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Plant protein mimics hormone that mitigates diabetes and obesity

A common protein that protects plants from fungal infection mimics the activity of a hormone in mammals that is linked to weight loss and is believed to play a role in mitigating heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according to a team of researchers at Purdue University and several collaborating institutions.

25 Jan 2005

Lack of the enzyme acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 turns fat cells into fat burners

Lack of the enzyme, acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 or ACC2, appears to turn the adipose or fat cells of mice into fat burners, explaining in part why the animals can eat more and weigh less than their normal counterparts, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers.

25 Jan 2005

School influenza vaccinations best strategy for slowing flu transmission

The best strategy for minimizing future influenza morbidity and mortality would be to concentrate vaccinations in school children and high-risk groups, according to a new research commentary by scientists at Emory University.

25 Jan 2005

Exercise reduces depression

Jumping on that treadmill or bike is not only good for one's health, but also can help significantly reduce depression, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

25 Jan 2005

Eating tuna or other broiled or baked fish lowers risk of stroke in the elderly

The consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish is associated with a lower risk of stroke in the elderly, while eating fried fish or fish sandwiches is linked to a higher risk, according to an article in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jan 2005

Available lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated

Currently available lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated with a non-human molecule that compromises their potential therapeutic use in human subjects, according to research by investigators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.

24 Jan 2005

Activate dendritic cells turn on biological clock

A molecule specially modified by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine can reset the biological clock for cancer vaccines, potentially making them more potent.

24 Jan 2005

Priming embryonic stem cells to fulfill their promise

Bioengineering researchers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a process to help turn embryonic stem cells into the types of specialized cells being sought as possible treatments for dozens of human diseases and health conditions.

24 Jan 2005

High blood pressure risk in African-Americans linked to genetics

National health records have shown that African-Americans are more prone to high blood pressure than Caucasians, but pinning down the roots of that difference has proven elusive. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have narrowed down the search for genes that contribute to this difference in disease risk.

24 Jan 2005

Over-eating at an early age may stay well into adulthood

Melbourne researchers have found that over-eating at a very young age can have a long-lasting effect on the body and in particular seems to enhance the production of hormones made in fat and involved in metabolism.

24 Jan 2005

Early seizures after surgery for epilepsy predict more seizures

Current understanding of seizures in the weeks just after epilepsy surgery is that they are likely to be temporary, probably due to swelling or minor trauma suffered by the brain during the operation.

24 Jan 2005

Clinical trial planned for stem cell treatment for stress urinary incontinence

ITL Laboratories, L.L.C. ("ITL") is planning a clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of a stem cell treatment for stress urinary incontinence. A recent clinical trial by Austrian researchers has demonstrated the potential usefulness of expanded muscle stem cell injections in the treatment of urinary incontinence.

24 Jan 2005

RU-486 plus prostaglandins remains the most effective nonsurgical abortion method

The most common medical approach to terminating early pregnancy — the drug RU-486 plus prostaglandins — remains the most effective nonsurgical abortion method, according to a new research review.

24 Jan 2005

Chinese medicines may be helpful in treating side effects of chemotherapy and symptoms of flu

New research reviews hint that traditional Chinese medicines may be helpful in treating side effects of chemotherapy and symptoms of flu. For now, however, the findings remain more tantalizing than conclusive.

24 Jan 2005

Penicillin V and erythromycin have no benefit for most adults with acute laryngitis

Two common antibiotics, Penicillin V and erythromycin, appear to have no benefit for most adults with acute laryngitis, says a research team led by Dr. Ludovic Reveiz of Bogota, Colombia.

24 Jan 2005

Counseling and support can boost physical activity among adults

Professional counseling and support can boost physical activity among adults, a new review finds, but researchers aren’t sure what kind of professional advice work best to encourage exercise or whether counseling increases physical activity over the long run.

24 Jan 2005

Anti-bacterial additive triclocarban widespread In U.S. waterways

Many rivers and streams in the United States are believed to contain a toxic antimicrobial chemical whose environmental fate was never thoroughly scrutinized despite large scale production and usage for almost half a century, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

24 Jan 2005

African drug Ibogaine blocks alcohol cravings

A naturally occurring hallucinogen advocated by some clinicians as a potent anti-addiction drug has been rigorously studied for the first time, confirming its ability to block alcohol craving in rodents, and clarifying how it works in the brain.

20 Jan 2005

Low-carbohydrate diets have made a substantial comeback

New research conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corporation this month has determined that low-carbohydrate diets have made a substantial comeback in the first weeks of 2005. This finding of a "New Year's bounce" refutes news reports published in the final months of 2004 declaring the end of the low-carb phenomenon.

20 Jan 2005

Cord blood transplantation now a viable option for adult leukemia patients

Stem cell transplantation using umbilical cord blood is a standard treatment option for blood disorders in children, but not for adults, due to the difficulty of obtaining a sufficiently large dose of cells.

20 Jan 2005