1,222 news posts in Mind and body

Health

04 Aug 2023

Consuming added sugars may increase risk of kidney stones

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer In an observational study, researchers showed that consuming more added sugars is consistently associated with greater odds of developing kidney stones in the US, especially for ethnicities such as Native Americans or Asians, or for people with a relatively higher income. The mechanisms of this relationship, and whether it is directly causal, aren’t yet known. Between 7% and 15% of people in North America, between 5% and 9% of people in Europe, and between 1% and 5% of people in Asia suffer from kidney stones. Common symptoms are severe pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, and bloody urine. But kidney stones don’t just reduce the quality of life: in the long run, they may lead to infections, swollen kidneys (hydronephrosis), renal insufficiency, and end-stage renal disease. Known risk factors for developing kidney stones include being an adult male, obesity, chronic diarrhea, dehydration, and having inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, or gout. Now, a study in Frontiers in Nutrition has shown for the first time that an elevated consumption of added sugars should probably be added to the list of risk factors for kidney stones. Added sugars occur in many processed foods, but are especially abundant in […]

Health

02 Aug 2023

Fighting chronic pain with food: Here are five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of thousands of articles published each year, it’s impossible to cover all of them. Here are just five amazing papers you may have missed. Certain foods help ease chronic pain Chronic pain caused by rheumatic diseases often requires prolonged treatment using drugs which are associated with side effects. Eating a certain diet, however, has been suggested as a possible way to alleviate chronic pain symptoms. Recommended foods include berries, fatty fish, and avocados. In a pilot study, researchers in Spain have evaluated the efficacy of an anti-inflammatory diet in patients with chronic pain. They have published their findings in Frontiers in Nutrition. In a first step, the researchers designed a 13-item anti-inflammatory dietary guide, including anti-inflammatory foods like curcumin and coffee. Foods with inflammatory properties, for example red meat, gluten, and cow’s milk, were excluded from the list. In the second part of the study, participants followed the diet for four months. The researchers found a positive correlation between the anti-inflammatory food participants ate and physical characteristics, stress, and pain. Consuming the anti-inflammatory diet also […]

Life sciences

31 Jul 2023

Scientists solve ‘enigma’ of pygmy right whales’ feeding habits

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer A pygmy right whales in the wild. Image credit: Henry Cordell Researchers have shown from stable isotope ratios in the baleen of pygmy right whales that this ‘most enigmatic’ species of baleen whales remains in waters off southern Australia year-round and feeds on Australian krill and copepods. Unlike larger relatives, they don’t make seasonal migrations to Antarctic regions. Pygmy right whales (Caperea marginata) are the smallest, ‘most enigmatic’, and probably least studied of all baleen whales. Baleen act like sieves in the mouth of baleen whales, which allow seawater to pass but trap small prey items like zooplankton and small fish. Pygmy right whales are rarely seen in the wild. Reason for this may be their relatively small size – up to 6.5 meters long and weighing up to 3.5 tons –, sparse distribution, and inconspicuous behavior, especially compared to the boisterous humpback whales. Historically, whalers rarely bothered hunting them. The little we know about them is mainly based on beached animals. “Here we show that pygmy right whales don’t behave like most other baleen whales: they don’t make long cross-ocean migrations,” said Dr Tracey Rogers, a professor of ecology and evolution at the […]

Health

27 Jul 2023

Low fiber intake during pregnancy may delay development in infants’ brains

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com Certain nutrients – including dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folic acid – are often consumed in too small amounts. Previous research has shown that during pregnancy these nutrients are essential for the development of offspring. In a new cohort study, researchers have confirmed the link between children’s brain development and maternal fiber consumption. They found that neurodevelopmental delays correlated with the amount of dietary fiber expectant mothers did – or did not – consume during pregnancy. Maternal dietary fiber insufficiency affected several domains related to children’s brain function, including communication, and personal-social skills. Undernutrition during pregnancy is one of the factors linked to an increased risk of diseases in children as they grow older. Yet, maternal malnutrition remains a problem for women worldwide. Animal studies have shown that a low-fiber diet during pregnancy impairs brain nerve function in offspring. Now, in the first human cohort study on the relation of maternal nutritional imbalance and infants’ brain development, researchers in Japan have investigated if the same effects can be found in humans. “Most pregnant women in Japan consume far less dietary fiber than what is the recommended intake,” said Dr Kunio Miyake, a […]

