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Scientists have discovered that fasting for just 24 hours increases a beneficial gut bacterium that helps the intestines regenerate after radiation damage. The preclinical findings could pave the way for new treatments that protect healthy tissue during cancer therapy, potentially without requiring patients to fast.

MIT scientists have developed nanoparticles that reprogram immune cells directly inside the body to attack cancer and harmful immune cells, eliminating tumors and reversing liver damage in mouse experiments. The breakthrough could make powerful immune therapies dramatically simpler and less expensive while opening new possibilities for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases.

A major international study tracking more than 26,000 men found that very low testosterone levels were associated with an 18% higher risk of dying from cancer later in life. Surprisingly, testosterone itself showed no clear link to prostate cancer, although two other sex hormones did. Researchers believe low testosterone could be an important early warning sign of future health risks, particularly when levels fall below 8.6 nmol/L.

Scientists have discovered that sleep disorders are associated with structural changes in brain regions that control attention, decision-making, and emotions, potentially explaining why disrupted sleep can affect everyday thinking and behavior. The findings, drawn from 57 brain imaging studies, reveal both shared and disorder-specific patterns that could lead to more targeted treatments.

A surprising new study suggests that a stronger flu shot could offer older adults significantly greater protection against Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at UTHealth Houston analyzed nearly 200,000 adults ages 65 and older and found that those who received a high-dose influenza vaccine had a nearly 55% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's, compared with a 40% reduction previously associated with the standard-dose vaccine.

A study of more than 17,700 US adults found that people who use cannabis in multiple forms have dramatically higher rates of daily consumption and addiction symptoms than those who stick primarily to one method. Nearly 67% of those who used almost every form met criteria for cannabis use disorder, compared with just 15% of people who mainly consumed edibles.

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CONCLUSION: The combination of low PEF and high cardiometabolic burden identified an older subgroup at elevated risk of incident ADL disability. However, the small and heterogeneous multiplicative interaction and near-null additive interaction estimates did not support a consistent interaction beyond the separate associations.

CONCLUSIONS: This multi-database explainable machine learning analysis reveals robust cross-sectional predictive associations between frailty and concurrent depression among older adults with multimorbidity. The predictive models facilitate clinical risk stratification for the concurrent screening of high-risk individuals for both conditions. However, the present cross-sectional design prohibits confirmation of temporal ordering and causal reciprocal reinforcement. The findings highlight the...

CONCLUSIONS: Physical performance assessed by the SPPB was significantly associated with dementia risk. These findings support the potential value of the SPPB in identifying older adults at higher risk of dementia. Future intervention studies are needed to determine whether improving physical performance can reduce dementia risk.

CONCLUSION: L1 expression increased in the aged mouse PFC and is associated with coordinated downregulation of neuronal gene networks rather than other major aging-associated transcriptional programs. These findings further characterize the molecular context of increased L1 expression during normal brain aging.

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Aging is the dominant risk factor for retinal neurodegeneration, yet the upstream regulators that coordinate senescence-associated programs across retinal cell types remain incompletely defined. Here we combined bulk RNA-seq and quantitative proteomics of retinas from naturally aged (24-month) and young (4-month) mice to define age-associated molecular programs and infer upstream regulators. We identified coordinated but imperfect transcript-protein coupling, with prominent immune and metabolic...

A progressive decline in testosterone levels is a hallmark of male reproductive aging and is closely associated with impaired Leydig cell function. Leydig cell function relies on intracellular homeostasis, with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis playing a particularly important role in steroidogenesis. The ER supports steroidogenesis by regulating protein quality control, lipid and cholesterol metabolism, calcium homeostasis, and interactions between organelles. With advancing age, the...

Drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily was linked to a dramatically lower risk of dementia and better cognitive functioning in a study spanning up to 43 years. The benefits appeared regardless of genetic risk, but decaffeinated coffee did not show the same association.

A surprising discovery reveals how psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, rapidly reshapes the brain by creating new neural connections and strengthening them. Researchers found that the drug behaves differently in healthy and chronically stressed mice, potentially helping repair brain circuits damaged by prolonged stress. Most intriguingly, they identified a way to trigger this brain rewiring without the behavioral response associated with psychedelic effects.

A compound naturally found in broccoli could help fight Friedreich ataxia, a devastating genetic disease that progressively damages the nervous system, by boosting a vital protein and protecting nerve cells. Scientists hope the discovery could lead to an affordable treatment, although clinical trials are still needed to establish its effectiveness in patients.

Approach could provide scientists with a quicker, gentler way to gauge the health of bird populations

Representative Zoe Lofgren prepares to lead the House science committee that microbiologist Jasmine Clark hopes to serve on

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