Human life expectancy

Lifespan describe how long an individual lives, while life expectancy is the average duration of life that individuals in an age group can expect to have.

Longevity cannot keep extending forever, women can only live to a maximum of 115.7 years, while men can live for 114.1 years. Researchers discovered that exceptionally long-lived individuals were not getting as old as before.

Common bad habits like smoking, drinking too much of alcohol, sedentary lifestyle and not eating enough fruits and vegetables can reduce lifespan.

To enjoy longevity, eat healthy foods in moderation, engage in regular physical activities, sleep for seven hours everyday and go for regular medical checks.
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Sleep apnea raises matabolic and cardiovascular stress

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the upper airway becomes periodically obstructed during sleep. Untreated sleep apnea can increase blood sugar and fat levels, stress hormones and blood pressure.

Obstructive sleep apnea OSA affects many people, it occurs when the upper airway closes off during sleep, temporarily interrupting breathing. The severity of sleep apnea also correlates with high levels of inflammation, an immune response in which white blood cells produce chemicals to fight a foreign substance.

OSA is associated with diabetes and heart disease, researchers measured free fatty acids in the blood, glucose, insulin and cortisol of people. Researchers have discovered that continuous positive airways pressure CPAP withdrawal caused recurrence of OSA associated with sleep disruption, elevated heart rate and reduced blood oxygen.

It also withdrawal increased levels of free fatty acids, glucose, cortisol and blood pressure during sleep. The more severe the obstructive sleep apnea the more these parameters increased.
Inflammation originating from abdominal fat precedes the development of sleep apnea, weight loss can reduce the severity of sleep apnea.

 The levels of glucose increased in diabetes patients, increases in fatty acids, glucose and cortisol have all been linked to diabetes, blood pressure increased and the arteries showed signs of stiffness in the without CPAP.

Increased blood pressure and vascular stiffness can contribute to cardiovascular disease. Researchers have discovered that increases in waist circumference were positively correlated with increases in cardio pulmonary resuscitation CRP in men. Increases in CRP predicted sleep apnea in adolescence.
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Vabomere for treatment of urinary tract infection

Vabomere drug for treating complicated urinary tract infections cuticles, including a type of kidney infection, pyelonephritis, caused by specific bacteria.

 Vabomere is a drug containing meropenem, an antibacterial, and vaborbactam, which inhibits certain types of resistance mechanisms used by bacteria.

The most common adverse reactions in patients taking Vabomere were headache, infusion site reactions and diarrhea. Vabomere is associated with serious risks including allergic reactions and seizures.

Vabomere should not be used in patients with a history of anaphylaxis, a type of severe allergic reaction to products in the class of drugs called beta-lactams.

To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of antibacterial drugs, Vabomere should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria.

Vabomere was designated as a qualified infectious disease product QIDP.  This designation is given to antibacterial products that treat serious or life-threatening infections.
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Benznidazole drug for treating American trypanosomiasis

Benznidazole belongs to a group of medicines called antiprotozoals. It is used to treat an infection called American trypanosomiasis.
Benznidazole works by killing the protozoa.

Take the medicine with meals, after breakfast and after supper, to decrease the chance of stomach upset. If you get an upset stomach (diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, or vomiting) and it continues, check with your doctor.

Although rare, Benznidazole can lower the number of white blood cells in the blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting.

Common side effects of this drug are-
Convulsions (seizures); numbness, tingling pain, or weakness in hands or feet; reddish discoloration of skin,
fever or chills; pinpoint red spots on skin; skin rash; sore throat; unusual bleeding or bruising.

Other side effects are- abdominal or stomach pain; diarrhea; nausea; vomiting, confusion; dizziness; headache; restlessness; temporary loss of memory; trouble in sleeping; difficulty concentrating; unusual tiredness and fatigue.
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Cyltezo for chronic inflammatory diseases

Cyltezo is for the treatment of multiple chronic inflammatory diseases, including: moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis, moderate to severe polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis, active ankylosing spondylitis, moderate to severe active adult Crohn’s disease,
moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

Patients treated with adalimumab products, including Cyltezo, are at increased risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death.

Invasive fungal infections, including histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, blastomycosis, and pneumocystosis. Patients with histoplasmosis or other invasive fungal infections may present with disseminated, rather than localized, disease.

Antigen and antibody testing for histoplasmosis may be negative in some patients with active infection. Consider empiric anti-fungal therapy in patients at risk for invasive fungal infections who develop severe systemic illness.

Do not start Cyltezo during an active infection, including localized infections.
Patients older than 65 years, patients with co-morbid conditions and patients taking concomitant immunosuppressants may be at greater risk of infection.

Cyltezo for patients with these disorders; discontinuation of Cyltezo should be considered if any of these disorders develop.
Hematological Reactions
Congestive Heart Failure
Autoimmunity
Patients on Cyltezo should not receive live vaccines.
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Cocoa may delay Type 2 diabetes

Insulin is the hormone that manages glucose, the blood sugar that reaches unhealthy levels in diabetes patients is caused by insulin not working properly.

Failure of beta cells to produce insulin can leads to diabetes, the body of diabetes patients either doesn't produce enough insulin or doesn't process blood sugar properly.

Researchers have discovered certain compounds in cocoa that can aid the release of more insulin and respond to increased blood glucose. Beta cells work better and remain stronger with an increased presence of epicatechin monomers, compounds found in cocoa.

Researchers fed animals with the cocoa compound, they discovered that adding the compound to their diet decreases the level of obesity in the animals and increases their ability to regulate increased blood glucose levels.

This showed that cocoa compounds called epicatechin monomers enhanced beta cells' ability to secrete insulin by protecting the cells and increase their ability to deal with oxidative stress.

The epicatechin monomers are making the mitochondria in the beta cells stronger, which produces more ATP which leads to more production of insulin.
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Low fat intake can cause untimely death

Low-fat diets could increase the risk of an early death, fats have protective effect on human health, people with the lowest fat intake may die young.

Human body needs fat; it carries vitamins and provides essential acids.
Low levels of fat in the body will affect important vitamins and minerals in the body.

