Mosquito behavior may be immune response, not parasite manipulation

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Malaria-carrying mosquitos appear to be manipulated by the parasites they carry, but this manipulation may simply be part of the mosquitos' immune response, according to Penn State entomologists.

Penn study shows how immune system peacefully co-exists with 'good' bacteria

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PHILADELPHIA - The human gut is loaded with commensal bacteria – "good" microbes that, among other functions, help the body digest food. The gastrointestinal tract contains literally trillions of such cells, and yet the immune system seemingly turns a blind eye. However, in several chronic human diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), HIV/AIDS, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, the immune system attacks these normally beneficial bacteria, resulting in chronic inflammation and contributing to disease progression.

Slowing the aging process -- only with antibiotics

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Extending life in worms

Next, the team reproduced the protein variations in a species of nematode, Caenorhabidtis elegans. "By reducing the production of these proteins during the worms' growth phase, we significantly increased their longevity," says Auwerx.

The average life span of a worm manipulated in this way went from 19 to more than 30 days, an increase of 60 percent. The scientists then conducted tests to isolate the common property and determined that the presence of mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) is inversely proportional to longevity.

Hospitals profit when patients develop bloodstream infections

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Johns Hopkins researchers report that hospitals may be reaping enormous income for patients whose hospital stays are complicated by preventable bloodstream infections contracted in their intensive care units.

Calcium supplements linked to longer lifespans in women

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Taking a calcium supplement of up to 1,000 mg per day can help women live longer, according to a study whose lead author was Lisa Langsetmo, a Ph.D. Research Associate at McGill University, and whose senior author was Prof. David Goltzman, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and researcher in the Musculoskeletal Disorders axis at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC).Their findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Children of married parents less likely to be obese

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Children living in households where the parents are married are less likely to be obese, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Houston.

"Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue in our country, with nearly one-third of all U.S. children ages 2-17 overweight or obese," said Rachel Kimbro, study co-author, associate professor of sociology at Rice and director of Rice's Kinder Institute Urban Health Program. "Despite this, very little research has been conducted to explore the impact of family structure on this epidemic."

Mega genomes of spruce species decoded

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Canadian and Swedish scientists today released genome sequences of two of the most economically important forest trees in the world.

Conifers supply raw materials for the Canadian forestry industry, which accounted for $23.7 billion in Canada's economy in 2011. Gross output of the forest sector in Sweden in 2009 was $29.7 billion.

NIH researchers conduct first genomic survey of human skin fungal diversity

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While humans have harnessed the power of yeast to ferment bread and beer, the function of yeast or other types of fungi that live in and on the human body is not well understood. In the first study of human fungal skin diversity, National Institutes of Health researchers sequenced the DNA of fungi at skin sites of healthy adults to define the normal populations across the skin and to provide a framework for investigating fungal skin conditions.

Calcium supplements linked to longer lifespans in women

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Chevy Chase, MD—Taking a calcium supplement of up to 1,000 mg per day can help women live longer, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Mild hypothyroidism raises mortality risk among heart failure patients

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Chevy Chase, MD—Patients with underlying heart failure are more likely to experience adverse outcomes from mild hypothyroidism, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Hypothyroidism occurs when an underactive thyroid does not produce enough hormones. More than 9.5 million people nationwide have hypothyroidism. People who have thyroid function at the low end of the normal range have subclinical hypothyroidism, also called mild hypothyroidism.