Mediterranean diet with a dairy twist shows promise in lowering heart disease risk

Mediterranean diet with a dairy twist shows promise in lowering heart disease risk

A recent Nutrients journal study evaluated how the combination of Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) supplement and dairy foods affected the gut microbiome in Australians at a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Study: Interactions between Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Dairy Foods and the Gut Microbiota Influence Cardiovascular Health in an Australian Population. Image Credit: DiViArt / Shutterstock Background Diet plays … Read more

Diverse gut microbiome may help children survive stem cell transplant

Diverse gut microbiome may help children survive stem cell transplant

Researchers in Italy have shown for the first time that among children who have undergone a donor stem cell transplant, the presence of diverse species of micro-organisms in the intestinal tract before the transplant resulted in significantly better overall patient survival and fewer complications. The study, published today in the journal Blood, adds to a … Read more

Machine learning can accurately predict subtypes of Parkinson’s disease

Machine learning can accurately predict subtypes of Parkinson’s disease

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, working with technology company Faculty AI, have shown that machine learning can accurately predict subtypes of Parkinson’s disease using images of patient-derived stem cells. Their work, published today in Nature Machine Intelligence, has shown that computer models can accurately classify four subtypes … Read more

Ovarian cancer patients enrolled in first-in-human trial of CAR T cell therapy

Ovarian cancer patients enrolled in first-in-human trial of CAR T cell therapy

Recently published preclinical data by City of Hope scientists shows the immunotherapy is effective. Advanced ovarian cancer patients are now being enrolled in a Phase 1 first-in-human trial. There are currently few effective treatment options for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer and other solid tumors, but City of Hope researchers are trying to change that. … Read more

New pathway for HIV to enter nucleus of healthy cells identified

New pathway for HIV to enter nucleus of healthy cells identified

A study published on August 10, 2023 in the journal Nature Communications has identified a new pathway that human immune deficiency virus (HIV) uses to enter the nucleus of a healthy cell, where it can then replicate and go on to invade other cells. The researchers also identified three proteins that are needed for the … Read more

Mothers’ diet during pregnancy can protect brain health of children and grandchildren

Mothers’ diet during pregnancy can protect brain health of children and grandchildren

Mothers who eat apples and herbs in early pregnancy could be protecting the brain health of their children and grandchildren, a Monash University study using genetic models has found. The discovery is part of a project that found a mother’s diet can affect not just her child’s brain but also those of her grandchildren. Published … Read more

Thymus gland critical for adult health, study finds

Thymus gland critical for adult health, study finds

The thymus gland-;which produces immune T cells before birth and during childhood-; is often regarded as nonfunctional in adults, and it’s sometimes removed during cardiac surgery for easier access to the heart and major blood vessels. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine … Read more

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing as an emerging modality for the diagnosis of infectious diseases

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing as an emerging modality for the diagnosis of infectious diseases

A recent study published in the Open Forum Infectious Diseases Journal examined the role of plasma metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), a promising method for detecting infectious illnesses. Study: Impact of metagenomic next-generation sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA testing in the management of patients with suspected infectious diseases. Image Credit: ArtemisDiana/Shutterstock.com Background The ability to rapidly identify human … Read more

A metabolic makeover boosting immunity and battling inflammation

A metabolic makeover boosting immunity and battling inflammation

Western dietary (WD) habits are known to cause many of today’s non-communicable diseases by promoting chronic inflammation. Recently, to counteract WD-induced metaflammation, ketogenic diets (KD) have emerged. Given the drastic change in nutrient composition during KD, it is reasonable to hypothesize large-scale changes in the human metabolome. Furthermore, this alteration in the metabolome could also … Read more