Eating excess fat is not healthy, low fat intake is malnutrition, moderation is the key when you are eating fatty foods. Replacing fat with other food is not good for proper body metabolism.

Limiting total fat consumption may have adverse effects on health, high carbohydrate intake increases the risk of mortality while higher intake of fats, including saturated fats, are associated with lower risk of mortality.

Low fat diets increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, moderate consumption of healthy fatty foods would be a healthy choice for longevity.
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Eating triggers opioid release in the brain

Eating stimulates brain's endogenous opioid system to signal pleasure and satiety. It leads to widespread opioid release in the brain, signalling feelings of satiety and pleasure.

Eating a delicious food led to increase of pleasant feelings, while consumption of calorie-matched nutritional drink did not. However, both types of meals induced significant release of endogenous opioids in the brain.

Opioids are associated with pleasure and euphoria. The study revealed that a significant amount of endorphins is released in the entire brain after eating delicious and tasteless meal.

The study was conducted using positron emission tomography PET. The participants were injected with a radioactive compound binding to their brain's opioid receptors.

Radioactivity in the brain was measured three times with the PET camera: after a delicious meal, after non delicious meal and after an overnight fast.

The magnitude of the opioid release was independent of the pleasure associated with eating. The results showed that endogenous opioid system regulates both feelings of pleasure and satiety.

The results suggest that overeating may continuously overstimulates the opioid system, this can contributes to development of obesity.
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Bone marrow protein may be used for stem cell transplant

Bone marrow contains hematopoetic stem cells, the precursors to every blood cell type. These cells become after bone marrow transplants, bone marrow injury and during systemic infection, creating new blood cells, including immune cells.

Del-1 is a protein that plays a role in gum disease, it regulate the production of blood cells. Targeting it could be an effective way to improve stem cell transplants for both donors and recipients. Modulate levels of Del-1 in patients with certain blood cancers can enhance immune cell production.

Because the hematopoetic stem cell niche is so important for the creation of bone marrow and blood cells and because Del-1 is a soluble protein and is easily manipulated, it could be a target in many potential applications.

The researchers' investigations revealed that Del-1 was expressed by at least three cell types in the bone marrow that support hematopoetic stem cells: endothelial cells, CAR cells and osteoblasts.

Using mice deficient in Del-1, they found that the protein promotes proliferation and differentiation of hematopoetic stem cells, sending more of these progenitor cells down a path toward becoming myeloid cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils, rather than lymphocytes, such as T cells and B cells.

In bone marrow transplant experiments, researchers discovered that the presence of Del-1 in recipient
bone marrow is required for the transplanted stem cells to engraft in the recipient and to facilitate the process of myelopoesis, the production of myeloid cells.

When the researchers mimicked a systemic infection in mice, animals deficient in Del-1 were slower to begin making myeloid cells again compared to those with normal Del-1 levels.

The scientists see potential applications in bone marrow and stem cell transplants, for both donors and recipients. In donors, blocking the interaction between Del-1 and hematopoetic stem cells could enhance the mobilization of those progenitors into the bloodstream. This could be helpful for increasing donor cell numbers for transplantation.

Transplant recipients, on the other hand, may need enhanced Del-1 interaction to ensure the transplanted cells engraft and begin making new blood cells more rapidly. People undergoing chemotherapy who develop febrile neutropenia, associated with low levels of white blood cells, might benefit from the role of Del-1 in supporting the production of immune-related blood cells such as neutrophils.
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Statins reduce the risk of breast cancer

Lowering cholesterol activity reduces the risk of breast cancer, oestrogen hormone helps cancer to spread, that is why women are given anti-hormone treatments after chemotherapy and surgery.

Women whose genes encourage the production of  cholesterol are prone to breast cancer, statins can reduce the levels of cholesterol, taking statins to lower cholesterol could prevent breast cancer.

Statins interrupt the enzymatic reduction of HMG-CoA to mevalonate. This prevents synthesis of cholesterol.
Taking statins can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Statin is a form of medicine that is used to decrease the amount of low-density lipoprotein LDL cholesterol in the blood.

Researchers followed up women both with and without a high cholesterol aged and compared it to mortality rates and breast cancer developments, they discovered that women taking statins have lower risk of developing cancer.
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Surviving cancer can cause post traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD is an anxiety disorder, experiencing a frightening or life-threatening situation may cause PTSD. It is associated with traumatic events such as war, physical attacks, natural disasters and accidents.

PTSD can affect people with a history of cancer, those undergoing the treatment, pain from the cancer and potential for the cancer to reoccur. Common symptoms of PTSD are:
nightmares, bad memories, hopelessness and shame.

Cancer patients are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder PTSD after the trauma of treatment. Cancer treatment can cause mental illness, the shock of the diagnosis and the fear of a recurrence can cause mental illness.

Mental fog often experienced by breast cancer patients after chemotherapy might be due to post-traumatic stress than the drugs and the process of treatment. It may cause nightmares, flashbacks, numbness, self-destructive behaviour, feelings of guilt and hopelessness.

The shock and trauma of being diagnosed with a life-threatening disease and receiving treatment that can be both physically and mentally gruelling are the major cause of PTSD.
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Gocovri drug for treatment of dyskinesia

Gocovri (amantadine) drug has been approved for treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving levodopa-based therapy, with or without concomitant dopaminergic medications.

Gocovri is a high dose 274 mg amantadine (equivalent to 340 mg amantadine HCl) taken once-daily at bedtime that delivers consistently high levels of amantadine from the morning and throughout the day when dyskinesia occurs.

Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. It results from a loss of dopamine in the brain and is commonly treated by levodopa and dopaminergic therapies that replace lost dopamine.

Dyskinesia is a consequence of levodopa-based Parkinson's disease treatment and is characterized by involuntary and non-rhythmic movements that are purposeless and unpredictable, which impact the activities of daily living.

Common adverse reactions of Gocovri are: hallucinations, dizziness, dry mouth, peripheral edema, constipation, fall and orthostatic hypotension.
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Hormonal IUDs have no effect on breastfeeding

Having a hormonal intrauterine device IUD implanted immediately after birth does not affect a woman's ability to lactate and breastfeed.

Early placement of a hormonal IUD is safe, it is along-term birth control method that doesn't negatively affect women who want to breastfeed their baby.

