Body

Scientists at The University of Manchester have used synchrotron-based imaging techniques to identify previously unseen anatomy preserved in fossils.

Their work on a 50 million year old lizard skin identified the presence of teeth (invisible to visible light), demonstrating for the first time that this fossil animal was more than just a skin moult. This was only possible using some of the brightest light in the universe, x-rays generated by a synchrotron.

Because of the process involved in the formation of sperm cells, there should be an equal chance that a mammalian egg will be fertilized by "male" sperm, carrying a Y chromosome, as by a "female" sperm, carrying an X chromosome. The symmetry of the system ensures that roughly the same number of males and females are born, which is clearly helpful for the species' long-term survival.

Anesthesia is quite safe these days. But sometimes putting a patient under to fix one problem, such as heart damage, can harm a different organ, such as a kidney.

Now a group of researchers led by Holger Eltzschig, MD, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology at the University Colorado School of Medicine, has found a group of molecules that fend off damage during anesthesia.

"This is a promising discovery," says Eltzschig, who practices at University of Colorado Hospital. "It suggests a new way to promote healing."

This press release is available in Spanish.

IRVINE, Calif. (December 18, 2012) – The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) is supporting research to improve understanding of the unique, positive benefits of consuming fresh avocados to human health and nutrition. Clinical studies are currently underway to investigate the relationship between avocado consumption and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, avocados' potential positive role in weight management and diabetes, and avocados' ability to enhance nutrient absorption.

A recent study by a researcher at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) at the Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine and professor at the Université de Montréal suggests that bullying by peers changes the structure surrounding a gene involved in regulating mood, making victims more vulnerable to mental health problems as they age.

OAK BROOK, Ill. – The lifetime risks of cancer from medical radiation may be overemphasized relative to more immediate health risks, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

AUSTIN, Texas – By synthesizing a stable "antiaromatic" compound, as well as a never before seen intermediate version of that compound, chemists at The University of Texas at Austin have written an important new chapter in the story of modern chemistry.

The research was done in collaboration with an international roster of colleagues from Yonsei University in Korea, the University of Hyderbad in India, and Osaka University in Japan. The results were published this week in Nature Chemistry.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have identified an enzyme specifically linked to aggressive prostate cancer, and have also developed a compound that inhibits the ability of this molecule to promote the metastatic spread of the cancer.

It may be the season to eat, drink and be merry, but each day of over-indulging can take several hours off your life, according to a Christmas article published on bmj.com today, their way ofusing speed of aging and "microlives" to communicate the effects of lifetime habits and environment and have a laugh on science media in 2012.

A new therapeutic approach to diabetes that combines insulin and an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) betacellulin could limit the progression of diabetic macular edema (DME), Cleveland Clinic researcher Bela Anand-Apte, MD, PhD, said at the American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, on Dec. 17 in San Francisco.

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have launched groundbreaking research into the spread of potentially deadly drug-resistant malaria in the developing Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar, also known as Burma. The scientists, working as part of a large international team coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), have identified several promising genetic markers that could be used to develop tests to identify and track the spread of the newest type of drug-resistant malaria in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar.

Directing short bursts of radio waves at nerves surrounding the kidneys lowered blood pressure for at least six months and up to one year among patients with hypertension that persists regardless of taking multiple medications to control it, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation.

CHICAGO – Inpatient bariatric procedures among adolescents appear to have plateaued since 2003 to about 1,000 procedures annually, and the preferred type of operation has changed to minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures from open procedures, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

CHICAGO – Following BRCA testing, many women who are non-BRCA carriers undergo risk-reducing procedures and additional ovarian cancer screenings, despite limited data to determine the effectiveness of these interventions among the general population, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.