This illustration depicts a 3D computer-generated image of a group of Gram-positive, Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. The artistic recreation was based upon scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imagery. Credit: CDC on Unsplash
In a recent multicentre prospective study conducted at three hospitals in Tennessee and Georgia, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, researchers at VUMC found a substantial burden of hospitalisations for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among adults.
Community-acquired pneumonia refers to a case of the disease contracted without prior exposure to a health care setting, otherwise known as hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP).
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, included data from 2018 to 2022 and used a novel serotype-specific urinary test that can identify infections caused by 30 different Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes. A serotype refers to a distinct strain of microorganism, such as bacteria.
An important aspect of the study was the identification of noninvasive pneumococcal infections, said Carlos Grijalva, MD, MPH, professor of Health Policy and Biomedical Informatics and the study’s lead author.
“Standard clinical diagnostic methods such as bacterial cultures of blood are helpful for identifying invasive cases of pneumococcal disease, but the majority of pneumococcal pneumonias are thought to be noninvasive,” Grijalva added. “Using a novel and more sensitive urinary antigen detection method allowed us to identify a number of pneumococcal infections that may have otherwise passed unrecognised.”
Based on current population estimates, some 114 800 U.S. adults may be hospitalised for pneumococcal pneumonia each year, a figure made up in large part by older adults. And according to the study’s findings, each year sees approximately 340 hospitalisations for community-acquired pneumonia per 100 000 adults, approximately 14% of which had evidence of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection.
“Our study results show that Streptococcus pneumoniae remains an important cause of severe community-acquired pneumonia,” said Wesley Self, MD, MPH, professor of Emergency Medicine, Senior Vice President for Clinical Research and the paper’s senior author.
Many of the serotypes identified by pneumococcal detections corresponded with those covered by a recently licensed adult-specific pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, V116, which includes 21 serotypes but was not commercially available during the study period.
“Vaccines with coverage of additional pneumococcal serotypes could be quite beneficial in lessening the burden of severe pneumonia on the U.S. population, especially among older adults,” added Self, who holds the Directorship in Emergency Care Research.
Dr Kashmal Kalan urges patients to prioritise health before surgery – and offers hope to those recovering from illness
Hair loss is often viewed as a cosmetic concern, but emerging clinical insights confirm what many medical professionals have long understood: overall health is one of the most significant contributors to hair loss, and a crucial factor in whether hair restoration procedures succeed.
According to Dr Kashmal Kalan, Medical Director at Alvi Armani South Africa, chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol are closely linked to diffuse hair thinning, particularly when left undiagnosed or poorly managed.
“These conditions disrupt blood flow, create oxidative stress, and limit nutrient supply to the hair follicles. That directly affects hair growth and viability, especially in patients with a genetic predisposition to balding.”
While pattern baldness is widely understood, lifestyle factors are often overlooked until the condition becomes advanced. “People are often surprised to learn that their smoking, alcohol use, stress levels, or even recreational drug use may be accelerating their hair loss or interfering with their recovery.”
In fact, undisclosed drug use can compromise not only natural regrowth but also post-surgical outcomes. “We’ve seen poor graft uptake and higher complication rates in these cases. That’s why our pre-surgical assessments are so thorough. We need full transparency to ensure patient safety and the best possible results.”
Hair restoration is a medical procedure, not a cosmetic quick fix – and a patient’s internal health matters just as much as surgical precision. At Alvi Armani South Africa, all patients undergo full blood work and health screening before being approved for surgery.
“This is vital not only for safety, but often for diagnosis. Hair loss can sometimes be the first visible symptom of an underlying condition. Through our screenings, we’ve detected cases of unmanaged diabetes, hypertension, and even early autoimmune markers.”
Even once cleared for surgery, long-term success requires commitment from both doctor and patient. “The patient’s role is just as important as the surgeon’s. They need to maintain their health so the body can heal and support strong, sustainable regrowth.”
In July, Alvi Armani South Africa announced a partnership with the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), offering free consultations and personalised advice to cancer survivors – many of whom face permanent scarring or delayed hair regrowth after treatment.
“Hair loss after cancer goes far deeper than appearance,” he notes. “It impacts confidence, identity, and how survivors re-enter everyday life. The good news for survivors is that minimally invasive Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) techniques can provide an effective pathway to emotional and physical restoration – but only when the body is ready.”
