science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Σάββατο 31 Αυγούστου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Researchers Call for Individualized Criteria for Diagnosing Obesity
Largest ice sheet in the world sensitive to global warming
Increased menthol cigarette use among young people
Balancing Act: Cell Senescence, Aging Related to Epigenetic Changes

Researchers Call for Individualized Criteria for Diagnosing Obesity

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 11:32 AM PDT

With soaring obesity rates in the U.S., the American Medical Association has classified obesity as a disease. This major shift in healthcare policy brings much needed medical attention to obese patients. However, this definition of obesity focuses on a single criterion of Body Mass Index (BMI), which includes a large group of persons with high BMI who are metabolically healthy and not at high risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease or obesity-associated cancers.

Largest ice sheet in the world sensitive to global warming

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 11:06 AM PDT

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet seems to be more vulnerable to the effects of cli-mate change than previously thought. For the first time, an international re-search team from the Universities of Durham and Zurich has studied the long-term development of outlet glaciers using satellite images, revealing that the advance and retreat of the 175 glaciers studied are closely linked to climatic changes.

Increased menthol cigarette use among young people

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 10:56 AM PDT

A new study on mentholated cigarette use in the U.S. finds an increase in menthol cigarette smoking among young adults and concludes that efforts to reduce smoking likely are being thwarted by the sale and marketing of mentholated cigarettes, including emerging varieties of established youth brands.

Balancing Act: Cell Senescence, Aging Related to Epigenetic Changes

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 09:32 AM PDT

One way cells promote tumor suppression is through a process called senescence, an irreversible arrest of proliferation. Senescence is thought to be associated with normal aging, but is also a protective measure by the body against run-away cell replication. Studying the basic science of senescence gives biomedical researchers a better understanding of the mechanisms behind age-related diseases such as cancer.