Category Health/Medical

Within 3 weeks, mice that received topical ruxolitinib or tofacitinib had regrown nearly all their hair (right photo; drug was applied only to the right side of the mouse). Little to no hair growth occurred in control mice during the same timeframe (left photo). Credit: From S. Harel et al., Sci. Adv. 1, e1500973 (2015). Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). 10.1126/sciadv.1500973

2 FDA-approved drugs reawaken dormant hair follicles. Inhibiting a family of enzymes inside hair follicles that are suspended in a resting state restores hair growth, a new study has found...

Stroop-interference-related cortical activation patterns. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Tsukuba

Neuroimaging studies, in which the activity of different parts of the brain can be visualized, have provided some clues. Until now, however, no study has directly linked brain activation with both mental and physical performance. They found that the fitter men performed better mentally than the less fit men, by using parts of their brains in the same way as in their youth.

As we age, we use different parts of our brain compared to our younger selves. Eg when young, we mainly use the left side of our prefrontal cortex (PFC) for mental tasks involving short term memory, understanding the meaning of words and the ability to recognize previously encountered events, objects, or people...

An international group of researchers examined expression of genes in blood samples from 15,000 people.

New research has shed light on the molecular changes that occur in our bodies as we age. In the largest study of its kind, an international group of researchers, including experts from the University of Exeter’s Medical School, examined expression of genes in blood samples from 15,000 people across the world.

They found 1,450 genes that are linked to aging, and also uncovered a link between these genes and factors such as diet, smoking and exercise. Whilst the underlying causes of human aging are largely unknown, growing old increases the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke — 3 of the leading causes of death.

The research team specifically looked for changes in gen...

The newly developed sealant that was applied over a 3-mm-diameter hole in a porcine blood vessel. Credit: Image courtesy of National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)

In recent years, patients with emphysema have been increasing mainly among middle-aged and elderly males due to aging and excessive smoking. Emphysema makes brittle lungs, and in severe cases, holes develop in the lung tissue, causing air leakage. Researchers have developed a new sealant to close holes developed in lungs and blood vessels using Alaska pollock gelatin, and have reported that the sealant is about 12X stronger than conventional sealants and is able to resist pressure as high as ~2.8X the normal blood pressure.

The advantage is that it remains liquid at room temperature as it contains gelatin extracted from ...