Author Archives: Gabriel Piña, MD

People with Increased Genetic Risk of Alzheimer’s May Lose Sense of Smell First

People who carry the gene variant associated with the strongest risk for Alzheimer’s disease may lose their ability to detect odors earlier than people who do not carry the gene variant, which may be an early sign of future memory and thinking problems, according to a study published in the July 26, 2023, online issue […]

New Biomaterial Heals Tissues from the Inside Out

There are an estimated 785,000 new heart attack cases in the United States each year, and there is no established treatment for repairing the resulting damage to cardiac tissue. After a heart attack, scar tissue develops, which diminishes muscle function and can lead to congestive heart failure A new biomaterial that can be injected intravenously, […]

Can Hearing Loss be Reversed?

Just like your future body will thank you for the apple, your future ears (specifically your cochlear hair cells) will thank you for protecting them. The most common cause of hearing loss is progressive because these hair cells, the primary cells to detect sound waves, cannot regenerate if damaged or lost. People who have repeated […]

New Drug Candidate for Treating Epilepsy and Suppress Inflammation

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent chronic brain disorders and is characterised by recurrent and spontaneous seizures. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is one of the most common types of epilepsy worldwide. Most anti-epileptic drugs that are currently available target neurons and synapses in the brain. They are effective in changing neural circuits and synapses, […]

Silver Diamine Fluoride Protect Against Cavities

Dental caries (tooth decay) is a natural process by which bacteria in the biofilm cause fluctuations in pH, leading to enamel erosion and a resulting visible lesion. If left untreated, caries can result in pain, abscess, and systemic infection, leading to functional and/or psychosocial impairment. Caries is the most prevalent childhood disease in the world […]

Fructose could Drive Brain Inflammation and Increase the Risk of Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is currently the sixth leading cause of death and is characterized by cognitive decline and cerebral atrophy associated with β-amyloid plaques and tau-protein aggregation (neurofibrillary tangles) in neurons.  Treatments to reduce β-amyloid and/or tau protein aggregation carry promise but have generally not been as successful as predicted , consistent with a prior […]

Exosomes Therapy may Help Repair Abnormal Heart Rhythm

Ventricular arrhythmias can occur after a heart attack damages tissue, causing chaotic electrical patterns in the heart’s lower chambers. The heart ends up beating so rapidly that it cannot support the circulation, leading to a lack of blood flow and, if untreated, death. Current treatment options for ventricular arrhythmias caused by heart attacks are far […]

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in Plastics may Contribute to Diabetes Risk in Women

Phthalates are chemicals widely used in plastics such as personal care products, children’s toys, and food and beverage packaging. Phthalate exposure is associated with reduced fertility, diabetes and other endocrine disorders. “Our research found phthalates may contribute to a higher incidence of diabetes in women, especially White women, over a six-year period,” said Sung Kyun […]

New Method to Promote Bone Growth

Over the past few decades, the development of smart multifunctional biomaterials with the ability to control the behavior of stem cells on demand has become a powerful strategy in regenerative medicine and cell therapies. For instance, such stem cell-based therapies bear new chances to regenerate critical size bone defects from severe fractures or bone tissue […]

New Strategy for the Treatment of Chronic Pain: Molecular Hydrogen

Twenty per cent of the Spanish population suffers from chronic pain, and between 7 and 10% from neuropathic pain. This condition, mostly caused by nerve damage, causes people to feel intense and constant pain. Treatments are scarce and often involve a large number of adverse effects that affect the patients’ quality of life. For this […]