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FOXO3A gene variation may be key to longer life

A variation in the gene FOXO3A has a positive effect on the life expectancy of humans, and is found much more often in people living to 100 and beyond - moreover, this appears to be true worldwide.

3 Feb 2009

Growth hormone treatment for six months after weight loss surgery prevents loss of muscle mass

Growth hormone treatment for six months after weight loss surgery reduces patients' losses in lean body mass and skeletal muscle mass, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

3 Feb 2009

Green tea may counteract anticancer effects of cancer therapy, bortezomib (Velcade)

Green tea products have become regarded as a valuable health supplement, as studies have shown evidence of its benefit against a variety of diseases, including cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Genetics may predict risk for relapse among alcohol-dependent patients

In Poland, alcohol dependence (AD) affects about four percent of the population, causing about 10,000 deaths per year.

3 Feb 2009

Fractures due to osteoporosis in seniors a signal for premature death

An Australian study has found that people over 60 years old who have had a fracture because of reduced bone density, or osteoporosis, face a higher risk of death over the next 5 to 10 years compared to the general population and those who experience additional fractures increase their risk of death further.

3 Feb 2009

Gardening keeps older hands strong and nimble

Researchers at Kansas State University already have shown that gardening can offer enough moderate physical activity to keep older adults in shape.

3 Feb 2009

Fat-free diet reduces liver fat in fat-free mice

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered crucial clues about a paradoxical disease in which patients with no body fat develop many of the health complications usually found in obese people.

3 Feb 2009

Revealed! - Missing link in how cells protect themselves from cancer

An international team of scientists have discovered a missing link in the method used by cells to protect themselves from cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Natural aromatic oils may cause allergies

Hypersensitivity to perfumes is the most common contact allergy in adults.

3 Feb 2009

Drugs may be 'magic bullet' for infants born with rare form of diabetes

Infants born with a rare form of inherited diabetes might avoid irreversible damage to their pancreases if they are treated immediately with sulfonylurea drugs rather than insulin, according to a new report in the February 4th issue of Cell Metabolism , a Cell Press publication.

3 Feb 2009

Effects of brain exercise depend on opponent

Playing games against a computer activates different brain areas from those activated when playing against a human opponent.

3 Feb 2009

Divorce, antidepressants, or weight gain/loss can add years to your face

Your mother's wrinkles - or lack there of, may not be the best predictor of how you'll age. In fact, a new study claims just the opposite.

3 Feb 2009

New inhibitors could be new class of cancer drugs

A team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators has developed a group of chemical compounds that could represent a new class of drugs for treating cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Dialysis patients residing at higher altitude have lower rate of death

Compared to dialysis patients living near sea level, dialysis patients living at an altitude higher than 4,000 feet have a 12-15 percent lower rate of death, according to a study in the February 4 issue of JAMA.

3 Feb 2009

Chronic drinking causes more liver injury than acute or binge drinking

Alcohol consumption is known to cause liver damage. Yet the specifics of alcohol-induced liver injury can differ depending on the pattern of drinking.

3 Feb 2009

Scientists unlock secrets of gene regulatory networks

A quartet of studies by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) highlight a special feature on gene regulatory networks recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ).

3 Feb 2009

Boys have greater psychological well-being than girls

Self-concept may be defined as the totality of perceptions that each person has of themselves, and this self identity plays an important role in the psychological functioning of everyone.

3 Feb 2009

Advancement in tissue engineering promotes oral wound healing

Oral tissue engineering for transplantation to aid wound healing in mouth (oral cavity) reconstruction has taken a significant step forward with a Netherlands-based research team's successful development of a gum tissue (gingival) substitute that can be used for reconstruction in the oral cavity.

3 Feb 2009

Physical self-concept and psychological well-being/unwellness during adolescence

Self-concept may be defined as the totality of perceptions that each person has of themselves, and this self identity plays an important role in the psychological functioning of everyone. To date, however, there has been no investigation into the relationship that physical self-concept has with psychological well-being or psychological unwellness.

3 Feb 2009

New chemical keeps stem cells young

Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop new medical treatments more easily.

3 Feb 2009