Martina Nussbaumer - Complementary Medicine Practitioner

24/07/2025

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Walnut and Date Cake

Walnut and Date Cake

Recipe in First C.o.ʍ.m.е.ո.τ👇
Enjoy ❤👇

23/07/2025

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Reading seems simple, but a new meta-analysis by neuroscientists at the Max Planck Institute reveals just how complex the brain’s activity is during reading. By analyzing data from 163 brain imaging studies with over 3,000 readers, the researchers mapped how the brain dynamically processes every stage of reading—from letters to full texts—showing that different brain areas are involved depending on the reading task.

They found that all reading activity mainly occurs in the left hemisphere of the brain but changes based on what’s being read. Reading single letters activates a small visual area, while reading words engages larger networks including frontal and parietal regions. Sentence reading recruits areas linked to understanding syntax and meaning, and reading longer texts calls on working memory centers. This means the brain reconfigures itself depending on how complex the reading is, rather than just scaling up the same processes.

The study also showed clear differences between reading aloud and silently. Reading aloud activates auditory and speech motor areas, while silent reading relies more on executive networks that help form internal speech and suppress actual vocalization, showing silent reading is an active mental effort.

Comparing real words to nonsense pseudowords revealed distinct brain pathways: real words engage memory and meaning areas, while pseudowords activate regions for sounding out unfamiliar terms. This supports a key theory that the brain uses two routes for reading depending on familiarity.

Interestingly, the cerebellum—traditionally linked to movement—was also active during reading, especially the right side across all tasks and the left side during silent reading and word recognition, suggesting a bigger role in language than previously thought.

The researchers caution that common reading tasks used in studies, like deciding if a word is real or not, don’t fully capture natural reading’s brain activity. Understanding these differences could improve how we study reading difficulties like dyslexia.

23/07/2025

Sleep cycle
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22/07/2025

I knew it😀‼️
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Caffeine might do more than just wake you up — it could also help slow aging at the cellular level.

A new study by scientists at Queen Mary University of London and the Francis Crick Institute reveals how caffeine triggers a key cellular pathway linked to longevity. Using fission yeast as a model, researchers found that caffeine activates AMPK, a “fuel gauge” enzyme that helps cells manage energy, repair DNA, and respond to stress — all critical for healthy aging.

Interestingly, caffeine doesn’t act directly on the well-known TOR pathway (Target of Rapamycin), which controls cell growth and has long been associated with aging. Instead, it influences TOR indirectly through AMPK, flipping a kind of molecular switch that extends cell health and lifespan.

The findings align with earlier research linking caffeine to benefits like lower body fat, improved heart health, and reduced dementia risk.

Follow Science Sphere for regular scientific updates

RESEARCH PAPER 📄

John-Patrick Alao, Juhi Kumar, Despina Stamataki and Charalampos Rallis, "Dissecting the cell cycle regulation, DNA damage sensitivity and lifespan effects of caffeine in fission yeast", Microbial Cell (2025)

20/07/2025

18/07/2025

Newsflash GRAZ 2 I can remember Graz is the 2nd largest city in Austria https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BuTVsgUNg/

In a major breakthrough for microbiome science, researchers have discovered a new species of methane-producing archaea in the human gut: Methanobrevibacter intestini (strain WWM1085).

This previously unknown microbe, along with a newly identified variant of Methanobrevibacter smithii (GRAZ-2), was isolated by an international team from the Medical University of Graz, the DSMZ in Germany, and the University of Illinois.

Archaea are a distinct group of microorganisms, separate from bacteria, and have long been overlooked in gut microbiome studies. Yet these methane-producing microbes—or methanogens—play a critical role in gut metabolism.

The new M. intestini thrives in strictly oxygen-free environments and produces both methane and unusually high levels of succinic acid, a compound linked to inflammation. GRAZ-2, meanwhile, generates formic acid, which may affect the balance of other gut microbes.

These findings shed light on the complexity and importance of the human “archaeome,” a largely unexplored domain of life within our digestive system. Understanding how these archaea influence gut health could unlock new therapeutic pathways for metabolic and inflammatory diseases, paving the way for personalized microbiome medicine.

Follow Science Sphere for regular scientific updates

RESEARCH PAPER 📄
Viktoria Weinberger et al, "Expanding the cultivable human archaeome: Methanobrevibacter intestini sp. nov. and strain Methanobrevibacter smithii 'GRAZ-2' from human faeces," International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (2025).

16/07/2025

Aging https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E3Ek8fWeA/

Aging is actually more like a rollercoaster than a downhill slope.

We’ve long assumed aging is a steady downhill slide. But a groundbreaking study analyzing over 4,000 human blood samples reveals it’s far more dramatic.

Instead of a gradual decline, researchers found that our bodies undergo three distinct molecular shifts – around young adulthood (age 34), late middle age (age 60) and old age (age 78). These “waves of aging” are marked by sudden, synchronized changes in hundreds of blood proteins that affect everything from the brain and liver to the immune system.

