Press monitoring
IQ can rise or fall significantly during adolescence, brain scans confirm
20.10.2011 | Press monitoring
IQ, the standard measure of intelligence, can increase or fall significantly during our teenage years, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust, and these changes are associated with changes to the structure of our brains. The findings may have implications for testing and streaming of children during their school years. However, in a...
Possible link between bacterium, colon cancer found
19.10.2011 | Press monitoring
For the first time, a specific microorganism has been found to be associated with human colorectal cancer. In two studies published online today in Genome Research, independent research teams have identified Fusobacterium in colon cancer tissue, a finding that could open new avenues for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Holt and Meyerson...
Researchers discover that same gene has opposite effects in prostate, breast cancers
18.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Researchers at Cleveland Clinic have discovered that a gene – known as an androgen receptor (AR) – is found in both prostate and breast cancers yet has opposite effects on these diseases. In prostate cancer, the AR gene promotes cancer growth when the gene is "turned on." In breast cancer, the AR gene promotes cancer growth when the gene is...
Study questions value of glycemic index
17.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Potatoes and other reportedly high-GI foods might not be the dietary villains that recent publicity, books and health-based programmes would claim them to be, a new University of Otago study suggests. The Glycemic Index is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. The researchers found that the GI for each meal was not as...
Gut bacteria may affect whether a statin drug lowers cholesterol
14.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Statins can be effective at lowering cholesterol, but they have a perplexing tendency to work for some people and not others. Gut bacteria may be the reason. A research team led by a Duke University scientist has identified three bile acids produced by gut bacteria that were evident in people who responded well to a common cholesterol-lowering...
Melatonin delays onset, reduces deaths in mouse model of Huntington's disease
13.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Melatonin, best known for its role in sleep regulation, delayed the onset of symptoms and reduced mortality in a mouse model of Huntington's disease, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Their findings, published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, show for the first time that certain...
Changes in brain function in early HIV infection: A reliable indicator of disease prognosis?
11.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Measurable changes in brain function and communication between brain regions may be a consequence of virus-induced injury during the early stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. These abnormalities and their implications in disease prognosis are detailed in an article in the groundbreaking new neuroscience journal Brain...
Genetic engineers create smarter toxins to help crops fight resistant pests
10.10.2011 | Press monitoring
One of the most successful strategies in pest control is to endow crop plants with genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short, which code for proteins that kill pests attempting to eat them. But insect pests are evolving resistance to Bt toxins, which threatens the continued success of this approach. In the current issue of...
Bacteria can aid toxic environmental cleanups, may boost ag production
7.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Remarkable bacteria that resist arsenic could greatly enhance cleanups of toxic environments and potentially boost agricultural production, according to a new University of Florida study. The bacteria were isolated from arsenic-contaminated soil surrounding the Chinese brake fern, a plant known for its ability to remove arsenic from the...
Researchers discover new enzyme function for anemia
6.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have discovered a new function for an enzyme that may protect against organ injury and death from anemia. Identifying this mechanism may lead to new therapies and approaches to improving outcomes for anemic patients. Dr. Hare and colleagues found that when people have anemia, neuronal nitric oxide synthase...
