Category Health/Medical

Self-distancing moderates the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and wise reasoning (z-scores). Scatterplot with line of best fit and 95% CI.

The study suggests heart rate variation and thinking process work together to enable wise reasoning about complex social issues. The work by Igor Grossmann, professor of psychology at Uni of Waterloo, and colleagues based at Australian Catholic University breaks new ground in wisdom research by identifying conditions under which psychophysiology impacts wise judgment.

A growing consensus among philosophers and cognitive scientists defines wise judgment to include the ability to recognize the limits of one’s knowledge, to be aware of the varied contexts of life and how they may unfold over time, to acknowledge others’ points of view, an...

Agave tequilana

Apart from being the raw material for making a very traditional drink in Mexico, the blue variety of the Agave tequilana has substances capable of improving the absorption of calcium and magnesium, essential minerals to maintain bone health. This has been demonstrated by research conducted at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) in center Mexico. Dr. Mercedes López states that “the consumption of fructans contained in the agave, in collaboration with adequate intestinal micriobiota, promotes the formation of new bone, even with the presence of osteoporosis.”

To reach this conclusion, the research team conducted various experiments with animal models. The procedure consisted of removing the ovaries from female mice in order to induce osteoporosis...

Intestinal cells in a healthy individual in which the non-coding RNA of the Inc13 gene appears in red (the red dots would not be seen in a celiac patient). Credit: Image courtesy of University of the Basque Country

40% of the population carry the main risk factor for celiac disease but only 1% go down with it. A new gene that influences its development has been found in what until recently has been known as ‘junk’ DNA.

It has been known for some time that celiac disease develops in people who have a genetic susceptibility, but despite the fact that 40% of the population carry the most decisive risk factor (the HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 polymorphisms), only 1% go on to develop the disease...

Cornell researchers found that an FDA-approved drug called Lexiscan activates receptors — called adenosine receptors — that are expressed on BBB cells. Credit: Dr. Margaret Bynoe, College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University

Cornell researchers have discovered a way to penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB) that may soon permit delivery of drugs directly into the brain to treat disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and chemotherapy-resistant cancers. The BBB is a layer of endothelial cells that selectively allow entry of molecules needed for brain function, such as amino acids, oxygen, glucose and water, while keeping others out. An FDA-approved drug, Lexiscan activates adenosine receptors – that are expressed on these BBB cells.

“We can open the BBB for a brief window of time, lo...