For those in earlier stages of hair loss, early intervention is key. “If the cause is lifestyle-related, healthier habits can help. If it’s genetic, medications or non-surgical treatments may stabilise the loss, sometimes delaying or even eliminating the need for surgery. But ultimately, it’s simple: healthy hair starts with a healthy body.
“We can deliver technically flawless procedures, but healing still depends on the patient. When people approach hair restoration with the same seriousness as any other medical treatment, the results – and their overall wellbeing – are far better,” concludes Dr Kalan.
Urinary incontinence is a devastating condition, leading to significant adverse impacts on patients’ mental health and quality of life. Disorders of urination are also a key feature of all neurological disorders.
A USC research team has now made major progress in understanding how the human spinal cord triggers the bladder emptying process. The discovery could lead to exciting new therapies to help patients regain control of this essential function.
In the pioneering study, a team from USC Viterbi School of Engineering and Keck School of Medicine of USC has harnessed functional ultrasound imaging to observe real-time changes in blood flow dynamics in the human spinal cord during bladder filling and emptying.
The work was published in Nature Communications and was led by Charles Liu, the USC Neurorestoration Center director at Keck School of Medicine of USC and professor of biomedical engineering at USC Viterbi, and Vasileios Christopoulos, assistant professor at the Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The spinal cord regulates many essential human functions, including autonomic processes like bladder, bowel, and sexual function. These processes can break down when the spinal cord is damaged or degenerated due to injury, disease, stroke, or aging. However, the spinal cord’s small size and intricate bony enclosure have made it notoriously challenging to study directly in humans.
Unlike in the brain, routine clinical care does not involve invasive electrodes and biopsies in the spinal cord due to the obvious risks of paralysis.
Furthermore, fMRI imaging, which comprises most of human functional neuroimaging, does not exist in practical reality for the spinal cord, especially in the thoracic and lumbar regions where much of the critical function localises.
“The spinal cord is a very undiscovered area,” Christopoulos said. “It’s very surprising to me because when I started doing neuroscience, everybody was talking about the brain. And Dr. Liu and I asked, “What about the spinal cord?”
“For many, it was just a cable that transfers information from the brain to the peripheral system. The truth was that we didn’t know how to go there—how to study the spinal cord in action, visualize its dynamics and truly grasp its role in physiological functions.”
Functional ultrasound imaging: A new window into the spinal cord
To overcome these barriers, the USC team employed functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI), an emerging neuroimaging technology that is minimally invasive. The fUSI process allowed the team to measure where changes in blood volume occur on the spinal cord during the cycle of urination.
However, fUSI requires a “window” through the bone to image the spinal cord. The researchers found a unique opportunity by working with a group of patients undergoing standard-of-care epidural spinal cord stimulation surgery for chronic low back pain.
“During the implantation of the spinal cord stimulator, the window we create in the bone through which we insert the leads gives us a perfect and safe opportunity to image the spinal cord using fUSI with no risk or discomfort to the study volunteers,” said co-first author Darrin Lee, associate director of the USC Neurorestoration Center, who performed the surgeries.
“While the surgical team was preparing the stimulator, we gently filled and emptied the bladder with saline to simulate a full urination cycle under anaesthesia while the research team gathered the fUSI data,” added Evgeniy Kreydin from the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and the USC Institute of Urology, who was already working closely with Liu to study the brain of stroke patients during micturition using fMRI.
“This is the first study where we’ve shown that there are areas in the spinal cord where activity is correlated with the pressure inside the bladder,” Christopoulos said.
“Nobody had ever shown a network in the spinal cord correlated with bladder pressure. What this means is I can look at the activity of your spinal cord in these specific areas and tell you your stage of the bladder cycle – how full your bladder is and whether you’re about to urinate.”
Christopoulos said the experiments identified that some spinal cord regions showed positive correlation, meaning their activity increased as bladder pressure rose, while others showed negative (anti-correlation), with activity decreasing as pressure increased. This suggests the involvement of both excitatory and inhibitory spinal cord networks in bladder control.
“It was extremely exciting to take data straight from the fUSI scanner in the OR to the lab, where advanced data science techniques quickly revealed results that have never been seen before, even in animal models, let alone in humans,” said co-first author Kofi Agyeman, biomedical engineering postdoc.
