u/costoaway1

Drinking more of your favourite roast has been tied to a lower risk of deadly liver cancer, cirrhosis and other liver-related causes of death, according to a new study of 355,000 adults from Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.

People who consume five or more cups a day say their risk of cirrhosis shrinks by nearly a third, close to half had a lower risk of liver cancer and 42 percent had a lower risk of liver-related death, the researchers said Wednesday.

Benefits were seen even at one to two cups a day, but appeared to be the strongest at around three or four cups. Coffee drinkers’ blood tests showed higher levels of proteins tied to healthy liver function and lower levels of those linked to scarring and inflammation. They also had lower levels of fat, liver and iron.

“Our findings support moderate coffee consumption for people who already enjoy and tolerate it well,” Dr. Ju Dong Yang, medical director of the Liver Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai, said in a statement.

The researchers studied the health data of participants in the U.K. Biobank, a database that includes the health records of half a million British adults, over the course of 13 years. They looked at liver MRI scans and analyzed levels of protein in the blood.

During the study, they also saw similar benefits for both fully caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

That suggests that other naturally occurring compounds in coffee may contribute to these benefits.

“The next step in our research is to identify the specific compounds in coffee that are responsible for these liver-protective associations,” Dr. Shelly Lu, director of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai, said.

“Our findings point to biological pathways involving inflammation and scarring and highlight molecular targets that future research can explore to better understand how coffee may influence liver health and who stands to benefit the most,” she said.

The study’s findings build on previous research showing drinking coffee can help to boost mood and improve gut, brain and heart health.

More than 42,000 new cases of liver cancer and nearly 31,000 deaths are expected in the U.S. this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Liver cancer incidence rates have tripled in America over the past four decades.

Hi, I really don’t want to go into pain symptoms, areas of pain, how many years I’ve suffered or any kind of backstory unless it is necessary for finding support. It’s too painful to replay these stories every time I try to explain my condition. What this has taken from me, the joy, the activities, the opportunities…

ANYWAY, I had a dynamic ultrasound yesterday afternoon and it did not go well. Right from the start.

The radiologist’s first question was, “which rib is it?” and that’s when I knew it wasn’t going to go well, because he wanted to reproduce the rib moving and clicking off or onto another. It’s not something that happens on command or a particular movement reproduces.

When I politely tried to steer the conversation to the spinal vertebrae, where the joints meet the spine, he said in a dismissive tone, “Well, that’s the spine, we’re not checking the spine we’re here for the ribs…”

And then it just continued to get worse once I tried explaining that the slightly hypermobile ribcage itself was unstable and causing the pain AT the spine. That did not go well either.

Long story short…since I can’t MAKE my ribs sublux on command my dynamic ultrasound got me nowhere. I know what I have, I’m not incorrect and I can’t give up.

So…do I ask for another one? With a different radiologist? Has anyone ever received a successful diagnosis via ultrasound WITHOUT being able to make ribs click and pop on command? Need any advice please on where to go next. I refuse to continue living this way.

A common vitamin could help fight one of the deadliest brain cancers

A surprising vitamin B3 strategy is showing early promise in helping the immune system battle one of the world's deadliest brain cancers.

For months, Edward (Ed) Waldner knew something wasn't right. At 55 years old, he felt constantly drained, no matter how much or how little he had done during the day. He wondered whether sleep apnea might be to blame. He also noticed subtle changes in the way he walked, including times when his heels seemed to drag.

When his symptoms became particularly severe one day, Waldner went to the Emergency Department to get checked out.

"The doctor said I had a mass on my brain and needed to see an oncologist," says Waldner.

The mass turned out to be glioblastoma, an aggressive and often deadly form of brain cancer. Standard treatment typically includes surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Even with these treatments, however, the cancer frequently returns.

Researchers at the University of Calgary are studying whether high doses of vitamin B3, also known as niacin, could improve outcomes when added to conventional glioblastoma treatment. Waldner was invited to participate in the clinical trial.

"I have no problem trying to help anybody. I agreed. I want to help myself too," says Waldner. "I can tell you being part of this research helps me mentally because we're trying. When I left the hospital after surgery I was told, that's it, that's all we can do."

The study is being led by Drs. Gloria Roldan Urgoiti, MD, and Wee Yong, PhD, who are both members of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute. Roldan Urgoiti is a brain cancer specialist, while Yong is a neuroscientist whose work focuses on how the immune system affects the brain.

Together, they developed a research program to determine whether niacin can restore the function of weakened immune cells and help them destroy tumor cells. The project began in Yong's laboratory using mice. Early experiments showed that niacin extended survival, leading the team to launch a Phase I and II clinical trial in people.

Reawakening the Immune System

"Normally the immune system will try to counter and prevent tumor growth, however, this brain cancer suppresses the immune system," says Yong, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM). "Niacin treatment rejuvenates immune cells so they can do what they are supposed to do, attack and kill the cancer cells. I see it as an ongoing 'battle for the brain'."

The clinical trial was designed to identify the highest safe dose and evaluate the potential benefits of controlled-release niacin when combined with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Researchers established a benchmark before the study began. If progression-free survival at six months did not improve by at least 20 per cent compared with previous studies, the trial would be stopped.

Early findings from 24 patients exceeded that target. At six months, 82 per cent of participants had no signs of disease progression. That represents a 28 per cent improvement compared with earlier studies. Researchers believe the results are encouraging for a cancer that remains incurable.

Promising Early Results for an Aggressive Brain Cancer

"Glioblastoma is the most aggressive brain cancer in adults. Survival of patients with this condition hasn't changed significantly for 20-years," says Roldan Urgoiti, a clinical associate professor at the CSM. "Anything that may help should be explored but it requires strict protocols and safety monitoring."

