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Time of India
12 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Could walking be the key to lowering Alzheimer's risk?
If you've been debating whether to get up and stretch your legs today, new research may give you the nudge you need. A fresh study, planned to be presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference this week, suggests that simply walking more could slow cognitive decline, especially in people genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease. Researchers followed nearly 3,000 adults between the ages of 70 and 79 for a decade and tracked their walking habits and how those habits correlated with brain function over time. Participants who either maintained or increased their walking levels showed notable improvements in executive function and processing speed, according to the study, which is currently available as a preprint and hasn't yet undergone peer review. The findings appeared especially promising among individuals with the APOE4 genotype, a known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's. According to Dr. Cindy Barha, senior study author and assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Calgary, the results highlight the danger of inactivity as we age. The genetic link Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is believed to result from a buildup of toxic plaques in the brain that interfere with how nerve cells communicate. Over time, those neurons die, leading to memory loss, confusion, behavioral changes, and eventually, physical deterioration. There is no cure. The genetic story behind Alzheimer's is complex, but APOE genes play a central role. One particular variant, APOE4, is linked to a reduced ability to clear those brain plaques. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, between 15% and 25% of people carry this gene, though it can only be identified through genetic testing. What's compelling is that those at higher risk may benefit the most. 'Before the study started, we thought APOE4 carriers had more room to grow in terms of cognition, since they may already have been experiencing some cognitive decline,' Barha explained. 'They also have more room to show improvement.' She also speculated that participants who knew they carried APOE4 may have been more motivated to change their behavior during the study. Either way, the cognitive benefits were clear. But how does movement in the body affect what's happening in the brain? Experts believe exercise may increase the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein often compared to fertilizer for brain cells. 'We're thinking there are proteins released from the muscle that travel to the brain and, either across the blood-brain barrier or at the blood-brain barrier, start a reaction that eventually leads to increases in BDNF within the brain,' Barha explained.
The Star
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Study links particulate air pollution to increased mutations in lung cancers among nonsmokers
LOS ANGELES, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Exposure to fine particulate air pollution is strongly associated with increased genetic mutations in lung cancer tumors among individuals who have never smoked, a new study led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, represents the largest whole-genome analysis to date of lung cancer in nonsmokers, offering new insights into how environmental pollutants may drive cancer in the absence of tobacco use. Researchers from NIH's National Cancer Institute and the University of California San Diego examined lung tumors from 871 nonsmoking patients across 28 regions worldwide as part of the Sherlock-Lung study. They found that air pollution exposure -- particularly from traffic and industrial sources -- was linked to cancer-driving mutations, including alterations in the TP53 gene and other mutational signatures typically associated with tobacco-related cancers. The study also revealed that air pollution was related to shorter telomeres, which are sections of DNA found at the end of chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are associated with aging and reduced cellular replication capacity, potentially accelerating cancer progression. Understanding how air pollution contributes to the mutational landscape of lung tumors helps explain the cancer risk for nonsmokers and highlights the urgent need for stronger environmental protections, the study suggested. Lung cancer in nonsmokers accounts for up to 25 percent of all lung cancer cases globally, according to the study.
Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
US NIH director hopes administration will settle with universities over suspended grants
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request for the NIH, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura WASHINGTON - National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya told a U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday he was hopeful that President Donald Trump's administration would reach a settlement with universities that have had research grants suspended. "I'm very hopeful that a resolution being made with the universities where those decisions have been made, where those grants have been paused," Bhattacharya said while appearing at a hearing of the Senate Appropriation Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on the NIH's 2026 budget request. Dozens of scientists, researchers and other employees at the NIH issued a rare public rebuke on Monday ahead of the hearing, criticizing the Trump administration for major spending cuts that "harm the health of Americans and people across the globe," politicize research and "waste public resources." The NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants totaling about $9.5 billion and an additional $2.6 billion in contracts since Trump took office Jan. 20, they said in the letter. The contracts often support research, from covering equipment to nursing staff working on clinical trials. The White House wants to reduce U.S. health spending by more than a quarter next year, with the NIH facing the brunt with a cut of $18 billion, or 40%, from this year's budget, leaving it with $27 billion. The Trump administration wants to cut funding altogether for four of the agency's 27 institutes and centers while consolidating others into five new ones. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
05-06-2025
- Health
ESPN anchor Jay Harris announces prostate cancer diagnosis
ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor Jay Harris is battling prostate cancer, he announced Thursday on " Good Morning America." "My doctor is quite optimistic," Harris said of his prognosis. "Per my last scan, nothing has spread, so once we take out the prostate, hopefully that will be it. That's the goal." Harris said he plans to undergo surgery on June 10, and then will take time off from "SportsCenter" to recover. "[I] will be away from 'SportsCenter' for about a month to recover and then I'm coming back better than ever," said Harris, who joined ESPN in 2003. Harris said he has received an outpouring support from his ESPN colleagues, as well as his family and friends, many of whom have shared with Harris a personal connection to prostate cancer. In Harris's own family, he said his dad battled prostate cancer, as well as other relatives. "We all need to talk about these things because we all have them in our families," Harris said of his diagnosis. "By not talking about them, we just, really, I hate to be morbid, but we sentence ourselves to death by not talking." Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S., according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Center. The five-year relative survival rate from prostate cancer, meaning the percentage of people alive five years after diagnosis, is roughly 98%, the NIH says. Prostate cancer in general usually grows very slowly. While finding and treating it before symptoms occur may not improve men's health or help them live longer it is generally a more treatable type of cancer, even when it has spread. Prostate cancer can be screened for with a blood test called Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA). The goal of screening is to catch cancer before symptoms present and can be done during medical check-ups. After a high PSA is detected, a doctor may call for a biopsy. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which helps establish standards for screening tests, says the decision to screen people aged 55-69 for prostate cancer should be a choice between the individual and their healthcare provider.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scientist.com Adds Trial Insights™ to Clinical Labs Navigator™ Solution, Giving Researchers Instant Access to Global Clinical-Trial Intelligence
SAN DIEGO, May 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- the leading R&D procurement platform for the life sciences, today integrated Trial Insights™—its real‑time clinical‑trial analytics tool—into Clinical Labs Navigator™. The move lets scientists source lab services and query more than 500,000 active and completed trials from a single dashboard, shortening study‑planning cycles from weeks to hours. "Trial Insights turns scattered public and proprietary trial records into a live, searchable map," said Ron Ronauro, Founder of Trial Insights and VP of Applications at "A team can pull up any study, filter by endpoints, inclusion/exclusion criteria, enrollment progress or regulatory status, and instantly spot trends—without wrestling with spreadsheets." What's New Inside Clinical Labs Navigator Global trial coverage – Search 17 primary registries by phase, indication and geography. Biomarker explorer – See which markers drive response and how they trend across studies. Investigator & site profiles – Rank investigators by experience, therapeutic focus and startup speed. Drug & sponsor analytics – Track pipelines, competitors and partnership history in one view. Smart alerts – Get email or in‑app notifications when a trial you follow changes status, geography or enrollment targets. Availability Trial Insights is now live for all Clinical Labs Navigator users. New users can start a free trial or book a demo at For a live demo of Trial Insights and/or Clinical Labs Navigator, visit booth #15157 at the upcoming ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. About makes it easy for life‑science teams to find, vet and order the research services and products they need—often in days instead of weeks. Its online marketplace brings together 6,000+ pre‑qualified suppliers across 1,000‑plus research categories, all with built‑in regulatory and data‑privacy controls. The platform powers secure sourcing hubs for 20 of the world's top 30 pharmaceutical companies, 100+ biotech firms and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Founded in 2007 and continually enhanced with AI tools, helps scientists spend less time on paperwork and more time on discovery. Learn more at Clinical Labs Navigator and Trial Insights are trademarks of View source version on Contacts Preci+1 877-644-3044marketing@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
