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Mice With Disabled Gene That Helps Turn Carbs Into Fat Stay Lean Despite Feasting On High-carb Diet Posted: 23 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified a gene that plays a critical regulatory role in the process of converting dietary carbohydrate to fat. Mice that had this gene disabled had lower levels of body fat than their normal counterparts, despite being fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet.

Ten Genes Associated With A Risk Factor For Sudden Cardiac Death Identified Posted: 23 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT That an abnormality in his heart's electrical system had managed to stay on the Q.T. -- until it proved lethal -- is characteristic of sudden cardiac death, which annually claims more than a quarter million Americans. A dearth of discernable symptoms and lack of detectable molecules circulating in the blood makes the prediction of sudden cardiac death largely dependent on genetic risk factors.

Genetic Mechanism In Mole Rats Can Be Targeted In Cancer Research Posted: 23 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Cellular mechanisms that subterranean mole rats have developed in order to survive the low levels of oxygen in their underground habitat are similar to the mechanisms used by tumors to survive and progress in humans. Based on a new study, the mole rat can represent the human tumor in research, and the gene targeted in mole rats can be targeted for development of anti-cancer drugs.

Wet Combing More Accurate Than Visual Inspection For Identifying Active Head Lice Infestation Posted: 23 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Combing through a child's wet hair may lead to more accurate identification of active head lice infestation than visual inspection, according to a new report. However, visual inspection may yield a more precise assessment of the number of children who have eggs or nits (larvae) in their hair.

Brain On A Chip? Posted: 23 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT How does the human brain run itself without any software? Find that out, say European researchers, and a whole new field of neural computing will open up. A prototype 'brain on a chip' is already working.

Longer Bouts Of Exercise Help Prevent Childhood Obesity Posted: 23 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Children who exercise in bouts of activity lasting five minutes or longer are less likely to become obese than those whose activity levels are more sporadic and typically last less than five minutes each, researchers have discovered.

First Automated Carbohydrate 'Assembly Line' Opens Door To New Field Of Medicine Posted: 23 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT Scientists from Germany have reported a major advance toward opening the doors of a carbohydrate-based medicine chest for the 21st century. Much more than just potatoes and pasta, these carbohydrates may form the basis of revolutionary new vaccines and drugs to battle malaria, HIV, and a bevy of other diseases.

Common Anti-seizure Medications May Increase Risk Of Cardiovascular Problems Posted: 23 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT An important clinical repercussion in the treatment of epilepsy has been discovered. Medical researchers have determined that two of the most commonly prescribed anti-seizure medications may lead to significantly increased levels of cholesterol, C-reactive protein and other markers of cardiovascular disease risk.

How Proteins Find The Right DNA Sequences Posted: 23 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new theoretical model to explain how proteins can rapidly find specific DNA sequences, even though there are many obstacles in the way on the chromosomes.

New Type Of Botulinum Toxin Appears To Be Well Tolerated And May Help Reduce Forehead Wrinkles Posted: 23 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT Injections with a new type of botulinum toxin appears to be well tolerated and may help to improve the appearance of moderate to severe forehead lines with no evidence of diminishing treatment response over 13 months, according to a new report.

Scientists One Step Closer To Stopping Bone Loss During Spaceflight Posted: 23 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT By simulating spaceflight conditions through the use of long-duration bedrest, researchers have found -- for the first time -- a way to prevent bone loss in a specific region of the hip.

Severe Vomiting Sickness With Chronic Cannabis Abuse Posted: 23 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT Marijuana, a commonly abused drug among high school and college students, is linked to a severe form of vomiting syndrome and compulsive bathing behavior. This form of severe vomiting sickness is increasingly recognized with widespread abuse of marijuana. The syndrome usually subsides with strict abstinence from marijuana abuse.

Shifting Sound To Light May Lead To Better Computer Chips Posted: 23 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT By reversing a process that converts electrical signals into sounds heard out of a cell phone, researchers may have a new tool to enhance the way computer chips, LEDs and transistors are built.

Mechanism Of Alzheimer's Suggests Combination Therapy Needed Posted: 23 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a mode of action for mysterious but diagnostic protein snarls found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients that suggests a one-two punch of therapy may be needed to combat the neurodegenerative disease.

First Discovery Of 'Animals-only' Pigment Bilirubin In Plants Posted: 23 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT In a first-of-its-kind discovery that overturns conventional wisdom, scientists in Florida are reporting that certain plants — including the exotic "White Bird of Paradise Tree" — make bilirubin. Until now, scientists thought that pigment existed only in animals. The finding may change scientific understanding of how the ability to make bilirubin evolved, researchers say.

