Scientists at Oregon State University have discovered new mechanism of action of a compound called rapamycin that may help protect against neurological damage associated with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. The research was outlined and recently published in Aging Cell.

According to researchers, rapamycin may help slow down a process called cellular senescence—the stage in which aging cells stop multiplying and begin producing damaging substances that can lead to inflammation in the body and impair function. This process is associated with aging and linked to a number of common conditions, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Earlier research showed that rapamycin may help reduce cellular senescence by increasing the effects of a substance in the body called Nrf2, which aids in cell repair and helps remove toxins from the cells. Results of this new study suggest it also affects senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP, directly—providing further protection against cell damage associated with aging.

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Sourced from: ScienceDaily

A recent study suggests long-term antibiotic use is associated with an increased risk for colorectal polyps—benign growths in the colon and rectum that usually don’t cause symptoms but may become cancerous overtime if left untreated. The study, published in the journal Gut, examined data from the Nurses’ Health Study—a long-term trial conducted in the United States. It involved 16,000 participants.

Researchers found that study participants who had taken antibiotics for two months or longer in their 20s and 30s were more likely to develop adenomas—a particular type of colorectal polyp—later in life than those who had not received long-term antibiotics between the ages of 20 and 39. They also found that women who had taken antibiotics for two months or longer between the ages of 40 and 59 had an even higher risk of developing adenomas as they got older. The study did not determine how many adenomas became cancerous.

Antibiotics affect bacteria in the digestive tract, which may play an important role in the development of colorectal polyps as well as cancer of the colon and rectum. However, more research is needed and people who are prescribed long-term antibiotics—which can be life-saving—should not stop taking them and should discuss any concerns with their health care providers.

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Sourced from: BBC

Relax. Take a deep breath. This advice can certainly be hard to follow in stressful situations. But now, researchers at Stanford University have discovered how deep breathing helps us stay calm. In the process, they have also learned more about the links between our breathing, our thinking, our behavior, and our feelings.

Breathing is usually constant and rhythmic—like our heart beat—but we can alter it—by holding our breath, exercising, and even sighing, gasping, or yawning, for example. Scientists discovered a bundle of about 3,000 neurons inside the brainstem that controls breathing—the breathing pacemaker—more than 25 years ago, but just how the mind and body regulate breathing and breathing affects the mind and body are still not well understood.

In this recent study, researchers identified approximately 65 different types of neurons in the breathing pacemaker—each with a unique role in regulating breathing. By disabling certain neurons in animal test subjects, they were able to control the animal’s breathing—keeping it calm even in stressful situations, such as being placed in an unfamiliar environment.

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Sourced from: The New York Times