Body | Page 4951 | Science Codex

Untangling DNA regulation

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- MIT biologists have discovered that the organization of DNA's packing material plays a critical role in directing stem cells to become different types of adult cells.

The work, to be published in the journal Cell on Nov. 14, could also shed light on the possible role of DNA packaging in cancer development.

Led by Laurie Boyer, assistant professor of biology at MIT, the researchers examined the role of chromatin — the structure that forms when DNA is wound around a core of proteins called histones.

New UGA research on gene sheds light on T-cell production

Athens, Ga. – New research, just published by researchers from the University of Georgia, provides the first evidence that a key gene may be crucial to maintaining the production of the thymus and its disease-fighting T-cells after an animal's birth.

American Dietetic Association releases 2008 nutrition trends survey

CHICAGO – Increasing numbers of American adults are aware of the importance of nutrition and physical activity and are taking steps to eat a healthy diet and engage in exercise, according to the American Dietetic Association's nationwide consumer opinion survey, Nutrition and You: Trends 2008.

In each ADA survey since 1991, ADA has used respondents' answers to a number of different questions to segment consumers into three groups representing people's overall attitudes toward maintaining a healthy diet and getting regular exercise:

The beauty machine

Our mothers told us that true beauty is more than skin deep — but researchers from Tel Aviv University are now challenging Mom.

They've built a beauty machine that, with the press of a button, turns a picture of your own ordinary face into that of a cover model. While its output is currently limited to digitized images, the software may be able to guide plastic surgeons, aid magazine cover editors, and even become a feature incorporated into all digital cameras.

Surprisingly, female models have negative effect on men

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Many studies have shown that media images of female models have had a negative impact on how woman view their own bodies, but does this same effect hold true when men view male models? A leading researcher of media effects on body image at the University of Missouri looked at the effect of male magazines on college-age men.

Repairing DNA damage: Researchers discover critical process in cancer treatment

Montreal, November 6, 2008 – From the sun's UVA rays to tobacco smoke, our environment is chock-full of DNA-damaging agents that can lead to cancer. Thanks to our body's DNA repair mechanisms, however, the effects of many carcinogens can be reversed thereby preventing the formation of tumours.

Gold nanostar shape of the future

DURHAM, N.C. – Rods, cones, cubes and spheres – move aside. Tiny gold stars, smaller than a billionth of a meter, may hold the promise for new approaches to medical diagnoses or testing for environmental contaminants.

While nanoparticles have been the rage across a wide spectrum of sciences, a new study by Duke University bioengineers indicates that of all the shapes studied to date, stars may shine above all the rest for certain applications.

UC team virtually rebuilds lost architecture of the Shakers

A 19th-century historian traveling in southern Ohio later wrote about his first glimpse of Union Village, a Shaker community located near Harrison, Ohio: "When I caught sight of the first house, my opinion was confirmed that I was on the lands of the Shakers, for the …style of architecture, solid appearance and want of decorative art was before me."

The style of architecture and the construction methods used by the Shakers throughout Middle America and New England were unusual – reflecting an ascetic living and working structure that was both communal and gender-segregated.

Expert recommends town councils to design low-allergy impact green spaces

6,000km trip to reveal clues to ancient migration

Two Durham University scientists are to play a key part in a 6000km trip following the migration route of ancient Pacific cultures.

Drs Keith Dobney and Greger Larson, both from the Department of Archaeology, will be joining the voyage, which will be the first ever expedition to sail in two traditional Polynesian boats - ethnic double canoes - which attempts to re-trace the genuine migration route of the ancient Austronesians.

Extended treatment with combination medication for opioid-addicted youths shows benefit

Adolescents addicted to opioids who received continuing treatment with the combination medication buprenorphine-naloxone had lower rates of testing positive or reporting use of opioids compared to youths who went through a short-term detoxification program using the same medication, according to a study in the November 5 issue of JAMA.

Study shows testosterone improves sexual well-being in post-menopausal women

WHAT:An international study showed testosterone, when used with no other hormone therapy, is an effective treatment for low libido in postmenopausal women. More than 800 women from 65 centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Sweden participated in the study, the first to show that testosterone administered by a skin patch can boost sex drive in postmenopausal women.

Age is not a key factor in cancer survival, but clinical trials exclude older patients

Age is not an independent factor in cancer survival rates and should not influence decisions about how to treat older patients, according to a study in the November issue of IJCP, the Independent Journal of Clinical Practice.

A team of hospital and University-based researchers from Barcelona, Spain, carried out a detailed study of more than 200 patients diagnosed with cancer.

MIT creates tiny backpacks for cells

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- MIT engineers have outfitted cells with tiny "backpacks" that could allow them to deliver chemotherapy agents, diagnose tumors or become building blocks for tissue engineering.

Michael Rubner, director of MIT's Center for Materials Science and Engineering and senior author of a paper on the work that appeared online in Nano Letters on Nov. 5, said he believes this is the first time anyone has attached such a synthetic patch to a cell.

Hormone therapy helps short children grow up

Chevy Chase, MD— Growth hormone treatment may significantly increase final height in children diagnosed with short stature, even in cases where the child is not growth hormone deficient, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Growth hormone (GH) has been shown to be effective in treating GH deficient children with short stature, but its effect on non GH deficient children with short stature has remained unclear.