A recent study published in the journal Cell Metabolism found that 12-HEPE, a lipid produced by the body in response to cold temperatures, may help reduce blood sugar levels. Researchers from Brazil, the U.S. and Germany conducted a series of experiments on mice and humans and found that it could help shuttle glucose into tissues and improve glucose tolerance in … Continue reading Cold temperature lipid created by the body may lower blood sugar, report scientists
Can the common cold help fight SARS-CoV-2?
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is markedly different from those responsible for the common cold. But a new study suggests that previous exposure to common cold coronaviruses may actually help train the immune system to recognize the novel coronavirus. The study, published in the journal Science, found that immune cells that recognize the coronaviruses responsible for the common … Continue reading Can the common cold help fight SARS-CoV-2?
Infected patients develop long-term immunity to coronavirus
People infected by the coronavirus develop long-term immunity to COVID-19. A new study published August 14 in the journal Cell presented evidence that the immune system is capable of preventing the recurrence of the disease, thanks to specialized immune cells that commit the virus into memory. Memory T cells are a type of white blood cell trained to recognize … Continue reading Infected patients develop long-term immunity to coronavirus
Forgotten dreams: REM sleep helps prevent information overload, explain scientists
Dreams are quickly forgotten the moment people wake up. This is likely due to a group of neurons that gets activated during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – the phase of mammalian slumber when most dreams are made. A recent study published in the journal Science examined the neurons that produce appetite and sleep hormones in mice. Japanese and American … Continue reading Forgotten dreams: REM sleep helps prevent information overload, explain scientists
People deficient in vitamin D have a higher risk of COVID-19, reports new study
A person’s vitamin D status may determine his susceptibility to COVID-19, the disease caused by the Wuhan coronavirus. In a new study published September 4, researchers at the University of Chicago found that, compared to people with normal vitamin D levels, those who were deficient in the vitamin have a greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19. In line … Continue reading People deficient in vitamin D have a higher risk of COVID-19, reports new study
Plants can sense, think and communicate, says Italian scientist
Talking to plants is neither an uncommon habit among gardeners and plant enthusiasts, nor is it a modern notion. Strange as it might sound or appear to an onlooker, people talk to their plants for a host of reasons. Some do it as a form of social interaction. Others might talk to their ailing plants … Continue reading Plants can sense, think and communicate, says Italian scientist
Research: Strange behavior of Earth’s magnetic field in the South Atlantic believed to be symptoms of an event that repeats every few million years
The Earth is protected from solar wind — a stream of charged particles from the sun — by its geomagnetic field. But this protective barrier is weak in certain areas, particularly south of the Atlantic Ocean. Called the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), this area makes it easier for solar wind and other cosmic rays to enter the … Continue reading Research: Strange behavior of Earth’s magnetic field in the South Atlantic believed to be symptoms of an event that repeats every few million years
Coronavirus found to have the ability to infect brain cells, says research
SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, continues to baffle even the most knowledgeable infectious disease experts. To add to the confusion, researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine now suggest that the virus can potentially be neurotrophic. In their recent report, which was published in the journal Altex, the team detailed how the Wuhan coronavirus can infect the human brain and even replicate … Continue reading Coronavirus found to have the ability to infect brain cells, says research
The coronavirus may actually be a vascular – and not a respiratory – disease
The symptoms of COVID-19 may very well be eldritch horrors. In most cases, it can appear as cough, fever, chills and headache. But in severe cases, it can cause acute kidney failure and multiple organ damage – strange symptoms for what’s known as mainly a respiratory infection. How COVID-19 causes the latter, in particular, was the focus … Continue reading The coronavirus may actually be a vascular – and not a respiratory – disease
This neuron-killing protein travels from the gut to the brain by hijacking a nerve
A recent study published in the journal Neuron found that alpha-synuclein (a-syn), a protein genetically linked to Parkinson’s disease, spreads from the gut to the brain through the vagus nerve. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore tested a previously proposed hypothesis suggesting that the gut-brain axis is involved in the progression of Parkinson’s — a neurodegenerative disorder that … Continue reading This neuron-killing protein travels from the gut to the brain by hijacking a nerve
Dr. Eddy Bettermann MD 