Women's milk did not come in later if they received a hormonal IUD immediately after giving birth compared to women who received the same type of IUD several weeks after delivery.

Researchers examined women that received IUD one hour after delivery and those that delayed for one month,
they discovered that early IUD placement is prone to dislodged.

Women who had IUDs placed immediately after birth had a higher rate of losing the birth control device compared to the women who received them later.

 There is no difference in breastfeeding for those that received it immediately and those that received later. IUD hormone prevents unintended pregnancy.
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Links between gut bacteria and autism

According to the latest research, gut bacteria could cause spectrum disorder. Pathogens in the stomach alter the brain's development and may increase risk of suffering from the spectrum disorder.

Links between the brain, gut and stress hormone cortisol can influence how messages are passed in the body, which may cause autistic symptoms.

Changes in neurometabolites in childhood can have dangerous effects on brain development. Collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in humans gut may be responsible for the disorder.

Autism may be corrected by changing of diet, taking probiotics and adopting a gluten-free lifestyle which may improve social behaviour and ability to express emotions in autistic people.

Leaky gut releases toxins and even undigested food enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain, which may cause autism symptoms. Probiotics can change this by enhancing the gut's lining.
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Fasting diet in a healthy way

Calories restrictions extends lifespan and prevents sicknesses and diseases. Fasting has been used for thousands of years for health benefits. It can improve glucose tolerance. Insulin resistance is generally caused as a result of the body's reduced ability to remove excess glucose from the blood either because insufficient insulin is released or the glucose receptors have become less sensitive.

Excess glucose will be converted to fat and stored in tissues not suitable for fat storage. As the body uses fat as a fuel during intermittent fasting, fat stores will reduce allowing the cells to regain insulin function and glucose sensitivity.
Intermittent fasting can improve pre-diabetic and insulin resistant.

 Short term intermittent fasting may be a safe and tolerable dietary intervention for those already diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and may improve body weight and reducing glucose levels. Fasting diet in a healthy way improves skin health. Intermittent fasting's ability to reduce weight will result in lower body fat. This improves heart function, prevents cancer and improves immune system.

Eat healthy foods during intermittent fasting to ensure the body's processes are taking place efficiently and effectively. Add fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and protein to every meal.
Reduce intake of junk foods and carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes and rice. The simple concept is to aim to fast every day for 16-18 hours a day and only consume food in the remaining six to eight hours.

 Increase the gap between dinner and breakfast; if you eat dinner at 6pm, then you would not eat your next meal until 12pm the following day, allowing an 18-hour fast in between. People that are underweight, sick or using drugs must not fast. Children, pregnant women and nursing mother should avoid fasting.
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Sugar is as addictive as cocaine

Sugar can cause cravings, binges and withdrawal symptoms similar to a drug addiction. Sugar could be just as addictive as cocaine, cocaine and sugar have similar effect on the brain.

Cutting sugar out may lead to depression and behavioural disorders such as ADHD, refined sugar and opioid drugs trigger a similar response from the brain's reward system, both releasing dopamine and other pleasure-inducing chemicals.

Getting used to this feeling leads to craving for more to get the same response, leading to addiction.
Consuming sugar produces effects similar to that of cocaine, altering mood by inducing reward and pleasure

Experiments on rats showed that sugar was more addictive than opioid drugs.
Withdrawal symptoms can include behavioural problems or depression. Lack of dopamine in the brain during periods between sugar consumption has lead to ADHD-like symptoms.

During off sugar period, a mild state of depression may ensue due to dopamine deficiency, which can be temporarily relieved by consuming more sugar.
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Foods determined human gut germs

What you eat regularly or don't eat determined the germs in your digestive tract. Many microbial species exist in the human intestine, digest fiber, make vitamins and other molecules. They also strengthen the immune system and protect against harmful bacteria.

Antibiotics, cesarean sections and other lifestyle changes have also changed the composition of microbes in the human gut. People that are eating meat, berries, fruits and vegetables have gut bacteria different and more diverse than the gut bacteria of those that eat processed foods. What we eat can change the balance of microbes in our digestive tracts

Different gut microbes changes with the seasons and diet. Human microbiota can change significantly from day to day, or within hours, in response to what we have been eating.

Foods can increase the populations of some types of bacteria and reduce others, as their relative numbers change, they secrete different substances, activate different genes and absorb different nutrients.
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Heart hormones prevent obesity and insulin resistance

Enhanced natriuretic peptide NP signaling in adipose tissue protects against obesity and insulin resistance. Boosting levels of NPs in adipose tissue may reduce the risk of metabolic disease. NPs control blood pressure and can promote the conversion of energy-storing 'bad' white fat into energy-burning 'good' brown fat.

Atrial and B-type natriuretic peptides NPs are hormones that were originally discovered to modulate salt and water to control blood pressure. These peptides transmit their signals through natriuretic peptide receptor NPRC. Natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPRC) removes NPs from circulation.

Researchers studied mice with NPRC receptors selectively knocked out in either adipose or skeletal muscle tissue. While deleting NPRC in muscle provided no protection from a high-fat diet, eliminating the receptor in adipose tissue improved insulin sensitivity, prevented obesity and increased sugar uptake in metabolism-boosting brown fat.

 The adipose knockout mice showed higher energy expenditure and less inflammation. In mice without NRPCs in adipose tissue the liver was completely clean and completely devoid of stored lipids, which leads to their improved overall metabolic performance.

Slim people tend to have higher NP concentrations in their blood while NP clearance tends to rise in fat tissue, removing these peptides from the blood and making it more difficult for effective NP signaling to occur. Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease and other conditions. Exploring NPs as therapeutic targets can prevents obesity.
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Microbes compete for nutrients and hinder metabolism

Choline is a water soluble nutrient, it supports energy, brain function and keeps the metabolism active. It contributes to resources that cells used to make modifications to DNA, and with less choline the cell's ability to modify and regulate genes can be impaired.

Tissues from the liver to the brain had altered epigenetic patterns in mice with high levels of choline-eating microbes.
Epigenetic modifications change how genes are expressed. The nutritional demand for the nutrient increases during pregnancy to support epigenetic regulation and cellular health in the developing fetus, and studies have linked choline deficiency during pregnancy in humans with altered behavior in children.

