Body

Breeding wildness back into our fruit and veg

Wild tomatoes are better able to protect themselves against the destructive whitefly than our modern, commercial varieties, new research has shown.

The study, published today in the academic journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development, shows that in our quest for larger redder, longer-lasting tomatoes we have inadvertently bred out key characteristics that help the plant defend itself against predators.

Dual mode of resistance in wild tomatoes

Stronger evidence found for link between prenatal exposure to paracetamol and the risk of developing

Researchers have provided new evidence that developing asthma can be linked to pregnant women and infants being exposed to paracetamol; by testing that the association was not simply due to the medical complaint for which the person is taking paracetamol. The findings were published today (Wednesday) in the International Journal of Epidemiology [1].

Co-author of the study, Maria Magnus, commented that: "uncovering potential adverse effects is of public health importance, as paracetamol is the most commonly used painkiller among pregnant women and infants."

Alcohol offender program associated with drop in deaths, study finds

An innovative program that requires alcohol-involved offenders to abstain from alcohol and submit to frequent alcohol tests may be associated with a reduction in deaths, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

New study finds interruption of radiation therapy risks cancer recurrence

February 9, 2016--(NEW YORK, NY)--Cancer patients who miss two or more radiation therapy sessions have a worse outcome than fully compliant patients, investigators at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine's NCI-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center have found.

Wayne State University researchers discover new source of mutations in cancer

DETROIT-- Mutations are the replacement of DNA bases known as Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T) with other bases. When mutations such as C to T or G to A are found within a specific DNA sequence, this is known as a mutation signature. These mutation signatures are like spelling mistakes that carry signs of the agents that caused the mutations. Ultraviolet light, tobacco smoke and other cancer-causing agents leave behind such signatures in the DNA of tumors.

Engineering researchers use laser to 'weld' neurons

(Edmonton) A research team based in the University of Alberta Faculty of Engineering has developed a method of connecting neurons, using ultrashort laser pulses--a breakthrough technique that opens the door to new medical research and treatment opportunities.

The team is the first ever to find a way to bond neurons and in doing so, has given researchers a powerful new tool. Neurons are cells in the nervous system that are responsible for transferring information between the brain and the rest of the body.

Common gene variant influences food choices ... for better or worse

If you're fat, can you blame it on your genes? The answer is a qualified yes. Maybe. Under certain circumstances. Researchers are moving towards a better understanding of some of the roots of obesity.

A 'nudge' reduces doctors' unnecessary antibiotic prescription, study finds

Behavioral interventions that appealed to doctors' competitive spirits and desire to strengthen their reputations motivated them to significantly reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, a new study shows.

Behind the levees

People living behind levees on floodplains may not be as immune to flood damage as they think, according to results of a study led by the University of California, Davis.

Levees often prevent costly flood damages and even loss of life. However, when those levees overtop or fail, and water spills onto the floodplain, the long-term damage can be far worse than if those levees were not there, the study found.

Scientists discover how breast cancer cells spread from blood vessels

Researchers have identified a protein that controls how breast cancer cells spread around the body, according to a Cancer Research UK-funded study published in Science Signaling* today (Tuesday).

This study sheds light on how cancer cells leave the blood vessels to travel to a new part of the body, using a technique that allows researchers to map how cancer cells interact and exchange information with cells that make up the blood vessels.

Eye abnormalities in infants with microcephaly associated with Zika virus

Vision-threatening eye abnormalities in infants in Brazil with microcephaly (a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head) may be associated with presumed intrauterine infection with Zika virus, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.

An epidemic of Zika virus has been happening in Brazil since April 2015. Six months after the onset of the Zika virus outbreak, there was an unusual increase in newborns with microcephaly. In January 2016, the Brazilian Ministry of Health reported 3,174 newborns with microcephaly.

It doesn't 'get better' for some bullied LGBT youths

  • First study to examine severity of bullying over time, its impact on mental health
  • Researchers struck by 'how severe' harassment, assaults are for some LGBT teens
  • If these 'criminal offenses' happened out of school, 'people would be calling the police'

An artificial diet may make it easier to rear insects

Scientists who conduct research on insects need to be able to keep them alive, sometimes for many generations. That can be difficult, especially since members of many insect species are particularly picky eaters.

However, a group of Canadian entomologists may have found a solution, at least for scientists who are conducting research on moths.

Children with special health care needs and their families have high food insecurity risk

BOSTON - Low-income families with children who have special health care needs are at high risk for food insecurity, even when they receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and participate in public assistance programs, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Rare bumble bee may be making a comeback in Pacific northwest

Bombus occidentalis used to be the most common bumble bee species in the Pacific Northwest, but in the mid 1990s it became one of the rarest. Now, according to an article in the Journal of Insect Science offers, it may be making a comeback.