Press monitoring
Dementia: Autoantibodies Damage Blood Vessels in the Brain
1.8.2012 | Press monitoring
The presence of specific autoantibodies of the immune system is associated with blood vessel damage in the brain. The researchers' results suggest that autoimmune mechanisms play a significant role in the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. Antibodies are the defense molecules of the body's immune system against...
Scientists Use Microbes to Make 'Clean' Methane
31.7.2012 | Press monitoring
Researchers at both campuses are raising colonies of microorganisms, called methanogens, which have the remarkable ability to turn electrical energy into pure methane -- the key ingredient in natural gas. The scientists' goal is to create large microbial factories that will transform clean electricity from solar, wind or nuclear power into...
Protective Role of Skin Microbiota Described
30.7.2012 | Press monitoring
A research team at the National Institutes of Health has found that bacteria that normally live in the skin may help protect the body from infection. Using mouse models, the NIH team observed that commensals contribute to protective immunity by interacting with the immune cells in the skin. The investigators colonized germ-free mice (mice bred...
High Dietary Antioxidant Intake Might Cut Pancreatic Cancer Risk
26.7.2012 | Press monitoring
Increasing dietary intake of the antioxidant vitamins C, E, and selenium could help cut the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to two thirds, suggests research published online in the journal Gut. The disease has the worst prognosis of any cancer, with just 3% of people surviving beyond five years. Genes, smoking, and type 2 diabetes are...
Diets High in Salt Could Deplete Calcium in the Body
25.7.2012 | Press monitoring
When sodium leaves a body, it takes calcium along with it, creating risk for kidney stones and osteoporosis. Principal investigator Todd Alexander and his team recently discovered an important link between sodium and calcium. These both appear to be regulated by the same molecule in the body. When sodium intake becomes too high, the body gets rid...
In Utero Exposure to Diesel Exhaust a Possible Risk Factor for Obesity
24.7.2012 | Press monitoring
Pregnant mice exposed to high levels of air pollution gave birth to offspring with a significantly higher rate of obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood than those that were not exposed to air pollution. This effect seemed especially prevalent in male mice, which were heavier regardless of diet. These findings, published online in the FASEB...
Helping Pigs to Digest Phosphorus
23.7.2012 | Press monitoring
Phosphorus is a vital nutrient for pig growth, but pigs do not always digest it well. Research conducted at the University of Illinois has determined how adding various levels of the enzyme phytase to the diet improves how pigs digest the phosphorus in four different feed ingredients. Improving phosphorus digestibility has positive implications...
Green Plants Reduce City Street Pollution Up to Eight Times More Than Previously Believed
20.7.2012 | Press monitoring
Trees, bushes and other greenery growing in the concrete-and-glass canyons of cities can reduce levels of two of the most worrisome air pollutants by eight times more than previously believed, a new study has found. A report on the research appears in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. Thomas Pugh and colleagues explain that...
How Muscles Are Paralyzed During Sleep: Finding May Suggest New Treatments for Sleep Disorders
19.7.2012 | Press monitoring
ScienceDaily (July 17, 2012) — Two powerful brain chemical systems work together to paralyze skeletal muscles during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, according to new research in the July 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The finding may help scientists better understand and treat sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, tooth grinding, and...
Chemists discover cannabis pharma factory
18.7.2012 | Press monitoring
University of Saskatchewan researchers have discovered the chemical pathway that Cannabis sativa uses to create bioactive compounds called cannabinoids, paving the way for the development of marijuana varieties to produce pharmaceuticals or cannabinoid-free industrial hemp. The research appears online in the July 16 early edition of the...