 Choline is found in high amounts in soybeans, eggs, meat, fish, cauliflower, milk and other foods. To test whether microbiomes could compete with their hosts for the nutrient. Researchers used germ-free mice that were colonized with defined populations of microbes to test whether microbiomes could compete with their hosts for the nutrient.

Some mice had choline eaters; others had communities where choline consumption was disrupted by mutating a single gene. When the mice were fed with a high-fat diet, which induces a range of metabolic diseases in mice, the animals with choline-eating microbes added more abdominal fat, and had fattier livers, than their counterparts with microbes that couldn't eat choline.

The offspring of mice with choline-eating bacteria had altered epigenetic patterns in their brains, suggesting problems with normal development. In mice that were genetically susceptible to behavioral problems, those that had choline-eating microbes showed anxious behaviors.

Epigenetic regulation explains the negative effects of choline-eating microbiomes, the byproduct of bacterial choline metabolism, known as Trimethylamine N-oxide TMAO, is also linked to negative outcomes. In another experiments, researchers observed much higher levels of TMAO in the mice that hosted choline-eating bacteria.

The toxic TMAO might work together with disrupted epigenetic patterns to create the long list of metabolic and developmental disruptions seen in these animals. The toxic effects of TMAO accumulation also complicate potential dietary remedies, more choline in the diet might lead to more TMAO rather than fixing nutritional shortages.
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Effects of long, mysterious strip of RNA on sperm count

Scientists have discovered part of genetic material known as lncRNAs that help sperm develop. Male mice lacking a particular lncRNA have low sperm count, this shows that lncRNAs could represent novel infertility drug targets.

The strands, called long non-coding RNAsor lncRNAs don't seem to encode proteins, but have been implicated in everything from cancer to brain function. Many are located in the testes, suggesting they could contribute to infertility.

Researchers collected and measured lncRNA levels during the process of cellular differentiation that leads to sperm production. They found that specific lncRNAs are associated with each stage of sperm development.

The researchers also identified lncRNAs and mRNAs that are testes-specific -- that is, not found in other human or mouse tissues. Genetically-modified male mice lack one particular lncRNA. They used these mice to assess how the loss of this one lncRNA affects overall mouse fertility.

 Mice provide a model to study human sperm development as the process is highly conserved between the two species. Researchers discovered massive changes in lncRNAs produced in cells that eventually increase mouse sperm. Each stage of sperm development was associated with different lncRNAs. This shows that lncRNAs are important for creating complex biological process.

Many of the lncRNAs were strictly found in mouse testes, a subset of lncRNAs are able to escape gene silencing processes that help turn off unnecessary genes on the X and Y sex chromosomes during sperm development. The X and Y sex chromosomes determine whether a sperm will produce a male or female embryo. lncRNA could serve as a potential therapeutic target for male infertility drugs.
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Lockdown gene to increase IVF success rate

In Vitro Fertilization IVF is an assisted reproductive technology, it is the process of fertilization by extracting eggs, retrieving sperm and manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. The embryo is then transferred to the uterus.

Human egg and sperm cells have their genes trained to fertilize. After fertilization, the developing embryo begins the genetic program that turns a single cell into a healthy fetus.

Epigenetic changes to the DNA, like the removal of methyl group locks by enzymes, which allows many more genes to be read. Some genes need to be locked down during development, as their genetic messages cause problems for the embryo.

Everything that goes wrong in embryos has the potential to cause infertility or early pregnancy abortions. The scientists sequenced the RNA of more than 30 embryos lacking Trim28 and discovered that Rbmy1a1 gene was unusually active.

The enzyme encoded by Rbmy1a1 produces mRNA transcripts which are harmful to the developing embryo. Detecting the activity of detrimental genes like Rbmy1a1 before an embryo is implanted could improve rates of IVF success.
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DNA sensor and cancer immunotherapy

Tumors stressed by cancer immunotherapy release their mitochondrial DNA into the closer immune cells, causing a host alert system. The chemical alert through the molecule cGAS is an important immune-system sensor for DNA that is in the interior of cells, the cytosol, where DNA should not exist. 

 cGAS connected the innate immune system, which senses initial threats; and the adaptive immune system, which amplifies the anti-tumor response after getting the alert from the innate immune system. The adaptive system battles recurring threats from pathogens. Checkpoints are molecular barriers that cancer cells produce to make themselves undetectable to the immune system. The plan of immunotherapy is to make the cancers detectable.

Current immune checkpoint blockade therapy has been life-extending for many people. The drug targets CD47, a cell surface protein highly expressed in some tumor cells. CD47 signal to block immune cells from killing the cancer cells. cGAS as an innate immune sensor of DNA led to speculation that inhibition of cytosolic DNA sensing could represent a strategy tumor cells used to evade the immune system.

CD47 is found in every cell of the body, and it has long been known that many kinds of cancer cells produce higher amounts of CD47 than healthy cells. CD47 signal helps cancer cells evade detection from the immune system's killer T-cells.

The higher the levels of CD47 found in tumors, the poorer the prognosis for many cancers. Using mouse cells,
the researchers discovered that when cancer cells are stressed by an experimental anti-CD47 immunotherapy, it leaks DNA into nearby dendritic cells, which present antigens to killer T-cells and are considered a bridge between the innate and adaptive immune systems.

 The DNA sensor cGAS sounds the alarm inside those dendritic cells, setting off a signaling cascade that alerts the
immune system and unleashes the cancer-killing T-cells. cGAS is essential for cancer immunotherapy by immune checkpoint blockade. Activating DNA comes from the mitochondria of the cancer cells. Tumor-originated mtDNA was recognized by the DNA sensor cGAS in dendritic cells during anti-CD47 treatment.

 cGAS-STING-IRF3 signaling pathway plays a critical role to drive robust innate and adaptive immune response upon anti-CD47 therapy. Understanding this mechanism of anti-CD47 therapy may make it possible to design new combination strategies to improve current immune checkpoint blockade therapies by modulating the innate sensing of mtDNA.
       

