Eating more plant foods may lower heart disease risk in young adults, older women

Eating more nutritious, plant-based foods is heart-healthy at any age, according to two research studies published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.In two separate studies analyzing different measures of healthy plant food consumption, researchers found that both young adults and postmenopausal women had […]

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Japan extends, expands coronavirus emergency as cases surge post-Olympics

Yuri Kageyama Tokyo: Japan’s coronavirus state of emergency will continue through September 12 rather than finishing at the end of this month as initially planned, the government decided.With the virus continuing to spread in the country, the state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, and three other regions that began in July will be extended […]

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COVID-19 lab leak theory doesn’t hold up to scientific scrutiny

Xinhua Beijing: There is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, was created in a lab, and none of the lab leak claims “hold up to scientific scrutiny,” a virologist with the University of Glasgow has said.The lab leak theory “offers no evidence other than the circumstantial location of the Wuhan […]

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Muharram gatherings to be held under strict COVID-19 SOPs: NCOC

Islamabad: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) this week issued special instructions for managing Muharram-ul-Harram activities with proper COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain disease spread.The Forum issued these instructions keeping in view the recommendations of the ulema (scholars) concerned regarding Muharram. The NCOC guidelines underlined that all gatherings and processions would be […]

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‘Feel good’ brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study reveals

From the thrill of hearing an ice cream truck approaching to the spikes of pleasure while sipping a fine wine, the neurological messenger known as dopamine has been popularly described as the brain’s “feel good” chemical related to reward and pleasure. A ubiquitous neurotransmitter that carries signals between brain cells, dopamine, among its many functions, […]

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Australia supports Pakistan to strengthen covid-19 surveillance

Newswire Islamabad: The Australian High Commission has launched an initiative with the National Institute of Health (NIH) to help double COVID-19 testing capacity across Islamabad and the four provincial capitals of Pakistan. The Australian grant will be administered by the Asian Development Bank through the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF).Australia’s assistance aims to enhance […]

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Hidden epidemic the world cannot ignore

Sara Al-Mulla Infectious diseases have garnered much attention lately as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). While the pandemic lingers on, another sinister set of noncommunicable diseases is rampant in epidemic proportions, making populations more susceptible to complications and death from the virus. Research reveals that people living with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic […]

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Auditory hallucinations rooted in aberrant brain connectivity

Auditory hallucinations, a phenomenon in which people hear voices or other sounds in the absence of external stimuli, are a feature of schizophrenia and some other neuropsychiatric disorders. How they arise in the brain has been unclear, but new research indicates that altered brain connectivity between sensory and cognitive processing areas may be responsible.The study […]

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Pakistan receives 4.2 million Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in a single day

Newswire Islamabad: Pakistan has received 4.2 million COVID-19 Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines from China in a single day to boost the country’s fight against the deadly virus. A special plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) airlifted the batch of 1.2 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine after three million doses of Sinovac landed here earlier in […]

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England, Scotland and Wales exempt some countries from travel quarantine — but Canada isn’t one of them

Newswire London: The governments of the United Kingdom, Scotland and Wales announced today that travellers to the three countries who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the European Union or United States will be exempt from mandatory quarantine upon arrival — but fully vaccinated travellers from Canada will still have to undergo quarantine.The change goes […]

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UK donates 415,000 doses of AstraZeneca to Malaysia

Mazwin Nik Anis Putrajaya: Malaysia has received another vaccine contribution, this time from the United Kingdom donating 415,000 doses of the UK-manufactured AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysia welcomes the announcement made by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Secretary of State Dominic Raab on the matter.The contribution, he […]

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Chinese vaccines key to world’s fight against COVID-19

Newswire Beijing: As of this week, China has provided 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and concentrates used for production to more than 100 countries and international organizations, accounting for one-sixth of global COVID-19 vaccine production, a Foreign Ministry official said. Guo Xuejun, deputy director of the ministry’s Department of International Economic Affairs, said that […]

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Nutrition and heart health: The latest review

A new literature review suggests refined dietary guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The paper emphasizes pleasure, education, and sustainability as key factors in long-term dietary success.It is worth noting that funding sources and author affiliations present conflicts of interest.In a recent article, researchers explored the findings of past studies into heart-healthy eating. […]

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Vaccine diplomacy sees Russia boost its geopolitical leverage

Dr Diana galeeva During the first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in May last year, myself and colleagues from the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) were invited to discuss effective approaches that would ensure the economic development of Russia in the context of the pandemic. This was at an international conference titled “Pandemic […]

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How nurse practitioners can put health disparities work into action

Sara Heath After a year of identifying and understanding how health disparities and social determinants of health are affecting patient outcomes, it’s time for the medical community to take action toward actually addressing public and population health, according to Sophia Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, immediate past president of the American Association of […]

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UK offers genomic sequencing capacity and capability to Pakistan

Newswire Islamabad: The UK government this week announced a new package of genomic sequencing support to help Pakistan’s fight against new variants of Covid-19. Through the New Variant Assessment Platform (NVAP) programme Pakistan will be able to draw on UK expertise and support to detect quickly new, and potentially more dangerous, variants of Covid-19. The […]

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Saturated fatty acid levels increase when making memories

Saturated fatty acid levels unexpectedly rise in the brain during memory formation, according to research, opening a new avenue of investigation into how memories are made.Dr Tristan Wallis, from Professor Frederic Meunier’s laboratory at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), said traditionally, polyunsaturated fatty acids were considered important to health and memory, but this study highlighted […]

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Memory helps us evaluate situations on the fly, not just recall the past

Scientists have long known the brain’s hippocampus is crucial for long-term memory. Now a new Northwestern Medicine study has found the hippocampus also plays a role in short-term memory and helps guide decision-making.The findings shed light on how the hippocampus contributes to memory and exploration, potentially leading to therapies that restore hippocampal function, which is […]

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How childhood exercise could maintain and promote cognitive function in later life

A research group including Professor MATSUDA Tetsuya of Tamagawa University’s Brain Science Institute (Machida City, Tokyo; Director: SAKAGAMI Masamichi) and Assistant Professor ISHIHARA Toru from Kobe University’s Graduate School of Human Development and Environment has illuminated the changes in the brain’s neural network and cortex structure that underlie the positive association between childhood exercise and […]

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Most cancer cells grown in a dish have little in common with cancer cells in people, research finds

In a bid to find or refine laboratory research models for cancer that better compare with what happens in living people, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists report they have developed a new computer-based technique showing that human cancer cells grown in culture dishes are the least genetically similar to their human sources.The finding, they say, should […]

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