Press monitoring
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...
New technology offers the next generation of mammography
4.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Tomosynthesis, an innovative technology that provides three-dimensional detailed imaging of the breast. Tomosynthesis offers women the next generation in breast cancer detection. This revolutionary technology provides exceptionally sharp images and is an important new tool in our arsenal to detect breast cancer early when it is treatable. Women...
Zinc regulates communication between brain cells
3.10.2011 | Press monitoring
Zinc has been found to play a critical role in regulating communication between cells in the brain, possibly governing the formation of memories and controlling the occurrence of epileptic seizures. A collaborative project has been able to watch zinc in action as it regulates communication between neurons in the hippocampus, where learning and...
Women have stronger immune systems than men and it's all down to a single chromosome
30.9.2011 | Press monitoring
As anyone familiar with the phrase 'man-flu' will know women consider themselves to be the more robust side of the species when it comes to health and illness. Now new research, published in BioEssays, seems to support the idea. The research focuses on the role of MicroRNAs encoded on the X chromosome to explain why women have stronger immune...
