Category Health/Medical

Studies of children and adolescents have associated excess manganese in the diet with attention deficits, but confounding factors in those studies have made it impossible to show a cause and effect relationship. The new study is the first to establish a causal link between exposure to elevated manganese in the diet and attentional dysfunction in an animal model.

Manganese is an essential element, required by the body in trace amounts. High levels of exposure can have neurotoxic effects, however, leading to a condition called “manganism” in adults exposed to manganese dust or fumes in mining, welding, and other industrial occupations...

Stylised image: Urushiol (in green), the ‘active ingredient’ in poison ivy, entrapped by CD1a molecule (in pink), which mediates the inflammatory response. Credit: Imaging CoE

Finding the molecular cause of this irritation brings us a step closer to designing agents to block this mechanism and sheds light on other serious skin conditions, such as psoriasis. The international team of scientists have shown, for the first time, a connection between an immune molecule found in the skin and skin sensitisers...

Nanoparticles (green) help form clots in an injured liver. The researchers added color to the scanning electron microscopy image after it was taken. Credit: Erin Lavik, Ph.D.

Whether severe trauma occurs on the battlefield or the highway, saving lives often comes down to stopping the bleeding as quickly as possible. Many methods for controlling external bleeding exist, but at this point, only surgery can halt blood loss inside the body from injury to internal organs. Now, researchers have developed nanoparticles that congregate wherever injury occurs in the body to help it form blood clots, and they’ve validated these particles in test tubes and in vivo.

“When you have uncontrolled internal bleeding, that’s when these particles could really make a difference,” says Erin B. Lavik, Sc.D...

Soluble corn fiber (SCF) may not only boost fiber intake when added to foods, but also increase the amount of beneficial bacteria present in the gut while enhancing calcium absorption, retention and bone building

Supplementing with soluble corn fiber at 2 critical times in a woman’s life – adolescence and post-menopause – can help build and retain calcium in bone, according to new research from Purdue University. “We are looking deeper in the gut to build healthy bone in girls and help older women retain strong bones during an age when they are susceptible to fractures,” said Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head of nutrition science. “Soluble corn fiber, a prebiotic, helps the body better utilize calcium during both adolescence and post-menopause...