Medicine

Two cups (330 grams) of mangoes a day have beneficial effects on systolic blood pressure and gut fermentation among healthy postmenopausal women, according to a study presented this week at Nutrition 2018, the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting. Mangoes are rich in mangiferin, a phenolic acid that has multiple …

Loneliness is a strong predictor of premature death, worse mental health, and lower quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Christensen found that feeling lonely was a stronger predictor of poor outcomes than living alone, in both men and women. Image credit: Marco Massimo. …

A group of researchers from Emory University in the United States and Lancaster University and the University of Leeds, both in the UK, has discovered that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea leaves, breaks up and dissolves potentially dangerous protein plaques found in the blood vessels. Green tea …

A research team led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London, UK, has developed a new way to grow materials which could regenerate hard tissues. The materials exhibit high stiffness, hardness, and acid resistance, and could be used for a wide variety of dental complications such as the prevention …

Walking at average or brisk/fast pace is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, an analysis of data from 50,225 walkers has found. Increasing walking pace could reduce risk for all-cause and CVD mortality. Image credit: Daniel Reche. “A fast pace is generally 3-4 mph …

Cells enter a state of dormancy as tissues starved of oxygen become increasingly acidic, according to a new study. Published in the journal Cell, the study found that this dormancy, thought to be a major cause of drug resistance and disease relapses in cancer, might be relatively easy to reverse …

Technology is constantly becoming more powerful and compact. What used to require a room full of equipment can now work with devices that fit in the palm of your hand. The same is true of medical devices, which are increasingly designed to be implanted in the human body. However, powering …

Financial incentives are found to be three times more effective than e-cigarettes and other stop-smoking aids, in a University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine-led study. Halpern et al showed that among unselected smokers, workplace smoking-cessation programs yielded low rates of smoking abstinence and that offering free cessation aids or …

Ghrelin, a hormone synthesized by endocrine cells of the stomach, may be a new promising target developing novel medications for alcohol use disorder, according to a recent study. The hormone ghrelin affects alcohol-seeking behavior. Image credit: Michal Jarmoluk. Ghrelin is known as the ‘hunger hormone’ given its role in increasing …

A multicenter clinical trial of DCVax-L, a personalized vaccine that targets the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma, has indicated improved patient survival rates. The results appear in the Journal of Translational Medicine. A personalized vaccine targeting glioblastoma may improve survival for some patients. Image credit: Angelo Esslinger. Personalized vaccines are specifically …