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Grape consumption reduces fatty liver, extends lifespan, alters gene expression in the brain, changes metabolism, and has positive effects on behavior and cognition. Image credit: Nicky Pe.

Addition of Grapes to Diet Improves Health and Lifespan, New Studies Suggest

Aug 11, 2022 by News Staff

Grapes contain polyphenols and flavonoids that are known for their antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. Grape consumption reduces fatty liver,...

Intake of 35 g of peanuts prior to two main meals per day resulted in weight loss comparable to a traditional low-fat weight loss diet without preloads; greater systolic blood pressure reductions were observed with peanut intake, which may lower cardiovascular disease risk. Image credit: Three-shots.

Peanut-Enriched Diet Promotes Weight Loss, Reduces Blood Pressure

Aug 1, 2022 by Natali Anderson

In a two-arm, parallel randomized controlled trial, scientists from the University of South Australia and Texas Tech University examined the effect of...

Song et al. show that damaging effects of blue light at the organismal level are strongly age dependent and are associated with reduced activity of specific components of energy-producing pathways in mitochondria. Image credit: Pexels.

Damaging Effects of Blue Light Exposure Worsen with Age, New Research Suggests

Jul 28, 2022 by News Staff

Blue light is a predominant component of light emitting devices, which are increasingly present in our environment. There is already accumulating evidence...

Bapir et al. confirm that cocoa can decrease blood pressure and arterial stiffness in everyday life when elevated within the normal range. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Study: Cocoa Only Decreases Blood Pressure When Elevated

Jul 27, 2022 by News Staff

New research led by Professor Christian Heiss from the University of Surrey and NHS Healthcare Trust reduces concerns that cocoa as a treatment for raised...

Hodges et al. found that consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood sugar levels and improve gut health by lowering inflammation and decreasing gut permeability. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Green Tea Extract Consumption May Help Reduce Blood Sugar Levels, Improve Gut Health

Jul 26, 2022 by News Staff

Dietary interventions with catechin-rich green tea extract confections in healthy adults and persons with with metabolic syndrome decreased fasting glucose...

Boolani et al. suggest that energy and fatigue are unique traits that could be defined by distinct bacterial communities not driven by diet. Image credit: Darryl Leja, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health.

New Study Finds Genetic Link between Alzheimer’s Disease and Gastrointestinal Tract Disorders

Jul 18, 2022 by News Staff

Consistent with the concept of the gut-brain phenomenon, observational studies suggest a relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and gastrointestinal...

Smith et al. investigated the contribution of polyphenol and carbohydrate components of dried plums on a bone model of postmenopausal osteoporosis to explore their prebiotic activity. Image credit: Smith et al., doi: 10.3390/nu14091685.

Study: Bioactive Compounds in Dried Plums Have Prebiotic Activity, Help Restore Bone Health

Jul 14, 2022 by News Staff

New research in mice shows that both polyphenol and carbohydrate components of dried plums (Prunus domestica) have prebiotic activity characterized by...

Zhou et al. discovered sound reduces pain in mice by lowering the activity of neurons in the brain’s auditory cortex (green and magenta) that project to the thalamus. Image credit: Wenjie Zhou.

Scientists Identify Neural Mechanisms Through Which Sound Induces Analgesia in Mice

Jul 8, 2022 by News Staff

Sound, including music and noise, can relieve pain in humans, but the underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. In new research, scientists from the United...

Bukhbinder et al. found that in adults aged 65 and older without dementia, mild cognitive impairment, or encephalopathy, patients who received at least one influenza vaccine were 40% less likely than their non-vaccinated peers to develop incident Alzheimer’s disease during the four-year follow-up period. Image credit: MasterTux.

Flu Vaccination Lowers Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, Study Suggests

Jul 5, 2022 by News Staff

In a new retrospective cohort study, scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that, through an uncertain mechanism,...

Gabel et al. examined bone strength, density, and microarchitecture in seventeen astronauts using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography. Image credit: NASA.

Microgravity Induces Irreversible Damage to Bone Strength and Density, Says New Study

Jul 4, 2022 by News Staff

Scientists from the University of Calgary and elsewhere have followed 17 International Space Station astronauts before and after spaceflight over the last...

