U of MN research shows calcium can help prevent colorectal cancer
A University of Minnesota Cancer Center study found that women consuming more than 800 milligrams of calcium each day reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 26 to 46 percent. A 26 percent reduction in risk of colorectal cancer occurred regardless of whether the calcium intake was from diet or supplement. Among women who consumed high levels of calcium from both diet and supplements, the risk reduc
A toxic chemical painted on the bottom of large vessels to protect against barnacles may cause hearing difficulties in whales and other mammals, according to a study by Yale researchers published in the Biophysical Journal.
The chemical tributyltin oxide (TBT) affects the mechanical activity of the outer hair cells, which modulate and boost incoming sound energy to the inner hair cells, according to senior author Joseph Santos-Sacchi, professor of surgery and neurobiology at Yale
Telemedicine is healthcare’s new frontier, a means of facilitating the distribution of human resources and professional competences. It can speed up diagnosis and therapeutic care delivery and allow peripheral and primary healthcare providers to receive continuous assistance from specialised centres.
The European Space Agency has decided to prepare the ground for a Telemedicine Programme to be presented at the next ESA Ministerial Conference. This is in response to the need to f
New imaging tool may change the way cancer is diagnosed and treated
The evolution over the last two decades of the nanocrystals known as quantum dots has seen the growth of this revolutionary new tool from electronic materials science to far-reaching biological applications that will allow researchers to study cell processes at the level of a single molecule and may result in new and better ways to diagnose and treat cancers.
Fluorescent semiconductor quantum dots, or qdo
NETL and Carnegie Mellon develop new computational modeling tool
The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new computational modeling tool that could make the production of hydrogen cheaper as the United States seeks to expand its portfolio of alternative energy supplies.
The research, supported by the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and reported in the current issue of the prestigious journ
Mouse studies yield cause and potential cure, with human studies in progress
Scientists at The Rockefeller University have determined that the autoimmune disease lupus results from a combination of genetics that likely varies from person to person, and that a common “gatekeeper” gene called FCRgIIB is critical to the prevention of this devastating disease.
What’s more, the same scientists have determined that reversing the defect of that gatekeeper gene can restore
Universal screening of newborns’ hearing at large public hospitals, which annually deliver tens of thousands of babies, can be done more effectively when infants are not only tested four hours after birth – as required by many states – but also by rescreening those with a suspected problem before discharge and, if necessary, retesting infants at 10 days old, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers reported.
A four-year study at Parkland Memorial Hospital, published in the Jan
Cooling the brains of babies deprived of oxygen at birth can reduce the risk of brain damage and cerebral palsy, according to an international study published today (January 28) in the Lancet on-line.
To achieve cooling, the body temperature of babies in the trial was lowered by 3-4 degrees for 72 hours after birth using a water-filled cap.
The research was undertaken in hospitals in North America, New Zealand and the UK, and the UK arm of the trial was carried out i
Stanford, California. Both plant and animal growth is controlled by steroid hormones–signaling molecules that tell specific genes in cells to begin the physiological process of increasing cell size. Although these molecular managers operate similarly in plants and animals, the chain of events in regulating cellular functions appears to be very different in the two kingdoms. In animals, hormone reception begins in the nucleus of the cell. In plants, a steroid hormone family called brassinosteroids
Understanding molecular double action of tzds to reduce side effects
In an attempt to find a new generation of diabetic drugs that will minimize side effects, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report a new understanding of how thiazolidinediones (TZDs), widely used diabetic medications, work in fat cells. With yearly sales exceeding billions of dollars, TZDs – such as rosiglitazone maleate (Avandia) and pioglitazone hydrochloride (Actos) – help to mai
Wiggle, walk, tap your toes, shop, dance, clean your basement, play the guitar to boost your NEAT – or if you’re a scientist, your “non-exercise activity thermogenesis.” Mayo Clinic researchers report in today’s issue of the journal Science that NEAT — more powerful than formal exercise — determines who is lean, and who is obese. Obese persons sit, on average, 150 minutes more each day than their naturally lean counterparts. This means obese people burn 350 fewer calories a day than do lean
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have identified a molecular mechanism in the liver that explains, for the first time, how consuming foods rich in saturated fats and trans-fatty acids causes elevated blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and increases one’s risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
In the Jan. 28 issue of Cell, scientists led by Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, report that the harmful effects of saturated and trans fats are set in motion by a biochemica
As any dedicated video game player knows, the first requirement for using a weapon or tool is finding it. And it is no different for cell biologists and clinicians who want to take control of gene expression in cells to create therapies to treat disease. While cells have a variety of ways to control gene expression, the trick for players in this game is to recognize them amidst the incredibly complex background of cellular machinery.
Now, in a paper in the January 28th issue of C
The first evidence that a group of proteins called phosphatases play a key role in the development of the nervous system, has been shown in fruit flies and mice by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the Salk Institute, La Jolla, California. The phosphatases are required for maintenance of neural stem cells and for silencing expression of neuronal genes in non-nervous system tissues.
Published in
Organically and conventionally grown potatoes may be told apart by flavour, say researchers in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture this month – but only if the potato skins are left on.
A panel of fifteen taste testers was asked to evaluate boiled samples of potatoes that had been grown organically with compost, organically without compost or conventionally.
Dark Red Norland potatoes – the most popular redskin potato in the US – were evaluated.
Th
The results of a major international Medical Research Council (MRC) trial, undertaken in collaboration with the Stroke Association, show that early surgery is not always the best treatment for one of the commonest and most lethal forms of stroke. The results of the trial, published in this week’s edition of The Lancet, will help doctors decide the best way to care for patients with the condition.
Supratentorial intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is a type of stroke caused by the spont
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