Category Health/Medical

University of Iowa researchers have found that the gut may be key to preventing Parkinson’s disease. Cells located in the intestine spark an immune response that protects nerve cells, or neurons, against damage connected with Parkinson’s disease. Acting like detectives, the immune intestinal cells identify damaged machinery within neurons and discard the defective parts. That action ultimately preserves neurons whose impairment or death is known to cause Parkinson’s. Credit: Veena Prahlad, University of Iowa

Your gut may be key to preventing Parkinson’s disease. Cells in the intestine spark an immune response that protects nerve cells, or neurons, against damage connected with Parkinson’s disease...

Nitrate Intake Promotes Shift in Muscle Fiber Type Composition during Sprint Interval Training in Hypoxia. Frontiers in Physiology, 2016; 7 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00233

Nitrate supplementation in conjunction with Sprint Interval Training in low oxygen conditions could enhance sport performance a study has found. Researchers from the University of Leuven in Belgium carried out a study with 27 moderately trained participants. These were given nitrate supplements ahead of Sprint Interval Training (SIT) in the form of short intense cycling sessions 3 times a week. Nitrate is commonly found in diets rich in leafy green foods, like spinach and is important for the functioning of the human body, especially during exercise.

To assess differences in performance in different conditions, the study i...

This diagram demonstrates how the neuropeptide Prokineticin-2 (PK2) is rapidly induced during early stages of neurotoxic stress and secreted into extracellular spaces. ISU biomedical scientists have published new research indicating PK2 may act as a protective mechanism that helps neurons cope with Parkinson’s disease. Credit: Anumantha Kanthasamy

A protein that may safeguard neurons from the ravages of Parkinson’s disease has been identified by a team of scientists. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that takes years to develop. A better understanding of Prokineticin-2 could turn up a means of slowing development of the disease or lead to new therapies, say the investigators. “The neurons use PK2 to cope with stress. It’s an in-built protective mechanism,” said Prof...

Acne and telomere length. A new spectrum between senescence and apoptosis pathways. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2016; DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2016.09.014

Scientists at King’s College London have found that people who have previously suffered from acne are likely to have longer telomeres (the protective repeated nucleotides found at the end of chromosomes) in their white blood cells, meaning their cells could be better protected against aging. Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences found at the end of chromosomes which protect them from deteriorating during the process of replication. Telomeres gradually break down and shrink as cells age, eventually leading to cell death which is a normal part of human growth and aging...