Intermittent fasting: is there a role in the treatment of diabetes? A review of the literature and guide for primary care physicians

Type 2 Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia that causes numerous complications with significant long-term morbidity and mortality. The disorder is primarily due to insulin resistance particularly in liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue. In this review, we detail the hormonal mechanisms leading to the development of diabetes and discuss whether intermittent fasting… Continue reading Intermittent fasting: is there a role in the treatment of diabetes? A review of the literature and guide for primary care physicians

Loving-kindness meditation slows biological aging in novices: Evidence from a 12-week randomized controlled trial

Highlights•Over 12 weeks, loving-kindness meditation buffered telomere attrition. •Telomere length decreased in the mindfulness group and the control group. •The loving-kindness group showed less telomere attrition than the control group. AbstractCombinations of multiple meditation practices have been shown to reduce the attrition of telomeres, the protective caps of chromosomes (Carlson et al., 2015). Here, we… Continue reading Loving-kindness meditation slows biological aging in novices: Evidence from a 12-week randomized controlled trial

Identification of TCR repertoires in functionally competent cytotoxic T cells cross-reactive to SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells are scarce but detectable in unexposed healthy donors (UHDs). It remains unclear whether pre-existing human coronavirus (HCoV)-specific CD8+ T cells are converted to functionally competent T cells cross-reactive to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we identified the HLA-A24-high binding, immunodominant epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 spike region that can be recognized by seasonal coronavirus-specific CD8+ T… Continue reading Identification of TCR repertoires in functionally competent cytotoxic T cells cross-reactive to SARS-CoV-2

Role of nutritional supplements in selected dermatological disorders: A review

While a plethora of literature continues to be published on the role of nutritional agents both in lay press and indexed journals, the data is not on a firm footing and leaves the dermatologist in a quandry and the patient confused. The various agents include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, diets & gluten. A proper… Continue reading Role of nutritional supplements in selected dermatological disorders: A review

COVID-19 Vaccination and Breakthrough Infections in Patients with Cancer

Highlights•Patients with cancer who develop breakthrough COVID-19 following full vaccination remain susceptible to severe outcomes.•Hematologic malignancies are over-represented among vaccinated patients with cancer who develop breakthrough COVID-19.•Vaccination of close contacts, masking, boosters, and social distancing are needed to protect patients with cancer. AbstractBackgroundVaccination is an important preventive health measure to protect against symptomatic and severe… Continue reading COVID-19 Vaccination and Breakthrough Infections in Patients with Cancer

Probiotics for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Accumulating evidence from animal studies supports the potential role of probiotics and prebiotics in alleviating neurodegenerative diseases. However, whether dietary supplementation with probiotics improves cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is unclear. We searched literature databases for relevant randomized control trials and compared the outcomes between control/placebo and… Continue reading Probiotics for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Association of Metabolic Health and Central Obesity With the Risk of Thyroid Cancer: Data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

Background:It is unknown whether the risk of thyroid cancer differs among metabolically healthy/unhealthy, normal-weight, or obese women. We aimed to assess the association of metabolic health and obesity with thyroid cancer risk. Methods:The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study is a population-based prospective cohort study. Data were obtained from 173,343 participants (age {greater than or equal… Continue reading Association of Metabolic Health and Central Obesity With the Risk of Thyroid Cancer: Data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

Industry Funding and Cholesterol Research: A Systematic Review

The effect of diet on blood cholesterol concentrations has become controversial. We assessed whether industry-funded studies were more likely than non–industry-funded studies to report conclusions that were not supported by their objective findings. PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials searches through March 8, 2019, yielded 211 relevant articles. The percentage of industry-funded studies… Continue reading Industry Funding and Cholesterol Research: A Systematic Review

Sensory-Tactile Functional Mapping and Use-Associated Structural Variation of the Human Female Genital Representation Field

The precise location of the human female genital representation field in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is controversial and its capacity for use-associated structural variation as a function of sexual behavior remains unknown. We used an fMRI-compatible sensory-tactile stimulation paradigm to functionally map the location of the female genital representation field in 20 adult women.… Continue reading Sensory-Tactile Functional Mapping and Use-Associated Structural Variation of the Human Female Genital Representation Field