Body

Why would a bacteria-killing protein be present in an area of the body that is not normally exposed to bacteria, like the pancreas? Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa puzzled over this question for some time, until they eventually discovered that the protein in question was doing something entirely unexpected - it was actually helping the pancreas regenerate and produce insulin. This ground-breaking discovery, recently published in the journal Diabetes, could lead to new treatments for this devastating disease.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - For the first time, scientists at The Ohio State University have engineered new calcium receptors for the heart to tune the strength of the heartbeat in an animal model. The research is published online by the journal Nature Communications.

Selecting the right fertilized embryo for in vitro fertilization (IVF) might be as simple as choosing a ripe piece of fruit: Just give it a squeeze. If it's too firm or too soft, it might not be good. The sweet spot in between is just right.

Excessive growth of bacteria in the small intestine could be damaging the gut of young children, leading to stunting, scientists from the U.S. and Bangladesh have discovered.

Globally, 165 million children are stunted or short for their age, while in Bangladesh -- where the researchers have been working -- stunting affects 36 percent of children under 5. Being stunted increases the chance of both cognitive disability and death before the age of 5.

Life in an Urban Slum

Self-organizing social behaviour in the so-called plant-animal, a 'solar-powered' species of marine flat worm that gains all its energy from the algae within its own body, has been demonstrated by researchers from the University of Bristol, UK.

Bacteria in the gut of disease-bearing insects - including the mosquito which carries the Zika virus - can be used as a Trojan horse to help control the insects' population, new research at Swansea University has shown.

The results showed declines in fertility of up to 100% and an increase of 60% in the mortality rate of larvae, amongst the insects studied.

They warn that newborns may develop infections from exposure to vaginal bacteria, and suggest that encouraging breast feeding and avoiding unnecessary antibiotics may be much more important.

The term vaginal seeding describes giving babies a swab of vaginal fluid after they have been born by caesarean.

The theory is that this boosts beneficial gut microbes that keep our immune systems healthy and so may reduce the risk of developing conditions such as asthma, food allergies, and hay fever in later life.

Doctors are seeing a rise in the number of parents requesting so-called 'vaginal seeding' for babies born by caesarean section, according to an editorial in the BMJ.

The practice, which is also known as microbirthing, involves taking a swab from the mother's vagina and wiping this over the baby's mouth, eyes, face and skin shortly after birth by caesarean section.

A therapy widely recommended in the UK, Europe and the US to stop babies from being born too soon is ineffective, research shows.

The treatment does not appear to pose any harm to mother or baby but has no effect on preventing an early birth, the findings reveal.

Researchers say that use of the medicine should be reviewed. They also call for a re-doubling of efforts to find alternative interventions to prevent premature births.

Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, high-dose treatment with atorvastatin before and after surgery did not reduce the overall risk of acute kidney injury compared with placebo, according to study published by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 45th Critical Care Congress.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- When diagnosed with breast cancer, women may have thousands of questions running through their minds, but one they may not have immediately is: Will my choice of provider save me time and money?

Mayo Clinic researchers have answered this question with what they believe are compelling statistics that may encourage women and their doctors -- and the health care system at large -- to consider a different way of doing business, specifically with respect to lumpectomies as a treatment for early-stage breast cancer.

MINNEAPOLIS - Migraine and tension-type headaches may share genetic links with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Screening for cancer has many obvious benefits - you're preventing cancer or catching it early. But each screening tool also comes with potential harms or risks.

A new study finds most cancer screening guidelines do not clearly spell out the benefits and harms of the recommended actions.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System examined 55 professional guideline recommendations for cancer screening or prevention. They found 69 percent did not quantify and present benefits and harms in comparable terms.

The majority of cancer prevention and screening recommendations in the United States did not quantify benefits and harms or were unable to be presented in an even matter. These prevention and screening recommendations should be improved so that both clinicians and patients have better access to information so that they can make a more educated decision, according to a study published February 23 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

AMARILLO - Texas A&M AgriLife Research is closing in on specific genetic traits in wheat that can help increase yields in the future.

The title of a recent paper published in the Crop Science journal, "Validation of Chromosomal Locations of 90K Array Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in US Wheat," may leave some dazed and confused.

But lead scientist, Dr. Shuyu Liu, AgriLife Research small grains geneticist in Amarillo, said it simply means they are narrowing the knowledge gap as to where key traits are in the wheat genome and how to access them.