New hope for patients
Liu has worked for two decades at the intersection of engineering and medicine to develop transformative strategies to restore function to the nervous system. Christopoulos has spent much of his research career developing neuromodulation techniques to help patients regain motor control.
Together, they noted that for patients, retaining control of the autonomic processes that many of us take for granted is more fundamental than even walking.
“If you ask these patients, the most important function they wanted to restore was not their motor or sensory function. It was things like sexual function and bowel and bladder control,” Christopoulos said, noting that urinary dysfunction often leads to poor mental health. “It’s a very dehumanising problem to deal with.”
Worse still, urinary incontinence leads to more frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) because patients must often be fitted with a catheter. Due to limited sensory function, they may not be able to feel that they have an infection until it is more severe and has spread to the kidneys, resulting in hospitalisation.
This study offers a tangible path toward addressing this critical need for patients suffering from neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. The ability to decode bladder pressure from spinal cord activity provides proof-of-concept for developing personalised spinal cord interfaces that could warn patients about their bladder state, helping them regain control.
Currently, almost all neuromodulation strategies for disorders of micturition are focused on the lower urinary tract, largely because the neural basis of this critical process remains unclear.
“One has to understand a process before one can rationally improve it,” Liu said.
This latest research marks a significant step forward, opening new avenues for precision medicine interventions that combine invasive and noninvasive neuromodulation with pharmacological therapeutics to make neurorestoration of the genitourinary system a clinical reality for millions worldwide.
For decades, medical professionals debated whether a common antiviral medication used to treat flu in children caused neuropsychiatric events or if the infection itself was the culprit.
Now researchers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt have debunked a long-standing theory about oseltamivir, known as Tamiflu.
According to the study, published in JAMA Neurology, oseltamivir treatment during flu episodes was associated with a reduced risk of serious neuropsychiatric events, such as seizures, altered mental status and hallucination.
“Our findings demonstrated what many pediatricians have long suspected, that the flu, not the flu treatment, is associated with neuropsychiatric events,” said principal investigator James Antoon, MD, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Monroe Carell. “In fact, oseltamivir treatment seems to prevent neuropsychiatric events rather than cause them.”
Key points:
Influenza itself was associated with an increase in neuropsychiatric events compared to children with no influenza, regardless of oseltamivir use.
Among children with influenza, those treated with oseltamivir had about 50% reduction in neuropsychiatric events.
Among children without influenza, those who were treated with oseltamivir prophylactically had the same rate of events as the baseline group with no influenza.
“Taken together, these three findings do not support the theory that oseltamivir increases the risk of neuropsychiatric events,” said Antoon. “It’s the influenza.”
The team reviewed the de-identified data from a cohort of children and adolescents ages 5-17 who were enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2020.
During the four-year period, 692 295 children, with a median age of 11 years, were included in the study cohort. During follow-up, study children experienced 1230 serious neuropsychiatric events (898 neurologic and 332 psychiatric).
The clinical outcomes definition included both neurologic (seizures, encephalitis, altered mental status, ataxia/movement disorders, vision changes, dizziness, headache, sleeping disorders) and psychiatric (suicidal or self-harm behaviours, mood disorders, psychosis/hallucination) events.
“The 2024-2025 influenza season highlighted the severity of influenza-associated neurologic complications, with many centres reporting increased frequency and severity of neurologic events during the most recent season,” said Antoon. “It is important for patients and families to know the true risk-benefit profile of flu treatments, such as oseltamivir, that are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.”
“These flu treatments are safe and effective, especially when used early in the course of clinical disease,” added senior author Carlos Grijalva, MD, MPH, professor of Health Policy and Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Investigators hope the findings will provide reassurance to both caregivers and medical professionals about the safety of oseltamivir and its role in preventing flu-associated complications.
French fries were associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), while other forms of potatoes – including baked, boiled, and mashed – were not, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study also found that swapping any form of potato for whole grains may lower the risk of T2D.
The study was published July 30 in the BMJ. [Regrettably, no mention is made of SA’s beloved slap tjips – Ed.]
