Also in the news, a vast archive of ancient brains is in the spotlight for how it may help our modern understanding of mental illness. Scientists also uncover why women are more easily addicted to cigarettes than men.
Newsweek: Reused Deep-Frying Oil May Cause Neurodegeneration
“Deep-frying at high temperatures has been linked with several metabolic disorders, but there have been no long-term investigations on the influence of deep-fried oil consumption and its detrimental effects on health,” Kathiresan Shanmugam, an associate professor from Central University of Tamil Nadu in Thiruvarur, India, said in a statement.
“To our knowledge we are first to report long-term deep-fried oil supplementation increases neurodegeneration in the first-generation offspring.” (Dewan, 3/25)
CNN: ‘Extraordinary’ Archive Of Ancient Brains Could Help Shed Light On Mental Illness
An undertaker turned academic, Alexandra Morton-Hayward became interested in brains — specifically how they decompose — during her former job.
“I worked for years with the dead. My own experience is that the brain is pretty quick to liquefy (postmortem),” she said. “So it was a real shock when I came across a (scientific) paper referencing a 2,500-year-old brain.” (Hunt, 3/25)
Newsweek: Scientists Reveal Why Women Are More Easily Addicted To Cigarettes
“Studies show that women have a higher propensity to develop addiction to nicotine than men and are less successful at quitting,” Sally Pauss, a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington who led the project under the supervision of associate professor Terry Hinds Jr., said in a statement. …
“If we can confirm that estrogen drives nicotine seeking and consumption through olfactomedins, we can design drugs that might block that effect by targeting the altered pathways.” (Dewan, 3/25)
Also —
Newsweek: Smartphone App Will Warn When You Need A Restroom
Scentists have developed a special device for your bladder that will let you know how long you have before you need to pee. According to a new paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this device sits in the bladder and transmits data on how full the bladder is to a phone app, allowing the user to know how long it takes to get to a restroom.
The researchers hope that this could help disabled or paralyzed people know when they need to go and that it could one day allow people to use their phones to help them pee. (Thomson, 3/25)
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
