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Category: health – Page 27

Weight-maintaining hormone key to brain-signal transmission. A study more closely links obesity to dementia, finding that leptin, a hormone that helps maintain normal body weight, is associated with better signal-transmitting brain white matter in middle-aged adults.

New research is more closely linking obesity to dementia.

Higher levels of leptin, a hormone that helps maintain normal body weight, is associated with better signal-transmitting brain white matter in middle-aged adults, according to a study by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio).

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At the recent annual International AIDS Conference, a startling presentation about the newest wonder drug in HIV prevention brought a raucous standing ovation.

But some of us in the public health community are now starting to wonder what all the cheering was about. Although the scientific results were impeccable, the process for translating those results into action for young women in Africa has been left to our imaginations. And if history is any guide, this could be a nightmare.

When the results first came out, Gilead, the manufacturer of lenacapavir, stated it was too early to discuss licensing and offering vague plans about its production and availability in Africa. Just recently, a second study among men who have sex with men and predominantly conducted in the Northern Hemisphere showed similarly promising results. While Gilead now says they have sufficient data to move ahead with licensing and manufacturing worldwide, they have offered no timeline to do so. Urgency to report trial results has not been mirrored by the urgency to provide access. Unanswered questions remain about why another study was needed to move ahead with approvals for use in African women, and if and when lenacapavir will be made available at an affordable price in the African region.

The drug, which has a manufacturing cost estimated at about $40 per year, is currently licensed as an HIV treatment for more than $42,000 per year in the United States. In South Africa, health care expenditures in the public sector are approximately $230 per person per year. Advocates and the study scientists have strongly urged Gilead to make lenacapavir swiftly available in sub-Saharan Africa at an affordable price. But with over 3,000 women infected with HIV each week in the region according to UNAIDS estimates, there is no time to waste.

Continue reading “Tested in Africa, used in America” | >

Mamma bears press pause on their early pregnancies, so that their cubs are born closer to a food filled spring. Researchers led by a team in Germany have now found this same pregnancy pause button exists in human cells too.

“Although we have lost the ability to naturally enter dormancy, these experiments suggest that we have nevertheless retained this inner ability and could eventually unleash it,” says molecular geneticist Nicolas Rivron from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA).

“Triggering a dormant state during an IVF procedure could provide a larger time window to assess embryo health and to synchronize it with the mother for better implantation inside the uterus.”

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Summary: Digital technology has transformed how we document and recall life experiences, from capturing every moment with photos to tracking our health data on smart devices. This increased density of digital records offers potential benefits, like enhancing memory for personal events or supporting those with memory impairments.

However, it also raises concerns, such as privacy risks and the potential for manipulation through technologies like deepfakes. Researchers emphasize the need for further study to understand both the opportunities and risks posed by digital memory aids as they become more integral to how we remember.

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Plant-based diets have grown in popularity owing to multiple health and environmental benefits.

Here, the authors describe the evidence concerning plant-based dietary patterns and omnivorous diets with reduced consumption of animal-based food and increased consumption of plant-based foods and their associations with the most common urological cancers and benign urological conditions.

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Summary: A recent study has mapped how molecules in food interact with gut bacteria, revealing why people respond differently to the same diets. By examining 150 dietary compounds, researchers found that these molecules can reshape gut microbiomes in some individuals, while having little effect in others.

This breakthrough could enable personalized nutrition strategies to better manage health risks. The findings offer a deeper understanding of the gut microbiome’s role in health and disease.

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Summary: Researchers have developed a molecule called LaKe that mimics the metabolic effects of strenuous exercise and fasting. This molecule increases lactate and ketone levels in the body, providing similar benefits to running 10 kilometers on an empty stomach, without physical exertion or dietary changes.

Currently being tested in human trials, LaKe shows promise for helping people with limited physical ability maintain health, and may also aid in treating brain conditions like Parkinson’s and dementia. The discovery offers a potential new path for those unable to follow strict exercise or fasting routines.

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Bioengineered breast reconstruction and augmentation — dr. luba perry, phd — CEO, reconstruct bio.

Dr. Luba Perry, Ph.D. is Co-Founder and CEO of ReConstruct Bio (https://wyss.harvard.edu/technology/r…), an innovative venture emerging from Harvard’s Wyss Institute (https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/advance…), aimed at redefining the fields of medical reconstruction and aesthetics with an initial application of their groundbreaking technology on breast reconstruction and augmentation. With a multidisciplinary team of experts, the ReConstruct Bio team has developed the BioImplant—a living, bioengineered tissue created from the patient’s own cells, to provide safer, more natural alternative to current standards, which are often associated with significant drawbacks and health concerns.

Dr. Perry also serves as a Senior Scientist at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering working at the 3D Organ Engineering Initiative since 2018 and is leading a Wyss Validation Project aiming to fabricate vascularized functional tissues for transplantation. Her interest is in tissue and organ engineering, focusing on vascularization and implantation studies utilizing complex surgical models.

Continue reading “Dr. Luba Perry, Ph.D. — CEO, ReConstruct Bio — Bioengineered Breast Reconstruction And Augmentation” | >