Pain killers kill bacteriaIJ
Some commonly used drugs that combat aches and pains, fever, and inflammation are also thought to have the ability to kill bacteria. New research appearing online in the Cell Press journal Chemistry & Biology reveals that these drugs, better known as NSAIDs, act on bacteria in a way that is fundamentally different from current antibiotics. The discovery could open up new strategies for fighting drug-resistant infections and “superbugs”. “We discovered that some anti-inflammatory drugs used in human and veterinary medicine have weak antibiotic activity and that they exert this secondary activity by preventing bacteria from copying their DNA, which they need to do in order to multiply,” explains senior author Dr Aaron Oakley of the University of Wollongong, in Australia.
Nicotine withdrawal weakens brain
People who try to quit smoking often say that kicking the habit makes the voice inside telling them to light up even louder, but why people succumb to those cravings so often has never been fully understood. Now, a new brain imaging study in this week's Jama Psychiatry from scientists in Penn Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program shows how smokers suffering from nicotine withdrawal may have more trouble shifting from a key brain network — known as default mode, when people are in a so-called “introspective” or “self-referential” state — and into a control network, the so-called executive control network, that could help exert more conscious, self-control over cravings and to focus on quitting for good.The findings help validate a neurobiological basis behind why so many people trying to quit end up relapsing — up to 80 percent, depending on the type of treatment.
There’s a need to forget things
In order to function properly, the human brain requires the ability not only to store but also to forget: Through memory loss, unnecessary information is deleted and the nervous system retains its plasticity. A disruption of this process can lead to serious mental disorders. Basel scientists have now discovered a molecular mechanism that actively regulates the process of forgetting.The scientific journal Cell has published their results. The human brain is build in such a way, that only necessary information is stored permanently — the rest is forgotten over time. However, so far it was not clear if this process was active or passive. Scientists from the transfaculty research platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences (MCN) at the University of Basel have now found a molecule that actively regulates memory loss.
Parents ignore child’s obesity
One out of two parents of children with overweight feel that their child's weight is normal. Four out of ten parents of children with overweight or obesity are even worried that their child will get too thin. These are the findings of a European study of parents of more than 16,000 children, including 1,800 children from Sweden.The research is a part of a European study that comprises a total of 16,220 children in the ages 2-9, of which 1,800 live in Partille, Alingsås and Mölndal in Sweden. In Susann Regber's dissertation, the parents were asked to estimate their child's weight status and health, and to describe their own worries about their child's becoming overweight or underweight. The parents' perceptions were then compared with the children's actual measurements.
Genes thwart elders’ fitness
Keeping strong and physically fit is crucial to maintaining independence among the elderly. Exercise has repeatedly been shown to reduce or slow age-related declines in physical function and is a widely recommended for seniors, but the way that older people respond to exercise varies widely. A new study by Thomas W Buford et al examines the ACE I/D gene and whether its variations — the ID, DD, and II genotypes — impact some seniors' ability to fully reap the benefits of exercise. Researchers followed 424 sedentary, mobility-limited seniors aged 70-89 for a year. The health education group received ongoing presentations on eating right but did not perform exercise as part of the study.