Body

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Proper and timely burning of some Eastern U.S. forests could help revitalize flowering dogwood trees, which benefits a wide range of species, a Purdue University report shows.

Scientists are reporting new evidence that drinking coffee may help prevent diabetes and that caffeine may be the ingredient largely responsible for this effect. Their findings, among the first animal studies to demonstrate this apparent link, appear in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

A study conducted by researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine found that fewer than 20% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) preceded by cirrhosis were monitored for the development of cancer. Full findings of this study are published in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

A controlled trial conducted by researchers at the E-DA Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, suggests that a combination of band ligation and nadolol may not be the most effective prophylaxis for first variceal bleeding resulting from cirrhosis. Results of this study appear in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

Scientists can predict almost to the hour when the reef-building "rice coral" off Oahu will spawn, but no one knows where the resulting floating coral larvae go.

Short people are at greater risk of developing heart disease than tall people, according to the first systematic review and meta-analysis of all the available evidence, which is published online today (Wednesday 9 June) in the European Heart Journal [1].

New research helps to explain why some commonly used drugs come with a serious downside: They up your odds of breaking a bone. The drugs in question, glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisone and prednisone) and the insulin sensitizer rosiglitazone work through entirely different mechanisms as therapies for inflammatory diseases and diabetes respectively, and two studies in the June issue of Cell Metabolism now show that they lead to bone loss in different ways too.

Stem cell research holds promise for improving the quality of human life ― especially embryonic stem cells, which can potentially develop into any tissue in the human body. However, basic scientific problems still remain unresolved –– but Tel Aviv University researchers are leading the way to inventive solutions.

Researchers at Yale University have found that the risk of extinction for mountain birds due to global warming is greatest for species that occupy a narrow range of altitude. In fact, a species' vertical distribution is a better predictor of extinction risk than the extent of temperature change they experience, the researchers report in the June 9 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

Fresh understanding of the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles could lead to improved vaccines and diagnostic tests, a study suggests.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh devised a technique to separate the virus into its constituent proteins and then print them on to a biochip, before incubating the chip with blood from people who had previously had the infection.

They were able to pinpoint which proteins in the virus triggered a reaction in the body's immune system, giving scientists clues about how best to design a vaccine or blood test.

A bacteria that lives in hot springs in Japan may help solve one of the mysteries of the early evolution of complex organisms, according to a study publishing next week in PLoS Biology. It may also be the key to 21st century biofuel production.

Biochemists Alan Lambowitz and Georg Mohr began investigating Thermosynechococcus elongatus, a cyanobacterium that can survive at temperatures up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, after they noticed an unusually high percentage of the bacteria's genetic sequence was composed of elements known as group II introns.

(KINGSTON, ON.) Queen's University Brian Amsden is hoping that in about 10 years a tendon, spinal cord or heart valve will be able to regenerate itself after an injury or disease.

The chemical engineering professor, along with scientists from the University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto, is currently trying to develop microscopic polymer fibers to help rebuild human tissue and speed the healing process.