Body | Page 4370 | Science Codex

Santa should get off his sleigh and walk, says public health doctor

Santa should share Rudolf's snack of carrots and celery sticks rather than brandy and mince pies and swap his reindeer for a bike or walk, says a public health expert in the Christmas issue published on bmj.com today.

Dr Nathan Grills, from Monash University in Australia, says the current image of Santa promotes obesity, drink-driving, speeding and a general unhealthy lifestyle. He argues that "Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1% to damage millions of lives" and that it would be better if his popularity was used to promote healthy living.

Leprosy susceptibility genes reported in New England Journal of Medicine paper

In the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of leprosy and the largest GWAS on an infectious disease, scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and 26 institutes in China identified seven genes that increase an individual's susceptibility to leprosy.

The discovery of these genes, reported in the 16 Dec. 2009 New England Journal of Medicine, highlights the important role of the innate immune response in the development of leprosy, said the scientists, who analyzed over 10,000 samples from leprosy patients and healthy controls in China.

New England Journal of Medicine publishes CWRU review of the 'molecular basis of colorectal cancer'

CLEVELAND -- December 16, 2009 -- Every year in the United States, 160,000 cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed, and 57,000 patients die of the disease, making it the second leading cause of death from cancer among adults, after lung cancer.

U-M study reveals lack of diversity in embryonic stem cell lines

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---The most widely used human embryonic stem cell lines lack genetic diversity, a finding that raises social justice questions that must be addressed to ensure that all sectors of society benefit from stem cell advances, according to a University of Michigan research team.

Researchers take the inside route to halt bleeding

Blood loss is a major cause of death from roadside bombs to freeway crashes. Traumatic injury, the leading cause of death for people age 4 to 44, often overwhelms the body's natural blood-clotting process.

In an effort to enhance the natural process, a team led by Erin Lavik, a new Case Western Reserve University biomedical engineering professor, and her former doctoral student, James P. Bertram, built synthetic platelets that show promise in halting internal and external bleeding.

Their work is published in Science Translational Medicine.

Warming climate chills Sonoran Desert's spring flowers

Global warming is giving a boost to Sonoran Desert plants that have an edge during cold weather, according to new research.

Although the overall numbers of winter annuals have declined since 1982, species that germinate and grow better at low temperatures are becoming more common.

"It's an unexpected result -- that global warming has led to an increase in cold-adapted species," said lead author Sarah Kimball, a research associate at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "Because the winter rains are arriving later, they are occurring under colder temperatures."

Michelangelos make smart lovers

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Is that really Bob? You've seen him hundreds of mornings for the last 10 years at local coffee shops. Since he started dating Sara, he looks you in the eye -- and smiles. Sara takes every opportunity to let coffee shop cronies know that Bob is her guy and to gush about how funny he is. And he is. Who knew?

Think of Sara like Michelangelo chipping away at a block of marble to release the ideal figure slumbering within.

Stem-cell activators switch function, repress mature cells

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a developing animal, stem cells proliferate and differentiate to form the organs needed for life. A new study shows how a crucial step in this process happens and how a reversal of that step contributes to cancer.

The study, led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, shows for the first time that three proteins, called E2f1, E2f2 and E2f3, play a key role in the transition stem cells make to their final, differentiated, state.

Lung cancer and melanoma laid bare

Research teams led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute announce the first comprehensive analyses of cancer genomes.

All cancers are caused by mutations in the DNA of cancer cells which are acquired during a person's lifetime. The studies, of a malignant melanoma and a lung cancer, reveal for the first time essentially all the mutations in the genomes of two cancers.

Scientists use DNA sequencing to attack lung cancer

DALLAS – Dec. 16, 2009 – Aided by next-generation DNA sequencing technology, an international team of researchers has gained insights into how more than 60 carcinogens associated with cigarette smoke bind to and chemically modify human DNA, ultimately leading to cancer-causing genetic mutations.

Toward reading your own personal 'Book of Life'

What secrets about your risk for diseases are written in your own personal "Book of Life" — the 30,000 or so genes that make you you? Advances in DNA-sequencing technology are bringing closer the day when it will be more economical for consumers to get an answer to that question, and others, by ordering up the deciphering of their entire genetic endowment — their "personal genome." That's the possibility that Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine, raises in a compelling new cover story.

World's rarest gorilla ready for its close-up

Due to the steep mountain terrain, tracking gorillas in Kagwene is time-consuming and sometimes treacherous. Through the years, WCS researchers have developed an effective non-invasive monitoring system aimed at keeping track of the gorillas without disturbing them or getting them used to human presence. After weeks with WCS's assistance, the crew finally filmed several minutes of two gorillas feeding on figs some 30-40 feet above the forest floor.

TGen analysis identifies biomarkers for diabetic kidney failure

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Dec. 16, 2009 — Researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.

Study results, published in the December edition of Diabetic Medicine, show it is possible to identify biomarkers associated with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) from the pooled DNA of more than 1,000 diabetics. Specifically, TGen researchers identified genes that could potentially contribute to ESRD among those with Type 1 Diabetes.

Heart drugs show promise for fighting colon cancer

Scientists in Sweden are reporting for the first time that a group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer. The study is in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, with more than 150,000 cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

Argonne scientists use bacteria to power simple machines

ARGONNE, Ill. (Dec. 16, 2009) — Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University, Evanston, have discovered that common bacteria can turn microgears when suspended in a solution, providing insights for design of bio-inspired dynamically adaptive materials for energy.