According to the researchers, while previous studies hinted at a link between potatoes and T2D, the evidence was inconsistent and often lacked detail on cooking methods and the potential effects of substituting other foods for potatoes. “Our study offers deeper, more comprehensive insights by looking at different types of potatoes, tracking diet over decades, and exploring the effects of swapping potatoes for other foods,” said lead author Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition. “We’re shifting the conversation from, ‘Are potatoes good or bad?’ to a more nuanced—and useful—question: How are they prepared, and what might we eat instead?”
The researchers examined the diets and diabetes outcomes of 205,107 men and women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. For more than 30 years, participants regularly responded to dietary questionnaires, detailing the frequency with which they consumed certain foods, including French fries; baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes; and whole grains. They also reported on new health diagnoses, including T2D, and various other health, lifestyle, and demographic factors, which the researchers controlled for. Over the course of the study period, 22,299 participants reported that they developed T2D.
The study found that three servings weekly of French fries increased the risk of developing T2D by 20%. Baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes were not significantly associated with T2D risk. The researchers calculated, however, that eating whole grains – such as whole grain pasta, bread, or farro – in place of baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes could reduce the risk of T2D by 4%. Replacing French fries with whole grains could bring T2D risk down by 19%. Even swapping refined grains for French fries was estimated to lower T2D risk.
The researchers complemented their study with a novel meta-analytic approach to estimate how swapping potatoes for whole grains could affect the risk of T2D, using data from previously published cohort studies. This involved two separate meta-analyses: one based on data from 13 cohorts examining potato intake and the other from 11 cohorts on whole grain intake, each encompassing over 500 000 participants and 43 000 T2D diagnoses across four continents. The results were closely consistent with those of the new study.
“The public health message here is simple and powerful: Small changes in our daily diet can have an important impact on risk of type 2 diabetes. Limiting potatoes – especially limiting French fries – and choosing healthy, whole grain sources of carbohydrate could help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes across the population,” said corresponding author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition. “For policymakers, our findings highlight the need to move beyond broad food categories and pay closer attention to how foods are prepared and what they’re replacing. Not all carbs—or even all potatoes—are created equal, and that distinction is crucial when it comes to shaping effective dietary guidelines.”
As revenues from the anti-aging market – riddled with hope and thousands of supplements – surged past $500 million last year, Emory University researchers identified a compound that actively delays aging in cells and organisms.
A newly published study in Nature Partner Journals’ Aging demonstrates that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, extended the cellular lifespan of human skin and lung cells by more than 50%.
In parallel, researchers also conducted the first long-term in vivo study evaluating the systemic effects of psilocybin in aged mice of 19 months, or the equivalent of 60–65 human years. Results indicated that the mice that received an initial low dose of psilocybin of 5mg/kg, followed by a monthly high dose of 15mg/kg for 10 months, had a 30% increase in survival compared to controls. These mice also displayed healthier physical features, such as improved fur quality, fewer white hairs and hair regrowth.
While traditionally researched for its mental health benefits, this study suggests that psilocybin impacts multiple hallmarks of aging by reducing oxidative stress, improving DNA repair responses, and preserving telomere length. Telomeres are the structured ends of a chromosome, protecting it from damage that could lead to the formation of age-related diseases, such as cancer, neurodegeneration or cardiovascular disease. These foundational processes influence human aging and the onset of these chronic diseases.
The study concludes that psilocybin may have the potential to revolutionize anti-aging therapies and could be an impactful intervention in an aging population.
“Most cells in the body express serotonin receptors, and this study opens a new frontier for how psilocybin could influence systemic aging processes, particularly when administered later in life,” says Louise Hecker, PhD, senior author on the study, and former associate professor at Emory, where the research was initiated and funded.
While much of what researchers know about psilocybin relates to the brain, few studies have examined its systemic impacts. Many people associate psilocybin with the hallucinogenic impacts, but the majority of the cells in the body express serotonin receptors.
“Our study opens new questions about what long-term treatments can do. Additionally, even when the intervention is initiated late in life in mice, it still leads to improved survival, which is clinically relevant in healthy aging,” adds Hecker, currently an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Not just a longer life, but a healthier life
“This study provides strong preclinical evidence that psilocybin may contribute to healthier aging – not just a longer lifespan, but a better quality of life in later years,” says Ali John Zarrabi, MD, director of psychedelic research at Emory’s Department of Psychiatry. “As a palliative care physician-scientist, one of my biggest concerns is prolonging life at the cost of dignity and function. But these mice weren’t just surviving longer – they experienced better aging,” adds Zarrabi, co-investigator of the study.
