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Press releases

Press release: Heat from skeletal muscle can protect not only against cold but also against obesity (27.2. 2023)

How much heat is generated in our bodies, but also how we generate heat, could be related to differences in susceptibility to obesity. Scientists at the Institute of Physiology of the CAS have investigated how two different strains of laboratory mice deal with cold. The results, published in Molecular Metabolism, also suggest a new possibility for obesity treatment by activating non-shivering thermogenesis in muscle.

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Press release: Take a pill in the morning or in the evening? Lithium affects the brain differently depending on the time of day. (10.2. 2023)

Lithium has been used for more than 70 years as an effective mood stabiliser for patients with bipolar disorder, for example. However, the mechanism of its therapeutic effect is still not well understood. Alena Sumova's team from the Institute of Physiology of the CAS has now shown that lithium affects the clock in a part of the brain called the choroid plexus, whose role is related to "cleaning" in the brain during sleep. The results, published in the prestigious journal Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, show the importance of timing lithium treatment correctly during the day.

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Heat, or cold? New insights of the functioning of temperature-sensitive ion channels may open the way for a new medicines development (31.1. 2023)

Two important mechanisms that explain exactly how information about pain or heat and cold is transmitted in the cell have been revealed in an international study by scientists from Lund University, with participation of experts from the Institute of Physiology of the CAS. Two studies were published in the journal Nature Communications.

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Effect of preterm and caesarean births on breast milk quality (23.8. 2022)

Breast milk contains an ideal cocktail of nutrients and biologically active substances that are essential for the rapid growth and development of the baby. In a new study, researchers from the Institute of Physiology of the CAS have described how the quality of the primary milk - colostrum - is negatively affected by premature birth or caesarean section. They also found that complex lipids are present in breast milk, which are broken down by one of the milk enzymes, releasing anti-inflammatory substances. Thus, breast milk is an irreplaceable way of nutrition for babies even in cases of substandard births.

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Czech institutions join together to fight the epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. They got a billion of EU money to do it. (30.6. 2022)

The National Institute for Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Research is established - the largest ever domestic project of this type, bringing together five centres of scientific, research and clinical excellence. The prestigious institutions will help patients with diseases of civilisation, which together account for many times more lives than cancer. Teams of experts from IKEM, the Institute of Physiology and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS, Masaryk University in Brno and Charles University will work together to gain a deeper understanding of the causes of interconnected diseases, to develop new drugs and to increase the involvement of modern technologies in treatment.

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Maternal daily rhythmic behavior supports the development of the fetal biological clock (28.6. 2022)

Before the internal biological clock of the fetus starts ticking, the rhythmic behaviour of the mother influences the function and development of this structure. The team of Alena Sumová from the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences found this and published it in a new study in the journal PLOS Biology. This discovery contributes significantly to the understanding of the development of the internal clock and may find application in the treatment of premature babies.

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Scientists have described the interaction of important proteins that are key to cell aging (27.4. 2022)

Stress causes a cascade of events in the body. At the cellular level, the transcription factor p53 also responds to stress, preventing normal cells from becoming cancer cells. Another transcription factor, FOXO4, also plays an important role. Under stress conditions, these proteins interact and together increase the production of the p21 protein, causing cells to enter a senescent or ageing state. The accumulation of such cells contributes to the aging of the organism. 

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8th February - International Epilepsy Day (5.2. 2021)

Almost 400,000 Czechs have experienced an epileptic seizure in their lifetime, 80,000 people in the Czech Republic live with active epilepsy. Due to fears of seizures, patients often limit themselves in their leisure activities, including sports. However, sport has been proven to improve the course of epilepsy, the most common chronic brain disease. This is also to be pointed out at the International Day of Epilepsy, which is being celebrated on 8th February.

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European research consortium LipiDiDiet finds long-lasting and broadly benefiting effects of nutritional intervention in early Alzheimer’s (18.11. 2020)

LipiDiDiet is the longest randomized clinical trial in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with a positive outcome conducted so far. Prodromal AD patients are on the ultimate stage before progressing to dementia. These patients, and their close partners, already realize that the mind deteriorates and memory, especially short-term memory, slowly but progressively fades. Despite intensive research, there is still no cure or disease modifying treatment available for prodromal AD. However, this early Alzheimer’s disease stage is considered to represent the best option for intervention.

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Beetroot provide substantial protection from salt-induced increases in blood pressure (17.4. 2019)

Adding tiny amounts of beetroot or dietary nitrate to salty food products might help prevent high blood pressure, according to a preliminary study of rats.

Press release (in Czech)

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