Recent Comments

    Category Health/Medical

    Adult Brain Prunes Branched Connections of New Neurons

    May 2, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    A new Salk study is the first to closely follow the development of new neurons in the adult brain, giving insight into neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. By genetically engineering new neurons to fluoresce green, researchers were able to see when the new cells grew and branched surrounded by other cell nuclei (blue) in the brain. Credit: Salk Institute

    A new Salk study is the first to closely follow the development of new neurons in the adult brain, giving insight into neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. By genetically engineering new neurons to fluoresce green, researchers were able to see when the new cells grew and branched surrounded by other cell nuclei (blue) in the brain. Credit: Salk Institute

    A new study is first to closely follow development of new neurons in the adult brain, giving potential new insight into neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. New brain cells began with a period of overgrowth, sending out a plethora of neuronal branches, before the brain pruned back the connections. “We were surprised by the extent of the pruning we saw,” says Prof. Rusty Gage.

    While most o...

    Read More

    High-Fat Diet Starves the Brain

    May 1, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Cross-section through the brain of a mouse: regions with reduced uptake of glucose after three days of a high-fat diet (blue: slightly reduced, white: greatly reduced). [less] © MPI f. Metabolism Research

    Cross-section through the brain of a mouse: regions with reduced uptake of glucose after three days of a high-fat diet (blue: slightly reduced, white: greatly reduced). © MPI f. Metabolism Research

    A high-fat diet of 3 days in mice leads to a reduction in the amount of glucose that reaches the brain. The mouse brain restored its sugar uptake after 4 weeks, albeit at the cost of the rest of the body. High-fat-content foods throw our bodies out of kilter. Obesity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes can be the result. But what does a high-fat diet actually do to our brain? Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne have looked into the brains of mice to understand how obesity and diabetes develop.

    “A high-fat diet reduces the uptake of blood glucose into the ...

    Read More

    1 in 6 infants and toddlers admitted to a Colorado hospital with Bronchiolitis tested +ve for Marijuana exposure

    May 1, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Image Bronchiolitis signs and symptoms

    Image Bronchiolitis signs and symptoms

    A new study is to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting The study, “Marijuana Exposure in Children Hospitalized for Bronchiolitis,” recruited parents of previously healthy children 1 month to 2 years old who were admitted to Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHC) between January 2013 and April 2014 with bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the smallest air passages in the lung. The parents completed a questionnaire about their child’s health, demographics, exposure to tobacco smoke, and as of October 2014, whether anyone in the home used marijuana. Marijuana became legal in Colorado on January 1, 2014.

    Of the children who were identified as having been exposed to marijuana smokers, urine samples showed traces of a metabolite of tetrah...

    Read More

    Too much Red Meat and too Few Vegetables may Increase your body’s Biological Age

    April 30, 2016, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    burgers

    Accelerated ageing and renal dysfunction links lower socioeconomic status and dietary phosphate intake especially in red meat

    A diet containing too much red meat and not enough fruit and vegetables could increase your body’s ‘biological age’ and contribute to health problems. Research led by University of Glasgow has found a moderate increase in serum phosphate levels caused by red meat consumption, combined with a poor overall diet, increases biological age in contrast to chronological age.

    The study, which looked at participants from most to least deprived in the NHS Greater Glasgow Health Board area, also demonstrates deprived males were the worst affected...

    Read More