Hmdard Doctors

17/03/2025

Trouble sleeping? Pills may be a dangerous solution.

Sleeping pills impact your brain and stop it from cleaning out waste, especially during natural sleep.

Our brains, unlike other organs, don't have lymphatic vessels to remove waste products. Instead, they rely on a unique system called glymphatic clearance, which uses cerebrospinal fluid to flush out toxins like amyloid beta, often associated with Alzheimer's disease. This process is most active during the non-REM sleep phase and is driven by the hormone norepinephrine.

Norepinephrine acts like a conductor, orchestrating the rhythmic contraction and dilation of blood vessels in the brain. This creates waves of blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid, effectively pumping waste products out of brain tissues. However, this cleaning mechanism is highly sensitive and can be disrupted by anesthesia and sleeping pills.

Studies conducted on mice under anesthesia, while offering a controlled environment, failed to capture the full picture of glymphatic clearance. When researchers observed mice sleeping naturally, they found that norepinephrine levels fluctuated in slow waves, synchronizing with blood volume changes and driving the glymphatic system. Surprisingly, administering the sleeping pill zolpidem, despite increasing non-REM sleep time, completely shut down these norepinephrine fluctuations, effectively halting the brain's waste removal system.

This finding raises concerns about the long-term use of sleeping pills and their potential link to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. While further research is needed, scientists plan to develop new sleep medications that don't interfere with this vital brain-cleaning process.

Learn more: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sleeping-pills-brain-effects

06/01/2025

The Science of the Psychopathic Brain:

People with psychopathic traits often fail to learn from negative consequences, particularly those involving pain, according to a recent study published in Communications Psychology.

The study found that people with psychopathic traits exhibit reduced sensitivity to pain and a tendency to quickly revert to their initial beliefs even after experiencing painful outcomes.

This means that when they experience pain, it doesn't register with the same intensity as it does for others. As a result, the pain doesn't function as effectively as a deterrent for negative behavior. Imagine touching a hot stove; if you barely feel the burn, you're less likely to learn to avoid it in the future. Psychopathic individuals exhibit a phenomenon known as "belief resetting."

This refers to their tendency to quickly revert back to their original beliefs and expectations even after experiencing painful consequences. Essentially, they dismiss the pain and fail to integrate it into their decision-making process. It's as if their brains have a "reset button" that erases the memory of the pain's impact, preventing it from informing their future actions.

This impaired learning mechanism, combined with their reduced sensitivity to pain, creates a situation where they don't effectively learn from negative experiences, contributing to a cycle of harmful behavior. They may continue to engage in actions that hurt themselves or others because they haven't developed the same aversion to pain that guides most people's choices.

This research could help guide new interventions for individuals with psychopathic tendencies, ultimately contributing to reducing their propensity for harmful actions.

04/01/2025

This makes any blood compatible with almost everyone.

To achieve this, scientists at the University of British Columbia used enzymes obtained from bacteria present in the human gut to eliminate antigens from AB, A, and B blood, transforming it into type O.

By using metagenomics, the team was able to separate bacterial genomes from the gut and test thousands of enzymes against A and B antigens.

The researchers identified an enzyme that could remove A antigens from red blood cells and combined it with another enzyme that removes B antigens, offering a way to convert AB, A, and B blood into type O. Nonetheless, the team needs to examine the converted blood in a living organism as unforeseen issues may arise. O negative blood type is relatively rare compared to the other blood types. It is only present in 1 out of 15 individuals.

People with such blood groups can donate blood to anyone with any blood type. Receiving blood from the wrong ABO group can trigger an immune response.

This method has the potential to address the persistent shortage of blood globally and could revolutionize blood donation and transfusion.

29/12/2024

BREAKING: Korean Scientists Developed a Technology to Turn Tumor Cells Back into Normal Cells

In a groundbreaking advancement in cancer treatment, researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a method to transform colon cancer cells into normal-like cells, offering a safer alternative to traditional therapies.

Led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from KAIST’s Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, this innovative approach avoids destroying cancer cells outright, reducing the risk of severe side effects and recurrence.

Using a computational "digital twin" model of gene networks, the researchers pinpointed molecular switches that regulate cell differentiation. By activating these master regulators, the team successfully reversed cancer cells into normal-like states in laboratory and animal trials.

This approach, termed “reversible cancer therapy,” could revolutionize oncology by addressing the root causes of cancer while minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissues.

Though the initial study focused on colon cancer, the technology has the potential to be adapted for other cancer types, offering hope for safer and more effective cancer treatments.

25/12/2024

Your body consists of 37 trillion cells divided into 200 different types.

100 billion cells make up the skin, which is the largest organ in your body. 100 billion neurons in the brain allow you to process as many as 60,000 thought per day.

You also have 127 million retinal cells that allow you to see the world in as many as 10 million different colors.

You have 30 trillion red blood cells, 42 billion blood vessels, and 6 liters (1.6 gallons) of blood in your body. Your blood makes approximately 10% of your body weight. Your nose has 1,000 olfactory receptors that allow you to distinguish 50,000 different smells.

Your lungs allow you to breathe 23,040 breaths per day, while your heart beats around 115,200 heartbeats per day or 42 million heartbeats per year.

You have 640 muscles, 360 joints, 206 bones and 100,000 hair follicles. You produce around 23,000 liters (6,075 gallons) of saliva in your lifetime, which is enough to fill two swimming pools

20/12/2024

Scientists have discovered a brain region linked with numerical thinking and mathematical abilities:

The study revealed that our ability to understand and process numbers may originate in a much older part of the brain than previously thought.

