Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

Can the aging brain still make new neurons?   A landmark 2026 Nature study analyzed 355,997 human hippocampal nuclei using single-nucleus RNA sequencing and ATAC sequencing. Neurogenesis persists into adulthood—but chromatin accessibility collapses early in Alzheimer’s disease.   SuperAgers showed a 2.5-fold increase in immature neurons and a preserved resilience signature.   Epigenetics may be the earliest battlefield in cognitive decline. 🧠

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

  Radiation. Regions. Responsibility. 🌍⚡   A JAMA study (INCAPS-4) analyzing 19,302 patients across 101 countries reveals striking global disparities in radiation exposure from cardiac imaging.   Median CCTA dose in Africa: 25.2 mSv Western Europe: 4.6 mSv Low-income nations had 96% higher CCTA doses. Technology and training—not just access—determine safety. As CAD rises worldwide, dose optimization must become a global quality benchmark.

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

Can a single bolus change the fate of a devastating stroke? 🧠💉 The TRACE-5 trial (Lancet 2026) shows that tenecteplase within 24 h for basilar artery occlusion improves excellent functional outcomes (38% vs 29%; RR 1.50, p=0.014) without increased haemorrhage or mortality. 📊 Pragmatic design. No mandatory advanced imaging. Feasible globally. 🌍 If confirmed beyond Asian cohorts, this could reshape late-window stroke care.   Single shot. Shifted scale. Strong signal. 🚑📈

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) reshaped modern philosophy by asking a deceptively simple question: How does language work? 🧠   In the Tractatus, he argued that language “pictures” reality — and that what cannot be clearly said must be passed over in silence. Later, in Philosophical Investigations, he reversed course: meaning is not fixed — it is use, embedded in “language games.” 🎯   His lasting insight? Many philosophical problems are really linguistic confusions. Clarity is not cosmetic — it is transformative. ✨   In medicine, law, policy, or everyday...

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

Light smoking is not harmless. 🚬   A powerful New England Journal of Medicine Perspective highlights the rising challenge of nondaily and low-intensity smokers in Latin America. Even fewer than 10 cigarettes per day carry meaningful cardiovascular and cancer risk — yet these smokers often underestimate harm and receive limited cessation support.   The future of tobacco control must address the “light” smoker with tailored counseling, pharmacotherapy, and smarter primary-care integration.

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

🧠 Alzheimer’s doesn’t begin when memory fails — it begins years earlier.   A new Cell Reports Medicine study identifies PPP2R5C, a brain-derived protein detectable in blood, that declines before significant Tau hyperphosphorylation.   📉 ↓ 61% in amnestic mild cognitive impairment 📊 AUC 0.85 for Alzheimer’s diagnosis 🔬 Mechanism: activates Protein Phosphatase 2A and ULK1-driven autophagy to regulate Tau   A blood signal before symptoms. Early detection means earlier intervention.

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

🧠 Can a simple blood test tell us when Alzheimer’s symptoms will begin?   A new Nature Medicine study introduces a plasma p-tau217 “molecular clock” that estimates time to symptom onset with an error margin of ~3–4 years. By modeling the rise of phosphorylated tau in cognitively unimpaired individuals, investigators move from predicting if to predicting when.   ⏳ Implication: smarter prevention trials, earlier intervention windows, and biologically timed enrollment.   ⚠️ Not ready for routine screening—but a compelling proof of concept.   The era of...

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

The brain’s “skull drains” are far from passive plumbing.   In Nature (2026), Monaghan et al. show that dural venous sinuses actively constrict, dilate, and even rearrange endothelial borders in a phenomenon called “ruffling” to support immune surveillance.   RAMP1 regulates vasomotion. RAMP2 regulates immune boundary dynamics. Blocking RAMP2 impairs antiviral defense.   The meninges are not coverings. They are regulated neuroimmune interfaces. 🧠🛡️

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

Can we finally modulate post-stroke inflammation? 🧠   The EMPHASIS trial (Lancet 2026) randomized 1,724 patients with acute ischemic stroke to short-course oral minocycline within 72h.   Result: higher rates of excellent 90-day outcome (mRS 0–1 52.6% vs 47.4%; RR 1.11, p=0.0061) without safety concerns.   A cheap, generic drug showing signal in late neuroprotection.   Inflammation may not just follow stroke — it may shape recovery. 🔬

Dr. RR Baliga's 'Podkast for the Kurious Doc'

🦴 Rotator cuff “tears” are nearly universal after age 40. In a population-based Finnish study (n=602), 99% had ≥1 MRI abnormality — including 96% of asymptomatic shoulders. Even full-thickness tears were usually silent, and adjusted analyses eliminated differences between painful and painless shoulders  . Lesson? After 40, imaging abnormalities are common — causality is not. Treat function. Treat symptoms. Treat patients — not scans.