Zarrabi emphasises the importance of further research in older adults, as well as the well-documented overlap between physical and mental health.
“Emory is actively involved in Phase II and III clinical trials of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression, and these results suggest we also need to understand psilocybin’s systemic effects in aging populations,” says Zarrabi. “My hope is also that if psilocybin-assisted therapy is approved as an intervention for depression by the FDA in 2027, then having a better quality of life would also translate into a longer, healthier life.”
In Brazil, belief in reincarnation is common, with up to a third of people believing it is possible. Some claim to have memories of their past lives. Researchers analysed the profile of adults who claim to have past-life memories, the features of these memories, and their associations with mental health, happiness, and religiosity/spirituality. The results indicated a high prevalence of mental disorder symptoms, with religiosity and spirituality being protective factors.
Most religious and spiritual traditions worldwide share a belief in a transcendental realm and/or the continuity of life after physical death. This belief is common among the adult population of 35 countries across six continents, with percentages ranging from 38% in Sweden to 85% in Indonesia.
A recent survey, involving nationally representative samples in 22 countries across all continents, concluded that there are no countries where most of the population said they did not believe in life after death, with the majority answering “yes” or “unsure” to this question.
While there are studies of claims of past-life memories (PLM) in children, there is still little knowledge about cases in adults and the impact of PLM on claimers. To fill this gap, Sandra Maciel de Carvalho and her team analysed the profile of adults who claim to have PLM, including sociodemographic data, the features of these memories, and their associations with mental health, happiness, and religiosity/spirituality.
With support from the BIAL Foundation, researchers from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (Brazil) and the University of Virginia (USA) performed an online survey for the first time among a sample of 402 adults living in Brazil who reported having memories of past lives. In this country, 66% of citizens say that there is probably, or definitely, life after death, and 33% believe that people will be reborn in this world.
Most of the sample participants were middle age 41.6 years, female (79%), with higher education (68%), Spiritists (54.5%), and very/moderately spiritual (91%). PLM started spontaneously in 82%, on average, at 19.9 years old. Birthmark/defect (54%), unusual philia (intense and unusual attractions or interests; 30%), and phobia in childhood (71%), and persistent phobia (71%) were commonly associated features.
In this sample, childhood philias and phobias were associated with lower happiness and more symptoms of mental disorders (46%), which may indicate a lasting psychological impact associated with PLM. Post-traumatic stress disorder (36%) was associated with phobias. Religion/spirituality was associated with greater happiness and lower mental disorder outcomes, potentially acting as a protective factor.
According to Sandra Maciel de Carvalho, “this study demonstrated that PLM in adults may be more prevalent than previously thought and may be associated with significant suffering and distress”. PLM may constitute a “relevant issue in mental health, and further studies are needed on its prevalence, impact, and proper clinical management”, the researcher emphasises.
Learn more about the project “89/18 – National survey of “Cases of Reincarnation Type” in Brazil” here.
Restorative programme helps post-cancer treatment patients regain hair, confidence, and quality of life after facing cancer
Photo by Natasha Brazil on Unsplash
The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) has partnered with internationally renowned hair restoration clinic Alvi Armani South Africa, with head offices in Beverly Hills Los Angeles, to launch an initiative offering complimentary consultations and assessments to those recovering or recovered from cancer.
For many, completing cancer treatment is an experience that brings immense relief. However, it doesn’t always mark the end of the emotional journey. While chemotherapy and radiation often save lives, they can leave lasting reminders – and hair loss is among the most visible.
Cindy Pretorius, a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, an invasive skin cancer knows firsthand how the impact of the disease affects not just self-confidence but self-worth. After the cancer was removed, the surgery left lasting and visible scarring on her hairline. A hairline that was subsequently treated and restored through a minimally invasive hair transplant at Alvi Armani South Africa. “The team at Alvi Armani restored not only my hairline, but also my confidence,” said Pretorius.
Launching in August 2025, the initiative will offer CANSA-affiliated patients in recovery access to complimentary, in-depth, and personalised consultations. This may include scalp density and mapping assessments, as well as checks for lingering treatment effects. Where needed, survivors will receive advice and support with restorative hair treatments or transplants at Alvi Armani South Africa – offering significant financial relief and a renewed sense of hope.
