Most treatments being pursued today to protect against Alzheimer’s disease focus on amyloid plaques and tau tangles that accumulate in the brain, but new research from Mass General Brigham and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis points to a novel—and noble—approach: using Xenon gas. The study found that Xenon gas inhalation suppressed neuroinflammation, reduced brain atrophy, and increased protective neuronal states in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Results are published in Science Translational Medicine, and a phase 1 clinical trial of the treatment in healthy volunteers will begin in early 2025.  

Young girls in the New York metropolitan area given a book on puberty and periods were more likely to have increased knowledge related to these topics after reading the book. Girls in this group were also more likely to report positive shifts in beliefs and attitudes towards physical activity during their period and about asking questions about menstruation compared to a control group of girls who were given an alternate book on healthy eating.

A new collaborative research group, the Breakthrough Consortium for Olfactory Health (BeCOH), brings together charities, patient groups, research institutions, and clinicians, as well as pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, with a common purpose: driving therapeutic and technical advances to ultimately bring benefit to those worldwide living with the life-changing impact of sensory impairments.