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. In contrast to the exhaustive research into venom produced by snakes and spiders, venomous fish have been neglected and remain something of a mystery. Now, a study of 158 catfish species, published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, has catalogued the presence of venom glands and investigated their biological effects. http://www.physorg.com/news179133781.html Biology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:24:07 EST news179133781 Chemical identifiers secreted from the genital glands of lemurs, allow them to avoid incest and also to engage in nepotism. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have identified the smells used by both male and female ring-tailed lemurs to advertize their family ties. http://www.physorg.com/news179004415.html Biology Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:00:01 EST news179004415 How a specific gene within the pancreas affects secretion of insulin has been discovered by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Japanese and American universities. Their work opens the way for a new understanding of possible paths to battle diabetes and diabetes-related health problems, which are on the rise all over the world. http://www.physorg.com/news177244751.html Biology Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:50:01 EST news177244751 (PhysOrg.com) -- It`s the age-old psychological conundrum: nature versus nurture. Are children more, less or equally affected by their genetics and the environment in which they grow up? Professor of Psychology Leslie Atkinson is working to advance one aspect of this often-perplexing question. http://www.physorg.com/news176124645.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:34:44 EST news176124645 Barnacles are a big problem for boats. Adhering to the undersides of vessels, carpets of the crustaceans can increase fuel consumption by as much as 25%. Ship owners would love to know how to stop these hitchhikers gluing on, but before you can learn how to disrupt an adhesive, you have to understand the curing process. Curious about many aspects of the crustacean's lifestyle, Dan Rittschof from Duke University decided to find out how barnacle adhesive polymerizes. http://www.physorg.com/news174891043.html Chemistry Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:20:02 EST news174891043 By investigating a rare and severe form of diabetes in children, University of Iowa researchers have discovered a new molecular mechanism that regulates specialized pancreatic cells and insulin secretion. The mechanism involves a protein called ankyrin, which UI researchers previously linked to potentially fatal human heart arrhythmias. http://www.physorg.com/news171634645.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:17:54 EST news171634645 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Columbia and Rockefeller Universities have identified cells in the stomach that regulate the release of a hormone associated with appetite. The group is the first to show that these cells, which release a hormone called ghrelin, are controlled by a circadian clock that is set by mealtime patterns. The finding, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has implications for the treatment of obesity and is a landmark in the decades-long search for the timekeepers of hunger. http://www.physorg.com/news170688849.html Medicine & Health Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:10:01 EST news170688849 Noninvasive imaging (MRI) may aid physicians in the early diagnosis, staging and treatment of diabetes, according to a study performed at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. This is the first study of its kind to apply noninvasive imaging techniques to diabetes research. http://www.physorg.com/news168688947.html Medicine & Health Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:03:05 EST news168688947 In research that could lead to new asthma drugs, scientists at Yale School of Medicine, Hydra Biosciences of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the University of California, San Francisco have discovered that a protein may be a trigger of allergy-induced asthma in mice. They also demonstrated how a drug known to reduce inflammatory and neuropathic pain may also inhibit asthma symptoms in mice. Their paper is published in the May 18-22 online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.physorg.com/news161889108.html Medicine & Health Mon, 18 May 2009 18:12:22 EST news161889108 Researchers at the Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana have discovered that the HIV-1 protease inhibitors (PIs), such as nelfinavir included in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 patients, induce deleterious effects on insulin secretion mediated through the oxidative stress pathway. http://www.physorg.com/news157205418.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:11:00 EST news157205418 Scientists at the University of Liverpool have demonstrated how a single-celled organism, living freely in the environment, could be a source of Salmonella transmission to animals and humans. http://www.physorg.com/news157038671.html Biology Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:51:53 EST news157038671 A novel signaling pathway plays a significant role in the production of aldosterone, a hormone that promotes heart failure after a myocardial infarction, according to a study conducted by Thomas Jefferson University researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news156450714.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:32:26 EST news156450714 Scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the University of Louisville have revealed that genes for a specific type of molecular secretion system in Rickettsia, a structure that is linked in many cases to virulence, have been conserved over many years of evolution. http://www.physorg.com/news156059574.html Biology Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:54:01 EST news156059574 Women who've had a breast biopsy know the anxiety of waiting for the results, but that stress may cause adverse health effects, according to a new study published in the March issue of Radiology. http://www.physorg.com/news154683640.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:41:23 EST news154683640 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council have harnessed a new drug discovery tool to identify a new player in the body's insulin secretion process. This finding could spark a completely new class of drugs to treat type 2 diabetes. http://www.physorg.com/news154538750.html Biology Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:27:13 EST news154538750 The gene mediates insulin secretion indirectly via the release of melatonin, which implicates a previously unknown relationship between the sleep-wake rhythm and the fasting glucose level. The finding could open up new possibilities of treatment which go far beyond the primarily symptomatic therapy approaches to diabetes that have been practised until now. http://www.physorg.com/news151322823.html Medicine & Health Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:07:03 EST news151322823 Vicks(R) VapoRub(R), the popular salve used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, may be harmful for infants and toddlers. New research appearing in the January issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that Vicks(R) VapoRub(R) (VVR) may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation, which can have severe effects on breathing in an infant or toddler. Research findings are consistent with current VVR labeling which indicates the product should not be used on children under 2 years of age. http://www.physorg.com/news151053183.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:13:03 EST news151053183 Scientists have identified the structure of a key component of the bacteria behind such diseases as whooping cough, peptic stomach ulcers and Legionnaires' disease. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), sheds light on how antibiotic resistance genes spread from one bacterium to another. The research may help scientists develop novel treatments for these diseases and novel ways to curtail the spread of antibiotic resistance. http://www.physorg.com/news150646319.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:11:59 EST news150646319 The therapeutical actions of berberine on diabetes have been well studied. Previous researches show that berberine modulates cholesterol through increasing low-density lipoprotein receptor mRNA stability, reduces body adiposity and increases insulin sensitivity partly through activating AMP-activated protein kinase and improves glucose metabolism via induction of glycolysis. Yet, the underlying mechanism for berberine promoting insulin release remains unclear. http://www.physorg.com/news144927145.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:32:25 EST news144927145 In today's issue of the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism Uppsala scientists are presenting new findings that shed light on the processes that determine the release of the blood sugar-lowering hormone insulin. The discovery is based on the development of image analysis methods that make possible the detailed study of events immediately inside the plasma membrane of the insulin-secreting cells. http://www.physorg.com/news134135428.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:50:28 EST news134135428