“This isn’t about vanity. It’s about healing the whole person,” notes Dr Kashmal Kalan, Medical Director of Alvi Armani South Africa. “Unfortunately, even when cancer treatments end, the physical and emotional recovery continues. Many individuals in remission are confronted with reminders every time they look in the mirror and see someone who still looks like a patient, often making it difficult to reconnect with the person they were before cancer.”
For those recovering from cancer, the devastation of hair loss can continue to weigh heavily on their mental well-being. Studies show that persistent thinning, patchiness, or recession after treatment can fuel anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. Even when remission is achieved, hair regrowth can be slow, and this gap between survival and self-image can take a heavy toll.
“Hair plays an important role in how we express identity; by restoring it, we help people feel like themselves again – more confident to re-enter public life, apply for jobs, or socialise without feeling marked by illness,” he explains.
In cases where hair loss is permanent, transplants using Alvi Armani’s minimally invasive Vitruvian or Maximus follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique may also be performed. Recognised as global leaders in hair transplant procedures, Alvi Armani’s network – spanning Beverly Hills, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, San Diego, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Johannesburg – all use state of the art protocols, ensuring that South African patients receive the same world-class standard of care they would get at any other Alvi Armani clinic globally.
“People who’ve overcome cancer deserve more than just a life saved. They deserve the chance to live it fully, with confidence and joy. We’re extremely proud to walk this journey with them, and to help them reclaim their full sense of self.”
Alvi Armani are committing extensive financial and medical resources to support the initiative. A patient referral and screening process is in place to ensure clinical suitability, but any CANSA-affiliated person in remission may apply directly and will be guided accordingly.
CANSA and Alvi Armani will also collaborate at national events such as CANSA Relay For Life, and the CANSA High Tea, where participants will receive expert advice on scalp health, treatment options, and realistic expectations around regrowth.
“When you’ve fought so hard to stay alive, the last thing you want is to be reminded daily of what you lost. This partnership is ultimately about giving people that final piece of the puzzle back, so they can look in the mirror and not only see what they’ve overcome, but truly see themselves again,” concludes Dr Kalan.
“At CANSA, we understand that the cancer experience doesn’t end with treatment – healing also means restoring dignity, self-confidence, and quality of life. Our partnership with Alvi Armani South Africa reflects our commitment to holistic survivorship care. By offering complimentary consultations and access to world-class restorative hair solutions, we’re helping survivors reclaim not only their appearance but also their sense of self,” says Makoma Raolane, CANSA’s Sustainability Manager.
Individuals affected by cancer who are interested in the initiative can contact Alvi Armani South Africa directly, referencing their affiliation with CANSA, to schedule a complimentary consultation.
From poached to panfried, when it comes to eggs, it’s all sunny side up, as new research from the University of South Australia confirms that this breakfast favourite won’t crack your cholesterol.
Long blamed for high cholesterol, eggs have been beaten up for their assumed role in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Now, UniSA researchers have shown definitively that it’s not dietary cholesterol in eggs but the saturated fat in our diets that’s the real heart health concern.
In a world-first study, researchers examined the independent effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat on LDL cholesterol (the ‘bad’ kind), finding that eating two eggs a day – as part of a high cholesterol but low saturated fat diet – can actually reduce LDL levels and lower the risk of heart disease.
Lead researcher, UniSA’s Professor Jon Buckley, says it’s time to rethink the reputation of eggs.
“Eggs have long been unfairly cracked by outdated dietary advice,” Prof Buckley says.
“They’re unique – high in cholesterol, yes, but low in saturated fat. Yet it’s their cholesterol level that has often caused people to question their place in a healthy diet,” Prof Buckley says.
“In this study, we separated the effects of cholesterol and saturated fat, finding that high dietary cholesterol from eggs, when eaten as part of a low saturated fat diet, does not raise bad cholesterol levels.
“Instead, it was the saturated fat that was the real driver of cholesterol elevation.
“You could say we’ve delivered hard-boiled evidence in defence of the humble egg.”
“So, when it comes to a cooked breakfast, it’s not the eggs you need to worry about – it’s the extra serve of bacon or the side of sausage that’s more likely to impact your heart health.”
