All subjects analyzed in a recent study carried at least one kind of persistent organic compound, substances internationally classified as potentially harmful to one's health. More pesticides, fungicides and insecticides were detected in women than in men, and in adults rather than younger people.
Activating a protein found on some immune cells seems to halt the cells'typical job of spewing out substances that launch allergic reactions, a new study suggests. The findings could eventually lead to new treatments for allergic reactions ranging from annoying bouts of hay fever to deadly asthma attacks.
Motorists who talk on cell phones drive slower on the freeway, pass sluggish vehicles less often and take longer to complete their trips, according to a new study that suggests drivers on cell phones congest traffic. "At the end of the day, the average person's commute is longer because of that person who is on the cell phone right in front of them,"says the leader of the research team.
Two simple changes in its outer envelope protein could render the AIDS virus vulnerable to attack by the immune system, according to new research. The results could provide important clues for designing an effective AIDS vaccine, which is badly needed to decrease the number of new HIV infections, now estimated at about 2.5 million per year worldwide.
Most predictions of how animals will move in changing climates rely on statistically relating an animal's current location to environmental conditions. This approach ignores potentially important aspects of an animal's biology including size, physiology, and behavior. One ecologist has developed a bottom-up approach that predicts distributions directly from an animal's traits and environmental conditions by modeling the energy use of individuals and populations.
Most studies of college-student drinking have looked at the individual, and have relied on self reports; New findings gathered from on-the-spot observations show that parties with drinking games can predict higher blood-alcohol concentrations; and young women at theme parties, especially with sexualized themes and costumes, drink more heavily than men. Interestingly, larger parties were associated with less drinking.
Just as additives help gasoline burn cleaner, a research report shows that the food industry could take a similar approach toward reducing health risks associated with fatty foods. These "meal additives"would be based on work of researchers who discovered that consuming polyphenols (natural compounds in red wine, fruits, and vegetables) simultaneously with high-fat foods may reduce health risks associated with these foods.
Neurosurgeons are reporting significant results of a new brain mapping technique that allows for the safe removal of tumors near language pathways in the brain. The technique minimizes brain exposure and reduces the amount of time a patient must be awake during surgery.
Cells keep a close watch over the transcriptome -- the totality of all parts of the genome that are expressed in any given cell at any given time. Researchers have peeled back another layer of transcriptional regulation and gain new insight into how genomes work.
Contrary to recent reports, oral osteoporosis medications that inhibit bone breakdown reduce the risk of jaw problems, based on an analysis of medical claims. Some doctors and dentists had advised patients who take oral osteoporosis medications such as Fosamax and Boniva to postpone dental work, fearing that tooth extractions and other procedures would exacerbate jaw problems purportedly linked to the medication. But the new findings refute the link and suggest the benefits of dentistry likely outweigh the risks for many of these patients.
Humans have transformed raw ingredients into food since prehistoric times. But scientists are still looking for new ways to make food taste better and survive longer. The industrial revolution brought the advent of modern food processing technology. The invention of the tin can has revolutionized the way people eat. The motivation behind its invention was simple -- make food last long. Two hundred years on, food scientists are still trying to improve the shelf life of food.
Very little is known about alcohol use by children; New findings show that the introduction to alcohol use may occur as early as eight or 10 years of age, and is an experience that typically occurs in the home; and Sipping and tasting reflect exposure to parental alcohol use in the home and do not reflect a proneness to engage in delinquent behavior or other problem behaviors.
A type of beetle that lives its entire life burrowing through stored grain has been found to lack full-color vision, and what's more the vision it does have breaks the rules. Most other insects have trichromatic vision -- they are sensitive to ultraviolet, blue and long wavelength light. Scientists reveal that this beetle has lost photoreceptors that are sensitive to blue wavelengths.
Drugs that treat depression and schizophrenia might not be triggering the most appropriate response in brain cells, new research suggests. This study examined the early chemical events that happen when a particular serotonin receptor on brain cells is stimulated by serotonin and by a hallucinogenic agent thought to mimic serotonin. The findings show that although both compounds activate this receptor, they trigger different chemical pathways inside the cell.
