Just like their right-handed or left-handed parents, dogs may have a paw preference.

A newly developed test includes four tasks that help determine a dog’s laterality, or pawedness. In one test, a dog is given a KONG toy filled with food, and the technician notes which paw the dog uses to steady it. The paw used to reach for a snack under furniture is also recorded. The technician also notes the paw chosen to take the first step down a staircase, as well as the paw that’s extended when the dog steps off a curb.

Laterality isn’t just a matter of curiosity. Whether a dog is right-pawed or left-pawed may be related to their behavior, emotions and reasoning. For example, left-pawed dogs may be more pessimistic than their right-pawed brethren, while ambidextrous dogs may be more fearful or aggressive.

Alzheimer’s strips its sufferers of their memories and their independence; it robs families of precious time with loved ones who still know them. The disease has no cure. Unsurprisingly, many of us are keen on learning how we can prevent it.

Some brains have already figured that out. According to a new study from researchers in the Netherlands, certain brains are combatting Alzheimer’s by harnessing the protective power of their young cells, helping them survive damage from the disease.

Curiously, the brains of these individuals have all the biological hallmarks associated with Alzheimer’s, but no dementia. They demonstrate something researchers call “cognitive resilience.”

In the study, researchers looked at tissue from a brain bank, analyzing data from samples of brains with Alzheimer’s and without, as well as tissue from brains that showed physical signs of the disease but no dementia. The team focused on an area within the brain’s memory center, where “immature” neurons can still spawn.

Those whose brains demonstrated cognitive resilience — that is, possessed the pathology of Alzheimer’s but no dementia — did not have significantly higher numbers of immature neurons than those with the disease. This, researchers say, could mean that it’s more about how the cells act, rather than how many there are. The immature cells seem to trigger “programs” that help them last through damage, incurring less inflammation and preventing cell death. They might support surrounding tissue and help the brain continue functioning, too.

Further research avenues will look at how these immature neurons talk to other brain cells. For now, it’s heartening to know that some of our brains might know just what to do … even if the rest of us don’t yet.

If you’re a pooch parent, blastomycosis should be on your radar — especially if your dog’s a digger.

Blastomycosis is a fungal infection that most often affects dogs along river valleys in the Midwest as well as in the Southeast. It’s not contagious. Instead, dogs can get infected when they inhale mold spores from the soil.

Signs of blastomycosis — including fever, depression, respiratory problems and weight loss — usually take weeks to months to appear. Infection can spread to other parts of the body, too, with signs referring to the site of infection.

Treatment with antifungal medications generally results in a 50 to 75 percent recovery rate — but only after a dog has been treated for months. As with any infection, the earlier treatment is started, the better.

A common trope reinforced by Hollywood depictions of older adults is that they start to lose their mental sharpness as they enter their golden years.

A recent study by University of Texas brain researchers, however, throws that idea on its head. While we can lose mental acuity in our later years, that doesn’t mean it’s always true.

In fact, the scientists note, the opposite can happen. Cognitive abilities can continue to improve throughout life.

Over the course of three years, the study tracked about 4,000 people ages 19 to 94. Participants were asked to complete brief training activities that required no more than 15 minutes daily.

Researchers measured individuals in areas representing clarity, emotional balance and connectedness to people and purpose.

The findings undermined the cliché of dottering older adults whose advanced years come with a diminished mind.

The investigation showed some individuals improved their brain function even into their 80s, and better performance was not tied to their age, gender or education.

Researchers say neuroplasticity is associated with self-agency. That means staying engaged in life, continuing to learn, reading and remaining socially connected.

Now this isn’t to say that keeping an active brain guarantees the organ’s long-term health. Many factors affect our health generally, and our brains especially. They include our genetics and our habits, like diet and level of physical activity.

In a sense, the brain is like a muscle. We exercise to keep the body toned. The brain also requires our own participation in its continued health.

It’s best to keep that in mind as we age.

Good nutrition is key to managing feline diabetes. It may even help cats achieve diabetic remission — that is, maintenance of normal glucose levels for over four months without treatment.

In a recent trial, 72 overweight, diabetic, insulin-treated cats were fed the same specialized diet, but one group received maintenance portions while the other was fed calorie-restricted meals. After three months, 50 percent of cats in the calorie-restricted group achieved diabetic remission compared to 30 percent in the maintenance group. Even in those not achieving remission, insulin doses were reduced in 36 percent of cats in the calorie-restricted group.

In overweight diabetic cats, feeding a calorie-restricted diet with low-digestible carbohydrate and an increased nutrient-to-calorie ratio is a robust treatment tool.

For some pet parents, boarding their furry friends may be the only option when they’re away from home. But don’t despair. There are ways to help ease the stress on all of you.

Beforehand — particularly if your pet is medically compromised, elderly or super anxious — ask your veterinarian if boarding is a good idea.