Researchers made a surprising discovery while studying brain activity in epilepsy patients who were asked to think about numbers in various ways. They found significant activity in the putamen, a brain area typically associated with basic functions like movement rather than numerical thinking.

This unexpected finding challenges traditional understanding of where number processing occurs in the brain. It suggests that our capacity for numerical cognition may have evolved much earlier than previously believed.

The putamen is an ancient brain structure, present in some of our earliest ancestors. Its involvement in number processing indicates that this ability may be deeply ingrained in our neural circuitry, laying the foundation for the development of more complex mathematical skills. This discovery has significant implications for neurosurgery.

By identifying the specific brain regions involved in numerical cognition, surgeons can exercise greater precision during procedures to avoid damaging these crucial areas. This is particularly important in surgeries intended to remove tumors or treat epilepsy, where preserving cognitive function is necessary. This research also offers new hope for individuals struggling with math. By understanding the neural mechanisms underlying numerical cognition, educators and therapists may be able to develop targeted interventions to improve learning and overcome math difficulties.

20/12/2024

Scientists Found an Unexpected Lung Function — Our Lungs Make Blood

Research has revealed that lungs do more than just help us breathe—they also play a key role in blood production. In a groundbreaking study, scientists found that the lungs of mice generate more than 10 million platelets every hour, accounting for the majority of platelets in the animals' bloodstream.

bloodstreamThis discovery challenges the long-held belief that all blood components are produced solely by bone marrow.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco also identified a previously unknown pool of blood stem cells in the lungs. These cells, thought to reside mainly in bone marrow, are now seen as key players in blood formation.

"This finding reshapes our understanding of the lungs, showing they're not just for respiration, but also vital for blood production," says researcher Mark R. Looney.

The discovery was made using advanced two-photon imaging, which allowed the team to track fluorescently marked platelets as they moved through the lungs. This research opens new doors for understanding blood production and its potential implications for human health.

20/12/2024

Scientists Have Created a Method to Regrow Teeth:

Recent research suggests that a small dose of light may be enough to stimulate new tooth growth.

A team led by Dr. Arany shone low-power laser light on the tooth pulps of rats, which resulted in the formation of tertiary dentin, a bone-like substance. This finding points to the potential for tooth regeneration.

To better understand how light induces this growth, the researchers examined the biological mechanism and discovered that low-power laser light activates transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β). This activation triggers the production of reactive oxygen species, which in turn causes dental stem cells to differentiate into odontoblasts, the cells responsible for forming dentin.

The mechanism was further validated when mice lacking TGF-β or treated with a TGF-β inhibitor did not respond to the laser treatment, confirming its key role in the process.

Since lasers are already used in dentistry for other treatments, this discovery could pave the way for light-based therapies aimed at regenerating teeth in humans, potentially offering a new approach to dental care in the future.

15/12/2024

We just moved one step closer to unlimited energy — A nuclear fusion reactor ran at 100 million degrees for record-breaking 48 seconds

Scientists in South Korea have achieved a major milestone in nuclear fusion. The KSTAR reactor successfully maintained a plasma loop at 100 million C (180 million F) for 48 seconds.

This surpasses their previous record of 31 seconds and is a major step towards harnessing the near-unlimited clean energy potential of nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion, the process powering stars, involves merging light atoms to create heavier ones, releasing massive amounts of energy. Replicating this process on Earth is incredibly challenging, requiring extreme temperatures and pressures. While generating the extreme temperatures required for fusion is relatively simple, the real challenge lies in containing the superheated plasma within a reactor long enough for the fusion process to occur. South Korean scientists are addressing this by using improved reactor components and have their sights set on maintaining 100 million degrees Celsius for 300 seconds by 2026. Nuclear fusion research focuses primarily on a type of reactor called a tokamak.

Tokamaks are doughnut-shaped devices that utilize powerful magnetic fields to confine and control superheated plasma, the fourth state of matter. Plasma, formed when gas becomes so hot that electrons separate from atoms, is essential for the fusion process. To achieve successful nuclear fusion, the plasma must reach incredibly high temperatures – at least 100 million degrees Celsius or six times hotter than the sun's core.

Image: (KFE)

10/12/2024

25/10/2024

Scientists created a genetically engineered cow that produces human insulin in its milk:

Currently, diabetics rely on insulin synthesized in bacteria within complex laboratory settings.

The new method harnesses the cow's natural milk-production capabilities as a biological factory for human proinsulin, the precursor to insulin. Surprisingly, the cow's mammary gland even converts proinsulin to active insulin.

This proof-of-concept study demonstrated the remarkable potential for transgenic cows to produce massive quantities of insulin. The researchers inserted a segment of human DNA responsible for proinsulin production into cow embryos.

The resulting transgenic calf demonstrated the ability to secrete both human proinsulin and insulin in its milk.

A single liter of milk contains enough insulin to meet the needs of a diabetic patient for several years.

Researchers envision a future where relatively small herds of these special cows could drastically lower insulin production costs and potentially meet global demand.
Unlike current bacterial production methods, this approach wouldn't require sophisticated facilities.

While further research and regulatory approvals are needed, the scientists are optimistic. This development could herald a new era of insulin availability, making this life-saving medication a reality for all diabetics, regardless of location or income.