Dangers of taking excess caffeine

Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in tea, coffee and cacao plants, it stimulates the brain and central nervous system. Regular intake of caffeine lowers the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Taking excess caffeine increases the amount of acid in the stomach and may cause heartburn or upset the stomach. Excess caffeine consumption may raise blood pressure.

An overdose of caffeine may cause rapid or irregular heartbeat and breathing trouble. In rare cases, caffeine overdose can result in death due to convulsions or irregular heartbeat.

Drinking caffeine in large amounts may interfere with absorption and metabolism of calcium, this can cause osteoporosis. Too much caffeine can also cause slowed fetal growth and increased risk of miscarriage.
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New method of correcting genetic infertility

Scientists have created healthy offspring from genetically infertile male mice, providing a new  method of correcting a genetic cause of human infertility.

Human sex is determined by the X and Y chromosomes. Usually, girls have two X chromosomes XX and boys have one X and one Y XY, but 1 in 500 boys are born with an extra X or Y.

Having three rather than two sex chromosomes can hinder formation of mature sperm and cause infertility.
Researchers have discovered a way to remove the extra sex chromosome to produce fertile offspring.

 If the findings can be safely transferred into humans, it might eventually be possible for men with Klinefelter syndrome XXY or double Y syndrome XYY that are infertile to have children through assisted reproduction using this method.

Researchers took small pieces of ear tissue from XXY and XYY mice, cultured them, and collected connective tissue cells known as fibroblasts. They turned the fibroblasts into stem cells and noticed that in the process, some of the cells lost the extra sex chromosome.

With an existing method, they used specific chemical signals to control the stem cells into becoming cells that have the potential to become sperm. These cells developed into mature sperm when injected into the testes of a host mouse.

 The researchers then harvested these mature sperm and used them through assisted reproduction to create healthy, fertile offspring.

Sperm cells have been created in the laboratory, offering hope for a cure for a common cause of male infertility.
About 1 in 500 men have an extra X or Y chromosome, which prevents their sperm production.
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How belly fat increases the risk of cancer

Protein released from fat in the body can change a non-cancerous cell into a cancerous one. The lower layer of abdominal fat is responsible for releasing the protein and increasing tumour growth.

Obesity has been linked to several types of cancers including breast, colon, prostate, uterine and kidney. Abdominal obesity and levels of a protein called fibroblast growth factor-2 may be an indicator of cells becoming cancerous.

There are two layers of belly fat: the top layer, known as subcutaneous fat, lies right under the skin, the layer under that, called visceral fat is harmful and cancerous. High fat diet produce larger amounts of the fibroblast growth factor-2, FGF2, protein when compared to the subcutaneous fat.

FGF2 stimulated certain cells that were already vulnerable to the protein and caused them to grow into tumours. When fat secretions have more of the FGF2 protein, more of the cells formed cancerous tumours.

Humans can make a non-tumorigenic cell malignantly change into a tumorigenic cell by eating high fatty foods. Healthy lifestyle, eating fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, avoiding smoking and drinking of alcohol can prevents fat belly and reduce risk of developing cancer.
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Foods that upset gut

Belching is the expelling of gas generated in the gut during digestion. Frequent belching may be a symptom of dangerous health condition.

Excess gas like burping, bloating and flatulence can be reduce by eating slowly, avoiding fizzy drinks and not talking while eating.

Acid reflux may cause burping or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The sphincter in the gullet fails to stay closed so stomach, food splash up, causing irritation and inflammation.

 Burping is caused by the loose valve at the bottom of the oesophagus, which cannot withstand pressure from the stomach, so gas escapes upwards. It can also be a symptom of bowel conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac disease and lactose intolerance.

Avoid these foods to reduce wind production: beans, peas, lentils and other pulses, bran cereal, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, egg, radishes, shellfish, milk, muesli, jacket potato skins, leeks, swedes, apples, coffee, parsnips, onions, dried fruits and junk foods.
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New way of treating HIV

 HIV drugs target the virus, the virus is not stable; it always mutates because the virus can become resistant to effective drugs, directing the immune system to kill the disease is better than targeting the virus with drug.

Some people are okay with HIV suppressing treatment, but more people are experiencing drug resistance. HIV- 1 is the most widespread, HIV can be classified into R5 and X4 viruses.

R5 viruses are linked with primary infection while X4 viruses occur in later stages of HIV diseases in some HIV patients. Detection of X4 is an indication that the patient's HIV infection has progressed to dangerous state.

Immune system protein suppresses damaging HIV strains, X4, by preventing the virus from infecting cells can be improve on, strengthening the immune system to kill the virus will be more effective because viruses cannot escape the body's immune system.
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Use synbiotics for gut health

Probiotics are live bacteria that are good for digestive system. Probiotics are said to keep gut and digestion healthy by replacing the bad bacteria with good one.

Synbiotics combined a probiotic bacterial strain with prebiotics, which actually feed and increase the good bacteria in the gut.

Probiotics can not survive for a long periods of time, heat and stomach acid can kill them, making them ineffective before digestion.

 Synbiotics are the best way to ensure a maximum benefit from the ingested probiotics. It is the combination of probiotics and prebiotics to feed the human microbiome. Synbiotics could have beneficial effects on obesity and diabetes.

Research has linked our gut health to a range of conditions like obesity, depression, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Probiotics may prevent and treat fatty liver disease and keep it from advancing to liver cancer.

 Pre-and pro-biotics work together to provide a combined benefit, while the probiotic settles in and pushes out the bad bacteria, the prebiotic feeds the growth of positive strains.

A healthy, balanced microbiome breaks down foods, protects human from infection, trains immune system and produces vitamins K and B12. It also controls mood, anxiety and appetite.
Imbalances in the gut are linked to a range of conditions.

The composition of human gut microbiota is determined by genes but it can also be influenced by lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol intake, exercise, and medications.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Vitamin B increases the risk of lungs cancer

According to a new study, high-dose and long-term use of vitamins B12, B6 and smoking increase the risk of lung cancer. Using high dose of vitamin B6 and B12 may leads to development of lungs cancer.

Researchers analyzed data from some patients and evaluate vitamin and other mineral supplements in relation to cancer risk. They discovered that men who take high-dose of vitamin B6 and B12 supplements for a decade had higher risks for developing lung cancer.

