Body

Green tea builds healthy bones and prevents serious diseases - study

Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting new evidence that green tea — one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide and now available as a dietary supplement — may help improve bone health. They found that the tea contains a group of chemicals that can stimulate bone formation and help slow its breakdown. Their findings are in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. The beverage has the potential to help in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other bone diseases that affect million worldwide, the researchers suggest.

Researchers discover how HIV cripples the body's defenses

In order to be able to ward off disease pathogens, immune cells must be mobile and be able to establish contact with each other. The working group around Professor Dr. Oliver Fackler in the Virology Department of the Hygiene Institute of the Heidelberg University Hospital has discovered a mechanism in an animal model revealing how HIV, the AIDS pathogen, cripples immune cells: Cell mobility is inhibited by the HIV Nef protein. The study was published in the highly respected journal "Cell Host & Microbe".

Pesky fruit flies much more sophisticated than previously thought

A common household nuisance, the fruit fly, is capable of intricate social learning much like that used by humans, according to new research from McMaster University.

The study, published online today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found that inexperienced female fruit flies, known as Drosophila melanogaster, can learn from their more experienced counterparts, mated fruit flies.

Study of isolated Florida cottonmouth snakes could shed light on venom composition

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — While studying a way to more safely and effectively collect snake venom, University of Florida researchers have noticed the venom delivered by an isolated population of Florida cottonmouth snakes may be changing in response to their diet.

Scientists used a portable nerve stimulator to extract venom from anesthetized cottonmouths, producing more consistent extraction results and greater amounts of venom, according to findings published in August in the journal Toxicon.

The study of venoms is important for many reasons, scientists say.

CU-Boulder team identifies DNA 'barcodes' to help track illegal trading of wildlife products

Researchers from several institutions including the University of Colorado at Boulder have sequenced DNA "barcodes" for as many as 25 hunted wildlife species, providing information that can be used to better monitor the elusive trade of wildlife products, or bushmeat.

Reactive oxygen's role in metastasis

LA JOLLA, Calif., September 15, 2009 -- Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, play a key role in forming invadopodia, cellular protrusions implicated in cancer cell migration and tumor metastasis. Sara Courtneidge, Ph.D., professor and director of the Tumor Microenvironment Program at Burnham's NCI-designated Cancer Center, and colleagues have found that inhibiting reactive oxygen reduces invadopodia formation and limits cancer cell invasion.

How to spell B-Y-U with DNA

Researchers from Brigham Young University found how to shape customized segments of DNA into tiny letters that spell "BYU." This new method of DNA origami will appear in the aptly titled journal Nano Letters.

The letters are about 100 nanometers in size. That's roughly a billion times smaller than the block Y on the mountain overlooking BYU's campus and 1/1000 the width of a human hair.

The team's larger pursuit is to design nanoscale shapes for electrical circuitry and make tiny – yet inexpensive – computer chips.

Evaluation of standard liver volume formula for Chinese adults

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has been used to alleviate the shortage of available liver donors. Accurate estimation of the standard liver volume (SLV) of the living donor and recipient is crucial. Scholars of different countries established several SLV formulae from clinical data, but which formula was the most accurate for Chinese adults has remained unclear.

HBV genotype B/B3 and C/C1 are the major genotypes in Indonesia?

Previous studies revealed that HBV genotypes as well as mutations in the core promoter, precore or HBx gene have been shown to have an association with the clinical outcome of liver disease, however, this is still controversial. It is likely that this depends on the HBV genotype distribution in certain region. So far, there is no such data from Indonesia, which is a big country with a big population and a relatively high HBV carrier rate.

Imaging features of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas

The intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) can evolve through all biological stages, from slight dysplasia to carcinoma. As one of the few surgically curable pancreatic tumors, accurate preoperative prediction of malignancy remains one of the major issues in the optimal treatment of IPMNs, and it also influences the outcome of the resection.

Yes-associated protein: Early diagnosis of gastric carcinoma

Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a type of cellular adaptor protein and transcriptional co-activator. In recent years, some investigators have found YAP to be overexpressed and highly activated in hepatic cancers and mammary cancers, suggesting its tumorigenicity. Survivin is a new member of the inhibitor of apoptotic protein (IAP) family, which was initially cloned by the cDNA of the effector cell protease receptor-1 in the human genomic library in 1997.

Is poor diet to blame for teenagers' acne problems?

Zits, pimples, bumps and blemishes are a young person's worst nightmare. Collectively they are known as acne, a very common skin condition that affects millions of adolescents. Now a Norwegian study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health has investigated the links between acne, diet and mental health issues in both males and females.

Exercise better than shockwave treatment for chronic shoulder pain

Supervised exercises are more effective than shockwave treatment to relieve chronic shoulder pain, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

Shoulder pain is the fourth most common type of musculoskeletal pain reported to general practitioners and physiotherapists. Treatments often include physiotherapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and steroid injections. Physiotherapy can include shockwave treatment, ultrasound, exercises and acupuncture.

Egg-shaped legacy of Britain's mobile ice-sheet

The ice sheets that sculpted the landscape of northern Britain moved in unexpected ways and left distinctive egg-shaped features according to new research.

Scientists from Durham University have deciphered the landforms and created a model of the British and Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) which reveals for the first time how glaciers reversed their flows and retreated back into upland regions from where they originated.

Oxygen-saturated blood reduces levels of damaged heart tissue following a heart attack

Results of a clinical trial published Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, demonstrate an infusion of blood that is "supersaturated" with oxygen (SS02) can reduce the amount of damaged heart muscle immediately following a life-threatening heart attack.