Health

24 Jul 2023

Meet a scientist who studies how to save lives in a nuclear disaster

by Prof Hiroshi Yasuda/Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Prof Yasuda pictured at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Image: Hiroshi Yasuda. Prof Hiroshi Yasuda has been studying the consequences of radioactive contamination since he was a student at Kyoto University, inspired by the Chernobyl accident of April 1986. A pioneer of research into radiological protection for astronauts and aircraft crew members, he has worked for international bodies such as the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an expert on radiological impact assessment. After the Fukushima Daiichi accident of March 2011, he led the effort to assess the exposure to radiation of Fukushima residents, and led the official report on the accident for the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). He now works at Hiroshima University, continuing his research and teaching a new generation of students about radiation sciences. Yasuda is the author of a new article in Frontiers in Public Health which discusses how best to protect hospital patients during nuclear emergencies, and has kindly taken the time to share some thoughts about his career and research as part of the Frontiers Scientist series. What inspired you to become a researcher? […]

Health

18 Jul 2023

Smiles all round: clinical trial shows that a toothpaste containing synthetic tooth minerals can prevent cavities as effectively as fluoride

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Scientists studying alternatives to fluoride toothpastes tested out hydroxyapatite toothpaste, which is already known to help people who are at particular risk for cavities or have trouble with dental sensitivity and periodontitis, but which hasn’t been trialed in adults with healthy teeth. Patients used either a hydroxyapatite toothpaste or a fluoride toothpaste for 18 months. At the end of this period, the patients using hydroxyapatite toothpaste were no more likely to develop cavities than the patients using fluoride. Brushing twice a day keeps the dentist away – but can we improve on the toothpaste we use to maintain clean teeth, preventing medical issues that spiral from poor dental health? Most toothpastes use fluoride, a powerful tool for oral hygiene. However, fluoride can pose health problems in some cases, especially for children who consume too much fluoride by swallowing most of their toothpaste: children normally use only a tiny dose of toothpaste to avoid these problems, but that reduces toothbrushing efficacy. In the search for alternatives, a team of international scientists and Polish clinicians have identified a hydroxyapatite toothpaste that works just as well as fluoride toothpaste to protect against cavities. “Hydroxyapatite is […]

Health

11 Jul 2023

Simple oxygen intervention could help patients ‘dramatically improve’ after brain injuries

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Normobaric oxygen, delivered at the same pressure as the atmosphere, is often used to maximize brain cell survival in patients with neurological trauma. Scientists found that giving experimental participants normobaric oxygen through a nasal cannula helped them learn a new visuomotor task more quickly and effectively, raising hopes that this oxygen intervention could also be used for rehabilitation. Motor learning skills let us move through the world: we use them to teach ourselves how to walk, how to pick up a drink, how to run. But age or sickness can weaken our ability to learn motor tasks. Scientists studying the impact of oxygen supplementation on motor learning have found a promising treatment that could help patients who have experienced neurological trauma recover old skills. “A simple and easy to administer treatment with 100% oxygen can drastically improve human motor learning processes,” said Dr Marc Dalecki, now at the German University of Health and Sports in Berlin, senior author of the study in Frontiers in Neuroscience. Repurposing a frontline treatment Our brains need a lot of oxygen. In low-oxygen contexts cognitive function decreases, while in high-oxygen contexts it recovers, and the delivery of […]

Life sciences

06 Jul 2023

Stressed rattlesnakes found to calm down in the company of a nearby ‘friend’