Liu et al. show that in normal mouse skin, Scube3 is expressed only in dermal papillae of growing, but not in resting follicles. SCUBE3 protein microinjection is sufficient to induce new hair growth, and pharmacological TGF-β inhibition rescues mutant hair hyper-activation phenotype. Moreover, dermal-papilla-enriched expression of SCUBE3 and its growth-activating effect are partially conserved in human scalp hair follicles. Image credit: Liu et al., doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.06.005.

Newly-Discovered Signaling Molecule Stimulates Hair Multiplication and Growth

Jul 1, 2022 by News Staff

SCUBE3 potently stimulates hair growth and may offer a therapeutic treatment for androgenetic alopecia. Liu et al. show that in normal mouse skin, Scube3...

Zhang et al. observed that Aedes mosquitoes preferred to seek and feed on mice infected by dengue and Zika viruses. Image credit: Zhang et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.05.016.

Flaviviruses Make Their Hosts Smell Tastier to Mosquitoes: Study

Jul 1, 2022 by News Staff

New research demonstrates that mosquito-transmitted flaviviruses such as Zika and dengue can manipulate skin microbiota of their hosts to produce a scent...

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox virus particles (gold) cultivated and purified from cell culture. Image credit: NIAID.

Monkeypox: Three Things Scientists Know and Three Things They Want to Find Out

Jun 27, 2022 by The Conversation

Monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus that causes a disease with symptoms similar, but less severe, to smallpox. While smallpox was eradicated in 1980, monkeypox...

Graphene related materials are extensively used to reinforce polymers. Image credit: Empa / Chortarea et al., doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129053.

Study: Dust of Graphene-Related Materials Is Not Harmful

Jun 21, 2022 by News Staff

Graphene-related materials (GRMs) are often used to reinforce polymers. In small concentrations of up to 5% (weight), they can significantly enhance the...

Schematic overview of the mechanism of action of the implemented snake venom proteins. Ecarin, a procoagulant snake venom protein bypasses the activation of series of clotting factors via intrinsic and extrinsic clotting pathway and directly activates prothrombin to thrombin thereby producing a fibrin blood clot. Once the clot is formed, clot breakdown (fibrinolysis) is initiated by the activation of plasminogen mainly by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), forming active plasmin which proteolytically acts on the fibrin blood clot. Textilinin, an antifibrinolytic snake venom protein binds to plasmin with high specificity and inhibits the action of plasmin, stabilizing the fibrin blood clot. Image credit: Yegappan et al., doi: 10.1002/adhm.202200574.

Researchers Create Snake Venom Hydrogel that Rapidly Stops Uncontrolled Bleeding

Jun 20, 2022 by News Staff

The newly-developed rapid wound sealant is composed of two snake venom proteins: ecarin, which rapidly initiates blood clotting, and textilinin, which...

Low levels of vitamin D were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia and stroke. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Study Shows Link between Vitamin D Deficiency and Brain Health

Jun 15, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

New research led by University of South Australia scientists supports a causal effect of vitamin D deficiency on brain health, notably for the risk of...

Eirini Marouli et al report 83 height-associated coding variants with lower minor-allele frequencies and effects of up to 2 cm per allele, greater than ten times the average effect of common variants. Image credit: Popular Science Monthly, D. Appleton and Company, 1887.

Study: Height May Be Unrecognized Risk Factor for Several Common Conditions in Adults

Jun 6, 2022 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has found genetic evidence supporting associations between height and 127 clinical traits. Raghavan et al. conclude...

Higher coffee intake is associated with a lower risk of incident acute kidney injury and could present an opportunity for cardiorenal protection through diet. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Drinking Coffee Daily May Lower Risk of Acute Kidney Injury

Jun 6, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a prospective cohort study with 14,207 middle-aged participants, those who drank any quantity of coffee every day had a 15% lower risk of acute kidney...

Liu et al. found that compared to non-coffee drinkers, adults who drank moderate amounts (1.5 to 3.5 cups per day) of unsweetened coffee or sugar-sweetened coffee were less likely to die during a 7-year follow up period. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Drinking Coffee Daily, Even with Sugar Added, Reduces Mortality Risk: Study

May 31, 2022 by News Staff

Moderate dietary consumption (1.5 to 3.5 cups per day) of unsweetened or sugar-sweetened coffee is associated with a lower mortality risk, according to...