Science News SciGuru.com

Study shows resistance to cocaine addiction may be passed down from father to son
Bad News for Bats: Deadly Fungus Persists in Caves
Vitamin D can help infection-prone patients avoid respiratory tract infection
Speeding up electronics to light frequencies
Tissue engineering: Growing new organs, and more
Rewarding people to live healthier lives is acceptable, if it works
Scientists find drug that may help in fight against Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Stem cell “sticky spots” recreated by scientists
Easy, At-Home Exercise Program Can Help Cancer Patients, Mayo Clinic Finds
Protein strongest just before death
Aerobic exercise boosts brain powerAerobic exercise boosts brain power
High short-term risk of attempted suicide in teenagers following parents

Study shows resistance to cocaine addiction may be passed down from father to son

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 07:06 PM PST

Research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that sons of male rats exposed to cocaine are resistant to the rewarding effects of the drug, suggesting that cocaine-induced changes in physiology are passed down from father to son. The findings are published in the latest edition of Nature Neuroscience.

Bad News for Bats: Deadly Fungus Persists in Caves

Posted: 14 Dec 2012 02:20 PM PST

Researchers have found that the organism that causes deadly white-nose syndrome persists in caves long after it has killed the bats in those caves. A study just published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology shows that the fungus can survive in soil for months, even years, after the bats have departed.

Vitamin D can help infection-prone patients avoid respiratory tract infection

Posted: 14 Dec 2012 11:20 AM PST

Treating infection-prone patients over a 12-month period with high doses of vitamin D reduces their risk of developing respiratory tract infection - and consequently their antibiotic requirement. This according to a new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital published in the online scientific journal BMJ Open.

Speeding up electronics to light frequencies

Posted: 14 Dec 2012 10:56 AM PST

Modern information processing allows for breathtaking switching rates of about a 100 billion cycles per second. New results from the Laboratory for Attosecond Physics (LAP) of Prof. Ferenc Krausz (Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ), Garching, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich) could pave the way towards signal processing several orders of magnitude faster.

Tissue engineering: Growing new organs, and more

Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:05 AM PST

With the recent launch of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT News examines research with the potential to reshape medicine and health care through new scientific knowledge, novel treatments and products, better management of medical data, and improvements in health-care delivery.

Rewarding people to live healthier lives is acceptable, if it works

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

A UK study led by King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry reveals that the public find it acceptable to reward people for changing their health-related behaviour, such as smoking or weight loss, as long as it works. In the past, such incentives have provoked negative public reactions.

Scientists find drug that may help in fight against Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:54 AM PST

Drugs that are currently being tested show promise for treating patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an inherited disease that affects about one in 3,600 boys and results in muscle degeneration and, eventually, death.

Stem cell “sticky spots” recreated by scientists

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:49 AM PST

Using synthetic foam type materials to mimic the natural process – known as the extracellular matrix or ECM – scientists, from the University of Sheffield and University of California San Diego, created the random stickiness required for stem cells to properly adhere.

The findings will better inform researchers across the world of how to make their biomaterials appropriately sticky for stem cells to grow.

Easy, At-Home Exercise Program Can Help Cancer Patients, Mayo Clinic Finds

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:12 AM PST

It has been known for some time that exercise is important for cancer patients, but few studies have looked at the practicality of exercise programs and whether even a minimal workout can help. Exercise can reduce cancer-related fatigue, improve sleep, boost a sense of wellness, and reduce the recurrence of certain types of tumors.

Protein strongest just before death

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:03 AM PST

Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered a protein that does its best work with one foot in the grave.

The study, which appears in the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, focuses on the nontraditional lifestyle of Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor proteins, which could lead to new ways to treat cancer.

Aerobic exercise boosts brain powerAerobic exercise boosts brain power

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:56 AM PST

The physical benefits of regular exercise and remaining physically active, especially as we age, are well documented. However, it appears that it is not only the body which benefits from exercise, but the mind too. The evidence for this is published in a new review by Hayley Guiney and Liana Machado from the University of Otago, New Zealand, which focuses on the importance of physical activity in keeping and potentially improving cognitive function throughout life. Their review is published online in the Springer publication Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

High short-term risk of attempted suicide in teenagers following parents

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:50 AM PST

The risk that young people attempt to commit suicide is highest within two years after a parent has received inpatient care due to a mental disorder or suicide attempt, according to a study of over 15,000 teenagers and young adults. The risk is much higher for teenagers than for young adults. This is reported by a collaborative study between Karolinska Institutet and University of Copenhagen, which is published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.