Dendritic Cells Ensure Immune Tolerance Posted: 23 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT One of the most important tasks of the immune system is to identify what is foreign and what is self. If this distinction fails, then the body's own structures will be attacked, the result of which could be an autoimmune disease such as diabetes mellitus type 1 or multiple sclerosis. The only way to protect against these afflictions is to destroy all immune factors that turn against the body's own tissue – in other words: immune tolerance. Scientists have now investigated exactly what role dendritic cells play in this process.

Internet Can Warn Of Ecological Changes Posted: 23 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT The Internet could be used as an early warning system for potential ecological disasters, according to researchers in Sweden and England.

Link Between Religious Coping And Aggressive Treatment In Terminally Ill Cancer Patients Posted: 23 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT In a new study of terminally ill cancer patients, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that those who draw on religion to cope with their illness are more likely to receive intensive, life-prolonging medical care as death approaches -- treatment that often entails a lower quality of life in patients' final days.

Curious Pair Of Galaxies: Best Image Ever Of Strange And Chaotic Duo Posted: 22 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT The ESO Very Large Telescope has taken the best image ever of a strange and chaotic duo of interwoven galaxies. The images also contain some surprises -- interlopers both far and near.

MRSA Study Suggests Strategy Shift Needed To Develop Effective Therapeutics Posted: 22 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT USA300 -- the major epidemic strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causing severe infections in the United States during the past decade -- inherits its destructiveness directly from a forefather strain of the bacterium called USA500 rather than randomly acquiring harmful genes from other MRSA strains.

New Platinum Catalysts For The Dehydrogenation Of Propane Discovered Posted: 22 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT The process to turn propane into industrially necessary propylene has been expensive and environmentally unfriendly. That was until scientists devised a greener way to take this important step in chemical catalysis.

Obesity Associated With Worse Outcomes After Pancreatic Cancer Surgery Posted: 22 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT Obese patients with a body mass index of more than 35 appear more likely to have cancer that has spread to their lymph nodes, lower rates of survival and higher rates of recurrence following surgery for pancreatic cancer, according to a new report.

Tree Species Composition Influences Nitrogen Loss From Forests Posted: 22 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT The Catskill Mountains receive some of the highest nitrogen deposition rates in North America due to pollutants drifting, and a recent study in this region demonstrates how some forested watersheds are more capable than others in absorbing nitrogen. While nitrogen is an important nutrient for plant growth, excess levels are capable of acidifying soils and decreasing water quality.

Financial Security, More Than Money Alone, May Be Key To Happiness, Study Says Posted: 22 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT A study of the mental state of the modern American woman has found a powerful link between concerns over financial security and satisfaction with one's life. In looking toward the future, women who concentrated much of their thinking on financial matters were much less likely to be happy with their lives, according to the study.

Nanotech Batteries For A New Energy Future Posted: 22 Mar 2009 08:00 PM PDT Scientists have developed new systems for storing electrical energy derived from alternative sources that are, in some cases, 10 times more efficient than what is commercially available.

Combination Therapy Restores T Cell Numbers In HIV-infected Individuals Posted: 22 Mar 2009 08:00 PM PDT CD4+ T cell depletion by HIV is a major blow to the immune system. Combination antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) restores the T cell population, however not all patients respond to this therapy. Researchers report that administration of interleukin-7 (IL-7) to c-ART--treated, HIV-infected patients with low T cell counts, boosted T cell numbers and was well tolerated for 48 weeks. HIV-infected patients may benefit from intermittent IL-7 therapy in combination with c-ART.

Stem Cells Yield New Clues To Glut Of Glial Cells In Down's Syndrome, Glioblastoma, And Alzheimer's Disease Posted: 22 Mar 2009 08:00 PM PDT A newly identified molecular pathway that directs stem cells to produce glial cells yields insights into the neurobiology of Down's syndrome and a number of central nervous system disorders characterized by too many glial cells, according to a recent study.

Selected Men With Low-risk Prostate Cancer Have Good Clinical Outcomes Without Immediate Treatment Posted: 22 Mar 2009 08:00 PM PDT A 16-year study across four institutions finds that certain men with low-risk prostate cancer may be getting "overtreated" and in many cases don't need therapy or surgery.

New Experiments Constrain Higgs Mass Posted: 22 Mar 2009 08:00 PM PDT The territory where the Higgs boson may be found continues to shrink. The latest data from the collider experiments at the Department of Energy's Fermilab now exclude a significant fraction of the allowed Higgs mass range established by earlier measurements. Those experiments predict a Higgs mass between 114 and 185 GeV/c^2. The CDF and DZero results carve out a section in the middle of this range and exclude a mass between 160 and 170 GeV/c^2.

One In Four Americans Lacks Timely Access To Optimal Care During Time-sensitive Medical Emergencies Posted: 22 Mar 2009 08:00 PM PDT Although most Americans live close to some type of emergency room, as many as one in four Americans are more than an hour away from the type of hospital that's most prepared to save their life during a time-sensitive medical emergency, according to a new study.

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