Body | Page 4350 | Science Codex

A role for calcium in taste perception

Calcium may not come to mind when you think of tasty foods, but in a study appearing in the January 8 issue of JBC, Japanese researchers have provided the first demonstration that calcium channels on the tongue are the targets of compounds that can enhance taste.

In addition to molecules that directly trigger specific taste buds (salty, sweet etc.), there are other substances which have no flavor of their own but can enhance the flavors they are paired with (known as kokumi taste in Japanese cuisine).

Research confirms efficacy of the newly reclassified TMN staging system

Research released in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology sought to determine and validate the efficacy of the recent reclassification of the T category in the IASLC's Staging Manual in Thoracic Oncology.

What came first in the origin of life? A study contradicts the 'metabolism first' hypothesis

A research published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences rejects the theory that the origin of life stems from a system of self-catalytic molecules capable of experiencing Darwinian evolution without the need of RNA or DNA and their replication.

A virtual liver, a better chance of life

EUREKA project E! 3184 – Odysseus has developed systems to construct 3D images of individual patients' livers, with their tumours or other pathologies, from MRI or CT-scans. The reconstructions can be transmitted to external experts in any location, for consultation in real time just before surgery. Collaborative decisions can be made and optimal therapy planned with the best possible diagnostic support, before real surgery is attempted.

How high can a climber go?

The maximum time an athlete is able to continue climbing to exhaustion may be the only determinant of his/her performance. A new European study, led by researchers from the University of Granada, the objective of which is to help trainers and climbers design training programmes for this type of sport, shows this to be the case.

Blood test could improve graft-versus-host disease treatment

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan researchers have identified the first biomarker of graft-versus-host disease of the skin. The discovery makes possible a simple blood test that should solve a treatment dilemma facing doctors with patients who frequently develop rashes after bone marrow transplants. The biomarker also makes it possible to predict who is at greatest risk of dying of graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD.

New record in the area of prime number decomposition of cryptographically important numbers

An international team of scientists from EPFL (Switzerland), INRIA (France), NTT (Japan), CWI (The Netherlands) and Bonn University (Germany), has obtained the prime factors of the RSA challenge number RSA-768, using the Number Field Sieve. The calculation tookless than 2000 core years on modern CPUs. Extrapolating the trend from previous records in this area (512-bit in 1999, 663-bit in 2005, and the current 768-bit in 2009), it is reasonable to expect that 1024-bit keys will exhibit a similar degree of vulnerability within the next decade.

Regenerative medicine up in China despite world skepticism about stem cell therapies

Chinese researchers have become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to peer-reviewed scientific literature on clock-reversing regenerative medicine even as a skeptical international research community condemns the practice of Chinese clinics administering unproven stem cell therapies to domestic and foreign patients.

Abnormal blood calcium levels deadly for kidney disease patients

Abnormally high or low blood calcium levels are linked to an increased chance of premature death in non-dialysis kidney disease patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate the potential importance of finding drugs or other treatments that maintain normal blood calcium levels in non-dialysis patients.

Nanoscience goes 'big'

Nanoscience has the potential to play an enormous role in enhancing a range of products, including sensors, photovoltaics and consumer electronics. Scientists in this field have created a multitude of nano scale materials, such as metal nanocrystals, carbon nanotubes and semiconducting nanowires.

Quitline messages that stress benefits of quitting may improve smoking cessation

Smokers who received gain-framed messaging from quitline specialists (i.e., stressing the benefits of quitting) had slightly better cessation outcomes than those who received standard-care messaging (i.e., potential losses from smoking and benefits of quitting), according to a new study published online January 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Researchers also established that quitline specialists can be trained to provide gain-framed messaging with good fidelity.

SNPs in C-reactive protein are not associated with increased risk of cancer

Gene variants associated with increased circulating levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, are not associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to a new brief communication published online January 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Cold War offered odd benefit -- it limited species invasions

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A recent study about movement of bird species during the Cold War outlines one of the perils facing an expanding global economy – along with international trade comes the potential for a significant increase in invasive species that can disrupt ecosystems.

The research found that during an extended period following World War II, when most trade and travel was interrupted between Eastern Europe and its western counterparts, there were far fewer introduced bird species.

Each pound at birth lowers risk of developing TB

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Just one more pound may help a newborn avoid tuberculosis later in life.

Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at how much protection additional birth weight added against developing the disease years later. They found that every 1.1 pounds of birth weight decreases the risk of developing tuberculosis later by 46 percent among identical twins.

Eminent group of scientists call for moratorium on issuance of mountaintop mining permits

Washington, DC (January 8, 2010) – Based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific findings and new data, a group of the nation's leading environmental scientists are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to stay all new mountaintop mining permits. In today's edition of the journal Science, they argue that peer-reviewed research unequivocally documents irreversible environmental impacts from this form of mining which also exposes local residents to a higher risk of serious health problems.