ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, July 16, 2010
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Insight into why low calorie diet can extend lifespan -- even if adopted later in life (July 16, 2010) -- Research is providing new insight into why a restricted diet can lead to a longer lifespan and reduced incidence of age-related diseases for a wide variety of animals. Scientists have known for some time that a restricted diet can extend the lifespan of certain animals but this work shows how it affects aging mechanisms - and significantly has also shown that the effects occur even if the restricted diet is adopted later in life. ... > full story
New treatment for crippling diabetic Charcot foot (July 16, 2010) -- The alarming increase of morbidly obese diabetics is causing more new cases of a debilitating foot deformity called Charcot foot. But a surgical technique that secures foot bones with an external frame has enabled more than 90 percent of patients to walk normally again. ... > full story
How psychiatric risk gene disrupts brain development (July 16, 2010) -- Scientists are making progress towards a better understanding of the neuropathology associated with debilitating psychiatric illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. New research reveals mechanisms that connect a known psychiatric risk gene to disruptions in brain cell proliferation and migration during development. ... > full story
Mechanism for link between high fat diet and risk of prostate cancer and disorders unveiled (July 16, 2010) -- Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men, and diet is considered one of the most important controllable risk factors for inflammation and prostate diseases including benign prostatic hyperplsia (BPH), prostatitis, and prostate cancer. A new study sheds light on the mechanisms of the deleterious effects of a high fat diet on the prostate. ... > full story
New role for the JNK protein: Long known to help cells respond to stress, JNK also controls cell cycle (July 16, 2010) -- New findings show that JNK, a protein already well known for other duties, also regulates the cell cycle. ... > full story
'Tough love' no good for obesity interventions, study finds (July 16, 2010) -- Obese people support lifestyle-change interventions, rather than those that purely promote weight loss. Researchers interviewed 142 obese people about their opinions on interventions ranging from gastric bands to legal regulation, finding that non-commercial, non-stigmatizing techniques were preferred. ... > full story
How human immune response to virus is triggered at the atomic level (July 15, 2010) -- A team of biochemists has identified the molecular mechanism by which an immune response is triggered by the invading viruses, according to recent research. ... > full story
Gene associated with kidney disease in African-American population identified (July 15, 2010) -- A scientific team discovers a genetic explanation for the high incidence of kidney disease among African Americans. ... > full story
Sri Lankan children affected by war, tsunami, daily stressors (July 15, 2010) -- Two studies on Sri Lankan children affected by trauma found that both daily stressors and traumatic events contribute to children's psychological health. The first study, of 400 adolescents who survived the 2004 tsunami, found that poverty and family violence were major sources of continuing stress. The second study, of 1,400 children affected by both the tsunami and civil war, focused on the cumulative effect of multiple stressors on children's later functioning. ... > full story
New clues to inflammatory disease discovered (July 15, 2010) -- Scientists studying two inflammation-related diseases, HIV and rheumatoid arthritis, identified changes in specific proteins linked to the action of macrophages, white blood cells that are key to the body's natural defenses. The findings could lead to early diagnosis tools and targeted therapy for diseases that stem from abnormal or uncontrolled macrophage activation, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. ... > full story
Inherited glycosylation disorder: Researchers find cause of metabolic disease -- and possible cure (July 15, 2010) -- An international team of scientists has discovered the gene mutation responsible for a condition in which eye and brain development is severely disrupted in affected infants. ... > full story
Diabetes shouldn't deter young athletes, study suggests (July 15, 2010) -- Young athletes with Type 1 diabetes may experience a marked decrease in performance as a result of their blood sugar levels, but can compete by learning to manage their condition, suggests a new study. ... > full story
New arsenic nanoparticle blocks aggressive breast cancer (July 15, 2010) -- You can teach an old drug new chemotherapy tricks. Researchers took a drug therapy proven for blood cancers but ineffective against solid tumors, packaged it with nanotechnology and got it to combat an aggressive type of breast cancer prevalent in young women, particularly young African-American women. The drug is arsenic and the cancer is triple negative breast cancer. It has a high risk of metastasizing and poor survival rates. ... > full story
