Body | Page 622 | Science Codex

Columbia researchers find biological explanation for wheat sensitivity

NEW YORK, NY (July 26, 2016)--A new study may explain why people who do not have celiac disease or wheat allergy nevertheless experience a variety of gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms after ingesting wheat and related cereals. The findings suggest that these individuals have a weakened intestinal barrier, which leads to a body-wide inflammatory immune response.

Findings from the study, which was led by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), were reported in the journal Gut.

Overlooked benefit of successful healthy lifestyle programs: Improved quality-of-life

PITTSBURGH, July 26, 2016 - The value of a healthy lifestyle isn't reflected only in the numbers on the scale or the blood pressure cuff. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health researchers demonstrated that it also can be measured through improved "health-related quality of life."

International search reveals genetic evidence for new species of beaked whale

An international team of scientists who searched out specimens from museums and remote Arctic islands has identified a rare new species of beaked whale that ranges from northern Japan across the Pacific Ocean to Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

Japanese whalers call the enigmatic black whales "karasu," the Japanese word for raven. The new species is darker in color and about two-thirds the size of the more common Baird's beaked whale, but so scarce that even whalers rarely see them.

Vineyard cover crops reduce expense, save environment

ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell researchers have advice for vineyard managers in cool and humid climates like the Northeast: cover up.

NSU researcher discovers unique anatomical characteristic in barnacle study

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. - When it comes to long distance relationships, it seems the barnacle has it all figured out. That's because if they fancy a mate who is far away, the male can simply make his penis longer to meet the need.

That's right - unlike humans, barnacles have the ability to physically change the size and length of their penis.

You may be asking yourself "how does one study such a thing?"

Biological wizardry ferments carbon monoxide into biofuel

ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell University biological engineers have deciphered the cellular strategy to make the biofuel ethanol, using an anaerobic microbe feeding on carbon monoxide - a common industrial waste gas.

"Instead of having the waste go to waste, you make it into something you want," said Ludmilla Aristilde, assistant professor in biological and environmental engineering. "In order to make the microbes do our work, we had to figure out how they work, their metabolism."

Substantial growth in ordering of CTA exams in Medicare population

Reston, VA (July 26, 2016) - According to a new study by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, the last 13 years have seen a substantial growth in the ordering of computed tomography angiography (CTA) examinations in the Medicare population, particularly in the emergency department (ED) setting.

Codependence of cell nucleus proteins key to understanding fatty liver disease

PHILADELPHIA - A new appreciation for the interplay between two cell nucleus proteins that lead both intertwined and separate lives is helping researchers better understand fatty liver disease, according to a new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. They published their findings this month in Genes & Development.

Research tracks interplay of genes and environment on physical, educational outcomes

Over the course of the 20th century, genes began to play a greater role in the height and body mass index (BMI) of Americans, while their significance decreased in educational attainment and occurrence of heart disease.

The findings, from research by Princeton sociologist Dalton Conley and colleagues, shed new light on how the genetic and environmental landscape of American society has changed over the past century, and highlight the power of combining new genetic tools with traditional social science research.

Placental syndromes increase women's short-term risk for cardiovascular diseases

Tampa, FL (July 26, 2016) -- The short-term risk of developing cardiovascular disease following a first pregnancy is higher for women experiencing placental syndromes and a preterm birth or an infant born smaller than the usual size, a University of South Florida study reports. The USF researchers also found a five-fold increase in health care costs for women with placental syndromes who developed cardiovascular disease as soon as three to five years following delivery, compared to those who did not.

WSU researchers get unprecedented look at DNA damage

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State University researchers have mapped the damage of ultraviolet radiation on individual units of DNA, opening a new avenue in the search for how sunlight causes skin cancer and what might be done to prevent it.

"This technique gives you almost a satellite-view image of all the damage across the genome," said John Wyrick, a WSU geneticist specializing in DNA repair and corresponding author of a study out this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Statins improve birth outcomes for mothers with an autoimmune disorder

A new statin treatment shows promise for reducing premature births and increasing babies' chances of survival for mothers with an autoimmune disease. The small preliminary study of 21 women, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, found that all babies of mothers treated with statins survived compared with the standard treatment group; maternal health also improved after treatment with statins.

Scientists test nanoparticle drug delivery in dogs with osteosarcoma

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- At the University of Illinois, an engineer teamed up with a veterinarian to test a bone cancer drug delivery system in animals bigger than the standard animal model, the mouse. They chose dogs - mammals closer in size and biology to humans - with naturally occurring bone cancers, which also are a lot like human bone tumors.

BRCA1 mutations in breast and ovarian cancer can predict treatment resistance

Mutations in the BRCA1 gene are one of the most common risk factors for breast and ovarian cancers. Although tumors that harbor BRCA1 mutations initially respond well to cancer treatments, many tumors eventually become less responsive. This month, two studies in the JCI investigated the mechanisms underlying the treatment resistance associated with some BRCA1 mutations, and the findings provide information that may help predict which treatments will be effective in women with breast and ovarian cancer.

Shops openly flouting tobacco sales ban near schools in China

Retailers are openly flouting the ban on tobacco sales near schools in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in South-Central China, reveals research published online in the journal Tobacco Control.

Furthermore, marketing strategies targeting children are "pervasive," the study shows, prompting the authors to urge officials to take swift action to enforce the regulations.

Tobacco retail sales are prohibited within 100 metres of schools in many large cities in China, but it's not clear how well this zoning regulation is being enforced.