New Rochelle, NY, April 7, 2011—A growing body of research suggests that caffeine disrupts glucose metabolism and may contribute to the development and poor control of type 2 diabetes, a major public health problem. A review article in the inaugural issue of Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers, examines the latest evidence, contradicting earlier studies suggesting a protective effect of caffeine. The entire issue is available free online.
Body
The internally-driven daily cycle of blood pressure changes doesn't appear to be linked to the known increase in morning heart attacks, according to a study in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers sought to identify the role of the internal human body clock in the daily rise and fall in blood pressure. In the study, three groups of volunteers showed an internal daily blood pressure variation with a peak at around 9 p.m. — independent of changes in activity and other behavioral influences that can affect blood pressure.
Virtual reality (VR) and other video games led to significant improvement in arm strength following stroke and could provide an affordable, enjoyable and effective way to intensify treatment, according research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers analyzed seven observational and five randomized trials, representing a total of 195 patients, ages 26 to 88, who had suffered mild to moderate strokes.Each study had investigated the effects of electronic games on upper arm strength and function.
DETROIT—A component in soybeans increases radiation's ability to kill lung cancer cells, according to a Wayne State University study published in the April 2011 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the official monthly journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2011 – Science is playing an increasingly prominent role in many controversial political, religious and socio-economic debates, such as those about embryonic stem cells, genetically modified foods, teaching evolution and climate change. As a result, scientists are finding themselves forced into the fray and frustrated when their data and findings are misunderstood by policymakers and the public and even misrepresented for political gains.
April 7, 2011 – (BRONX, NY) – For many types of cancer, the original tumor itself is usually not deadly. Instead, it's the spread of a tiny subpopulation of cells from the primary tumor to other parts of the body—the process known as metastasis—that all too often kills the patient. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two molecules that enable cancer to spread inside the body.
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A new study from Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/), the largest long-term study of kidney transplant recipients published to date, demonstrates that progressive damage to kidney transplants may be less common and less severe than previously reported.
WORCESTER, Mass. – A single change to even one of the thousands of DNA codes that make up each gene in the human genome can result in severe diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Huntington's Disease. A similarly minor change in the DNA of a virus or bacteria can give rise to drug resistant strains that are difficult for physicians to treat with standard drug therapies.
In just six years, bacteria in the genus Rickettsia spread through a population of the sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), an invasive pest of global importance. Infected insects lay more eggs, develop faster and are more likely to survive to adulthood compared to their uninfected peers.
The discoveries were made by a University of Arizona-led team of scientists and are published in the April 8 issue of the journal Science.
LA JOLLA, CA – April 7, 2011 – Slight oscillations lasting just milliseconds have a huge impact on an enzyme's function, according to a new study by Scripps Research Institute scientists. Blocking these movements, without changing the enzyme's overall structure or any of its other properties, renders the enzyme defective in carrying out chemical reactions.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fetuses with defects in a molecular machine that edits information cells use to make proteins can develop a rare form of dwarfism, according to a new study led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has launched an innovative website to help educators assess more precisely what students know about key ideas in science and -- just as importantly -- the incorrect ideas they have. It offers an unusually detailed picture of how middle and high school students across the United States are currently doing in science, and features information on what they know and on hundreds of misconceptions they have about everything from the size of atoms to whether all organisms have DNA.
(Edmonton) Ian Colman, an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, recently completed a study that suggests that treatment of depression may have long-term benefits.
The data Colman reviewed came from the National Population Health Survey, a longitudinal Canadian study, and showed depressed adults who use antidepressants are three times less likely to be depressed eight years later, compared to depressed adults who don't use antidepressants.
Cave fish sleep significantly less than their surface counterparts, a finding by New York University biologists that reveals the genes involved in sleep patterns and disorders. Their study, which appears in the journal Current Biology, may shed light on how genetic makeup contributes to sleep variation and disruption in humans.
The study's authors were Erik Duboué, an NYU graduate student, Alex Keene, an NYU post-doctoral fellow, and Richard Borowsky, a professor in NYU's Department of Biology.
A new study demonstrates that a procedure used in preconception diagnosis to identify eggs that are free of genetic disease might not work well in all cases. The research, published by Cell Press in the April issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, highlights the issues associated with analyzing the amount of mutant mitochondrial DNA in supporting cells as a proxy for eggs prior to in vitro fertilization.