Out of ~3,000 proteins studied, 1,379 changed with age – but not gradually. They spiked or dropped all at once in clustered waves, reshaping our biology in powerful bursts.

Using a subset of 373 proteins, researchers could even predict a person’s age within three years of accuracy. When the test guessed someone younger than they were? They were usually in better health – a possible window into true biological age.

And aging doesn’t look the same for everyone. Men and women age differently at the molecular level, with nearly two-thirds of proteins behaving differently across sexes.

This research could open the door to blood tests for biological age, better tracking of healthspan, and future treatments to slow age-related decline.

Read the study:
Lehallier, Benoît, et al. “Undulating Changes in Human Plasma Proteome Profiles Across the Lifespan.” Nature Medicine, vol. 25, no. 12, Dec. 2019, pp. 1843–1850

16/07/2025

Public Speaking

15/07/2025

Morton's Neuroma https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12H1jNpi7iw/

🦶 Morton’s Neuroma ( Everything you know here)

📘 Definition:

Morton’s Neuroma is a painful condition involving the thickening of the tissue around a Distal nerve leading to the toes, most commonly between the 3rd and 4th metatarsal heads. It is not a true tumor, but rather a perineural fibrosis or neuroma caused by nerve irritation or compression.

✅ Name Origin

Eponym: The condition is named after Thomas George Morton (1835–1903), an American surgeon.

🤷‍♀️Who was he?: Morton was a prominent Philadelphia surgeon at the Pennsylvania Hospital. He described the condition in 1876.

⁉️ Why his name?: Morton provided one of the earliest and most detailed clinical descriptions of a painful neuroma (nerve lesion) in the forefoot, specifically between the 3rd and 4th metatarsal heads, which caused burning pain and numbness — now known as Morton's neuroma.

⚠️ Causes:

👠 Wearing high heels or tight, narrow shoes that compress the toes

🏃‍♀️ Repetitive stress from activities like running or sports

⚖️ Overweight increasing forefoot pressure

🦶 Flat feet or high arches causing altered biomechanics

👣 Foot deformities (e.g., bunions, hammertoes)

🔁 Repeated trauma or microtrauma to interdigital nerve

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🧠 Clinical Anatomy:

Affects the common digital plantar nerve (most commonly the third intermetatarsal space between 3rd and 4th toes)

The nerve runs under the deep transverse metatarsal ligament

Compression between the heads of the metatarsals leads to fibrotic changes

Plantar digital nerves branch from the medial and lateral plantar nerves (branches of the tibial nerve)

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🚨 Signs & Symptoms:

⚡ Burning or sharp pain in the ball of the foot

🧨 Tingling or numbness in the toes (often 3rd & 4th)

👣 Feeling of a pebble in the shoe

🔥 Pain exacerbated by walking, wearing tight shoes or high heels

➖ Pain relief when removing shoes or massaging foot

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🔬 Pathomechanism:

1. Repetitive mechanical stress → compression of digital nerve

2. Ischemia & inflammation of nerve

3. Perineural fibrosis develops around the nerve

4. Enlarged nerve irritates surrounding structures

5. Cycle of compression, irritation & fibrosis continues, worsening symptoms

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🧪 Physical Examination:

Palpation: Local tenderness in the 3rd intermetatarsal space

Mulder’s Click: Compress metatarsal heads while squeezing the forefoot → palpable click & reproduction of pain 😖

Web Space Test: Applying pressure between metatarsals elicits symptoms

Toe Squeeze Test: Squeezing forefoot causes pain radiating to toes

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📸 Diagnostic Tests:

MRI or Ultrasound: Can detect the thickened nerve

X-ray: To rule out other conditions like fractures or arthritis

Diagnostic Local Anesthetic Injection: Temporary relief confirms diagnosis

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🧘 Physiotherapy Techniques:

🔄 Manual Therapy:

Joint mobilization: Especially of the metatarsals

Soft tissue mobilization: Plantar fascia and intermetatarsal areas

🧘‍♂️ Stretching:

Calf muscles

Plantar fascia

Intrinsic foot muscles

🏋️ Strengthening:

Foot intrinsic muscles (toe curls, marble pick-ups)

Arch strengthening exercises

🦶 Taping & Padding:

Metatarsal pads to spread metatarsal heads

Forefoot taping to relieve nerve pressure

🌬️ Modalities:

Ultrasound therapy

TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)

Cryotherapy or contrast baths

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🦶 Supportive Orthosis:

Metatarsal dome pad (placed proximal to the neuroma site)

Custom foot orthoses with arch support

Gel toe spacers or wide toe box shoes

Rocker bottom shoes to offload forefoot pressure

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🏠 Home Advice:

👟 Wear wide-toe, cushioned shoes

🩴 Avoid high heels or narrow footwear

❄️ Apply ice therapy after long walks

🧘‍♀️ Do toe stretches and foot exercises daily

🦶 Use metatarsal pads or soft insoles

🔁 Take regular breaks during prolonged standing/walking

☎️ Follow-up if symptoms persist > conservative care (possible corticosteroid injection or surgery)

---Physio Masud

15/07/2025

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