Science Daily (Free subscription) | yesterday
People are powerfully but subconsciously influenced by the weight of those around them. Without being aware of it, researchers believe, human beings keep up with the weight of the Joneses. For a whole society, this can lead to a spiral of imitative obesity.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | yesterday
The chromosomal abnormality that causes a rare, but often fatal, disorder that affects infants has been identified by researchers who happened to treat two young children with the disease in San Diego -- two of perhaps a dozen children in the entire country diagnosed with the disorder.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 18/07/2008
In Caesarean deliveries the placenta is usually removed by hand or by a technique known as 'cord traction'. A recent systematic review by Cochrane researchers shows that cord traction poses less risk to the mother than manual removal.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 18/07/2008
Using community-based health advocates, delivering information within same-gender groups or adapting dietary and lifestyle advice to fit a particular community's likely diet can help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels, certainly for up to six months, following health education. This conclusion was reached by a team of Cochrane researchers after they considered the data in...
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 18/07/2008
Cognitive behavior therapy is effective in treating the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a recent systematic review carried out by Cochrane researchers.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 17/07/2008
A potential new drug that "opens the taps" for the release of useful hormones could stimulate new bone growth -- and may eventually bring relief to osteoporosis sufferers.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 17/07/2008
Researchers have unlocked the mystery of a gene with the potential to both regulate and block ovulation. The findings could lead to the development of pharmaceuticals that activate the Lrh1 gene, which may prove critical in giving infertile couples hope in producing children.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 17/07/2008
Psychiatry has begun the laborious effort of preparing the DSM-V, the new iteration of its diagnostic manual. In so doing, it once again wrestles with the task set by Carl Linnaeus, to "cleave nature at its joints." However, these "joints," the boundaries between psychiatric disorders, such as that between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, are far from clear. We now know that symptoms of bipolar...
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 17/07/2008
Ninety-six percent of children who received liver transplants from living relatives were still alive five years after surgery. And the 98 percent year one survival rates recorded by the UK specialist unit was higher than international averages, which ranged from 74 percent to 96 percent. The research covers 50 children operated on between 1993 and 2006 by King's College Hospital in London.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 17/07/2008
Borneo (Kalimantan) is the third largest island in the world. Borneo's rain forests are also home to some extremely rare species of orchids, all highly valued for their exotic aromas and aesthetic beauty. Borneo's orchids are also endangered, a result of the loss of natural habitat from fire, forest damage, and illegal logging. Increased exploitation of the forests of West Borneo, including gold mining...
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 16/07/2008
Some 40,000 years ago, Cro-Magnons -- the first people who had a skeleton that looked anatomically modern -- entered Europe, coming from Africa. Geneticists now show that a Cro-Magnoid individual who lived in Southern Italy 28,000 years ago was a modern European, genetically as well as anatomically. They conclude that the Neandertal people, who lived in Europe for nearly 300,000 years, are not the...
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 16/07/2008
Sight and hearing are the most important senses for birds -- this is at least the received wisdom. By studying bird DNA, however, researchers have now provided genetic evidence that many bird species have a well-developed sense of smell.
Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 14/07/2008
( Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics ) Each year, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics awards SIAM Outstanding Paper Prizes to the authors of exceptional papers published in SIAM journals. Papers are selected for their originality, and they should bring a fresh look at an existing field or open up new areas of applied mathematics. Winning papers have been published during...
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 11/07/2008
The natural compound honokiol blocks survival signals from the Ras family of genes in breast, lung and bladder cancer cells. As a drug target, Ras is considered difficult to approach chemically. Honokiol comes from magnolia trees and has been used in Japanese and Chinese herbal medicines.
Science Daily (Free subscription) | 11/07/2008
Biomedical engineering researchers have developed a innovative approach to cancer drug nanoencapsulation. The new method allows for adjusting drug release rates and attaching antibodies at the outer shell layers for targeted drug delivery.
