Category Health/Medical

Researchers have devised several lipid-based diets aimed at slowing down progression and relieving symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: Janickova et al, Bentham Science Publishers

Numerous epidemiological studies have revealed profitable effects of dietary intake of especially fish oil on cognitive decline during aging and dementia. One of the invariable pathologies in AD is degeneration of cholinergic synapses in brain cortex and hippocampus. Current pharmacological interventions are limited to a few drugs that alleviate symptoms but do not slow down the underlying disease processes eg inhibitors of cholinesterases, enzymes that degrade the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, or memantine, a modulator of glutamate neurotransmission.

Within the EU-funded project LipiDiDiet (FP7-211696, the...

Timur Muksunov is a research engineer at Tomsk State University (Russia). Credit: Copyright Tomsk State University

Scientists have created a gas analyzer – ‘electronic nose’ that is able to assess the quality of the food, cosmetic, and medical products, to diagnose diseases by evaluating exhaled gases, and even detect explosives and drugs. The device analyzes a gas mixture using semiconductor sensors.

“Smell is determined by a combination of existing gases in the atmosphere. It is found that the conductivity of the semiconductor probe changes during sedimentation of the gas molecules from the atmosphere. This allows determining their presence,” says Timur Muksunov. “During manufacture the sensor can be customized to react well to some gases, and react badly to the others.”

It is impossible...

These are divergent patterns in overlapping areas of anterior prefrontal cortex. Credit: Center for BrainHealth

The age at which an adolescent begins using marijuana may affect typical brain development. Findings show study participants who began using marijuana at the age of 16 or younger demonstrated brain variations that indicate arrested brain development in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for judgment, reasoning and complex thinking. Individuals who started using marijuana after age 16 showed the opposite effect and demonstrated signs of accelerated brain aging.

“Our findings suggest that the timing of cannabis use can result in very disparate patterns of effects,” explained Francesca Filbey, Ph.D...

Highlights •Prevotella/Bacteroides is associated with a beneficial response to barley kernels •Prevotella-enriched microbial interactions are higher in barley kernel responders •Prevotella protects against Bacteroides-induced glucose intolerance •Prevotella promotes increased hepatic glycogen storage in mice

A recent study from Lund University in Sweden shows that barley can rapidly improve people’s health by reducing blood sugar levels and the risk for diabetes. The secret lies in the special mixture of dietary fibres found in barley, which can also help reduce people’s appetite and risk for cardiovascular disease.

The study was conducted with healthy middle-aged participants who were asked to eat bread largely made out of barley kernels for 3 days – at breakfast, lunch and dinner...