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• Split decision: Stem cell signal linked with cancer growth
• Making your brain social: Identifying brain connections that lead to social behavior
• Nature can, selectively, buffer human-caused global warming, say scientists
• MS researchers study predictors of employment status
• New links found between sleep duration, depression
• Fruit flies reveal normal function of gene mutated in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7
• Retrieval practice improves memory in severe traumatic brain injury, researchers demonstrate
• Three native aromatics indicated for use in Mediterranean extensive green roofs
• Well-watered citrus tested in cold-acclimating temperatures
• Gardening provides high-to-moderate physical activity for children
• Nitrogen management studied in greenhouse pepper production
• To calculate long-term conservation pay off, factor in people
• Potential biomarkers for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
• Autistic brains create more information at rest, study show
• In Super Bowl commercials, 'Shakespearean' storytelling counts
• Protocol developed to harvest mouse cell lines for melanoma research
• New study finds no reason to replace fructose with glucose
• One of the major genes responsible for female differentiation discovered
• Third-hand smoke just as deadly as first-hand smoke: Study
• Discovery May Lead to New Drugs for Osteoporosis
• Immune drug helps patients with frequently replapsing kidney disease
• Components in C. diff identified that may lead to better treatment
• New instrument to study complex molecules invented
• Could your relationship with your mom increase your child's chances of obesity?
• HPV study: Does vaccinating one sexual partner also benefit the other?
• Perceived benefits of casual video games among adults
• Pre-surgical drug may ease recovery, reduce pain for kids
• Epigenetic alterations may contribute to age-related breast cancer risk

Split decision: Stem cell signal linked with cancer growth Posted: 02 Feb 2014 10:23 AM PST Researchers have identified a protein critical to hematopoietic stem cell function and blood formation. The finding has potential as a new target for treating leukemia because cancer stem cells rely upon the same protein to regulate and sustain their growth.

Making your brain social: Identifying brain connections that lead to social behavior Posted: 02 Feb 2014 10:22 AM PST Scientists have identified, for the first time, a way in which the decreased functional connectivity seen in the brain of many people with autism can come about: it can be caused by cells called microglia failing to trim connections between neurons, researchers demonstrate in a study published.

Nature can, selectively, buffer human-caused global warming, say scientists Posted: 02 Feb 2014 08:10 AM PST Can naturally occurring processes selectively buffer the full brunt of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities? Yes, says a group of researchers in a new study.

MS researchers study predictors of employment status Posted: 31 Jan 2014 08:08 PM PST Researchers have studied MS measurement tools for their effectiveness in predicting employment status. They compared the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and found the SDMT effective in differentiating employed from unemployed.

New links found between sleep duration, depression Posted: 31 Jan 2014 08:08 PM PST A genetic study of adult twins and a community-based study of adolescents both report novel links between sleep duration and depression. A study of 1,788 twins is the first to demonstrate a gene by environment interaction between self-reported habitual sleep duration and depressive symptoms. Another study of 4,175 individuals between 11 and 17 years of age is the first to document reciprocal effects for major depression and short sleep duration among adolescents using prospective data.

Fruit flies reveal normal function of gene mutated in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 Posted: 31 Jan 2014 08:07 PM PST Disruptive clumps of mutated protein are often blamed for clogging cells and interfering with brain function in patients with the neurodegenerative diseases known as spinocerebellar ataxias. But a new study in fruit flies suggests that for at least one of these diseases, the defective proteins may not need to form clumps to do harm.

Retrieval practice improves memory in severe traumatic brain injury, researchers demonstrate Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:08 AM PST Researchers have shown that retrieval practice can improve memory in individuals with severe traumatic brain injury. Despite the small sample size, it was clear that retrieval practice was superior to other learning strategies in this group of memory-impaired individuals with severe traumatic brain injury.

Three native aromatics indicated for use in Mediterranean extensive green roofs Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:08 AM PST Scientists investigated native aromatic xyrophytes for use in extensive green roofs in semiarid Mediterranean regions using locally produced grape marc compost as a substrate component. Aromatics Artemisia absinthium, Helichrysumitalicum, and H. orientale were found suitable for growth in extensive Mediterranean green roofs under limited irrigation and substrate depth (7.5 cm).

Well-watered citrus tested in cold-acclimating temperatures Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:08 AM PST Researchers studied well-watered citrus to determine changes in water relations during cold acclimation, independent of drought stress. Potted sweet orange and Satsuma mandarin trees were exposed to progressively lower, non-freezing temperatures to promote cold acclimation. Results indicated that water relations of citrus during cold acclimation vary from those known to occur as a result of drought stress. The results could challenge traditional measures of plant water status in irrigation scheduling during winter.