Human body needs vitamins B6 and B12 to ensure red blood cells are healthy and to process proteins, fat and carbohydrate. Foods rich in vitamin B are: meat, fish, cheese, eggs and milk, and fortified cereals.

 Some vitamin B supplements contained doses which were higher than the daily recommended amount, eating foods rich in vitamin B is enough for vitamins required. The discovery shows that taking high doses of B6 and B12 for a long period of time could increase the risk of developing lung cancer.
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Activating brain region creates desire for cocaine

Researchers have identified a part of the brain that intensifies desire for rewards like addiction to cocaine. Activating part of the amygdala, an almond-shaped brain region, intensifies motivation to consume cocaine far beyond ordinary drug levels, similar to its ability to intensify motivation for sweet foods like sugar.

Amygdala plays a key role in drug addiction. For addicts, drugs become so attractive as to cause intense motivation focused entirely on obtaining drugs at the expense of other normal life enjoyment. Researchers implanted rats with a catheter that allowed them to earn doses of cocaine, activating brain region creates intense desire to use cocaine.

Researchers implanted rats with a catheter that allowed them to earn doses of cocaine by poking their noses into small holes in the wall. Whenever rats would poke their nose into one particular hole to earn intravenous cocaine, a laser light would also activate the neurons in the central amygdala at the same time

Poking their nose into a different hole earned identical cocaine, but never activated the amygdala. Rats focused only on the port that earned cocaine together with amygdala-activating laser, consumed much more cocaine than rats without amygdala activation, and avidly nibbled around the laser-cocaine hole for more.

The amygdala activation intensified motivation when cocaine was also present. By contrast, when the researchers temporarily inactivated the amygdala using a painless drug infusion, rats completely stopped responding for cocaine.
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Zika virus weakened immune system and deformed fetus

The Zika virus increases in pregnant women by suppressing their dampened immune systems and attacks their natural defenses, which allows the virus to directly attack the fetus. A woman's immune system naturally suppresses itself during pregnancy to keep the body from recognizing the fetus as a foreign body and attacking it, Zika uses this process, turning pregnant woman's immune defense so the virus can spread without any hindrance.

Researchers tested African and Asian strains of Zika in the blood samples of healthy men, women and pregnant women. Researchers discovered that the Asian strain of Zika targets monocytes, which are white blood cells that mount the body's immune defense by destroying viruses and bacteria, people can survive the attack, but pregnant women cannot because Zika exploits the existing process by which the body protects a fetus from immune attack. Zika virus suppresses immune system like HIV.

The virus goes in, multiplies, grows and then crosses the placenta attack the fetus and cause disease. The blood of pregnant women infected with Zika also showed abnormally high expression of two genes that have been previously associated with pregnancy complications. Microcephaly have been associated with mothers who were infected with the Zika virus before giving birth, a pregnant women naturally have higher levels of immune-suppressing M2 macrophages to prevent the womb from rejecting the fetus.

However, the Asian Zika virus boosts M2 macrophage reproduction, decreasing the infection fighting process and encouraging immune suppression. Researchers discovered that the Asian Zika virus is more dangerous during first and second trimester, when the virus can increase immune suppression. During the third trimester, the blood of infected pregnant women and non-pregnant women were about the same.

During pregnancy, the host body is prone to opportunistic infection
Previous clinical studies showed that Zika virus infection during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy are strongly associated with fetal abnormalities. These anomalies cause brain damage and developmental delays in babies even if they are born with normal-sized heads.
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Duzallo drugs for treating gout

Duzallo is a prescription medicine that contains two medicines, a URAT1 inhibitor called lesinurad and a xanthine oxidase inhibitor called allopurinol. It is used to lower uric acid levels in the blood of people with gout.

Active ingredients are lesinurad and allopurinol. Inactive ingredients: crospovidone, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, titanium dioxide, and triacetin.

Duzallo can cause serious side effects, like kidney problems. People taking Duzallo may have kidney problems such as a sudden decrease in kidney function (acute kidney failure).
Duzallo can affect bone marrow and cause low red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Other side effects are: skin rash; blistering of the skin, mouth, nose, and genitals, painful red or purple skin that looks burned and peels off, joint pain; swollen glands red, painful, watery eyes; persistent itching; hives, fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, nausea, heartburn and diarrhea
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Fatty liver can damage other organs

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease  NAFL increases the risk of chronic liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Altered secretion of the fatty liver increases production of glucose, fats, and proteins like hepatokine fetuin-A, which are releases into the bloodstream.

The secreted substances of the fatty liver enter other organs and trigger further reactions. People who had experienced an increased pancreatic fatty degeneration have reduced insulin secretion.

Fatty liver and fatty degeneration of the pancreas triggers increased local immune cell infiltration and inflammation that increase the disease.
However, adipose tissue is not harmful, it can even have protective effects: adipose tissue located around the blood vessels of the kidney has regenerative properties.

The factor that leads to pathological changes is fetuin-A, which is produced by the fatty liver, instead of protecting tissue as before, the adipose tissue brings out inflammatory processes that leads to a restriction of renal function.
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Targeted cell metabolism can improve immune system

Immune system can become so over-activated when fighting infections that the resulting inflammatory response can lead to death. Excessive response by the immune system can be modulated by targeted manipulation of the sugar metabolism to produce an immune response that eliminates the pathogens without causing any harmful to the immune system.

Using 2-Deoxy-D-glucose 2-DG during the infection make this possible, adding 2-DG, that prevents glycolysis, causes increased production of interleukin-12 IL-12, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, while suppressing the production of interleukin-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine.

IL-12 triggers a specific T-cell immune response, which is part of the cellular immune response, to specifically boost the defence mechanisms that serve to eliminate intracellular pathogens like listeria. Addition of 2-DG changes the nature of the immune response and the intensity of the inflammatory process, inflammation is controlled so that the immune system is able to manage the situation without allowing the infection to leads to a deadly outcome.

This prevents excessive inflammatory responses, following addition of of 2-DG, only p40 is upregulated, while no p35 is produced. This modified cytokine profile, there is also a simultaneous increase in IL-23 expression which could subsequently bring about modified recruitment of immune cells and hence have a decisive influence on the intensity of the immune response.

