Honorary Personal Professor Rheumatology, University of Galway, Ireland. Athbheochan na Gaeilge. Athletics, Mayo GAA, Brain Health in Sport. Views are my own.
Galway, Ireland
Joined October 2013
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Growing opposition to #data centres in #Ireland, which accounted for 23% of #electricity consumed in 2025, up from 5% in 2015. Who benefits from them, who bears costs & can the country's electricity, water systems & infrastructure accommodate the expansion irishtimes.com/environment/2…
A recent Cell paper offers clues for assoc of #red #meat intake w #inflammation & chromic diseases e.g. diabetes & heart disease. Animal studies show L-#carnitine in red meat activates pyrin inflammasome in white blood cells. #OCTN2 & IL-17 potential therapeutic targets in humans
L-carnitine is an amino acid produced mostly by the liver & also absorbed via animal-based foods (meat). A recent #Cell paper reports that L-#carnitine enters #macrophages (white cells) through #OCTN2 (SLC22A5), suppresses mevalonate synthesis & activates the #pyrin #inflammasome pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4289…
Carnitine released from damaged muscle cells acted as a danger signal in animals, but testing this in people is next step. A clue to how #red #meat may fuel #inflammation. Blocking OCTN2 could be a therapeutic strategy in different chronic inflammatory #diseases, diabetes & heart
Carnitine release has physiological significance in athletes, speculation that repeated #muscle #injury, elevated extracellular #carnitine & systemic inflammation may influence neuroinflammatory processes & cause #neurodegeneration e.g. #CTE & #MND-hypothesis worth investigating?
The response to the ban on #Sally #Rooney’s books shows how differently her work & political activism are being judged. #Spectator article by Alys #Denby not just critical of her political activism; also questions her literary merit. The #Guardian defended her, as brave & humane.
A 2026 study of youth American-footballers found assocs between repetitive head-impact (RHI) & changes in magnetoencephalography (MEG) theta-band activity, altho other neuroimagess didn't show any association. MEG a new method, but not a biomarker of #CTE. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4170…
In a study of 47 former combat- & collision-sport athletes (70% #rugby) Greene et al. used dynamic contrast-enhanced #MRI (DCE-MRI) to investigate blood-brain barrier (#BBB) disruption. Persistent systemic inflammation & BBB dysfunction from head injuries. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4184…
In addition to DCE-MRI blood #transcriptomics, cognitive assessments & #postmortem (PM) pathology done. PM brain tissues from confirmed cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (#CTE) showed membrane attack complex (#MAC) deposition, #inflammation around cerebral blood vessels
The essential next step is to establish whether these signatures are reproducible & predictive, rather than simply associated with exposure. A central unresolved question is whether we can identify, during life rather than at PM, athletes developing pathological processes of #CTE
A study of select 200 former elite #rugby players (aged 30–61; avg 44) w #brain-health concerns found more symptoms, incl memory loss & #depression. Forwards more likely to have #TES, but not #CTE-#MRI scans were unremarkable. Long-term follow-up essential academic.oup.com/brain/artic…
A study of blood #biomarkers, #MRI & clinical features in same group. Finding: blood p-tau217 17.6% higher in players so some neurodegeneration present in those but w one important caveat: p-#tau217 is assoc w #Alzheimer's pathology & not specific for CTE. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article…
