Long-term decline in cognitive function is a common consequence for patients who frequently experience low blood sugar levels when using insulin to manage their diabetes.
The findings showed that stimulating antioxidant defences in mice reduced cognitive impairments, which could help improve the quality of life for diabetic patients.
"Low blood sugar is an almost unavoidable consequence of insulin therapy," said Alison McNeilly, Principal Researcher from the University of Dundee in Scotland.
"This work demonstrates that by improving the body's own antioxidant defence system we can reverse some of the side effects associated with diabetes such as poor cognitive function," McNeilly added.
For the study, the team used insulin to induce repeated bouts of low blood sugar in a mouse model of Type-1 diabetes.
One group of mice were also dosed with the vegetable-derived antioxidant sulforaphane (SFN).
Findings, presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Glasgow, demonstrated that mice treated with SFN showed increased expression of antioxidant markers and decreased free radical cell damage.
In addition, SFN significantly improved cognitive ability in memory tasks.
The concentration of SFN would not be attainable in a normal diet rich in vegetables, according to McNeilly.
However, there are numerous highly potent compounds in clinical trials which may prevent cognitive impairments caused by free radicals to help diabetes patients, McNeilly noted.
Researchers, from the University of Rochester in the US, examined whether surgeries on two types of heart valves -- the mitral or the aortic -- were associated with better or worse outcomes.
The findings, published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, showed that people having aortic valve surgery are at greater risk of early cognitive decline within the first month after surgery than people having mitral valve surgery.
However, cognitive health in both groups appears largely to return to what it was before surgery within the six months after surgery.
These findings highlight the cognitive vulnerability of this population, especially older adults with aortic stenosis -- the heart valve that controls blood flow from your heart to the rest of your body, the researchers said.
For the study, the team included hundreds of participants who had been tested before and after surgery to determine their ability to remember, think, and make decisions.
Within the first month after valve surgery, people experienced some cognitive decline compared to before the surgery, the researchers found.
In addition, people who had mitral valve surgery experienced a mild decline. But people who had aortic valve surgery experienced poorer cognitive function the month after surgery, although they tended to improve after that.
Chronic inflammation is a low-grade inflammation that lingers for months or even years throughout the body. It can be caused by autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis, physical stress or other causes.
Symptoms of the disorder include joint pain or stiffness, digestive problems and fatigue.
"Chronic inflammation is tough on the body, and can damage joints, internal organs, tissue and cells. It can also lead to heart disease, stroke and cancer," said study author Keenan A. Walker from the Johns Hopkins University in the US.
"While other studies have looked at chronic inflammation and its effects on the brain in older people, our large study investigated chronic inflammation beginning in middle age and showed that it may contribute to cognitive decline in the decades leading up to old age," said Walker.
For the study, researchers followed 12,336 people with an average age of 57 for approximately 20 years.
They took blood samples from participants in the beginning of the study, measuring four biomarkers of inflammation: fibrinogen, white blood cell count, von Willebrand factor, and factor VIII.
Three years later, the team measured C-reactive protein, another blood biomarker of inflammation.
Participants' thinking and memory skills were tested at the beginning of the study, six to nine years later, and at the end of the study.
The findings, published in the journal Neurology, showed that the group with the highest levels of inflammation biomarkers had an eight per cent steeper decline in thinking and memory skills than the group with the lowest levels of inflammation biomarkers.
In addition, the group with the highest C-reactive protein levels had a 12 per cent steeper decline in thinking and memory skills than the group with the lowest levels.
Getting regular exercise, following an anti-inflammatory heart healthy diet, and getting enough sleep are some of the ways to reduce chronic inflammation, the study suggested.