Then, plan ahead by touring the boarding facility to ensure it will meet your pet’s needs. High-octane dogs often thrive on outside access and planned playtime, while cats generally enjoy quieter areas where they don’t have to face each other. If a facility won’t give you a tour or is lax about vaccinations, beware. These could be red flags regarding safety.

Bringing familiar items from home can also help, provided that your pet won’t destroy them and create a safety issue.

At least 32 states have laws that prohibit leaving an animal in a vehicle in dangerous conditions, or they provide civil immunity to folks who break in to save them.

Some laws specify that conditions must be life-threatening, including extremely hot or cold temperatures, poor ventilation or inadequate food or water. Others merely state that conditions must pose a likely threat to the animal’s health and safety.

Good Samaritans are usually required to follow several rules, including noting that forced entry is the only way to save the animal, calling 911 or local law enforcement first and remaining on the scene until they arrive.

Remember, animals are at risk in milder conditions than you might think. In 70-degree weather, it takes only 20 minutes for the inside of a vehicle to reach 100 degrees.

Dieters have long been warned against repeatedly gaining and losing weight, often called yo-yo dieting or weight cycling.

It’s bad for our bodies and potentially worse than staying overweight — or so the thinking goes.

A new study by researchers in Denmark and Germany finds, however, that the dangers of such up-and-down dieting might be overblown.

The researchers examined decades of research involving humans and animals and found no convincing evidence that weight cycling causes long-term harm in those with obesity.

For years, weight cycling has been tied to health concerns like muscle loss, slowed metabolism and higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.

The researchers pored over observational studies, clinical trials and animal studies focused on repeated weight loss and gain. They examined how weight cycling affects weight, body composition, metabolism and blood sugar.

They found no strong evidence that up-and-down dieting is responsible for gradual long-term weight gain, muscle loss or metabolism deceleration.

Regaining weight can unravel many of the benefits of weight loss, including lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar.

But that does not necessarily mean a dieter will be less healthy than they were before losing weight.

The study comes at a time when many are using obesity medications to lose weight but seeing the weight creep back when they stop taking them.

The researchers said that weight gain should not automatically be seen as harmful. Even temporary weight loss can bring important health benefits.

The bottom line? Climbing back on the horse might be better than abandoning it altogether after all.

Technically, you could call it fruit juice.

While tomato juice often shoulders the burden of brunch beverages and soup additives, it’s rarely a drink we reach for without purpose. Now, new research from scientists at Ohio State University points to tomato juice — with a hint of soy — as a potential panacea for inflammation. Specifically, the kind that occurs in overweight adults.

It’s important to note that this wasn’t any ordinary tomato juice.

Scientists were inspired by previous research that showed diets rich in soy and tomato products were linked to a lower chance of prostate cancer. They prepared the study’s beverage using added plant compounds from soy, creating a beverage that was richer in lycopene and other nutrients than a tomato juice without those enhancements. Lycopene is commonly found in red vegetables and is known for its antioxidant properties.

Participants drank six ounces of the juice twice a day for four weeks. Then, after a washout period, they repeated the behavior with a low-lycopene tomato juice. Scientists analyzed blood and urine samples after each beverage trial, finding fewer markers of inflammation after the tomato-soy juice.

Researchers said they wanted to see if they could treat inflammation with a food-based intervention. Next steps will include testing the juice in people with pancreatitis, a condition where the pancreas is inflamed. It can be acute or chronic, but causes discomfort in either iteration. Ideally, this juice would improve their quality of life.

Special or not, tomato juice isn’t for everyone. But for benefits like these? Hopefully science will eventually show it should be bottoms up.

If you want to predict how many birthday candles you’ll be blowing out, consult the body’s crystal ball: the thymus.

This long-overlooked part of the immune system was thought to be less important after childhood. Now, a study from Mass General Brigham suggests it might be more important than we think.

The thymus is a small gland in your lymphatic system, located in your chest and behind your sternum. It spends its time making T cells, a kind of white blood cell that assists your immune system with fighting off bad guys like the common cold.

Using AI, researchers analyzed the CT scans of tens of thousands of adults. Good thymus health — which researchers defined in parameters of organ size, structure and composition — was associated with a lower rate of mortality from any cause. People with healthy thymuses also had a 63% lower risk of death from heart disease, and a 36% lower risk of developing lung cancer.

Scientists think thymuses in poorer shape might be associated with less T cell diversity and a weaker immune system that struggles to quickly identify threats like cancer. In a related study, people with a healthier thymus undergoing treatment for cancer responded better than those whose gland was in worse shape. They were less likely to see their cancer progress and even had a lower risk of death.

Certain lifestyle factors, like higher weight, chronic inflammation and smoking, were linked to a less healthy thymus. However, researchers caution that more research is needed before we understand if, or how, we can improve the organ’s health. Until then, maybe we’ll start paying better attention to other unsung heroes of the body.