Dementia in diabetics differs from dementia in nondiabetics, research finds (July 15, 2010) -- Researchers say that dementia in some diabetics appears to be caused often by vascular disease in the brain, and the dementia that develops in people without diabetes is more likely associated with deposition of the plaque seen in people with Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story
Conflicted meat-eaters may deny that meat-animals have the capacity to suffer, study finds (July 15, 2010) -- People who wish to escape the ‘meat paradox’ -- i.e., simultaneously disliking hurting animals and enjoying eating meat -- may do so by denying that the animal they ate had the capacity to suffer, researchers in the UK have found in a new study. Those participating in the study also reported a reduced range of animals to which they felt obligated to show moral concern. These ranged from dogs and chimps to snails and fish. ... > full story
Retrovirus replication process different than thought (July 15, 2010) -- How a retrovirus, like HIV, reproduces and assembles new viruses is different than previously thought, according to new research. Understanding the steps a virus takes for assembly could allow development of a way to prevent the spread of retroviral diseases. ... > full story
Diabetes risk: Waist circumference gives better prediction than BMI (July 15, 2010) -- Waist circumference gives a better prediction of diabetes risk than does BMI. ... > full story
Behavior problems in school linked to two types of families (July 15, 2010) -- Contrary to Leo Tolstoy's famous observation that "happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," a new psychology study confirms that unhappy families, in fact, are unhappy in two distinct ways. And these dual patterns of unhealthy family relationships lead to a host of specific difficulties for children during their early school years. ... > full story
Arsenic shows promise as cancer treatment, study finds (July 15, 2010) -- Miss Marple notwithstanding, arsenic might not be many people's favorite chemical. But the notorious poison does have some medical applications. Specifically, a form called arsenic trioxide has been used as a therapy for a particular type of leukemia for more than 10 years. Now researchers have shown that it may be useful in treating a variety of other cancers. ... > full story
Those who exercise when young have stronger bones when they grow old (July 15, 2010) -- The positive effects of exercise while growing up seem to last longer than previously believed. New findings suggest that physical activity when young increases bone density and size, which may mean a reduced risk of osteoporosis later in life. ... > full story
Supercharged proteins enter biology's forbidden zone (July 15, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting discovery of a way to help proteins such as the new generation of protein-based drugs -- sometimes heralded as tomorrow's potential "miracle cures" -- get past the biochemical "Entrance Forbidden" barrier that keeps them from entering cells and doing their work. The new technique represents a new use for an engineered form of green fluorescent protein, the topic of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. ... > full story
Fast food chains have significantly decreased trans fats in cooking oils, study finds (July 15, 2010) -- Five major fast food chains have significantly decreased trans fats in the oils they use to cook food, according to new research. ... > full story
Major Alzheimer's risk gene causes alterations in shapes of brain protein deposits (July 15, 2010) -- Researchers have used a newly discovered class of biomarkers to investigate the possibility that the shape of brain protein deposits is different in people with Alzheimer's who have the highest-risk gene type than in those with the condition who have a neutral risk gene type. ... > full story
Finding cancer 'cold spots' can help minimize radiotherapy side-effects (July 15, 2010) -- Fine-tuning radiotherapy to take into account which parts of a patient's tumor are growing fastest could improve control of cancer while subjecting patients to lower doses of radiation ... > full story
New analysis may help clarify the role of craving in addiction (July 15, 2010) -- Psychologists have shown that behavioral economic analysis may lead to an improved understanding of craving for alcohol and other drugs. This method of studying how craving alters the way a person values a drug is fairly new, but according to the study, it may well help assess cravings more accurately and contribute to identifying more effective ways to defeat addictions. ... > full story
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