Medicine

Opening windows and doors before going to bed can reduce carbon dioxide levels in bedrooms and improve sleep quality, according to new research from the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. Mishra et al investigated influence of bedroom air quality on different sleep parameters. Image credit: Alfons Schueler. Dr. Asit …

Drinking three to four cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of mortality and getting heart disease compared with drinking no coffee, according to an umbrella review of over 200 previous studies, published in the journal BMJ. According to the scientists, coffee consumption is generally safe, …

The number of people with Parkinson’s disease will soon grow to pandemic proportions, according to a commentary paper published in journal JAMA Neurology. Parkinson’s disease. Image credit: Blausen Gallery 2014 / Wikiversity Journal of Medicine, doi: 10.15347/wjm/2014.010. “Pandemics are usually equated with infectious diseases like Zika, influenza, and HIV. But …

A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, has found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity may lower the risk of developing glaucoma by up to 73%. Individuals who are physically active appear to have a 73% lower risk of developing glaucoma. Image credit: Steve Buissinne. Glaucoma is …

An international team of researchers has found that in both mice and humans, a high-salt diet shrinks the population of a type of gut bacteria called Lactobacillus; as a result, Th-17 immune cells grow in number; these immune cells have been linked with high blood pressure, although the exact mechanism …

Increased coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk of developing heart failure or having stroke, according to new research from the University of Colorado. According to Stevens et al, coffee consumption may be associated with decreased risk of heart failure and stroke. Image credit: Benedikt Geyer. Heart failure …

In a new study published in the journal NeuroImage, an international team of researchers examined the effects of aerobic exercise on a region of the brain called the hippocampus, which is critical for memory and other brain functions. Exercise can improve memory function and brain health. Image credit: Olga. Brain …

A review of previous epidemiological studies finds a strong association between the regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and juice and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. According to Deshpande et al, regular intake of sugar-sweetened beverages can alter glucose handling and insulin …

In a new study, Professor Gerald Shulman of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Yale and colleagues show that just three days of a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) improve glucose metabolism before weight loss in a rat model of type 2 diabetes, and trace the beneficial metabolic effects to improved liver …

An international team of researchers led by the University of Lincoln, UK, has produced two simplified versions of teixobactin, a powerful natural antibiotic which many in the scientific community believe could lead to creation of the first commercially viable new antibiotic drug in three decades. Teixobactin eliminates MRSA, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, …