Kids with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) should spend some quality after-school hours and weekend time outdoors enjoying nature, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The payoff for this “treatment” of children, 5 to 18 years old, who participated in a nationwide study, was a significant reduction of symptoms. The study appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health. “The advantage for green outdoor activities wa

People taking “ephedra-free” weight loss products that contain the herb Citrus aurantium, or Seville orange, may be doing more harm to their body than good, according to a new review published by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers.

The review, published in the September issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, found that no reliable scientific evidence supports the use of C. aurantium for losing weight. More importantly, high doses of the herb, which contains syne

Nature Immunology commentary highlights promising advances in the field Recent discoveries about the way that HIV infects cells are propelling the development of a broad spectrum of promising new antiviral drugs, according to an invited commentary on the topic in the current issue of Nature Immunology (August 27, 2004).

The assessment is made by Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) Director Warner Greene, MD, PhD, who also serves as professor of medicine, microbiol

In an effort that may someday lead to the treatment of hearing loss and balance disorders, which currently affect about 28 million Americans, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) visiting investigators Jeffrey Corwin and Stefan Heller are working this summer to make large numbers of mouse stem cells “grow” into inner ear sensory hair cells-acoustic receptors that are a critical part of the auditory system.

The work is important because, in humans, inner ear sensory hair cells are a p

New England’s favorite summertime delicacy, the chowder clam, has just been elevated to a whole new status. An international team of scientists-who credit studying surf clam (Spisula solidissima) cells with important research breakthroughs in the study of diseases such as cancer, premature aging, and muscular dystrophy-has convened at the Marine Biological Laboratory to begin sequencing some of the clam’s active genes.

The effort, called the Clam Project, is the first step toward

Experiment proves that ’fly-fishing mechanism’ theory of protein-to-protein communication holds water

Proteins pass messages to other proteins much like fly-fishermen flicker their lines against water, or so a current leading theory holds. The repeated weak slapping of protein surfaces against one-another is the critical first step in a chain of events that rule all subsequent cellular behavior.

But this vital exchange between single molecules has defied direct o

Streptococcal bacteria may infect humans by using a bacterial enzyme to “hijack” the blood-clotting system, according to new research by Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists.

In studies published in the August 27, 2004, issue of the journal Science, the researchers establish that the enzyme streptokinase is responsible for the pathogen’s ability to infect humans while exhibiting little activity against other mammals.

The scientists genetically altered strains of

As the debate continues on the ethics and therapeutic potential of embryonic versus mature stem cells, Medical College of Georgia researchers are exploring a third group of cells that appears critical to development and capable of making all major types of human tissue.

“VENT cells are a unique category of multi-potent cells,” Dr. Douglas P. Dickinson, molecular biologist, says of this cell type that escapes from the bottom of the neural tube early in development, after the tube clo

Columbia University Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers have identified a possible cause of an inherited form of Parkinson’s disease, which may be related to more common forms of the disease. The findings are reported in the August 27, 2004 issue of Science.

While the cause of most cases of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, a few cases are inherited and can be traced to mutations in four different genes, including the alpha-synuclein gene. This is the

Initiative targets highly innovative research

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced its first three Chemical Bonding Centers–multi-faceted research groups that will each tackle a “big problem” in chemistry, in an atmosphere that’s intended to be flexible, tolerant of risk, and open to thinking far outside the box.

The new Chemical Bonding Centers (CBCs) will be based at the Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the

The origins of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been studied with the help of data generated from close to 2000 patients with recent onset RA, who have been followed longitudinally be means of structured surveillance programs in Swedish Rheumatology and coordinated from the Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital.

“One interesting finding is that smoking in the context of certain genetic predispositions, increases the risk for rheumatoid arthritis in a dramatic way, i.e

Torkel Klingberg’s group was the first to show that working memory can be improved by computerized training and they have mapped the changes in brain activity that occur as a result of this training.

Working memory is important for attention and other mental functions. It is impaired in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in several other neurological diorders.

The scientists in Torkel Klingberg`s group have also shown changes in brain activity and

Two new findings in the field of primary prevention for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have recently been reported by a research group led by Professor Laura Fratiglioni at Karolinska Institutet: the first is that both high and low blood pressure increase the chances of developing dementia. The second is that an active and socially integrated lifestyle protects against dementia.

“These findings are not only of scientific relevance in the contribution they make to our understand

Loughborough University researchers have been awarded more than £200,000 to develop state-of-the-art tailor made implants for people requiring facial reconstructive surgery.

The Department of Health’s ‘New and Emerging Applications of Technology’ (NEAT) funding programme has awarded the University £234,761 for the 2 year project, which is being led by Dr Russell Harris of the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.

The aim of the work is to research and

For millions of Americans, every day brings a new struggle against overwhelming pain and fatigue — and neither they nor their doctors know why.

The mysterious ailments that affect them have names like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War Veterans Illness and vulvodynia. They cause symptoms like muscle aches, extreme tenderness, and ever-present tiredness. But no one really knows what causes such syndromes to start, why they linger, or how they can be controlled.

A landmark program seeking to bring the promise of genetic research into the “real world” is underway with the first DNA samples to be collected next year. The Guilford Genomic Medicine Iniative is a partnership involving Moses Cone Health System, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Duke University.

“This project is an excellent example of solid collaboration in search of a greater good,” Dennis Barry, CEO Emeritus, Moses Cone Health System, says. “After a year of int