Author Archives: Francisco Fernandez, MD

More berries, apples and tea may protect against Alzheimer’s disease

Currently, there are more than 50 million Americans aged 65 years or more, and that is projected to more than double by 2060. A consequence of this increase in older adults is the escalation of age-related diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias, a group of symptoms in which there is progressive deterioration in cognitive […]

Researchers found a mechanism of Stem cells that could help in cancer treatment

Researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have made new findings which provide a broader understanding of how dormant hematopoietic stem cells are activated and could pave the way towards therapeutic treatments for a number of cancers.  The team of researchers studied lysosomes, which are membrane-bound organelles found in all cells. They were once believed […]

Does chronic pain increase the risk of neurological diseases?

Pain starts in receptor nerve cells found beneath the skin and in organs throughout the body. When you are sick, injured, or have other types of problems, these receptor cells send messages along nerve pathways to the spinal cord, which then carries the message to the brain. Pain medicine reduces or blocks these messages before […]

Flavonoid-rich foods may lower the blood pressure via gut bacteria

Flavonoid-rich food, including berries, apples, pears, chocolate and wine, appear to have a positive effect on blood pressure levels, an association that is partially explained by characteristics of the gut microbiome, according to new research published on August 23rd of 2021 in “Hypertension”, an American Heart Association journal.  Over 8000, various natural flavonoids have been […]

Male infertility and the use of Stem Cells

Nearly 1 in 7 couples is infertile, which means they haven’t been able to conceive a child even though they’ve had frequent, unprotected sexual intercourse for a year or longer. In up to half of these couples, male infertility plays at least a partial role. Male infertility can be caused by low sperm production, abnormal […]

Could Stem Cell Therapy Be a Cure for Some Types of Deafness?

Auditory neuropathy is a hearing disorder in which the inner ear successfully detects sound, but has a problem with sending sound from the ear to the brain. It can affect people of all ages, from infancy through adulthood. The number of people affected by auditory neuropathy is not known, but current information suggests that auditory […]

Vitamin D could protect against colorectal cancer in younger adults

Vitamin D is a type of nutrient that the body produces when a person’s skin has exposure to direct sunlight. People can also consume vitamin D, but it is not naturally present in many foods. High quantities of vitamin D are present in oily fish and certain types of mushrooms. It has multiple health benefits […]

Drug used to lower cholesterol may help treat SARS-CoV-2 variants

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for a pandemic, which has cost over 1.9 million lives worldwide so far. The emergence of new virus variants with higher transmissibility rates is seeing rapid increases in infection rates and deaths across the world. Several vaccines have undergone accelerated approval and are being rolled out worldwide. […]

Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Aging Frailty

Frailty has been clinically defined as “a state of increased vulnerability resulting from aging-associated decline in reserve and function across multiple organ systems such that the ability to cope with everyday or acute stressors is compromised.” Central to this geriatric medical syndrome is the notion that it has multiple causes and contributors that lead to […]

Can some mental abilities actually improve during aging?

It’s long been believed that advancing age leads to broad declines in our mental abilities. Now new research offers surprisingly good news by countering this view.  The findings, published on August 19, 2021, in Nature Human Behaviour, show that 2 key brain functions, which allow us to attend to new information and to focus on […]