🧠 Brain aging decoded! Scientists identify 64 genes & 13 blood proteins linked to aging.
Dr. Baliga's 'Got Knowledge Doc?' PODKASTS
🧠 Brain Aging & Research Advances 🔍 Key Findings: • Brain Age Gap (BAG): Difference between estimated and chronological brain age. • 64 genes identified as influencing brain aging. • 13 proteins in blood linked to accelerated/slowed brain aging. 🩺 Potential Interventions: • 13 anti-aging drugs (e.g., Rapamycin, Dasatinib) show promise in slowing decline. • Plasma proteomics reveals key biomarkers for early intervention. 🌍 Influencing Factors: • Socioeconomic status, pollution, and gender inequality impact brain aging. • Functional connectivity...
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Brain Slime to the Rescue! 🧠🛡️ How Mucins Protect Against Aging & Cognitive Decline 🚀
Dr. Baliga's 'Got Knowledge Doc?' PODKASTS
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) 🛡️ protects the brain from harmful molecules but weakens with aging 🧓, leading to neuroinflammation 🔥 and cognitive decline 📉. Mucins 🧬, slippery proteins in the glycocalyx 🏗️, help maintain BBB integrity 🧠. This study found that mucin loss 🚨 increases BBB permeability, allowing toxins to enter. Using gene therapy 🧪, researchers restored mucins, improving memory and learning 📈 in aged mice. This breakthrough suggests that mucin-based treatments 🏥 could prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and...
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🌍 One Billion Suffer: Decoding Migraine 🧠💊🚀
Dr. Baliga's 'Got Knowledge Doc?' PODKASTS
🧠 Migraine is a complex neurological disorder affecting 1 billion people worldwide. Historically misunderstood, it was once seen as a vascular or psychological issue but is now recognized as a brain network dysfunction involving the hypothalamus and limbic system. 💊 Gepants and CGRP blockers have revolutionized treatment, though they only work for some patients. Triggers like stress, hormones, diet, and environmental factors play a role, and genetics influences susceptibility. 🤖 AI-driven research is helping predict attacks and personalize treatments, while new studies are...
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“Alcohol: A Double-Edged Sword ⚖️🍷 – Cancer, Heart Risks & What You Need to Know!”
Dr. Baliga's 'Got Knowledge Doc?' PODKASTS
Alcohol is a proven carcinogen 🚨, increasing the risk of at least 7 cancers (mouth, throat, breast, liver, etc.) 🦠💀. Even small amounts (5g ethanol/day) raise cancer risk, with no safe threshold 📊🚫. Similarly, exceeding 14 drinks/week (men) or 7 (women) raises CHD risk by up to 43% 💔📈. Past claims of heart benefits from moderate drinking are now being challenged 🧐❓. Best advice? Limit or avoid alcohol for better long-term health 🚫🥃✔️.
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Dr. RR Baliga’s Philosophical Discourses: Heraclitus (Greece, c. 535–475 BCE) – Pre-Socratic Philosopher
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Heraclitus (c. 500 BC), a pre-Socratic philosopher from Ephesus, is renowned for his doctrine of perpetual change and the unity of opposites, encapsulated in the phrase “Everything flows” and “No man ever steps in the same river twice.” His concept of logos as the rational order of the universe influenced ancient and modern philosophy, including thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Hegel. Known as “the dark” philosopher for his cryptic style and paradoxical ideas, Heraclitus viewed strife as fundamental to justice and saw fire as the primal element of existence. His legacy...
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☕ Brewed for Your Gut? 🔬 Coffee, Microbiome, & Metabolic Magic! 🦠✨
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☕ Coffee & Gut Microbiome 🦠 🔬 A multi-cohort study (N = 22,867) found a strong link between coffee consumption and the gut bacterium Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus. 🧪 Metabolomics identified key coffee-derived metabolites like quinic acid, hippurate, and trigonelline. 📊 Machine learning (AUC = 0.89) confirmed microbiome composition predicts coffee intake. 🧫 In vitro studies showed coffee stimulates L. asaccharolyticus growth. ⚙️ Findings suggest polyphenols in coffee shape gut microbiota and metabolic pathways. 🚀 Future research aims to explore dose-dependent...
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Move over, Bionic Man—this titanium heart 🫀⚙️ just made science fiction a reality! 🚀💙
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🔬 Antioxidants & Health: The Science Behind the Hype ❌❤️
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🔬 Antioxidants & Health: Myths vs. Reality ❌🍊💊 Despite popular belief, vitamins C & E do not reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, or chronic illness 🚫❤️. High doses of vitamin A increase the risk of hip fractures & prostate cancer ⚠️🦴, while vitamin E is linked to respiratory infections, prostate cancer, and even death 😷❌. However, a specific combination of antioxidants (C, E, zinc, copper, lutein, zeaxanthin) slows vision loss in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) 👁️🧡. A multiomic study identified GSTO1 as the...
