Peripheral artery disease: The biggest killer you’ve probably never heard of

Imagine putting your socks on one morning and noticing your big toe, which has been painful for a few weeks, has started turning black. A trip to your doctor ends in being referred urgently to a specialist. They tell you a bypass operation of a blocked artery in your thigh is needed to save your foot. This is the reality for far too many people. In the UK, vascular surgeons performed more than 3,500 amputations in 2023.

Does taking part in Veganuary put people off meat in the long term? Here’s what the evidence shows

Humans have long wrestled with their conscience about killing and eating animals. The “meat paradox” (the conflict between people’s preference for meat and their concern for animals) may have inspired cave paintings from 37,000 years ago. Since then, many leading thinkers have eschewed meat, including Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Mary Shelley and Mahatma Gandhi.

Microglia digest large Alzheimer’s plaques by spitting enzymes at them, preclinical study finds

Immune cells in the brain called microglia can partially break down large amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease by latching on to them, forming a sort of external stomach and releasing digestive enzymes into the space, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings could ultimately lead to therapies that boost the ability of microglia to break down amyloid plaques.