Monthly Archives: July 2023

Although recent large epidemiological studies have hinted at a link between ADHD and Alzheimer’s, this is the first study to tie genetic risk of ADHD to chances of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. “This study highlights what many in the field are already discussing: The impact of ADHD can be observed throughout the lifespan, and it […]

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own joint tissues, rheumatoid arthritis affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans. A new discovery sheds new light on the molecular processes that drive inflammation seen in rheumatoid arthritis. It could also someday lead to improved treatment of the disease, which currently […]

Because they are persistent, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are also known as “chemicals for eternity.” They can lead to liver damage, thyroid disorders, obesity, hormonal disorders, and cancer.  A team of researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has now shown that PFAS can also reduce the activity of human immune cells […]

Eating breakfast after 9 a.m. increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 59% compared to people who eat breakfast before 8 a.m. This is the main conclusion of a study in which ISGlobal, an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation, took part and which followed more than 100,000 participants in a French cohort. […]

Researchers at Hiroshima University have found periodontitis, a gum disease, can lead to severe problems in the body including the heart. In a new study, the team found a significant correlation between periodontitis and fibrosis, a scarring to an appendage of the heart’s left atrium that can lead to an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. […]

New research shows that the brain and spinal cord scars in people with MS may offer clues to why they develop progressive disability in comparison to related diseases that don’t develop them. In a study researchers and colleagues assessed if inflammation leads to permanent scarring in MS, Aquaporin-4 antibody positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD) […]

A recent study from the lab of the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Director Linda Van Eldik, Ph.D., has been published in PLOS ONE. The work centers around the idea that various anti-inflammatory drugs could be effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).  This study focused on a protein known as p38. Many labs […]

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is on the rise worldwide. The benefits of current medications are limited by problematic side effects.  In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a South Korean research team has now introduced a new method of treatment. It is based on nanoparticles that mimic a special […]

Opioids are the gold standard for treatment of chronic and acute pain; however, their use may result in significant gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and constipation. The reasons behind these side effects are not well understood. A new study is the first report of how opioids like morphine cause gastric inflammation. “Because of a […]

Rice engineering students in the StimuSock team designed a sock with a smart insole that can deliver both transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and vibration therapy that block pain signals to the brain and provide haptic feedback to help with balance issues, respectively. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2022 estimates, over […]