http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A new research report published in the December 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal could one day give men similar type of control over their fertility that women have had since the 1960s. That's because scientists have found how and where androgenic hormones work in the testis to control normal sperm production and male fertility. This opens a promising avenue for the development of "the pill" for men. The discovery also offers hope to those who cannot have children because of low sperm counts. Although the research was conducted in mice, a similar effect is likely to obtain in other mammals, such as humans. http://www.physorg.com/news178811924.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:59:28 EST news178811924 (PhysOrg.com) -- Almost half of UK women may be lacking an important source of vitamin A due to a previously undiscovered genetic variation, scientists at Newcastle University have found. http://www.physorg.com/news177698691.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:20:02 EST news177698691 As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama researchers have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the flu -antioxidants. In an article appearing in the November 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal they show that antioxidants -the same substances found in plant-based foods -might hold the key in preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs. http://www.physorg.com/news176042573.html Biology Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:43:55 EST news176042573 For men coping with painful erections lasting for long periods of time, or priapism, new research published online in The FASEB Journal offers hope. That's because researchers from the United States and China show that the enzyme adenosine deaminase may prevent priapism from progressing to penile fibrosis, a condition associated with the build up of scar tissue and eventual impotence. As penile fibrosis is a complication of priapism, so priapism is a complication of sickle cell disease. Adenosine deaminase, which breaks down adenosine, is already used in humans as a treatment for a rare immune disorder. http://www.physorg.com/news175792495.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:20:01 EST news175792495 In a surprising reversal of long-standing scientific belief, researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have discovered that inflammation in the brain is not the trigger that leads to buildup of amyloid deposits and development of Alzheimer's disease. http://www.physorg.com/news175430394.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:50:01 EST news175430394 A breakthrough discovery by scientists from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, may lead to a new treatment for Alzheimer's Disease that actually removes amyloid plaques -- considered a hallmark of the disease -- from patients' brains. This discovery, published online in The FASEB Journal, is based on the unexpected finding that when the brain's immune cells (microglia) are activated by the interleukin-6 protein (IL-6), they actually remove plaques instead of causing them or making them worse. The research was performed in a model of Alzheimer's disease established in mice. http://www.physorg.com/news174821533.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:01 EST news174821533 If a little vitamin A is good, more must be better, right? Wrong! New research published online in the FASEB Journal shows that vitamin A plays a crucial role in energy production within cells, explaining why too much or too little has a complex negative effect on our bodies. This is particularly important as combinations of foods, drinks, creams, and nutritional supplements containing added vitamin A make an overdose more possible than ever before. http://www.physorg.com/news174219736.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:10:03 EST news174219736 Good news for procrastinating students: a nasal spray developed by a team of German scientists promises to give late night cram sessions a major boost, if a good night's sleep follows. In a research report featured as the cover story of the October 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, these scientists show that a molecule from the body's immune system (interleukin-6) when administered through the nose helps the brain retain emotional and procedural memories during REM sleep. http://www.physorg.com/news173622201.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:23:46 EST news173622201 Middle-aged women with large abdominal fat cells have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life compared to women with smaller fat cells. Waist circumference divided by body height can also be used to determine which women are at risk. This is shown in a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. http://www.physorg.com/news172739597.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:00:01 EST news172739597 When it comes to assessing risk for type 2 diabetes, not only do waistlines matter to women, but so does the size of their fat cells. This new discovery by a team of Swedish researchers was just published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) and helps explain why some women of normal weight develop type 2 diabetes, despite not having any known risk factors. http://www.physorg.com/news171805452.html Medicine & Health Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:44:53 EST news171805452 In a research report published online in the FASEB Journal, an international team of scientists describe how the N60 fragment of the RanBP9 protein increases the production of the amyloid beta protein, which is present in excessive amounts in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. http://www.physorg.com/news171201891.