The findings have been published in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology.

Researchers emphasize that high doses of vitamins, including niacin, can be toxic and may cause harm if they are not carefully monitored by medical professionals.

The study is continuing, and the team hopes to complete its final analysis after enrolling 48 participants by the end of 2026 or early 2027.
As for Waldner, he says he feels very well these days. During his regular follow-up scans, he is simply grateful to hear one word from his medical team: stable.

The research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

So after downloading, installing and uninstalling hundreds of fonts, it’s rare that I come across many that impress me and hit all the right notes for readability on e-readers.

Letters just far enough apart, but not too close to force you to strain. Good height, all the multiple weights, a true (and beautiful) italic, and fancy strokes without looking too ornate, modern or old all at the same time. 😆

It’s basically a Bookerly, Georgia type of font except improved by an order of about 1,000.

Posting here because I’ve read through MANY font-related threads in this subreddit and I couldn’t recall ever really seeing Besley* mentioned, it’s by pure chance I stumbled upon it while font-searching.

Monash University researchers have found in laboratory experiments that a drug that delivers copper to the brain significantly reduces toxic Alzheimer's proteins and improves long-term spatial memory.

The study, published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, shows the compound Cu(ATSM) repairs a vital waste-clearing pump at the blood-brain barrier—unlocking a potential new avenue for therapeutics targeting neurovascular dysfunction caused by one of the world's leading causes of death.

Alzheimer's is driven by the buildup of toxic proteins called amyloid-beta. Normally, the brain flushes these out into the bloodstream through the blood-brain barrier. In Alzheimer's, the pumps doing the heavy lifting, called P-glycoprotein (P-gp), weaken significantly, clogging the drain and trapping the toxic proteins in the brain.

Lead author Dr. Jae Pyun, from the Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics theme at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), whose work on the study marked the final part of his Ph.D. project, said the treatment successfully engages the brain's blood vessels to lower toxic protein levels, resulting in behavioral benefits.

"This is the first study to show that Cu(ATSM)can increase the abundance of P-gp clearance pumps in an Alzheimer's model, by 24.1%, effectively linking the repair of the blood-brain barrier to a reduction in toxic proteins and improved cognitive function," Pyun said.

"By improving the pumps, the brain can finally clear out the trapped waste. Over 56 days, the treatment reduced toxic amyloid-beta by 42% and improved spatial learning by nearly 44%."

Senior author Professor Joseph Nicolazzo, the director of the Center for Drug Candidate Optimization at MIPS, said the compound has strong potential to quickly transition into human clinics because it has already undergone safety evaluations for other diseases.

"Cu(ATSM) is a copper compound with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties that has already progressed to clinical testing for conditions like Parkinson's and ALS," Nicolazzo said.

"Because reducing amyloid burden is clinically proven to improve functional outcomes, these preclinical results strongly support the rationale for testing this drug in early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease."

While the compound reduced amyloid buildup, researchers are still mapping the exact biological routes the proteins take to leave the brain. Beyond repairing the blood-brain barrier, the researchers suspect the copper treatment may empower the brain's own immune cells, called microglia, to consume and degrade the toxic plaques.

Future studies will focus on tracking the precise clearance mechanisms to find how the proteins exit the brain into the bloodstream. The current findings establish a strong foundation for exploring biometal therapies like Cu(ATSM) to combat blood vessel dysfunction and memory loss in Alzheimer's disease.

A study of 2,044 older Japanese adults found that those with lower vitamin C levels in their blood plasma tended to have a lower volume of gray matter in their brains, as well as lower connectivity among a collection of brain regions known as the default mode network. Haruka Nagaya of Hirosaki University, Japan, and colleagues present these findings in PLOS One.

Previous research has uncovered associations between diets higher in vitamin C and lower risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. However, few studies have looked directly at vitamin C levels in blood plasma and potential associations with brain structure and connectivity within brain networks. To help fill that gap, Nagaya and colleagues analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and plasma vitamin C levels of 2,044 Japanese adults over the age of 64.

Specifically, they measured the volume of each participant's gray and white brain matter (accounting for individual differences in total brain volume between participants). They also evaluated connectivity within the default mode network, which is associated with several cognitive functions, such as attention and autobiographical memory.

After statistically accounting for other factors that could affect brain structure and connectivity—such as age, physical activity habits, and education level—the researchers found that participants with lower plasma vitamin C levels tended to have lower gray matter volume, as well as lower connectivity within the default mode network.

These findings suggest the possibility that optimal levels of vitamin C in blood plasma could potentially support cognitive function and counteract cognitive decline. However, the findings do not confirm any such cause–effect relationship between vitamin C levels and brain health, and further research is needed to explore the biological mechanisms behind the observed statistical associations.

Researcher Tomohiro Shintaku notes, "Our study demonstrates that higher plasma vitamin C levels are associated with better preserved structural connectivity of the default mode network (DMN), a key brain network involved in cognitive function. This finding generates the exciting hypothesis that a diet rich in vitamin C might play a supportive role in maintaining brain health and mitigating age-related cognitive decline in older adults.

"What I found most fascinating about this research is that we were able to detect these subtle but significant associations between a single nutritional factor and large-scale brain networks by utilizing a robust, community-based cohort of over 2,000 older adults. It truly highlights the potential impact of our everyday dietary habits on our brain structures."

Basically the title. It seems unfair to me that whenever someone wins a vacation or something, it frequently puts them instantly into first place.

It also removes some of the “strategy” of the wheel. For instance if scores were closer, someone may risk spinning more rather than solving in order to have enough cash to make the final round.

As it stands now everyone is usually almost overly eager to solve…