Blog

  • Alternate local skin cooling and heating ameliorates impaired forearm skin vasodilation function mediated by prolonged sitting

    Alternate local skin cooling and heating ameliorates impaired forearm skin vasodilation function mediated by prolonged sitting

    Impaired vascular function leads to cardiovascular disease. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have found that prolonged sitting impairs forearm cutaneous vasodilation function. They also showed that alternating local skin cooling and heating mitigated this functional decline and improved the responsiveness of cutaneous vasoconstriction.

    Sedentary behavior occupies a substantial portion of our daily lives. However, prolonged sitting adversely impacts health, primarily by impairing vascular…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • Better tools when searching for genetic causes of asthma

    Better tools when searching for genetic causes of asthma

    Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of genome regions containing thousands of genetic variants associated with asthma, but it’s still not clear which variants have an actual causal link to the disease. This “variant-to-function” gap is one of the biggest challenges to the usefulness of these genomic studies and has motivated researchers to develop new tools to make sense of GWAS results.

    A new study by researchers from the University of Chicago combines genetic…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • Hidden potential in multiple disabilities

    Hidden potential in multiple disabilities

    Using eye-tracking — a technique for recording and analysing eye movements — a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has shown that individuals with multiple disabilities can improve their social and emotional skills. Although these patients are often considered ”untestable”, nine young people have undergone personalised training over a period of one year, with promising results in terms of their ability to socialise. This work opens the way to new methods of assessment and support….

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • The brain resorts to myelin when other brain nutrients are depleted

    The brain resorts to myelin when other brain nutrients are depleted

    According to a study published by Nature Metabolism, marathon runners experience reversible changes in their brain myelin. These findings indicate that myelin (a substance that surrounds the neurons) exhibits behaviour that was previously unknown, and that it contributes towards the brain’s energy metabolism when other sources of energy are running low. Understanding how myelin in the runners recovers quickly may provide clues for developing treatments for demyelinating diseases such as…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • Research team improves method for producing designer proteins

    Research team improves method for producing designer proteins

    Proteins are the building blocks of life. They consist of folded peptide chains, which in turn are made up of a series of amino acids. From stabilising cell structure to catalysing chemical reactions, proteins have many functions. Their diversity is further increased by modifications that take place after the peptide chains have been synthesised. One form of modification is protein splicing. The protein initially contains a so-called ‘intein’, which removes itself from the peptide chain to…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • Unsafe driving during school drop offs at ‘unacceptable’ levels

    Unsafe driving during school drop offs at ‘unacceptable’ levels

    Risky driving by parents and other motorists who do the school run is putting children in danger, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

    Double parking, not obeying traffic controls and other unsafe behavior occurs at the majority (98%) of elementary schools during morning drop-off times.

    The authors analyzed data from more than 500 schools in Canada and say hazardous driving is an “urgent and serious” issue. The most observed misdemeanour was…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • Study shows how new antibody therapy works against ovarian cancer

    Study shows how new antibody therapy works against ovarian cancer

    Research has shed light on how a new type of antibody treatment reactivates patients’ immune cells to fight ovarian cancer.

    The research, from the group of Professor Sophia Karagiannis at King’s College London, could help to better understand the responses of patients who receive this type of therapy.

    Antibody treatments are a type of immunotherapy, which work by helping the body’s immune system to recognise and kill cancer cells. Almost all antibodies currently used in cancer treatment are…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • Impact of processing on biochemical composition of plant-based products revealed

    Impact of processing on biochemical composition of plant-based products revealed

    A study conducted at the Food Sciences unit of the University of Turku in Finland showed that different processing methods significantly affect the biochemical composition of plant-based foods. Current food classification systems do not sufficiently acknowledge the biochemical composition of the product.

    A plant-based diet is beneficial for health, and with population growth and environmental pressures, the proportion of plant products in the diet should be emphasised over animal products….

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • New genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders

    New genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders

    A seminal study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their collaborators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Iceland has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The discovery offers both closure and hope to potentially thousands of families worldwide who have long been searching for answers.

    The study, published in the April 10online issue of Nature Genetics, reveals that mutations in a small, previously…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • How mothers adapt to the metabolic demands of nursing

    How mothers adapt to the metabolic demands of nursing

    Nursing poses major metabolic demands on mothers, to which they respond by eating more and saving energy to sustain milk production. There are significant hormonal changes during lactation, but how they lead to metabolic adaptations in nursing mothers remained unclear. In this study, which appeared in Nature Metabolism, leading researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Pennington Biomedical Research Center uncovered a mechanism that connects prolactin, estrogen, the brain and metabolic…

    Continue Reading


    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com