A new study by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) shows that jellyfish are more than a nuisance to bathers and boaters, drastically altering marine food webs by shunting food energy from fish toward bacteria.
An apparent increase in the size and frequency of jellyfish blooms in coastal and estuarine waters around the world during the last few decades means that jellies' impact on marine food webs is likely to increase into the future.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of death in children under 2, with no treatment other than supportive care. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Early Edition, week of June 6), researchers at Children's Hospital Boston show how loss or mutation of the SMA gene causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, and suggest a promising approach to treating the condition, sometimes referred to as a "Lou Gehrig's disease of babies."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Research from the University of Louisville published today (June 6) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates the removal of a tiny RNA molecule in mice suppresses carcinogenic tumor formation. The study appears in the journal's Early Edition online at www.pnas.org.
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- According to the American Cancer Society, more than 11.4 million Americans are currently living with cancer. While cancer treatments are plentiful, many have negative side effects. Previous studies have indicated that a significant number of patients who receive chemotherapy also experience cognitive declines, including decreases in verbal fluency and memory. Now, one University of Missouri health psychologist has found evidence that indicates Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art, might help overcome some of those problems.
ATHENS, Ohio (June 6, 2011)—Yo-yo dieters may be healthier and live longer than those who stay obese, a new Ohio University study finds.
Mice that switched between a high-fat and low-fat diet every four weeks during their approximate two-year lifespan lived about 25 percent longer and had better blood glucose levels than obese animals that ate a high-fat diet. The yo-yo dieters also lived about as long as a control group of mice steadily fed a low-fat diet.
Wrinkles are a telltale sign of aging, and they might also be able to predict a woman's bone fracture risk, according to Yale School of Medicine researchers who report in a new study that the severity and distribution of skin wrinkles and overall skin quality could tell the story of bone mineral density in early menopausal women.
The findings will be presented June 6 at the Endocrine Society Meeting in Boston, Mass., by Lubna Pal, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Science at Yale School of Medicine.
Overweight girls lose more weight and can better stay on a healthy diet if they eat sugar-free, low-fat desserts several times weekly, as opposed to any dessert once a week, a new study finds. The results will be reported Monday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.
Women who have higher levels of the appetite-controlling hormone leptin have fewer symptoms of depression, and this apparent inverse relationship is not related to body mass index (BMI), a new study finds. On Monday the results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.
"Animal data suggest that leptin may reduce anxiety and improve depression. Our study in women suggests that leptin may indeed have antidepressant qualities," said the study's lead author, Elizabeth Lawson, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Migraine specialists attending the American Headache Society (AHS) science meeting here this weekend say they believe that more government money for migraine research holds the most promise for winning the battle against the disease.
When asked to rank four areas of research need, 40 % say an increase in public funds is more important even than understanding basic aspects of the disease -- more than early intervention in a migraine attack (28%), migraine genetics (25%), or the role of the thalamus (6%).
San Antonio, Texas (June 6, 2011)—Research being presented at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting shows that molecular imaging is helping to determine the cause and expand treatment for a silent killer. A study focusing on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)—a cardiovascular disorder that causes a thickening of the heart muscle—is proving that the effects of a genetic mutation may be an important key to understanding the disease. In related research, a treatment called alcohol septal ablation is being revealed as an effective treatment for severe cases of HCM.
San Antonio, Texas (June 6, 2011)—Research introduced at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting reveals the extent to which an ongoing study can help save life and limb for patients with diabetes-related foot infections. Diabetes can cause nerve damage and reduced blood flow to the bones and tissues of the feet, leaving diabetics vulnerable to infection. This study shows that combining two imaging agents with molecular imaging techniques provides diabetic patients an excellent infection screening method that has already spared a number of patients from aggressive amputation of infected feet.
San Antonio, Texas (June 6, 2011)—Research presented at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting highlights molecular imaging's diagnostic potential for patients with fever of unknown origin. Persistent fever can be a warning sign for a range of diseases that could be dangerous if left untreated. A single, full-body molecular imaging scan may give physicians everything they need to narrow down the cause and determine appropriate treatment.
San Antonio, Texas (June 6, 2011)—A study introduced at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting shows potential relief for patients who suffer chronic pain after back surgery. A molecular imaging procedure that combines functional and anatomical information about the body is able to zero in on the site of abnormal bone reaction and provide more accurate diagnoses and appropriate pain management for patients who have received hardware implants or bone grafts.
San Antonio, Texas (June 6, 2011)—A study introduced at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting is advancing a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging method that uses new 4D image reconstruction to achieve the highest diagnostic capability for the detection of cancer. Mounting evidence shows that PET imaging, which provides visual representations of bodily functions, is significantly more sensitive when used with cutting-edge 4D image reconstruction technology that accounts for patient respiration and produces clearer, more easily interpreted images.
San Antonio, Texas (June 6, 2011)—Scientists presented new research at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting that has the potential to help physicians detect breast cancer by imaging the proliferation of blood vessels carrying oxygen and nutrients to breast tumors. Their study is evaluating a new imaging agent that is naturally drawn to angiogenesis—the development of new blood vessels in tissues both normal and cancerous. This process turns malignant during the growth stage of many cancerous tumors including those in breast tissue.