A unique synthetic compound D-PDMP, the brainchild of American scientists, can stop hair loss, discoloration, and skin inflammation. It inhibits the synthesis of glycosphingolipid fats, which participate in activating inflammatory processes, reports "Lenta.RU". According to specialists, rodents whose diet is rich in fats and cholesterol show signs of skin aging early. But D-PDMP can counteract the negative effects of fats. As part of the experiment, scientists divided the test rodents into groups. One group, starting from 12 weeks of age, was fed food rich in fats and cholesterol, while the second received regular food. The first group began to show signs of skin aging, including fur loss and the appearance of inflammation foci. From 20 weeks of age, rodents began to receive D-PDMP. It turned out that doses from 1 to 10 milligrams of the agent per kilogram of body weight significantly improved skin condition over 16 weeks. Moreover, the content of glycosphingolipid lactosylceramide, which activates inflammatory reactions, decreased in skin cells. The findings of the study are also relevant for humans, scientists believe.
In childhood, almost half of the body's energy is used by the brain. And this fact is directly related to a person's weight, writes Xinhua. Northwestern University and New York University School of Medicine believe that variations in the brain's energy demand (time, intensity, duration of energy use) affect patterns of energy expenditure and weight gain. Scientists were led to this idea by a 2014 study, which showed that the peak in brain energy consumption occurs at age five. It was also established that the childhood age requiring increased brain energy expenditure correlates with the age at which weight gain rates decrease. Furthermore, when the brain's energy demand decreases in older age, there is an increase in the rate of weight gain. All this allowed scientists to conclude that human children develop much more slowly than the offspring of other mammals, partly because their brains require more energy for development. According to specialists, increased brain energy expenditure can be a positive factor from the perspective of a child's early development and weight control.