Body | Page 3639 | Science Codex

Higher density means world forests are capturing more carbon

Forests in many regions are becoming larger carbon sinks thanks to higher density, U.S. and European researchers say in a new report.

In Europe and North America, increased density significantly raised carbon storage despite little or no expansion of forest area, according to the study, led by Aapo Rautiainen of the University of Helsinki, Finland, and published in the online, open-access journal PLoS One.

Even in the South American nations studied, more density helped maintain regional carbon levels in the face of deforestation.

A study analyzes the role of universities and technology institutes in firm innovation

Many of those living with HIV face a new life-threatening challenge: cancer

CHICAGO – As the world marks the 30-year anniversary of the first reporting of HIV/AIDS, now comes the realization of a new challenge for people with the incurable disease. For reasons not yet clear, people with HIV face a higher rate of cancers not usually associated with HIV. This increasing rate of "non-AIDS defining cancers" includes lung, head and neck, liver, kidney, and anal cancers, among others. The alarming uptick in cancer rates highlights the critical need to understand how to treat tumors in people taking highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV.

New strategy to attack tumor-feeding blood vessels

Scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have discovered a key molecule needed to kill the blood vessels that supply tumours.

Singapore researchers invent broadband graphene polarizer

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have invented a graphene-based polarizer that can broaden the bandwidth of prevailing optical fibre-based telecommunication systems.

Research creates nanoparticles perfectly formed to tackle cancer

Researchers from the University of Hull have discovered a way to load up nanoparticles with large numbers of light-sensitive molecules to create a more effective form of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for treating cancer.

Photodynamic therapy uses molecules which, when irradiated with light, cause irreparable damage to cells by creating toxic forms of oxygen, called reactive oxygen species. Most PDT works with individual light-sensitive molecules – but the new nanoparticles could each carry hundreds of molecules to a cancer site.

Molecular movements could lead to new way to treat cancer

Work by researchers at Queen Mary, University of London could point to a new way to treat aggressive types of cancer.

The scientists have found that a molecule called Met is responsible for stimulating the growth and spread of cancer because it is relocating to the wrong part of the cell.

Experiments in the lab suggest that moving Met molecules from the inside of the cell to the cell surface could halt the growth of cancer cells and even cause tumours to shrink.

Methane gas from cows -- the proof is in the poo

Scientists could have a revolutionary new way of measuring how much of the potent greenhouse gas methane is produced by cows and other ruminants, thanks to a surprising discovery in their poo.

Researchers from the University of Bristol and the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research Centre in Ireland, have found a link between methane production and levels of a compound called archaeol in the faeces of several fore-gut fermenting animals including cows, sheep and deer.

Gene therapy reverses type 1 diabetes in mice

An experimental cure for Type 1 diabetes has a nearly 80 percent success rate in curing diabetic mice. The results, to be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston, offer possible hope of curing a disease that affects 3 million Americans.

"With just one injection of this gene therapy, the mice remain diabetes-free long term and have a return of normal insulin levels in the body," said Vijay Yechoor, MD, the principal investigator and an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

BPA lowers male fertility

Daily exposure to a chemical that is prevalent in the human environment, bisphenol A (BPA), causes lowered fertility in male mice, according to the results of a new study that will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

Fat burning increases in men with oral form of bronchodilator drug, formoterol

Formoterol, a medication used to treat asthma and other lung diseases, improves fat burning and protein metabolism in men, a new study finds. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

"Research in animals has shown that formoterol can stimulate the growth of muscle and the burning of fat. This is the first study demonstrating the beneficial metabolic effects of formoterol in humans," said the study's lead author Paul Lee, MD, PhD, a research fellow at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

City of Hope researchers demonstrate anticancer effect of mushrooms

DUARTE, Calif. -- City of Hope researchers have investigated compounds in natural foods for their potential anticancer benefits, with a focus on food items that are easily found in grocery stores to ensure greater access and availability. Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., associate chair and professor of City of Hope's Department of Cancer Biology, identified phytochemicals in mushrooms that block the ezyme aromatase from producing estrogen. Controlling aromatase activity can help decrease estrogen levels, which controls and kills hormone-dependent breast cancers.

Anti-obesity vaccine reduces food consumption in animals

A new therapeutic vaccine to treat obesity by suppressing the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin decreases food intake and increases calorie burning in mice, a new study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

"An anti-ghrelin vaccine may become an alternate treatment for obesity, to be used in combination with diet and exercise," said Mariana Monteiro, MD, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Porto in Portugal. She is lead investigator of the study.

Cut down on 'carbs' to reduce body fat, study authors say

A modest reduction in consumption of carbohydrate foods may promote loss of deep belly fat, even with little or no change in weight, a new study finds. Presentation of the study results will be Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

When paired with weight loss, consumption of a moderately reduced carbohydrate diet can help achieve a reduction of total body fat, according to principal author Barbara Gower, PhD, a professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Stem cell treatment may become option to treat nonhealing bone fractures

Stem cell therapy enriched with a bone-regenerating hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I(IGF-I), can help mend broken bones in fractures that are not healing normally, a new animal study finds. The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting will host presentation of the results on Sunday in Boston.