Body

EUGENE, Ore. -- (Oct. 25, 2013) -- Twenty grams of essential amino acids taken twice daily for a week before and for two weeks after knee-replacement surgeries helped 16 patients, mean age 69, recover faster and with much less muscle atrophy than a control group ingesting a placebo.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Steve Pressé, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, collaborates as the theorist of a new University of California-Berkeley study that provides novel insight into how proteins function in cells.

Prostate cancer has variable manifestations, ranging from relatively benign localized tumors to widespread life-threatening metastases. The origin of most prostate cancer metastases can be traced back to the primary tumor; therefore, understanding the mutations in the primary tumor that promote cancer spread is of great interest.

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exposed hundreds of thousands of individuals to high levels of ionizing radiation. In the years immediately following the disaster, there was a sharp increase in the number of papillary thyroid cancers (PTC) in patients that were children at the time of the explosion.

Prostate cancer has variable manifestations, ranging from relatively benign localized tumors to widespread life-threatening metastases. The origin of most prostate cancer metastases can be traced back to the primary tumor; therefore, understanding the mutations in the primary tumor that promote cancer spread is of great interest. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University track the development of lethal prostate cancer in a patient.

Diabetes-associated complications, including retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy are associated with increased glucose levels, but it is not understood how glucose drives these manifestations. There is evidence that cultured cells exposed to high levels of glucose produce reactive oxygen species (ROS); however it is unknown if ROS contributes directly to diabetes complications.

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with kidney disease including fibrosis. Some studies have even suggested that treatment with vitamin D or vitamin D analogs can reduce renal fibrosis; however, the pathways targeted by vitamin D therapy are not completely understood. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Junn Yanagisawa and colleagues at the University of Tsukuba found that vitamin D binding to its receptor inhibited the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway and prevented renal fibrosis in mice.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) function to suppress immune responses of other cells, and their dysfunction has been associated with development of immune disorders. Recent studies suggest that Tregs maintain plasticity even after differentiation, and can be influenced to change their regulatory profile. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Yun-Cai Liu and colleagues at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase Itch as a regulator of Tregs stability.

From disguises to belief in magic, Halloween is rich with stories that share insight into human behavior. Check out this new research to be presented at the SPSP annual convention in Austin, Feb. 13-15, 2014.

Why Belief in the Supernatural is Only Natural

Can invasive species be beneficial for the region? A recent study, published in the open access Journal of Hymenoptera Research, aimed to obtain empirical data on the activity and distribution of the bee species Braunsapis puangensis in the Suva area of Fiji and examine its association with the invasive creeping daisy Sphagneticola trilobata.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct. 25, 2013 -- Every day, all day, our DNA gets beaten up by chemicals and radiation -- but remarkably, most of us stay healthy. Now, an investigation by a team of French and Canadian researchers has produced insights into a little-studied but common radiation threat to DNA: low-energy electrons (LEEs), with energies of 0-15 electron volts.

Sophia Antipolis, 29 October 2013: The global campaign to tackle stroke is highlighted today on World Stroke Day with the slogan "Because I care…". The phrase showcases the role of caregivers in supporting people who have suffered a stroke and aims to correct misinformation about the disease, such as the misconception that stroke only happens later in life.

Long considered to be one of the most species-rich ant genera, latest research has stripped the ant genus Paratrechina down to a single species- Paratrechina longicornis. This particular ant is one of the most widely distributed, found in nearly every tropical and subtropical location on the planet due to accidental human transport, and is considered one of the world's worst invasive ant species.

The castor oil plant produces some very fatty beans from which oil is refined into biodiesel in several countries, eg. Brazil. Now a team of researchers from the University of Southern Denmark along with researchers from Brazil have succeeded in mapping proteins of the bean, and thus it may now be possible to alter the bean's structure in order to get even more out of the bean than today. The researcher's work however shows that this may not be an easy task.

Washington, DC (October 25, 2013) – Cyberbullying has become a destructive force in many children's lives. After multiple suicides by children being cyberbullied, parents, more than ever, need to be aware of their children's online activity. A recent paper published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication found that parents underestimate how often their children engage in risky online behavior, like cyberbullying and viewing pornography.