Video of killer T cell of the immune system battling a cancer cell … … This brief video from Cambridge University’s Under the Microscope series shows a killer T cell, which measure 10 microns in length, identifying and attacking a cancer cell. The microscopic footage was captured by Alex Ritter, a PhD student in the lab of Gillian Griffiths, PhD. Griffiths […]

Study suggests yoga may help caregivers of dementia patients manage stress Using yoga to engage in brief, simple daily meditation could lead to improved cognitive functioning and lower levels of depression for caregivers of patients with dementia, according to findings published this week in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. In the study (subscription required), UC Los Angeles […]

How pediatrics could help adult medicine improve quality of care for patients There’s a thought-provoking perspective today on the Well blog about how adopting certain pediatric practices could improve the quality of care for adult patients. In the piece, Perri Klass, MD, examines the different approaches to treating adults and children and concludes that when it comes to […]

Early Epigenetic Effects in Alzheimer’s Disease Repression of certain gene activity in the brain appears to be an early event affecting people with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study found. In mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, this blockade and its effects on memory were treatable.   HDAC2 levels (red) are higher in cells from the hippocampus […]

Diesel Exhaust and Lung Cancer Deaths in Miners In a study of miners, scientists found that heavy exposure to diesel exhaust increased the risk of death from lung cancer. The risk may also extend to other workers exposed to diesel exhaust, as well as people living in urban areas with higher diesel exhaust levels.   […]

Examining how friends and family can influence our weight loss As we’ve previously written about on Scope, research at Stanford has shown that patients who have undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery can have a positive effect on family members’ weight loss. A segment today on NPR’s Morning Edition examines how social influences can fuel weight loss. On the show, John Morton, MD, […]

New York City health campaign nudges public to “burn calories, not electricity” On a recent tromp through the airport, I did something I haven’t done in a while: deliberately took the stairs instead of the escalator. For a while, I regularly eschewed moving walkways, elevators and escalators to increase my level of daily activity. But […]

How Sulfa Drugs Work Researchers have finally found out how sulfa drugs—the first class of antibiotics ever discovered—work at the molecular level. The finding offers insights into designing more robust antibiotic therapies.   Bacillus anthracis. Image courtesy of CDC/ Dr. William A. Clark. Sulfa antibiotics were first used in the 1930s, and they revolutionized medicine. […]

Understanding the science and psychology of how habits work … … How to break habits (from The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg) Previous research has suggested that making healthy lifestyle changes may improve our health and potentially prevent cancer, stave off Alzheimer’s, lower blood pressure and improve mental health. But, as many of us can attest, adopting healthier habits can be a […]

Stephen Wolfram reflects on the personal analytics of his life Stephen Wolfram, the creator of Wolfram|Alpha, has been collecting details on his intellectual and physical activity for over two decades. In a post yesterday on Wired’s Epicenter blog, Wolfram sifts through the massive volume of personal data and illustrates how such reservoirs of information can be used to teases out […]