The metabolic increased production of activating mediators with simultaneous inhibition of immunosuppressive mediators. Manipulation of the sugar metabolism and associated modulation of the immune system could open up new options for treating specific infectious and autoimmune diseases
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Bacteria may boost athletic performance

Bacteria in the digestive tract can boost performance of athletes. The bugs in our gut affect our energy metabolism, making it easier to break down carbohydrates, protein and fiber. They are also involved in inflammation and neurological function.

The microbiome could be relevant for applications in endurance, recovery and mental toughness. Researchers collected fecal samples on a daily basis from athletes training for marathon, a week before and after the race. The researchers sequenced the genomes of the sampled bacteria, using computational metagenomic methods to figure out how many and what types of microbes inhabited the fecal samples.

 When they compared the pre-race and post-race samples, the researchers found a sudden spike in the population of one particular type of bacteria after the marathon. This bug's natural function is to break down lactic acid. During intense exercise, the body produces more lactic acid than usual, which can lead to muscle fatigue and soreness.

Researchers discovered that the bug is very good at breaking down lactic acid in a test tube and remains viable after it passes through the digestive system of mice. The researchers are now feeding the bacteria to mice to measure its effects on lactic acid levels and fatigue.
This leads to discovery of a bacteria in ultramarathoners that can break carbohydrates and fiber which is useful during a 100-mile.
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Genetic blood tests can expose cancer

Genetic blood test might expose different types of cancer at early stage,
the blood test discovered blood from DNA fragments released by cancerous tumours.

Examining DNA fragments for mutations found in cancer- causing genes leads to the discovery of blood of many early stage cancers. It exposed colon, breast, lung and ovarian cancers.

Early detection of cancers can leads to effective treatment from onset and save many lives, the test can screen out people without cancer. Genetic blood test for cancer must expose DNA mutations linked to cancer and ignore harmless mutations that is always present in healthy humans.

Exposing cancer and early treatment is the most important aspect of the discovery, differentiating deadly cancers that will hurt people from cancers that may not is very important for the success of the blood test.
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Sleep and caffeine can reduce post operative pain

Sleep is essential for good mental and physical health, insufficient sleep increases the risk for several chronic diseases. Pre and postoperative sleep disturbances worsen pain. Caffeine in coffee and other beverages blocks the actions of adenosine in the brain. Adenosine is an endogenous sleep inducer.

Insufficient sleep enhances pain perception. Using a rat model of surgical pain, the research team tested whether prior sleep deprivation increases postoperative pain and caffeine blocks the increase in postoperative pain caused by sleep deprivation.

Researchers sought to identify a potential brain mechanism by which disrupted sleep worsens pain. The effect of sleep deprivation on pain sensitivity in operated and intact rats was virtually eliminated by pharmacologically blocking the action of adenosine in a brain region in the anterior hypothalamus known to regulate sleep, which is connected to major pain-related areas.

Extended wakefulness prior to surgery significantly enhanced postoperative pain behaviors and extended recovery time after surgery. Caffeine mitigate this effect. It blocked the increase in surgical pain caused by previous sleep loss.

 Caffeine might prevent the increase in pain sensitivity by blocking part of the neurochemical changes induced by sleep deprivation in specific brain areas that control sleep and wakefulness, and project to pain-related sites.
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Zika may not last in semen as thought

According to the latest research, Zika virus might not remain in the semen of some infected men as long as previously thought.

The researchers said Zika may only be present in semen for about a month. Previous research had suggested that Zika virus can be found in semen for as long as 188 days after the onset of symptoms.

The new study included 12 men in French Guiana who had Zika virus. Four of the men never had any detectable Zika in their semen. One excreted Zika virus in his semen for at least three days. And seven had Zika-laced semen for at least a month.

The maximum duration of detectable Zika in semen in the study was 45 days.
These data suggest that not all men who are symptomatically infected with Zika virus will have Zika virus RNA detectable in semen.

The results also showed that Zika does replicate in the testicles or semen-producing glands, since the amount of Zika in semen was significantly different than the Zika load found in the men's blood.

Zika causes neurological birth defects, most commonly microcephaly, a condition in which a baby's brain and skull are underdeveloped.
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Besponsa for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Food and Drug Administration approved Besponsa for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ALL.

B-cell precursor ALL is a rapidly progressing type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many B-cell lymphocytes, an immature type of white blood cell.

Besponsa is a targeted therapy that is thought to work by binding to B-cell ALL cancer cells that express the CD22 antigen, blocking the growth of cancerous cells.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take Besponsa because it may cause harm to a developing fetus or a newborn baby.

Side effects of Besponsa include low levels of platelets, low levels of certain white blood cells, infection, low levels of red blood cells, fatigue, severe bleeding, fever, nausea, headache, low levels of white blood cells with fever, liver damage, abdominal pain, high levels of bilirubin in the blood,
decrease in blood cell and platelet production, infusion-related reactions and problems with the heart’s electrical pulses.
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Breakfast is important for proper development

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, starting the morning with a meal is important for teenagers and children. Skipping breakfast could leads to low brain function. Children who did not eat breakfast each day lacked proper nutrients that are essential for healthy growth.

Skipping breakfast can leads to iron, folate, calcium and iodine deficiencies which can leads to development of different diseases. Iron circulates oxygen throughout the body, iron deficiency leads to less oxygen circulation which can affect red blood cells.

Inadequate oxygen leads to fatigues, children become tired easily with poor oxygen circulation. Not having enough oxygen can affect how well their brain functions as well as their immune system's ability to keep the body healthy.

Iron is essential in maintaining healthy cells, hair and skin. The amount of iron that children need depends on their age. Calcium is necessary for strong bones and teeth. Calcium deficiency can cause problems with a child's hormone release and their muscle contractions.

Iodine is important for good thyroid health. Children who do not get proper amounts of iodine can experience slow mental development. Skipping breakfast daily leads to low levels of folate. Folate is essential for proper nutrients absorption.
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Parabens can reduce sperm quality

According to the latest research, chemicals found in soap and plastic can reduce sperm quality. Hormone-disrupting chemicals, known as parabens, are significantly associated with an increased number of abnormally sized and shaped sperm, which has previously been linked to infertility.

