Caged mice provided with a running wheel will partake for hours on end, enough to perhaps run a marathon every few days (26.1 miles), which is quite an accomplishment given their tiny legs. All that running keeps them fit, physically and cognitively, boosting blood flow to the brain, growing more neurons and improving navigation skills and memory.

And when scientists transfuse well-exercised mouse blood into a sedentary rodent, the latter gets the same brain boost.

Researchers have identified a single protein that seems to drive the cognitive benefits of regular exercise. It's called clusterin. They think that, besides making mice brainier (and maybe humans, too), clusterin might have anti-inflammatory properties that could be used for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

No (Birth) Place Like Home

In the most recent data available, there were 45,646 home births in 2020, an increase of 19% over 2019.

Body of Knowledge

The human body sheds approximately 200 million skin cells per hour. These discarded cells may actually decrease air pollution.

When shed, the skin cells take with them skin oils, such as cholesterol and squalene.

Studies have shown that squalene can reduce levels of ozone, a harmful pollutant that can irritate your eyes, nose and throat and exacerbate asthma symptoms. In fact, the squalene in settled dust containing skin cells can reduce ozone in indoor spaces, reducing indoor pollution levels by up to 15%.

Get Me That, Stat!

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the United States, but mortality rates have been dropping since the 1960s (though not evenly across the country). A new report might cause one's heart to skip a beat: From 2000 to 2011, the CDC says the age-adjusted heart disease death rate declined 4% per year but only 1% per year from 2011 to 2019.

Areas with least improvement over the last decade were primarily in the Midwest and South. So, while death rates fell 14% over the last decade in New York, they actually climbed 6% in Arkansas.

Mark Your Calendar

January is awareness month for Alzheimer's disease, cervical health, glaucoma, birth defects prevention and thyroids. Did we mention it is awareness month for Alzheimer's?

Counts

8 in 10: At least 80% of adults in the U.S. made a doctor visit in the past year.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Doc Talk

Gustatory rhinitis: a runny nose caused by eating spicy food

Phobia of the Week

Obesophobia: fear of gaining weight

Best Medicine

The worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades.

Observation

"Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate." — Charles M. Schulz

Medical History

This week in 1871, Henry W. Bradley in Binghamton, New York, was awarded U.S. Patent No. 110,626 for "a compound for culinary use" otherwise known as margarine.

Ig Nobel Apprised

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think. A look at real science that's hard to take seriously, and even harder to ignore.

In 2002, the Ig Nobel Prize in hygiene went to Spanish inventor Eduardo Segura for creating a washing machine for cats and dogs.

Self-Exam

Q: What percentage of humans have green eyes?

a) 2%

b) 5%

c) 10%

d) 13%

A: 2%

Medical Myths

Drinking water keeps your skin hydrated. This is only partly true, mostly in the sense that water keeps the body hydrated and skin is the largest organ of the body. There is no evidence that drinking water directly impacts skin except in extreme conditions, such as heat stroke or severe dehydration.

Last Words

"Take away those pillows. I shall need them no more." — Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), English author and poet best known for "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Shutterbug75 at Pixabay