Body | Page 1288 | Science Codex

Sunlight continues to damage skin in the dark

Much of the damage that ultraviolet radiation (UV) does to skin occurs hours after sun exposure, according to a new study.

Exposure to UV light from the sun or from tanning beds can damage the DNA in melanocytes, the cells that make the melanin that gives skin its color. This damage is a major cause of skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States. In the past, experts believed that melanin protected the skin by blocking harmful UV light. But there was also evidence from studies suggesting that melanin was associated with skin cell damage.

Breast cancer spread may be tied to cells that regulate blood flow

Tumors require blood to emerge and spread. That is why scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center believe that targeting blood vessel cells known as pericytes may offer a potential new therapeutic approach when combined with vascular growth factors responsible for cell death.

Statins may not lower Parkinson's risk

The use of statins may not be associated with lowering risk for Parkinson's disease, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The findings cast doubts on reports suggesting that the cholesterol-lowering medications may protect against this neurodegenerative brain disorder.

More women now using compounded hormones without understanding the risks

From 28% to 68% of women using hormones at menopause take compounded - "bioidentical" - hormones, but women don't understand the risks of these unapproved, untested treatments, shows an analysis of two large surveys.

Bacterial defense mechanism targets duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duke researchers have demonstrated a genetic therapeutic technique that has the potential to treat more than half of the patients suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

One of the challenges of treating DMD is that the disease can be caused by mutations to a number of different DNA sequences, few of which occur with any substantial frequency. The new technique, however, gets around this sticking point by targeting a large region of the gene that contains many different mutations.

The study was published on Feb. 18 online in Nature Communications.

Good sleep keeps your stem cells young

Under normal conditions, many of the different types of tissue-specific adult stem cells, including hematopoietic stem cells, exist in a state or dormancy where they rarely divide and have very low energy demands. "Our theory was that this state of dormancy protected hematopoietic stem cells from DNA damage and therefore protects them from premature aging," says Dr. Michael Milsom, leader of the study.

Napping beyond age of 2 linked to poor sleep quality in young children

Napping beyond the age of 2 is linked to poorer sleep quality in young children, although the impact on behavior and development is less clear-cut, according to a review in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The total length and quality of sleep over a 24 hour period is linked to child health and development, and parents and carers have been encouraged to let toddlers take a daytime nap as a way of promoting good health. By the time a child is 2, s/he is generally getting most of his/her sleep at night.

In the short run, a high-fat diet may help minimize heart attack damage

It's well known that over the long run, a high-fat diet increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

But a new study has found that a high-fat diet, eaten one day to two weeks days before a heart attack, actually reduced heart attack damage in mice by about 50 percent.

The finding by a team led by W. Keith Jones, PhD, of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, is published in the American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

New drug target for multiple sclerosis discovered

A new study identified a previously unknown change in the spinal cord related to MS, and a way to alter this change to reduce the nerve cell damage that occurs with the disease.

This research, which could lead to the development of new types of drugs to treat MS, was led by Dr. Fang Liu, Senior Scientist in Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto.

Changing stem cell structure could fight obesity

A new study found that a slight regulation in the length of primary cilia, small hair-like projections found on most cells, prevented the production of fat cells from human stem cells taken from adult bone marrow.

Molecular trigger of inflammatory bowel disease discovered

Cells lining the intestinal tract form a critical barrier, protecting our bodies from the billions of bacteria living in the gut. Breaches in this barrier are driven largely by a single signaling molecule called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), elevated amounts of which are associated with inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Gene mutation drives cartilage tumor formation

Duke Medicine researchers have shown how gene mutations may cause common forms of cartilage tumors.

In a study published in the Feb. 16, 2015, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Duke researchers and their colleagues revealed that mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene contribute to the formation of benign tumors in cartilage that can be a precursor to malignancies.

Anabolic steroids harm your health and your social image

Performance enhancing or doping substances such as anabolic steroids and erythropoietin, a hormone that enhances the production of red blood cells and increases oxygen consumption in the body, are no longer confined to the realm of competitive sports and increasingly now used by the mainstream.

Penguins have terrible taste buds

It's about sustenance, not pleasure. Penguins can't enjoy or even detect the savory taste of the fish they eat or the sweet taste of fruit. A new analysis of the genetic evidence reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on February 16 suggests that the flightless, waddling birds have lost three of the five basic tastes over evolutionary time. For them, it appears, food comes in only two flavors: salty and sour.

Many other birds, such as chickens and finches, can't taste sweet things either. But they do have receptors for detecting bitter and umami (or meaty) flavors.

New bacterial family may become a weapon in the fight against malaria

A new family of bacteria that are common in malaria mosquitoes has been described by researchers at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Uppsala University in Sweden, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany, and the Veterinärmedizinische Universität, Austria. Now, attempts are made to use these bacteria in the fight against malaria.