Parabens, which are also found in certain foods, drugs and cosmetics can also cause DNA damage in sperm, which may hinder a woman's ability to conceive. Exposure to such chemicals also reduces sperms' mobility, making it more difficult for ejaculate to reach an egg. Parabens cause slow-moving sperm of an abnormal size

The researchers analysed the urine samples of men who attended a fertility clinic. The samples' paraben concentrations were assessed. The participants were also interviewed and provided semen, saliva and blood samples.

Results reveal the presence of parabens in urine are significantly associated with an increase number of sperm of an abnormal size and shape, which has previously been linked to infertility.
Parabens are also linked to DNA damage in sperm.

A particular type of the chemical, known as butyl paraben, was found to be particularly associated with reducing sperm quality. Parabens are widely-used preservatives in cosmetic products, including soaps, moisturisers and make-up. They are also found in certain drugs, pesticides, plastics, detergents, foods, toys and flame retardants.

The most common forms of the chemical are methylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben. Parabens are sometimes combined to increase their effectiveness. Parabens may have developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune-system side effects.
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Faulty gene caused obesity

 Researchers have discovered that reduced function of a gene that impacts the breakdown of fats resulted in adult-onset obesity and fatty liver. In normal metabolism, fat and carbohydrate in our diets was broken down to produce the energy that our bodies required by the cellular energy plants, known as mitochondria.

Faulty mitochondrial gene had major impacts on normal metabolic function, if mitochondria are compromised or damaged, the breakdown of fat and carbohydrates will be poorly regulated, which can lead to adult-onset obesity.

Healthy adults will have two copies of the Pentatricopeptide repeat-containing protein 1, PTCD1 gene, PTCD1 is vital for the breakdown of fats, carbohydrates and energy production. When one copy of this gene is lost, it results in obesity, fatty liver and heart disease

PTCD1 affects the way mitochondria are formed by changing their shape and making them less connected with each other. Excess weight and obesity are major risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease and cancers.
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Vitamin C can stop the spread of blood cancer

Faulty stem cells in bone marrow often multiply, increasing the growth of fatal tumours. The diseases can lead to anaemia and bleeding as abnormal stem cells multiply in the bone marrow and interfere with blood cell production.

Vitamin C can kill and prevents the spread of the tumours. Vitamin C found in high levels in kale, oranges and peppers could prevents blood cancer but it is impossible to get the required amount through fruits and vegetables in high quantities.

High quantities of vitamin C required for killing the tumours can be given by injecting cancer patients intravenously, the patients can get up to 500 times the amount they would get through eating fruit and vegetables.

Vitamin C prevents the breakdown of glucose, the mitochondria - the strength of the cancer cells are unable to gain vital energy it needs to grow with vitamin C injection.

Researchers discovered that vitamin C suppressed the growth of leukaemia cancer stem cells from human patients implanted into the mice. Combining vitamin C with a cancer drug is more effective in cancer treatment.
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Cholesterol crystal are signs of impending heart attack

According to the latest research by cardiologist, cholesterol crystals are responsible for obstructing the coronary arteries of patients who had suffered a heart attack.

These crystals are released from plaque that can build up in the heart and is often made up of fat, calcium and other substances. When this material hardens over time in the arteries, it's known as atherosclerosis.

When cholesterol goes from a liquid to a solid, or crystal state, it expands in volume. This expansion inside the wall of the artery can tear it and block blood flow resulting into a heart attack or stroke.

Researchers discovered clusters of large crystals in the arteries of patients suffering from heart attack, this crystals are released into the heart and it damaged the heart by blocking blood flow.

Cholesterol crystals activated the production of inflammation molecules, known as Interleukin-1 beta, which inflame coronary arteries. The use of statin drugs can lower cholesterol. Canakinumab drug can also block the Interleukin-1 beta inflammation molecule and reduce the chances of a cardiac event.

 Controlling cholesterol by eating a healthy diet, engaging in exercise and taking statin medications as recommended could prevent crystals from forming and reduce the risk of heart attack.
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How immune cells kill bacteria

In order to kill a pathogen invading the human body, T cells bind to it through T cell receptors TCR. This binding initiates the formation of a microcluster that includes hundreds of TCR molecules.
These microclusters are very important to initiate and sustain the immune signal.

TCR function by forming a complex (TCR/CD3) with CD3,CD45, on the other hand, is not part of the complex, but it regulates the formation of the clusters.
Single molecule imaging was used to trace the movement of CD3 and CD45 around the microclusters. The researchers discovered that the dynamics of the two molecules depended on their location relative to the microclusters and could be used to determine their interactions with the microclusters.

 The kinetics showed CD3 and CD45 could take either a fast or slow mobility state. Inside the microcluster, the slow mobility state was dominant, reflecting stronger interactions between the two molecules and the microcluster. Outside and at the boundary, however, the fast mobility state was dominant. Yet a small fraction of molecules behaved according to the slow mobility state, suggesting that TCR nanoclusters exist at the outside or boundary of the microcluster.

 The dynamics and kinetics at the single molecule level is very important for defining the molecular mechanisms of biological functions. Along with the new development of biopharmaceuticals related to immune control, elucidation of the mechanism of T cell activation is becoming more important in clinical application.
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Outdoor light increases the risk of breast cancer

Regular exposure to higher levels of outdoor light at night may increase the risk of developing breast cancer. The link was stronger among women who worked at night, exposed to light at night and night shift work contribute to breast cancer risk through circadian disruption.

Lighting during the night can disrupt circadian rhythms, reducing circulating melatonin levels and resetting of the circadian. Reduced melatonin may increase breast cancer risk, increased estrogen production and altered estrogen receptor function.

Melatonin is a hormone that plays a role in regulating the body's sleep cycle. Melatonin production is high at night and is lower during the day. When women work at night or if they're exposed to external light at night, their melatonin levels tend to stay low.

As levels of outdoor light at night increased, so did breast cancer rates.
The association between outdoor light at night and breast cancer was found among women who were premenopausal and those who were current or past smokers.
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