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“🩸 Iron & Folate: The Power of Nutrients for a Healthy Life 💪🍎”
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🔬 Anemia & Folate: Key Insights 🩸 Anemia is primarily caused by iron deficiency in the U.S., especially in pregnancy (30% prevalence). 📊 NHANES data shows high iron deficiency in young females (up to 77.5% at ferritin <50 μg/L). ⚠️ Causes include heavy menstrual loss, increased pregnancy needs, and low dietary heme iron. 💊 Iron supplements (18 mg/day) help, but >45 mg/day may cause nausea & constipation. 👶 Maternal iron status affects infant birth weight, and delayed cord clamping improves newborn iron stores. 🌍 In low-income countries, anemia is...
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Vitamin B12: The Brain & Blood Booster? 🩸🧠💪
Dr. Baliga's 'Got Knowledge Doc?' PODKASTS
Vitamin B12: Essential for Health 🩸🧠 Vitamin B12 is crucial for red blood cell formation, brain function, and DNA synthesis. Found in animal-based foods 🥛🍳🐟, those on vegan diets need fortified foods or supplements 💊. Deficiency can cause anemia, neurological issues, and cognitive decline ⚠️. High-risk groups include vegans, vegetarians, older adults, and individuals with malabsorption conditions 🏥. Maternal deficiency affects fetal development 🤰👶. Absorption declines with age, and severe cases (e.g., pernicious anemia) may require high-dose supplements or...
info_outlineCoronary CT angiography-guided management of patients
with stable chest pain: 10-year outcomes from the SCOT-
HEART randomised controlled trial in Scotland
Michelle C Williams, Ryan Wereski, Christopher Tuck, Philip D Adamson, Anoop S V Shah, Edwin J R van Beek, Giles Roditi, Colin Berry,Nicholas Boon, Marcus Flather, Steff Lewis, John Norrie, Adam D Timmis, Nicholas L Mills, Marc R Dweck, David E Newby, on behalf of theSCOT-HEART Investigators*
Summary
Background The Scottish Computed Tomography of the Heart (SCOT-HEART) trial demonstrated that management
guided by coronary CT angiography (CCTA) improved the diagnosis, management, and outcome of patients with
stable chest pain. We aimed to assess whether CCTA-guided care results in sustained long-term improvements in
management and outcomes.
Methods SCOT-HEART was an open-label, multicentre, parallel group trial for which patients were recruited from
12 outpatient cardiology chest pain clinics across Scotland. Eligible patients were aged 18–75 years with symptoms of
suspected stable angina due to coronary heart disease. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to standard of care plus
CCTA or standard of care alone. In this prespecified 10-year analysis, prescribing data, coronary procedural
interventions, and clinical outcomes were obtained through record linkage from national registries. The primary
outcome was coronary heart disease death or non-fatal myocardial infarction on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial
is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01149590) and is complete.
Findings Between Nov 18, 2010, and Sept 24, 2014, 4146 patients were recruited (mean age 57 years [SD 10], 2325 [56·1%] male, 1821 [43·9%] female), with 2073 randomly assigned to standard care and CCTA and 2073 to standard care
alone. After a median of 10·0 years (IQR 9·3–11·0), coronary heart disease death or non-fatal myocardial infarction
was less frequent in the CCTA group compared with the standard care group (137 [6·6%] vs 171 [8·2%]; hazard ratio
[HR] 0·79 [95% CI 0·63–0·99], p=0·044). Rates of all-cause, cardiovascular, and coronary heart disease death, and
non-fatal stroke, were similar between the groups (p>0·05 for all), but non-fatal myocardial infarctions (90 [4·3%] vs
124 [6·0%]; HR 0·72 [0·55–0·94], p=0·017) and major adverse cardiovascular events (172 [8·3%] vs 214 [10·3%];
HR 0·80 [0·65–0·97], p=0·026) were less frequent in the CCTA group. Rates of coronary revascularisation procedures
were similar (315 [15·2%] vs 318 [15·3%]; HR 1·00 [0·86–1·17], p=0·99) but preventive therapy prescribing remained
more frequent in the CCTA group (831 [55·9%] of 1486 vs 728 [49·0%] of 1485 patients with available data; odds ratio
1·17 [95% CI 1·01–1·36], p=0·034).
Interpretation After 10 years, CCTA-guided management of patients with stable chest pain was associated with a
sustained reduction in coronary heart disease death or non-fatal myocardial infarction. Identification of coronary
atherosclerosis by CCTA improves long-term cardiovascular disease prevention in patients with stable chest pain.