Gardening provides high-to-moderate physical activity for children Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:08 AM PST The metabolic cost of 10 gardening tasks was measured in children to determine associated exercise intensities. The children performed the tasks while wearing a portable telemetric calorimeter and a heart rate monitor to measure oxygen uptake and heart rate. Results showed digging and raking to be high-intensity, while the other activities were determined to be moderate-intensity. The data can facilitate the development of garden-based exercise programs for children that promote health and physically active lifestyles.

Nitrogen management studied in greenhouse pepper production Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:08 AM PST Bell pepper was used in a study designed to reduce environmental pollution by increasing nitrogen use efficiency. Nitrogen was applied at four different concentrations to two pepper cultivars. Results showed that nitrogen treatments had no significant negative impacts on fruit physical or chemical quality, including sugar content and acidity. Reduced nitrogen applications did not affect nutritional components of the peppers such as beta-carotene and lycopene content, nor did they reduce antioxidant activity.

To calculate long-term conservation pay off, factor in people Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:08 AM PST Paying people to protect their natural environment is a popular conservation tool around the world, but figure out that return on investment, for both people and nature, is a thorny problem, especially since such efforts typically stretch on for years. Researchers have developed a new way to evaluate and model the long-term effectiveness of conservation investments.

Potential biomarkers for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:07 AM PST Researchers identify abnormal expression of genes, resulting from DNA relaxation, that can be detected in the brain and blood of Alzheimer's patients.

Autistic brains create more information at rest, study show Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:06 AM PST New research finds that the brains of autistic children generate more information at rest -- a 42 percent increase on average. The study offers a scientific explanation for the most typical characteristic of autism -- withdrawal into one's own inner world. The excess production of information may explain a child's detachment from their environment.

In Super Bowl commercials, 'Shakespearean' storytelling counts Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:06 AM PST They say sex sells, but when it comes to Super Bowl ads, a researcher begs to differ. He says it's all about the storytelling. Shakespeare's kind of storytelling.

Protocol developed to harvest mouse cell lines for melanoma research Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:06 AM PST Researchers have developed a protocol that permits cells harvested from melanoma tumors in mice to grow readily in cell culture.

New study finds no reason to replace fructose with glucose Posted: 31 Jan 2014 05:35 AM PST Researchers have found there is no benefit in replacing fructose, the sugar most commonly blamed for obesity, with glucose in commercially prepared foods.

One of the major genes responsible for female differentiation discovered Posted: 31 Jan 2014 05:34 AM PST Researchers have just uncovered one of the major genes responsible for female differentiation: FOXL2. Not only does this gene activate differentiation in the ovary, but it also blocks the expression of male genes within the developing ovary. These results will help further understanding with regards to certain cases of infertility in female livestock and women.

Third-hand smoke just as deadly as first-hand smoke: Study Posted: 30 Jan 2014 04:04 PM PST Do not smoke and do not allow yourself to be exposed to smoke because second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke are just as deadly as first-hand smoke, say scientists who conducted the first animal study of the effects of third-hand smoke.

Discovery May Lead to New Drugs for Osteoporosis Posted: 30 Jan 2014 03:53 PM PST Scientists have discovered what appears to be a potent stimulator of new bone growth. The finding could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis and other diseases that occur when the body doesn't make enough bone.

Immune drug helps patients with frequently replapsing kidney disease Posted: 30 Jan 2014 03:53 PM PST A specific immune drug could help patients forgo toxic standard treatments that are often ineffective when dealing with frequently relapsing kidney disease.

Components in C. diff identified that may lead to better treatment Posted: 30 Jan 2014 01:44 PM PST Researchers have identified components in Clostridium difficile (C. diff) that may lead to new diagnostic tools, and ultimately more timely and effective treatment for this often fatal infection. C. diff is a spore-forming bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and is responsible for 14,000 deaths annually in the US.

New instrument to study complex molecules invented Posted: 30 Jan 2014 01:43 PM PST An important new scientific instrument has been invented that allows scientists to study complex molecules. This is the world's first fully automated dual-frequency two-dimensional infrared spectrometer.

Could your relationship with your mom increase your child's chances of obesity? Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:29 PM PST Could the quality of your attachment to your parents affect your own child's risk for obesity? A new study says it can.

HPV study: Does vaccinating one sexual partner also benefit the other? Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST A new study will examine whether vaccinating only one partner in a couple against the human papillomavirus (HPV) can help prevent transmission of HPV to the unvaccinated partner.

Perceived benefits of casual video games among adults Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST New research finds that while a majority of adults cite the ability to compete with friends as their primary reason for playing online casual video games such as Bejeweled Blitz, they report differing perceived benefits from playing the games based upon their age.

Pre-surgical drug may ease recovery, reduce pain for kids Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST A new evidence review found that administering a drug called clonidine before surgery may be a good alternative for controlling post-surgical pain and help reduce a child's anxiety after surgery.

Epigenetic alterations may contribute to age-related breast cancer risk Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST Age is a key risk factor for breast cancer. A recent study examines the connection between cancer and the aging process to see if epigenetic DNA alterations might contribute to age-related increases in breast cancer risk.

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