the study found:

  • low levels of vitamin D were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia and stroke
  • genetic analyses supported a causal effect of vitamin D deficiency and dementia.
  • in some populations as much as 17% of dementia cases might be prevented by increasing everyo...
Read More

Dietary Fiber in the Gut may Help with Skin Allergies

A Monash University study exploring the emerging gut-skin axis has found that microbial fermentation of dietary fibre in the gut can protect against allergic skin disease. The research could potentially lead to novel treatments to prevent or treat allergies.

Professor Ben Marsland from the Central Clinical School’s Department of Immunology, together with Swiss colleagues at the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), showed that the fermentation of fibre in the gut by bacteria and subsequent production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in particular butyrate, protected against atopic dermatitis in mice.

The research was published today in Mucosal Immunology.

While it is well established that the gut microbiome shapes the immune system, the influence it has on the skin is le...

Read More

Forever Chemicals linked to Hypertension in Middle-Aged Women

Infographic: PFAS associated with higher risk of hypertension
Infographic: PFAS associated with higher risk of hypertension
This infographic shows common synthetic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are associated with a higher risk of hypertension. They are found in fast food packaging, PFAs contaminated drinking water and PFAs contaminated food and states PFAS are detectable in almost everyone. The corresponding line graph shows the survival probability from age 45 to 70 with the following numbers. The hazard ratio of 95% confidence intervals by PFAs. Tertiles 3 versus 1 is 1.71 (1.15, 2.54). Tertile 2 versus Tertile 1 is 1.31 (1.07, 1.59).  
copyright Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal and Ning Ding, Ph.D., M.P.H. 

In a large, prospective study, the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), w...

Read More