Category: Education
Food cravings determined by gut microbes’ activity
Substances secreted by gut microbes in mice have been found to influence what they choose to eat, providing a sort of explanation into food cravings and associated behaviour. Animals with different compositions of gut microbes do change their preferred diet, […]
Reduced smartphone use more beneficial to wellbeing than total abstinence
Spending days glued to our smartphone screens is linked to a host of problems such as less physical activity, weight gain, neck pain, and even addiction-like behaviour. German researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) suggest reducing the usage of smartphones instead […]
Stem cell technique to “revolutionise” regenerative medicine
Transient reprogramming of stem cells may hold the answer to rejuvenating aging cells without compromising on their function, claim researchers from the Epigenetics research programme at Babraham Institute, UK. The technique, which would normally take around 50 days, instead involves […]
Alpaca nanobodies successfully treats rheumatoid arthritis and gout
Mini-antibodies, or nanobodies, from wooly creatures called alpacas have been found to tamp down excessive inflammation in mice. An international team of scientists from the Universities of Bonn and São Paulo, in Germany and Brazil, respectively, have developed a promising […]
New research sheds light on genetic basis of schizophrenia
The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium study, a large and diverse genetics study based in the UK, has identified large numbers of specific genes that influence schizophrenia. This comes from DNA analysis of over 320,000 people, which showed that genetic risk for […]
Cough downwards to reduce spread of disease
Even as COVID-19 infections hit the 500-million mark, researchers continue to study the dispersion of respiratory droplets that contribute to the spread of the disease. According to a team from the American Institute of Physics (AIP), besides coughing or sneezing […]
Hormone infusion an alternative treatment for osteoporosis
A naturally occurring hormone has been found to promote human bone activity and may be a more effective osteoporosis solution. Osteoporosis is characterised by the deterioration of bone tissue as we age, resulting in weak, brittle bones. Researchers from Imperial […]
Brain region protein found to also regulate body weight
A protein closely linked to the development of various cancers such as paediatric lymphoma and certain lung cancers is suggested to also be involved in the regulation of body weight. According to scientists at Yale University (Yale), the protein known […]
IBD patients show effective COVID-19 vaccine response, despite fears
Patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more susceptible to infection than the general population because of their treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. Nevertheless, these patients have been encouraged to take the COVID-19 vaccine, which has proven safe and effective […]
Insomnia symptoms associated with high blood sugar levels
Insomnia could increase a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, new research from the University of Bristol, UK, has found. The researchers suggest lifestyle or pharmacological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or sleeping tablets, could help prevent or […]
