Lifeboat Foundation

So much here I never knew:

Dr. Axel Montagne is a chancellor’s fellow and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences. His group aims to understand how, when, and where critical components of the blood-brain barrier become dysfunctional preceding dementia and in the earliest stages of age-related cognitive decline. With this knowledge, they hope to develop precise treatments targeting brain vasculature to protect brain function.

Continue reading “Axel Montagne, PhD, on Solving Alzheimer’s and Dementia with Blood-Brain Barrier Repair” »

There is this picture—you may have seen it. It is black and white and has two silhouettes facing one another. Or maybe you see the black vase with a white background. But now, you likely see both.

It is an example of a visual illusion that reminds us to consider what we did not see at first glance, what we may not be able to see, or what our experience has taught us to know—there is always more to the picture or maybe even a different image to consider altogether. Researchers are finding the process in our brain that allows us to see these visual distinctions may not be happening the same way in the brains of children with autism spectrum disorder. They may be seeing these illusions differently.

“How our brain puts together pieces of an object or visual scene is important in helping us interact with our environments,” said Emily Knight, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor of Neuroscience and Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and first author on a study out today in the Journal of Neuroscience. “When we view an object or picture, our brains use processes that consider our experience and contextual information to help anticipate sensory inputs, address ambiguity, and fill in the missing information.”

From physics to mind: the journey of cognition seen through the lens of embryonic development // Prof. Michael Levin (Tufts University)

Life Perceives is a symposium bringing together scientists and artists for an open exploration of how “perception” can be understood as a phenomenon that does not only belong to humans, or even the so-called “higher organisms”, but exists across the entire spectrum of life in a myriad of forms.

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Men who regularly lift heavy objects at work have almost 50 percent higher sperm concentration and count.

As infertility is becoming a common problem of late, and medical professionals are scrambling to find solutions to nullify this rising trend. Researchers have found a link between male fertility and occupational factors, such as physical demands and work schedules.

The Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital collaborative effort found that men who “regularly lift heavy objects at work have higher sperm counts than men whose work is less physically demanding,” a press release said.

Continue reading “Physically active men at work are more fertile, a Harvard study confirms” »

Give at least 11 minutes to your body, and it could do wonders for you.

Cambridge University researchers propose that people can reduce their risk of early death from heart disease, cancer, and various other health problems — just by doing 11 minutes of brisk walking or any other moderate-intensity physical activity daily.

This is half the effort that National Health Service (NHS) recommended in the past to lead a long and healthy life. According to NHS, a person between 19 to 64 years of age should spend at least 150 minutes a week (about 21 hours a day) doing moderate-intensity exercise.

In a healthcare industry still burdened with 1960s technology, generative AI may offer a little relief — but companies are still working to overhaul a broken system that’s keeping doctors and nurses more focused on paperwork than patients.

Every week, Eli Gelfand, chief of general cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, wastes a lot of time on letters he doesn’t want to write — all of them to insurers disputing his recommendations. A new drug for a heart failure patient. A CAT scan for a patient with chest pain. A new drug for a patient with stiff heart syndrome.

A large team of cancer researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in Germany, working with a colleague from the U.S., has discovered some of the ways gut bacteria can positively impact treatments for cancer. In their study, published in the journal Nature, the group studied the impact of gut microbiota on chemotherapy given to patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Le Li and Florencia McAllister with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, have published a News and Views piece in the same journal issue, outlining the work done by the team in Germany.

Prior research has shown that chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer that has metastasized sometimes works well but is sometimes ineffective, and this difference may be tied to dietary resistance, though its source is not known. In this new study, the team in Germany looked at the possibility that certain microorganisms in the gut microbiome play a role in the process.

The team began their work by looking at samples of the gut microbiome of pancreatic cancer patients and found differences between those responding to treatment and those who were not. They also found that mice with sterilized guts who received biome samples from mice responding to chemotherapy also responded well.

A new study of 30 million people found that even small amounts of exercise could lower risk for heart disease, certain cancers and early death.

Patients with a large cerebral infarction have better functional recovery when they receive endovascular therapy early on in addition to usual medical management, a new study shows.

The trial was stopped early because a planned interim analysis showed efficacy of endovascular therapy in this patient population. #Stroke

A new study provides evidence for better functional recovery after endovascular therapy from a population of large-infarction strokes that could contribute to changing clinical practice.