Category: Health

Exercise during pregnancy protects offspring from obesity

Tom Patriot

A new study found that offspring born to mice that exercised during pregnancy were less likely to gain weight after consuming a high-fat diet later in life. Although previous studies have shown that exercise by obese females benefits their offspring, this is the first research to demonstrate that the same is true when non-obese females exercise. “Based on our findings, we recommend that women — whether or not they are obese or have diabetes — exercise regularly during pregnancy because it benefits their children’s metabolic health,” said Jun Seok Son,…

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Study illuminates the brain’s inner workings

Tom Patriot

Like instruments in an orchestra, different parts of the human brain work together to help us perform the functions of daily life, ranging from breathing and sleeping to reading, walking and learning. But which areas of the brain work in harmony to accomplish certain types of tasks? And how does this coordination vary from person to person? A new study that will be published on April 3 in Science Advancesexplores these questions. The research focuses on brain activity associated with nine cognitive systems within the brain, each consisting of a network…

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Prostate cancer incidence and mortality have declined in most countries

Tom Patriot

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates are decreasing or stabilizing in most parts of the world, with the United States recording the biggest drop in incidence, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2019, March 29-April 3. Despite the trend toward declining or stabilizing rates, prostate cancer remains the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death among men worldwide, said the study’s lead author, MaryBeth Freeman, MPH, senior associate scientist, Surveillance Research, at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta. “Previous studies have…

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Essential Oils for Beginners: How to Use Them Safely in Your Beauty Routine

Tom Patriot

Hello, and welcome to your crash course on essential oils. We’re happy to have you, whether you stumbled here by chance or because you’re seeking more information on the age-old plant extracts that have become increasingly popular over the years. Because of their widespread prevalence in both the beauty and wellness spaces — not to mention the fact that there are countless conflicting opinions out there — we figured it was time to enlist the help of experts to create a comprehensive guide to essential oils and all the ways you can use…

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Deep stimulation improves cognitive control by augmenting brain rhythms

Tom Patriot

In a new study that could improve the therapeutic efficacy of deep-brain stimulation (DBS) for psychiatric disorders such as depression, a team of scientists shows that, when DBS is applied to a specific brain region, it improves patients’ cognitive control over their behavior by increasing the power of a specific low-frequency brain rhythm in their prefrontal cortex. The findings, published April 4 in Nature Communications, suggest that the increase in “theta” rhythms, readily detectable in EEG recordings, could provide neurosurgeons and psychiatrists with the reliable, objective and rapid feedback they’ve needed…

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