Excessive astrocytic GABA impairs fear extinction in PTSD, new drug target offers hope for treatment
Figure 1. Astrocyte-Derived GABA and Therapeutic Effects of KDS2010 in PTSD. Brain imaging of PTSD patients revealed unusually high levels of GABA and reduced cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, showing that changes strongly correlated with symptom severity. In animal models, this excess GABA was traced to reactive astrocytes producing it abnormally due to increased MAOB and reduced levels of the GABA-degrading enzyme ABAT. This disrupted normal brain function and impaired the ability to extinguish fear. Treatment with KDS2010, a selective MAOB inhibitor, successfully lowered astrocytic GABA, restored brain activity, and rescued fear extinction, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic option. Credit: Institute for Basic Science
Why do patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often struggle to forget traumatic memories, even long after the danger has passed? This failure to extinguish fear memories has long puzzled scientists and posed a major hurdle for treatment, especially since current medications targeting serotonin receptors offer limited relief for only a subset of patients.
In a new discovery, scientists at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Ewha Womans University have uncovered a new brain mechanism driving PTSD – and a promising drug that may counteract its effects. The research is reported in Signal Transduction and Target Therapy.
Led by Dr C. Justin Lee at the IBS Center for Cognition and Sociality and Professor Lyoo In Kyoon at Ewha Womans University, the team has shown that excessive GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) produced by astrocytes, which are star-shaped support cells in the brain, impairs the brain’s ability to extinguish fear memories. This deficit is a core feature of PTSD and helps explain why traumatic memories can persist long after the threat has passed.
Crucially, the researchers found that a brain-permeable drug called KDS2010, which selectively blocks the monoamine oxidase B enzyme responsible for this abnormal GABA production, can reverse PTSD-like symptoms in mice. The drug has already passed Phase 1 safety trials in humans, making it a strong candidate for future PTSD treatments.
PTSD remains difficult to treat, with current medications targeting serotonin pathways providing limited relief for many patients. The new study focused on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a region of the brain critical for regulating fear, and found that PTSD patients had unusually high levels of GABA and reduced cerebral blood flow in this area. These findings emerged from brain imaging studies of more than 380 participants. Importantly, GABA levels decreased in patients who showed clinical improvement, pointing to the chemical’s central role in recovery.
To uncover the origin of this excess GABA, the researchers examined postmortem human brain tissue and used PTSD-like mouse models. They discovered that astrocytes, not neurons, were producing abnormal amounts of GABA via the enzyme monoamine oxidase B (MAOB). This astrocyte-derived GABA impaired neural activity, blocking the brain’s ability to forget traumatic memories.
When the researchers administered KDS2010, a highly selective, reversible MAOB inhibitor developed at IBS, the mice showed normalized brain activity and were able to extinguish fear responses. The drug reduced GABA levels, restored blood flow in the mPFC, and re-enabled memory extinction mechanisms. The study thus confirms astrocytic MAOB as a central driver of PTSD symptoms, and MAOB inhibition as a viable therapeutic path.
A major challenge of the study was linking clinical findings in humans with cellular mechanisms in the lab. The researchers addressed this by applying a “reverse translational” strategy: they began with clinical brain scans and moved backward to identify the cellular source of dysfunction, then confirmed the mechanism and tested drug effects in animal models. This approach led to a new understanding of how glial cells – long thought to be passive – actively shape psychiatric symptoms.
“This study is the first to identify astrocyte-derived GABA as a key pathological driver of fear extinction deficit in PTSD,” said Dr Won Woojin, a postdoctoral researcher and co-first author of the study. “Our findings not only uncover a novel astrocyte-based mechanism underlying PTSD, but also provide preclinical evidence for a new therapeutic approach using an MAOB inhibitor.”
Director C. Justin LEE, who led the study, emphasized that “This work represents a successful example of reverse translational research, where clinical findings in human guided the discovery of underlying mechanisms in animal models. By identifying astrocytic GABA as a pathological driver in PTSD and targeting it via MAOB inhibition, the study opens a completely new therapeutic paradigm not only for PTSD but also for other neuropsychiatric disorders such as panic disorder, depression, and schizophrenia.”
The researchers plan to further investigate astrocyte-targeted therapies for various neuropsychiatric disorders. With KDS2010 currently undergoing Phase 2 clinical trials, this discovery may soon lead to new options for patients whose symptoms have not responded to conventional treatments.
