Body | Page 4960 | Science Codex

Hair today, gone tomorrow: Tracking hair loss and growth

CSIRO has developed maths-based imaging technology to measure hair on different parts of the human body.CSIRO's Biotech Imaging team, who specialise in developing software to analyse images automatically, worked with a UK personal care products company to find a way to objectively test how well their hair removal products work.

Hair counting is often done manually by human assessors.

"It's a boring job and results are prone to errors and variations between different people," Dr Pascal Valloton, Leader of Biotech Imaging at CSIRO said.

What's the influence of laxative agents on mucosal barrier repair?

The prostone lubiprostone has been shown to stimulate chloride secretion via one of the minor intestinal epithelial channels, ClC-2. This results in sustained low-level secretion of water into the lumen. Previous studies by the same research group have identified ClC-2 as a key protein involved in re-assembly of interepithelial tight junctions. Activation of ClC-2 by lubiprostone hastens recovery of barrier function, apparently by recruiting tight junction proteins to the apical-lateral membrane.

Sarcospan, a little protein for a big problem

The overlooked and undervalued protein, sarcospan, just got its moment in the spotlight. Peter et al. now show that adding it to muscle cells might ameliorate the most severe form of muscular dystrophy.

Study is first to link viewing of sexual content on TV to subsequent teen pregnancy

Adolescents who have high levels of exposure to television programs that contain sexual content are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy over the following three years as their peers who watch few such shows, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study, published in the November edition of the journal Pediatrics, is the first to establish a link between teenagers' exposure to sexual content on TV and either pregnancies among girls or responsibility for pregnancies among boys.

Parents comfortable with alcohol screening in pediatricians' offices

WASHINGTON, DC, November 3, 2008 – Parents are surprisingly receptive to being screened for alcohol problems during a visit to their child's pediatrician, including those who have alcohol problems. And if they need help, many parents would look to their pediatrician for a referral, according to a new study in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics.

West Nile's North American spread described

The rapid spread of West Nile virus in North America over the past decade is likely to have long-lasting ecological consequences throughout the continent, according to an article in the November issue of BioScience. The mosquito-borne virus, which was little known before its emergence in New York in 1999, has since been found in all 48 contiguous states.

Flu vaccination rates lag for at-risk adolescents

BOSTON, Mass. (Nov. 3, 2008) —Influenza vaccination rates for adolescents who suffer from asthma and other illnesses are still far too low, according to a recent study.

The research, published in the November 2008 issue of Pediatrics, was based at the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

Memo to ER docs: Send young victims of violence for 1-on-1 counseling

A study of 113 children and teens physically victimized by peers concludes that one-on-one mentoring about how to safely avoid conflict and diffuse threats makes them far less likely to become victims again if guidance is initiated in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

The research, by investigators at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., was conducted on 10- to 15-year-olds treated for assault injuries, including gunshot, knife and fist-fight wounds, in their emergency rooms between 2001 and 2004.

Flu shot protects kids -- even during years with a bad vaccine match

Children who receive all recommended flu vaccine appear to be less likely to catch the respiratory virus that the CDC estimates hospitalizes 20,000 children every year.

Nature study demonstrates that bacterial clotting depends on clustering

Bacteria can directly cause human blood and plasma to clot—a process that was previously thought to have been lost during the course of vertebrate evolution, according to new research at the University of Chicago, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Institut Pasteur in Paris. Their findings will be published online Nov. 2 in Nature Chemical Biology.

The discovery will improve scientists' understanding of coagulation during bacterial infections and may lead to new clinical methods for treating serious medical conditions such as sepsis and anthrax.

MIT: Mending broken hearts with tissue engineering

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Broken hearts could one day be mended using a novel scaffold developed by MIT researchers and colleagues.

The idea is that living heart cells or stem cells seeded onto such a scaffold would develop into a patch of cardiac tissue that could be used to treat congenital heart defects, or aid the recovery of tissue damaged by a heart attack. The biodegradable scaffold would be gradually absorbed into the body, leaving behind new tissue.

Persistent bacterial infection exploits killing machinery of immune cells

A new study reveals an important and newly discovered pathway used by disease-causing bacteria to evade the host immune system and survive and grow within the very cells meant to destroy them. This discovery may lead to new treatments and vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and certain other chronic bacterial and parasitic infections.

Substance tackles skin cancer from 2 sides

By playing it safe and using a two-pronged attack, a novel designer molecule fights malignant melanoma. It was created and tested by an international team of researchers led by the University of Bonn. On the one hand, the substance is similar to components of viruses and in this way alerts the immune system. The body's own defences are also strengthened against cancer cells in this process. At the same time, the novel molecule also puts pressure on the tumour in a different way. It switches off a specific gene in the malignant cells, thus driving them to suicide.

Mayo Clinic's new imaging technology accurately identifies a broad spectrum of liver disease

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A new study shows that an imaging technology developed by Mayo Clinic researchers can identify liver fibrosis with high accuracy and help eliminate the need for liver biopsies. Liver fibrosis is a common condition that can lead to incurable cirrhosis if not treated in time.

ENT doctors release national guideline on treatment for common cause of dizziness

Alexandria, VA - The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue a comprehensive clinical guideline to help healthcare practitioners identify and treat patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), one of the most common underlying conditions that cause dizziness. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based recommendations on managing BPPV, the most common vestibular (inner ear) disorder in adults.