Lifeboat Foundation

A relatively easy way to boost intestinal stem cell (ISC) function might simply be fasting, according to a new study by a team of MIT biologists.

Stem cells supply the specialized cells that make up our tissues and organs; every time existing cells are lost for whatever reason, stem cells that can differentiate into that particular type of cell jump into action to compensate for the loss. However, this ability declines over time as aging progresses; indeed, stem cell exhaustion is one of the hallmarks of aging, and it affects our body by decreasing the regenerative capacity of its tissues, leading to immune dysfunction, muscle wasting, and even neurodegenerative diseases.

The lining of your intestine suffers from this problem as well. It consists of a fast-renewing tissue that typically renews itself entirely in a handful of days, and it is responsible for absorbing nutrients as well as keeping away unwanted substances; maintaining its regenerative abilities is therefore important for everyone, old or young; however, for older people, this is more challenging. However, a relatively easy way to boost intestinal stem cell (ISC) function might simply be fasting, according to a new study by a team of MIT biologists [1].

Continue reading “Fasting might boost intestinal stem cell function” »

There’s a drug that can immediately minimize or even remove the trauma and fear response in human beings.

How propranolol, a drug used for years to combat high blood pressure, can actually change the fear response to PTSD, traumatic stimuli, and triggers.

Continue reading “A ‘Magic’ Pill That Can Neutralize Traumatic Memories And Fears?” »

Lightning strikes, MRI machines, and other sources of powerful electrical fields can damage medical devices and cause serious brain injury.

Time to end genetic fatalism: Lifestyle matters, even to those with APOE e4 allele. #dementia #alzheimers #apoee4 #lifestyle #genetics

Weird.

Scientists have successfully created synthetic embryos from mouse stem cells. Could the advance help human infertility research?

China’s push into gene-editing crops sows unease in America’s heartland: Will U.S. farmers be shut out?

Chinese-owned Syngenta makes strides in new technologies to alter plant DNA, as U.S. farmers worry that cutting-edge agricultural science is shifting East.

Just about everyone agrees that America’s health care system is broken. Is better data—and the ability to harness it—the medicine we’ve been looking for?

A toxic chemical produced by algae and linked to motor neuron disease has been detected in NSW rivers. Its presence — long suspected but now confirmed — could be linked to a disease hotspot in the Riverina.

A scientific experiment to reanimate dead brains could lead to humans enduring a ‘fate worse than death,’ an ethics lecturer has warned.

Last month Yale University announced it had successfully resurrected the brains of more than 100 slaughtered pigs and found that the cells were still healthy.

The reanimated brains were kept alive for up to 36 hours and scientists said the process, which should also work in primates, offered a new way to study intact organs in the lab.

Continue reading “Yale experiment to reanimate dead brains promises ‘living hell’ for humans” »