Body

DURHAM, N.C. -- Many people feel anxious in crowds. But not so for prairie voles.

When these mouse-like creatures live in close quarters, they are less stressed out, researchers report in the January issue of the journal General and Comparative Endocrinology.

The study is part of a larger field of research on how social stresses such as crowding and isolation affect brain chemistry and behavior in many species, including humans.

The immune system's killer cells deliver a tightly controlled, 3-phase knockout punch that kills intracellular parasites through a novel pathway that an international team led by researchers from the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (PCMM) at Boston Children's Hospital have named "microptosis." This pathway, the investigators report in Nature Medicine, is very similar to apoptosis (the controlled cell death program thought to exist only in multicellular organisms), but with subtle differences suggesting that it could be specifically targeted for anti-parasitic or -microbial

Researchers have used a technique called transgenic somatic cell nuclear transfer to generate cattle whose cells express a gene that confers resistance to the bacterium that causes bovine tuberculosis.

The advance, which is published in The FEBS Journal, supports the development of genetically modified animals as an effective tool to reduce potentially deadly bacterial infections and prevent economic losses in the livestock industry.

Source: Wiley

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common form of cancer worldwide and treatment of this disease continues to be a major medical challenge. Despite improvements in surgical techniques, 50 to 60 percent of patients with esophageal cancer are not suitable for surgery, because of late tumor detection or metastases that cannot be removed with surgery.

The gold standard for treating inoperable esophageal cancer patients is a surgically implanted metal mesh stent, which causes a number of complications such as bleeding, chest pain, perforation, and tumor ingrowth.

In older adults, declining health is a major reason they stop driving. But when they stop driving, what impact does this have on their subsequent health and well-being?

A new review of published studies indicates that driving cessation in older adults may contribute to a variety of health problems, especially depression.

A high proportion of older adults entering long-term care homes in Ontario are B12 deficient, with more developing deficiencies over the course of their first year in residence, according to research from the University of Waterloo. There is a connection between B12 deficiency and several serious health conditions.

Our choice of romantic partner can be determined by genetics more than we might expect, a study suggests.

Researchers have discovered that the genes that determine our height also influence why people are attracted to partners of similar heights to themselves.

The findings help to explain why people choose partners of similar height to themselves.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute and MRC Human Genetics Unit analysed genetic information from more than 13,000 heterosexual couples.

A new analysis indicates that delirium commonly develops in the older patients who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery. Among 11 studies analyzed, the incidence of postoperative delirium ranged from 8.2 to 54.4 percent.

Risk factors for delirium in these patients include advanced age, poor physical status, low body mass index, low blood levels of albumin, hypotension, the need for a blood transfusion, and history of alcohol excess. Patients with postoperative delirium tended to stay in the hospital longer and die earlier than patients without delirium.

The marine aerosol is produced by the interaction of the wind and the waves. It is a suspension of inorganic salts and organic matter in minute particles that is transported by the air and with the rain. These particles present in the marine aerosol may undergo different chemical reactions in the atmosphere and they can be deposited on construction materials along with other particles present in urban-industrial atmospheres coming from anthropogenic sources (road traffic, industry, etc.).

While pregnancy is considered full-term at 40 weeks, only some 5 percent of women actually give birth on their predetermined due date. Most OBGYNs recommend more frequent and more vigilant monitoring after 40 weeks and sometimes the artificial induction of labor. But many pregnant women refuse induction due to the risk of stress to the fetus or increased likelihood of requiring a caesarean section.

African Americans who are mentally ill are at greater risk of being repeatedly victimized than are mentally ill white people, according to criminologists at Georgia State University.

The researchers found the rate of recurring victimization among this population remains stable over time, while it declines during the first year after release from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for whites.

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. - In fairytales, it's usually the damsel who is in distress. When it comes to the marine world, however, it seems it's the damsel that can cause some distress.

Damselfish are some of the most beautiful fishes in the ocean, and that's why they are so attractive to those who want a saltwater aquarium in their home or place of business. But there's a bit of a concern when it comes to one damselfish species - it is starting to pop up in a part of the ocean where it doesn't really belong.

Recent research demonstrates that an evolutionarily conserved molecular code, present on cell surface adhesion molecules, is a critical regulator of cell motility. The prehistorical code identified by the researchers finally explains on the molecular level how cells can fine-tune their migration in response to different tissue determinants. This code which predates dinosaurs and life moving to dry land remains functional in our bodies even today.

A nanoparticle drug-delivery system that combines two complementary types of anticancer treatment could improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer and other highly treatment-resistant tumors while decreasing toxicity.

According to the World Health Organization, influenza causes serious illness among millions of people each year, resulting in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. Those most at risk include infants younger than six months, because they cannot be vaccinated against the disease. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have identified a naturally occurring protein that, when added to the flu vaccine, may offer protection to babies during their first months of life.