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:14:56 EST news171201891 A team of French scientists have found the dose of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) that is "just right" for preventing cardiovascular disease in healthy men. In a research report appearing in the September 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the scientists show that a 200 mg dose of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. This study is the first to identify how much DHA is necessary to promote optimal heart health. http://www.physorg.com/news170938612.html Biology Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:30:03 EST news170938612 A research report featured on the cover of the September 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal describes how Australian scientists developed a new gene therapy vector that uses the same machinery that viruses use to transport their cargo into our cells. As a result of this achievement, therapeutic DNA can be transferred to a cell's nucleus far more efficiently than in the past, raising hopes for more effective treatment of genetic disorders and some types of cancers. http://www.physorg.com/news170938216.html Biology Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:01 EST news170938216 Rats fed a high-fat diet show a stark reduction in their physical endurance and a decline in their cognitive ability after just nine days, a study by Oxford University researchers has shown. http://www.physorg.com/news169209397.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:00:04 EST news169209397 Scientists from Scotland and Singapore have unraveled a mystery that has perplexed scientists since red wine was first discovered to have health benefits: how does resveratrol control inflammation? New research published in the August 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, not only explains resveratrol's one-two punch on inflammation, but also show how it--or a derivative--can be used to treat potentially deadly inflammatory disease, such as appendicitis, peritonitis, and systemic sepsis. http://www.physorg.com/news168175138.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:19:32 EST news168175138 Scientists from Texas are batty over a new discovery which could lead to the single most important medical breakthrough in human history -- significantly longer lifespans. The discovery, featured on the cover of the July 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, shows that proper protein folding over time in long-lived bats explains why they live significantly longer than other mammals of comparable size, such as mice. http://www.physorg.com/news165576476.html Chemistry Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:28:34 EST news165576476 Testing people for heart disease might be just a finger prick away thanks to a new credit card-sized device created by a team of researchers from Harvard and Northeastern universities in Boston. In a research report published online in The FASEB Journal, they describe how this device can measure and collect a type of cells needed to build vascular tissue, called endothelial progenitor cells, using only 200 microliters of blood. The development is also significant because it allows scientists to collect these cells much more easily than current techniques allow, bringing laboratory-created tissue for vascular bypass surgeries another step closer to reality. http://www.physorg.com/news163070402.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:20:32 EST news163070402 Even cells aren't immune to peer pressure. Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have now shown that skin cells can be coaxed to behave like muscle cells -- and muscle cells like skin cells -- solely by altering who they hang out with: the relative levels of the ingredients inside the cell. http://www.physorg.com/news160754538.html Biology Tue, 05 May 2009 15:02:52 EST news160754538 U.S. and Brazilian scientists have just proven that one of Bob Dylan's most famous lines -"everybody must get stoned" - is correct. That's because they've discovered that the brain manufactures proteins that act like marijuana at specific receptors in the brain itself. This discovery, published online in The FASEB Journal, may lead to new marijuana-like drugs for managing pain, stimulating appetite, and preventing marijuana abuse. http://www.physorg.com/news159465099.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:51:59 EST news159465099 The new science of epigenetics explains how genes can be modified by the environment, and a prime result of epigenetic inquiry has just been published online in The FASEB Journal: You are what your mother did not eat during pregnancy. In the research report, scientists from the University of Utah show that rat fetuses receiving poor nutrition in the womb become genetically primed to be born into an environment lacking proper nutrition. As a result of this genetic adaptation, the rats were likely to grow to smaller sizes than their normal counterparts. At the same time, they were also at higher risk for a host of health problems throughout their lives, such as diabetes, growth retardation, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and neurodevelopmental delays, among others. Although the study involved rats, the genes and cellular mechanisms involved are the same as those in humans. http://www.physorg.com/news158856122.