Category Health/Medical

Credit: Judy Wu / UCLA Division of Cardiology Image of LeXis (pink dots) inside a cell. The larger blue dots marks the nuclei of liver cells.

Scientists from UCLA and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute successfully used a gene that suppresses cholesterol levels as part of a treatment to reduce plaque in mice with a disorder called familial hypercholesterolemia. In a preclinical study, gene LeXis, lowered cholesterol and blockages in the arteries, and the treatment appeared to reduce the build-up of fat in liver cells. Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited condition characterized by extremely high levels of LDL and an increased risk of early heart disease.

The LeXis gene belongs to a unique group of genes that until recently were considered “junk DNA” because scientists believed th...

Nacho Vivas, lab manager at the Rey Lab, checks on a group of germ-free mice inside a sterile environment. Credit: Bryce Richter/UW-Madison

If our microbiome overindulges, we might not have access to the nutrients we need. That’s the suggestion from new research that shows mice that harbor high levels of microbes that eat choline are deprived of this essential nutrient. “Gut bacteria get to use a lot of our food before we do,” says Federico Rey, a professor of bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Then we get their leftovers – or their waste. Compared to mice without choline-hungry bacteria, the choline-starved mice had an increased susceptibility to metabolic diseases and gave birth to pups with biochemical alterations in the brain and that exhibited more anxious behaviors...

High-intensity interval training triggers endorphin release in the brain. Photo: Turku PET Centre

Finnish researchers at the University of Turku have revealed that exercise-induced endorphin release in the brain depends on the intensity of the exercise. Endorphin release induced by exercise may be an important mechanism which affects exercise motivation and maintenance of regular physical activity. The popular high-intensity interval training (HIIT) leads to endorphin release in the brain, which might alleviate the physical and emotional stress caused by the high-intensity exercise. A less demanding, traditional one-hour aerobic exercise does not cause similar endorphin release.

In the study, HIIT significantly increased the release of endorphins and other opioid peptides in the brain area...