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Jasper Nance/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) When a creature’s stress levels decrease because of the presence of a companion, it is known as social buffering. In highly social animals, such as mammals and birds, this phenomenon is well studied. Now, researchers have examined social buffering in rattlesnakes and found that the presence of a second snake significantly reduced rattlesnakes’ change in heart rates after they experienced disturbance. It is the first evidence of social buffering in reptiles. When animals suffer from acute or chronic stress, they produce more hormones causing shifts in the nervous system, immune response, and behavior. Some animals, if they are in the presence of a conspecific, can modulate their response to buffer stress. This is known as social buffering. There is some research suggesting that snakes can exhibit complex social behavior. Nevertheless, social buffering in reptiles, as well as in other asocial organisms and solitary foragers, hasn’t been studied extensively. Now, researchers in the US have examined if rattlesnakes inhabiting Southern California use social buffering to alleviate acute stress. “We showed that when two snakes were together and experienced a stressful situation, they could buffer each other’s stress response, much […]

Life sciences

05 Jul 2023

Migrant orangutans learn which foods are good to eat by watching the locals

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer An unflanged migrant orangutan male (on the left side) and an adolescent local orangutan female (on the right side) are peering at each other. Orangutan species: Pongo abelii. Image credit: Caroline Schuppli, SUAQ Project, http://www.suaq.org Researchers analyzed 30 years of observations on a total of 152 male migrant orangutans on Sumatra and Borneo and showed evidence that migrants learn about unfamiliar foods in their new home range by ‘peering’ at experienced locals: intensely observing them at close distance. Peering was most frequently seen when locals consumed foods that were rare or hard to process Orangutans are dependent on their mothers longer than any other non-human animal, nursing until they are at least six years old and living with her for up to three years more, learning how to find, choose, and process the exceedingly varied range of foods they eat. But how do orangutans that have left their mothers and now live far from their natal ranges, where the available foods may be very different, decide what to eat and figure out how to eat it? Now, an international team of authors has shown that in such cases, migrants follow the rule ‘observe, and […]

Health

29 Jun 2023

Soft robo-glove can help stroke patients relearn to play music

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer The soft smart hand exoskeleton. Image credit: Dr Maohua Lin et al Researchers have developed the prototype of a comfortable and flexible ‘soft smart hand exoskeleton’ or robo-glove, which gives feedback to wearers who need to relearn tasks that require manual dexterity and coordination, for example after suffering a stroke. The present study focused on patients who need to relearn to play the piano as a proof-of-principle, but the glove can easily be adapted to help relearn other daily tasks. Stroke is the most important cause of disability for adults in the EU, which affects approximately 1.1 million inhabitants each year. After a stroke, patients commonly need rehabilitation to relearn to walk, talk, or perform daily tasks. Research has shown that besides physical and occupational therapy, music therapy can help stroke patients to recover language and motor function. But for people trained in music and who suffered a stroke, playing music may itself be a skill that needs to be relearned. Now, a study in Frontiers in Robotics and AI has shown how novel soft robotics can help recovering patients to relearn playing music and other skills that require dexterity and coordination. “Here we […]

Neuroscience

28 Jun 2023

That essential morning coffee may be a placebo

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Scientists testing coffee against plain caffeine found that plain caffeine only partially reproduces the effects of drinking a cup of coffee, activating areas of the brain that make you feel more alert but not the areas of the brain that affect working memory and goal-directed behavior. For many people, the day doesn’t start until their coffee mug is empty. Coffee is often thought to make you feel more alert, so people drink it to wake themselves up and improve their efficiency. Portuguese scientists studied coffee-drinkers to understand whether that wakefulness effect is dependent on the properties of caffeine, or whether it’s about the experience of drinking coffee. “There is a common expectation that coffee increases alertness and psychomotor functioning,” said Prof Nuno Sousa of the University of Minho, corresponding author of the study in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience and Field Chief Editor of the journal. “When you get to understand better the mechanisms underlying a biological phenomenon, you open pathways for exploring the factors that may modulate it and even the potential benefits of that mechanism.” A caffeine kickstart The scientists recruited people who drank a minimum of one cup of coffee […]