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:43:43 EST news158856122 If you hate prune juice and chalky fiber supplements, just sit down and relax. Help is on the way. In a research report published online in The FASEB Journal, a team of researchers has discovered a new way to make it a lot easier to go to the bathroom, especially when all other methods fail. Specifically, they have found a group of nerve ending receptors which, when stimulated, causes the bowels to pass waste, and the specific receptor needed to activate bowel clearance. Furthermore, they tested chemicals that work with those receptors, providing a blueprint for the development of new laxatives. http://www.physorg.com/news158420857.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:48:11 EST news158420857 A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) has found the first evidence of cell-to-cell communication by amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, rather than by known protein signaling agents such as growth factors or cytokines. Their report will appear in an upcoming issue of the FASEB Journal and has been released online. http://www.physorg.com/news157987616.html Medicine & Health Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:27:18 EST news157987616 In a genetic engineering breakthrough that could help everyone from bed-ridden patients to elite athletes, a team of American researchers -including 2007 Nobel Prize winner Mario R. Capecchi -have created a "switch" that allows mutations or light signals to be turned on in muscle stem cells to monitor muscle regeneration in a living mammal. http://www.physorg.com/news157655456.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:11:53 EST news157655456 Everyone knows that its important to keep a cool head, but a new study published online in The FASEB Journal shows that for Alzheimer's patients, a cool head may make the disease worse. In the research report, scientists show that a protein associated with Alzheimer's (called "tau") builds up in brain cells at an increased rate when temperatures fall, such as when a patient is anesthetized or experiences hypothermia. This finding should be of immediate concern to surgeons, dentists, and any other health care professionals who anesthetize patients with Alzheimer's or patients at an elevated risk for the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news156006168.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:08:59 EST news156006168 Stem cells can thrive in segments of well-vascularized tissue temporarily removed from laboratory animals, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Once the cells have nestled into the tissue's nooks and crannies, the so-called "bioscaffold" can then be seamlessly reconnected to the animal's circulatory system. http://www.physorg.com/news155225793.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:17:48 EST news155225793 By now, most people have read stories about how to "grow your own organs" using stem cells is just a breakthrough away. Despite the hype, this breakthrough has been elusive. A new report published in the March 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal brings bioengineered organs a step closer, as scientists from Stanford and New York University Langone Medical Center describe how they were able to use a "scaffolding" material extracted from the groin area of mice on which stem cells from blood, fat, and bone marrow grew. This advance clears two major hurdles to bioengineered replacement organs, namely a matrix on which stem cells can form a 3-dimensional organ and transplant rejection. http://www.physorg.com/news154869287.html Biology Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:15:10 EST news154869287 Wash away your gray? Maybe. A team of European scientists have finally solved a mystery that has perplexed humans throughout the ages: why we turn gray. Despite the notion that gray hair is a sign of wisdom, these researchers show in a research report published online in The FASEB Journal that wisdom has nothing to do with it. Going gray is caused by a massive build up of hydrogen peroxide due to wear and tear of our hair follicles. The peroxide winds up blocking the normal synthesis of melanin, our hair's natural pigment. http://www.physorg.com/news154616292.html Biology Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:58:44 EST news154616292 According to a recent study published online in The FASEB Journal, diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids protect the liver from damage caused by obesity and the insulin resistance it provokes. This research should give doctors and nutritionists valuable information when recommending and formulating weight-loss diets and help explain why some obese patients are more likely to suffer some complications associated with obesity. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in canola oil and fish. http://www.physorg.com/news153672709.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:54:21 EST news153672709 Scientists have known for more than 200 years that vision begins with a series of chemical reactions when light strikes the retina, but the specific chemical processes have largely been a mystery. A team of researchers from the United States and Switzerland, have she new light on this process by "capturing" this chemical communication for future study. This research, published in the February 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal , may lead to the development of new treatments for some forms of blindness and vision disorders. http://www.physorg.com/news152468327.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:19:22 EST news152468327 Scientists at UCSF have discovered an abnormality in a patient's immune system that may lead to safer therapies for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and colitis, as well as potential new ways to treat transplant rejection. http://www.physorg.com/news151928614.html Medicine & Health Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:24:37 EST news151928614