Estrogen may protect the brain against autism. Children with autism have fewer estrogen receptors in their brains than children without the disorder, a 2014 study found. The children had low brain levels of proteins involved in estrogen signaling, as well. Researchers analyzed brain tissue from healthy children and children with autism who had died from non-natural causes. Specifically, they quantified the expression of the estrogen receptor-beta and related proteins in tissue from the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in social behavior and cognition. They found that children... hormones estrogen autism
Read moreFrom the article: The researchers say that while more work is needed to understand the exact mechanism by which HDL cholesterol effects aneurysms, their investigations indicate that raising HDL cholesterol influences the activity of the aortic artery's cells, which are the building blocks of its structure and function. They found that elevated levels of HDL had two key influences on the cells. Firstly, it altered the signals sent between cells, which, in turn, reduced the activity of a protein called ERK1/2 that is known for its cell growth properties. Secondly, it increased levels of HDL cho... cholesterol aneurysm
Read moreFrom the article: At this week's American College of Surgeons meeting in New Orleans, Derek T. Woodrum, M.D., a U-M resident in general surgery, will present new research results showing that smooth muscle cells from aortas of male rats contain 2.5 times more destructive MMP-9 protein and 10 times the level of MMP-9 gene expression compared to the same cells from female rat aortas. Known to be involved in AAA [abdominal aortic aneurysms] formation, MMP-9 is a cell-digesting enzyme that eats away at the wall of the aorta, leaving it vulnerable to expansion and rupture. However, when Woodrum tr... hormones aneurysm
Read moreCurrently selected for this coming member's digest (/crowdsponsor) by team member Melisa B. From the article: > Researchers report in the April issue of Cancer Research that the GPR109A receptor is activated by butyrate, a metabolite produced by fiber-eating bacteria in the colon. The receptor puts a double-whammy on cancer by sending signals that trigger cell death, or apoptosis, and shutting down a protein that causes inflammation, a precursor to cancer. [...] > That got the German research team to search for alternative activators of the receptor, resulting in identification of beta-... nutrition cancer diet ketosis fiber butyrate hdac inhibitor
Read moreFrom the article: > Scientists have found that six weeks of intense exercise -- short bouts of interval training over the course of 20 minutes -- showed significant improvements in what is known as high-interference memory, which, for example, allows us to distinguish our car from another of the same make and model. [...] > They also found that participants who experienced greater fitness gains also experienced greater increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports the growth, function and survival of brain cells. > "Improvements in this type of memory ... brain performance memory aerobic bdnf
Read moreFrom the article: > The researchers say the improvements are due to a brain protein called brain-derived neurotrophic growth factor, which is released during aerobic exercise. A kind of Miracle-Gro for the brain, BDNF stimulates the hippocampus -- the brain's center of learning and long-term memory -- to sprout new neurons, and it increases connections between neurons. [...] > McEwen said that in the second study, the amount of BDNF increased 35 percent in the group that had participated in both cognitive training and exercise -- and half of that increase occurred within the first two we... exercise brain schizophrenia aerobic bdnf
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