Humanities

22 Jun 2023

Breaking down invisible barriers for LGBTQIA+ in STEM

By Dr Aswathi K Sivan and Dr Andrew L Miller June is the month of the year dedicated to LGBTQIA+ pride. In a previous post, we interviewed Dr Alfredo Carpineti (chair of the association Pride in STEM) and we talked about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science and research. As we mentioned, Frontiers is proud to offer a platform for the empowerment of openly-LGBTQIA+ editors. Specifically, the journal Frontiers in Nanotechnology recently launched a special issue with an editorial team composed fully of openly queer researchers in nanotechnology. We asked this editorial team to share with us their point of view, so as to be able to focus the attention on relevant themes and really offer an empowering platform to the community we wish to represent. The following opinion piece is from Dr Aswathi K Sivan (University of Basel), in collaboration with Dr Andrew L Miller (Dutch National Institute for Subatomic Physics). LGBTQIA+ scientists have made significant contributions to their respective fields, despite the myriad of barriers they face. The pioneering works of several scientists such as Alan Turing, Lynn Conway, and Ben Barres have paved the way for a greater acceptance and inclusivity of LGBTQIA+ people in the scientific community. Despite all the […]

Health

22 Jun 2023

Space travel alters gene expression in white blood cells, weakening our immune system

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Scientists have shown that the expression of (mostly protein-coding) genes in white blood cells changes rapidly when astronauts reach the International Space Station. This may explain why astronauts appear more susceptible to infectious diseases while in space. Most genes returned to their typical pre-flight level of expression within a few weeks to one year after landing, suggesting that Earth-level gravity is required for the immune system of astronauts to function optimally Evidence is mounting that astronauts are more susceptible to infections while in space. For example, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) commonly suffer from skin rashes, as well as respiratory and non-respiratory diseases. Astronauts are also known to shed more live virus particles, for example Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster responsible for shingles, herpes-simplex-1 responsible for sores, and cytomegalovirus. These observations suggest that our immune system might be weakened by space travel. But what could cause such an immune deficit? “Here we show that the expression of many genes related to immune functions rapidly decreases when astronauts reach space, while the opposite happens when they return to Earth after six months aboard the ISS,” said Dr Odette Laneuville, an associate professor at the […]

Neuroscience

14 Jun 2023

Slightly lost bumblebees use scent to find their way home

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Researchers have shown that returning foragers of buﬀ-tailed bumblebees use their own passively laid out scent marks, as well as visual information from landmarks, to find their way back to the nest entrance. These results highlight the importance of both vision and odor for guiding the navigation of bumblebees Put yourself in the exoskeleton of a bumblebee for a moment: your world would be a riot of colors and scents, both essential to guide your search for pollen and nectar. Bumblebees have excellent vision: they have a pair of compound eyes that can distinguish UV and most colors except red, plus three additional simple eyes specialized in detecting polarized light. Their sense of smell dwarfs ours: approximately 100 times more sensitive, and capable of sniffing out illegal drugs or explosives at airports, confirming pregnancy in women, or detecting cancers and diabetes in early-stage patients. Now, researchers have shown that bumblebees can also use their sense of smell to locate their nest. This is especially important when the landscape suddenly changes, for example when familiar visual landmarks are blown away by wind. The results are published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. “Here we show that […]

Health

09 Jun 2023

New high-tech helmets may protect American football players from debilitating concussions

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Evidence is mounting that head impacts in American football can lead to devastating neurological illness. Scientists searching for ways to protect players have developed a helmet containing liquid shock absorbers that cuts the impact of blows to the head by a third compared to existing models. Millions of people in the US are concussed every year playing sports. Players of games like American football are at particularly high risk for injuries that can have devastating long-term consequences. Stanford University scientists working with the company Savior Brain have now designed one potential way of protecting players: a helmet containing liquid shock absorbers that could reduce the impact of blows to the head by a third. “Most of the members of our team have a personal connection to traumatic brain injury and we care deeply about ensuring long-term athlete brain health,” said Nicholas Cecchi, a PhD candidate at Stanford University and lead author of the study in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. “Concussion and repeated head impacts are still a major problem in contact sports, and we believe that improved helmet technology can play an important role in reducing the risk of brain injury.” […]