Body | Page 2310 | Science Codex

To savor the flavor, perform a short ritual first

Birthday celebrations often follow a formula, including off-key singing, making a birthday wish while blowing out candles, and the ceremonial cutting of the birthday cake. New research suggests that this ritual not only makes the experience more memorable, but might also improve the taste of the cake.

The new collection of studies, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reveals that the rituals we perform before eating -- even the seemingly insignificant ones -- can actually change our perception of the food we eat.

Antioxidants -- too much of a good thing?

In older men, a natural antioxidant compound found in red grapes and other plants -- called resveratrol -- blocks many of the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, according to research published today [22 July 2013] in The Journal of Physiology.

Sex chromosome shocker: The 'female' X a key contributor to sperm production

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Painstaking new analysis of the genetic sequence of the X chromosome—long perceived as the "female" counterpart to the male-associated Y chromosome—reveals that large portions of the X have evolved to play a specialized role in sperm production.

Common stem cell in heart and lung development explains adaption for life on land

PHILADELPHIA – The evolution of adaptations for life on land have long puzzled biologists – are feathers descendents of dinosaur scales, how did arms and legs evolve from fins, and from what ancient fish organ did the lung evolve?

A flip of the mitotic spindle has disastrous consequences for epithelial cells

KANSAS CITY, MO—Constructing a body is like building a house—if you compromise structural integrity, the edifice can collapse. Nowhere is that clearer on a cellular level than in the case of epithelial sheets, single layers of cells that line every body cavity from the gut to mammary glands. As long as epithelial cells pack tightly and adhere to their neighbors, the cellular business of building tissue barriers and constructing ducts goes smoothly. But if epithelial cells fail to hold together, they die, or worse, produce jumbled masses resembling tumors known collectively as carcinomas.

A first in front line immunity research

Monash University researchers have gained new insight into the early stages of our immune response, providing novel pathways to develop treatments for diseases from multiple sclerosis to cancer.

In a study published today in Nature Immunology, a team of researchers led by Professor Paul Hertzog, of the Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) and Professor Jamie Rossjohn, of the School of Biomedical Sciences, have characterised for the first time how interferon beta (IFNβ) proteins bind to cells and activate an immune response.

Removal of tumor-associated immune cell protein decreases tumor progression

The number of tumor-associated immune cells is correlated with poor prognosis in cancer patients.

Reducing these cells in mouse models of breast cancer reduces tumor metastasis, indicating that tumor-immune interactions are critical for cancer progression. In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Shelley Earp and colleagues at the University of North Carolina a Chapel Hill demonstrate that removal of the protein MerTK from immune cells decreased tumor growth in mouse models of breast cancer, melanoma, and colon cancer.

How tick-borne diseases evade the tick's immune system

Ticks - blood-sucking arthropods that occur across the world - can transmit viruses, bacteria, and protozoa that threaten the health of their vertebrate hosts.

Dangerous diseases transmitted by ticks include Lyme disease, which attacks humans in Europe and the USA and is caused by Borrellia bacteria; babesiosis, caused by the protozoan Babesia (a relative of the malaria parasite) that infects pets, cattle, and sometimes humans; and anaplasmosis, caused by the Anaplasma bacterium, which can have serious effects on cattle.

Vitamin B3 blocks cyst formation in a mouse model of polycystic kidney disease

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited systemic disorder caused by mutations in PKD1 or PKD2 that predominately affects the kidneys and is characterized by the formation of cysts in the kidneys and other organs.

Xiaogang Li and colleagues at the University of Kansas Medical Centr used a mouse model of ADPKD to explore the role of the protein sirtuin 1 in cyst formation.

Study finds missing piece of pediatric cancer puzzle

Most of the time, it takes decades of accumulating genetic errors for a tumor to develop. While this explains the general occurrence of cancer in adults, it leaves a gap in understanding of the cause of pediatric tumors.

Researchers describe potential for MERS coronavirus to spread internationally

TORONTO, July 19, 2013—The life-threatening MERS coronavirus that has emerged in the Middle East could spread faster and wider during two international mass gatherings involving millions of people in the next few months, according to researchers who describe the most likely pathways of international spread based upon worldwide patterns of air travel.

U of M researchers identify new functions for autoimmune disease 'risk' gene

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (July 19, 2013) – Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified infection-fighting and inflammation-suppressing functions for a gene associated with human autoimmune disease.

Nighttime heat waves quadruple in Pacific Northwest

Nighttime heat waves are becoming more frequent in western Washington and Oregon. And if you don't sleep well in hot weather, this might be a good time to buy a fan, since records show that on average heat waves tend to strike around the last week of July.

Stem cell discovery furthers research on cell-based therapy and cancer

Stem-cell researchers at UC San Francisco have found a key role for a protein called BMI1 that may help scientists direct the development of tissues to replace damaged organs in the human body.

Regenstrief, IU study: Caregivers open to stopping cancer screening as dementia progresses

INDIANAPOLIS -- Research from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research has found that many family caregivers of older adults with dementia are willing to consider stopping cancer screening of the elderly individual; they are also relieved when the older adult's physician brings it up.