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Frequent cannabis users may wake up with unusually high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggesting their daily stress rhythms could be disrupted. Researchers say the finding raises questions about whether using cannabis for stress relief might, over time, interfere with the very system that helps the body handle stress.

Full-fat dairy may be healthier than conventional advice has suggested. In a 12-week study, adults who ate three servings a day showed no meaningful increases in weight, body fat, cholesterol, or insulin resistance. They also experienced improved blood pressure and consumed more calcium, protein, and vitamin D. The findings suggest dairy’s complex structure may matter more than its saturated fat content alone.

A study tracking more than 340,000 adults for over a decade found that heavy drinking increased the risk of death regardless of beverage type. At lower levels, however, the picture became more surprising: beer, cider, and spirits were linked to higher mortality, while wine was associated with lower risk. Moderate wine drinkers had a 21% lower risk of cardiovascular death compared with people who rarely or never drank.

An intensive seven-day meditation retreat triggered striking changes across the brain and body, including shifts tied to neuroplasticity, immunity, metabolism, and natural pain relief. Participants also showed brain connectivity patterns resembling those associated with psychedelic experiences, suggesting that powerful altered states may be achievable without drugs.

Stress may literally scramble the brain’s internal GPS. Researchers found that cortisol, a hormone released during stress, made people significantly worse at navigating a virtual environment and disrupted the precise activity of grid cells, specialized brain cells that help us understand where we are in space. When landmarks were missing, this navigation system nearly stopped functioning, while another brain region appeared to step in and compensate.

Getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week may offer only modest protection against heart attacks and strokes. A large study suggests that substantially greater benefits may require roughly 560 to 610 minutes a week—nearly 9 to 10 hours of brisk walking, running, cycling, or similar activity.

A protein that evolved long before the human circulatory system may help unlock stronger cancer treatments. When C3 is produced inside tumors, it blocks immune-suppressing cells and gives immunotherapy a better chance to work. Researchers were even able to recreate this effect in resistant tumors, significantly improving survival in mice.

Changing how much sweet-tasting food people eat may not change how much they crave or enjoy sweetness after all. In a six-month trial, researchers found that people assigned to high-, low-, or average-sweetness diets showed no meaningful differences in their preference for sweet foods, body weight, or markers linked to diabetes and heart disease. Many participants also drifted back toward their previous eating habits once the trial ended.

Language is part of bill to fund government until mid-December

Astrocytes and APOE are strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the impact of astrocytes carrying different APOE variants on AD hallmarks remains incompletely understood. Here, we generate a chimeric model of AD by transplanting isogenic APOE3 or APOE4 human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived astrocyte progenitors into neonatal AD mice. Donor cells differentiate into human astrocytes that integrate into the cortex and display morphologies consistent with interlaminar-like...

No abstract

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are fundamentally linked to metabolic dysregulation within immune and glial cells. This review provides a systematic synthesis of immunometabolic reprogramming-encompassing glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation-in CNS-resident microglia, immunomodulatory astrocytes, and peripherally infiltrating immune cells (T cells, B cells, and neutrophils) across Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and...

Frailty, defined by multisystem physiological decline and heightened vulnerability to stressors, is typically associated with aging and chronic disease. However, its relevance in apparently healthy individuals remains poorly understood. Identifying frailty in this population could inform primary prevention, as these individuals often remain outside healthcare systems. We investigated the association between frailty and incident chronic conditions and mortality in middle-aged adults free of...

Despite the substantial variability in physical function among older adults, the molecular mechanisms remain poorly characterized, particularly within skeletal muscle. This study aimed to determine the patterns of DNA methylation in skeletal muscle associated with physical function in healthy older adults. We analyzed DNA methylation (EPIC v2 array; 875,554 CpG sites) in skeletal muscle from 92 healthy older adults (median age 74; 62% female). Associations were examined across five phenotypes:...

Rapamycin supplementation has been reported to extend life spans in numerous species, including Drosophila melanogaster, but a recent study in this laboratory revealed a marked life-shortening effect in y w male flies. The experiments reported here were performed to characterize conditions under which rapamycin could extend or shorten life spans in five fly strains. On a cornmeal/torula yeast-based medium, rapamycin extended life in one experiment, had no effect in six and was harmful in 19. On...

CONCLUSIONS: Grab bar installations provided by community paramedics to community-dwelling older adults with a prior fall resulted in a significant reduction in fall-related EMS activations. This prevention approach demonstrates high potential for community paramedicine to offer an evidence-based intervention targeting at-risk older adults.

Young patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have a better prognosis than the aged, but the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Here, we identified a population of IL-19^(+) monocytes derived from cranial bone marrow appearing in the brain after TBI. IL-19^(+) monocytes inhibit the glial hyper-response and promote neurological recovery after TBI through the IL-19/IL-20R axis, which is defective in aged patients. Further studies have proven that CX3CR1 on the IL-19^(+) monocytes is attracted...

Population aging represents one of the most significant social transformations of our time, with profound implications for health systems, social protection, and intergenerational solidarity. By 2050, 1 in 6 people globally will be aged 60 years or older, with the fastest growth occurring in low- and middle-income countries least prepared to respond. Alongside demographic shifts, sociocultural transitions-urbanization, changing family structures, and increased women's labor participation-are...

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are fundamentally linked to metabolic dysregulation within immune and glial cells. This review provides a systematic synthesis of immunometabolic reprogramming-encompassing glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation-in CNS-resident microglia, immunomodulatory astrocytes, and peripherally infiltrating immune cells (T cells, B cells, and neutrophils) across Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and...

Aging reshapes neurotransmitter systems through nonlinear and region-specific shifts that alter excitatory-inhibitory balance, weaken metabolic coupling, and destabilize large-scale neural networks. PET, MRS, molecular MRI, and optical imaging quantify elements of these trajectories, but modality-specific artifacts, cross-site variability, and limited spatial or temporal resolution fragment mechanistic interpretation. Artificial intelligence now enables the integration of these heterogeneous...