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Obesity Linked to 'Vicious Cycle' in Brain
May 17, 2013 | Comments
With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A new study reports the discovery of a molecular chain of events in the brains of obese rats that undermined their ability to suppress appetite and to increase calorie burning.
UK Measles Surge Years After Vaccine Scare
May 20, 2013 6:00 am | by MARIA CHENG - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | Comments
More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million...
Researchers Aim to Map the 'Food Genome'
May 19, 2013 1:42 pm | by MARY CLARE JALONICK - Associated Press - Associated Press | Comments
Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought. Same...
Auto Emissions Transform Cholesterol
May 17, 2013 11:44 am | Comments
Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high...
Leading US drugs tester celebrates 1700s doctor
May 20, 2013 4:01 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsA North Carolina company that bills itself as the world's largest testing drug firm is celebrating the Scottish surgeon credited with running the first scientifically valid tests for a health problem. Quintiles Transnational on Monday joins companies and other organizations around the world in...
US adviser on board of firm that sold anthrax drug
May 19, 2013 10:56 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsFormer Navy Secretary Richard J. Danzig, who has served as a bio-warfare adviser to the president, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, urged the government to stockpile an anti-anthrax drug while serving as a director for the company that supplied it, according to a report...
Flesh-eating disease victim gets prosthetic hands
May 17, 2013 10:11 pm | by PHILLIP LUCAS - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsA metro Atlanta woman who lost both hands, her left leg and right foot after contracting a flesh-eating disease was on her way back from Ohio Friday after being fitted with prosthetic hands. Aimee Copeland, 25, is returning from Hilliard, Ohio, where she was fitted with a pair of "bionic" hands...
Alzheimer's from A to Z
May 17, 2013 7:44 pm | by Arizona State University | CommentsScientists at ASU and across Arizona are working together to better understand Alzheimer's disease. Learn what we know about the disease so far, and where new advances hold promise for patients and caregivers. read more
Turning Up the Heat on Biofuels
May 17, 2013 11:26 am | CommentsThe production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass would benefit on several levels if carried out at temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Celsius. Researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) have employed a promising technique for improving the ability of enzymes that break cellulose down into fermentable sugars to operate in this temperature range.
Method Allows Closer Look at Developing Embryos
May 17, 2013 11:12 am | CommentsAn international team of scientists using a new X-ray method recorded the internal structure and cell movement inside a living frog embryo in greater detail than ever before. This result showcases a new method to advance biological research and the search for new treatments for genetic diseases.
Study Suggest New Roles for ECMO
May 17, 2013 10:48 am | CommentsExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a procedure traditionally used during cardiac surgeries and in the ICU that functions as an artificial replacement for a patient's heart and lungs, has also been used to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
Stem Cells Generate Immune System in Mice
May 17, 2013 10:36 am | CommentsRaising hopes for cell-based therapies, researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. In mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions.
WHO says single yellow fever shot is enough
May 17, 2013 3:55 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe World Health Organization says a yellow fever booster vaccination given 10 years after the initial shot isn't necessary. The U.N.'s global health agency said Friday that its expert group on immunization believes a single dose of vaccination is sufficient to confer lifelong immunity against the disease.
Organic industry clout grows with consumer demand
May 17, 2013 3:51 am | by MARY CLARE JALONICK - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsThe organic food industry is gaining clout on Capitol Hill, prompted by rising consumer demand and its entry into traditional farm states. But that isn't going over well with everyone in Congress. Tensions between conventional and organic agriculture boiled over this week during a late-night...
Humana selling Concentra lab business
May 16, 2013 1:54 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsHealth insurer Humana is selling a toxicology and clinical lab business, a division of its Concentra health care provider, to Quest Diagnostics Inc. Quest, a medical lab operator, did not say Thursday how much it had paid for the business, which includes a lab in Memphis, Tenn. It's the company's...
Nanogel Secretes Insulin on Demand
May 16, 2013 11:49 am | CommentsInjectable nanoparticles developed at MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin. The nanoparticles were designed to sense glucose levels in the body and respond by secreting the appropriate amount of insulin, thereby replacing the function of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed in patients with Type 1 diabetes.
‘Brainbow’ Imaging Gets Upgraded
May 16, 2013 11:31 am | CommentsThe breakthrough technique that allowed scientists to obtain one-of-a-kind, colorful images of the myriad connections in the brain and nervous system is about to get a significant upgrade. A group of Harvard researchers has made a host of technical improvements in the “Brainbow” imaging technique.
Maturing Teenage Brain Explored
May 16, 2013 11:08 am | CommentsDespite adolescence being a high-risk time for developing major psychiatric and drug dependence disorders, very little is known about the teenage brain. A new research project aims to shed light on what happens to the brain as young people mature.
