PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Melatonin makes old bones stronger

Research on elderly rats suggests possible avenue for prevention of osteoporosis

2014-05-27
(Press-News.org) Faleh Tamimi, a professor in McGill's School of Dentistry, is the leader of a research team that has just discovered that melatonin supplements make bones stronger in elderly rats and therefore, potentially, in elderly humans too. "Old rats are tedious to work with because they get sick a lot and that means they also cost a lot more. But if you're interested in diseases like osteoporosis, they're an essential part of the process."

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones – sleep and bone regulation

The process of bone breakdown and buildup is affected by our circadian rhythms. The cells which break down our bones (known as osteoclasts) are more active at night, while those responsible for bone formation (osteoblasts) are more active during daylight hours. "As we age, we sleep less well, which means that the osteoclasts are more active," says Tamimi. "This tends to speed up the process of bone breakdown."

It is already well established that melatonin plays a role in regulating our body clocks and can potentially help us sleep better. So the researchers suspected that a melatonin supplement would help regulate the circadian rhythms of the elderly rats, thus reducing the activity of the osteoclasts and slowing down the process of bone breakdown. And that is exactly what they found.

22-month-old rats are the equivalent of 60-year-old humans

Researchers at the University of Madrid, where the rats were housed, gave twenty 22-month-old male rats (the equivalent of 60 year-old humans) melatonin supplements diluted in water for 10 weeks (the equivalent of six years in human years). The femurs taken from the elderly rats which had received the melatonin supplements were then compared with those of a control group (which had not received the supplements) using a series of tests to measure bone density and strength.

The researchers found that there was a significant increase in both bone volume and density among the rats that had received melatonin supplements. As a result, it took much more force to break the bones of rats that had taken the melatonin supplements, a finding that suggests to the researchers that melatonin may prove a useful tool in combatting osteoporosis.

For Tamimi and his colleagues the next big question is whether melatonin is preventing or actually reversing the process of bone breakdown. "Until there is more research as well as clinical trials to determine how exactly the melatonin is working, we can't recommend that people with osteoporosis go ahead and simply take melatonin supplements," says Tamimi. "I am applying for funding to pursue the research and we hope to have answers soon."

INFORMATION: To read the full article in Rejuvenation Research: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/rej.2013.1542

To contact the researcher directly: Faleh.Tamimi@mcgill.ca


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Intermediaries increase corruption

Intermediaries increase corruption
2014-05-27
This news release is available in Spanish. In reality, an intermediary participates in many, if not most, cases of corruption. However there has been very scarce empirical evidence that illuminates their role in these situations. This is what a researcher at UC3M has analyzed in collaboration with scientists from Florida State University and Southern Methodist University, in Texas (both in the United States). The results of their study, recently published in Experimental Economics, confirm their suspicions: "Our work showed that the number of persons involved in cases ...

Outgrowing emotional egocentricity

2014-05-27
This news release is available in German. Children are more egocentric than adults. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig have demonstrated for the first time that children are also worse at putting themselves in other people's emotional shoes. According to the researchers, the supramarginal gyrus region of the brain must be sufficiently developed in children for them to be able to overcome their egocentric take on the world. When little Philip rejoices at winning the prize in a game, it is almost impossible for ...

People attribute free will to mind, not soul

People attribute free will to mind, not soul
2014-05-27
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Across the board, even if they believed in the concept of a soul, people in a new study ascribed free will based on down-to-Earth criteria: Did the actor in question have the capacity to make an intentional and independent choice? The study suggests that while grand metaphysical views of the universe remain common, they have little to do with how people assess each other's behavior. "I find it relieving to know that whether you believe in a soul or not, or have a religion or not, or an assumption about how the universe works, that ...

HIV can cut and paste in the human genome

2014-05-27
For the first time researchers have succeeded in altering HIV virus particles so that they can simultaneously, as it were, 'cut and paste' in our genome via biological processes. Developed at the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University, the technology makes it possible to repair genomes in a new way. It also offers good perspectives for individual treatment of both hereditary diseases and certain viral infections: "Now we can simultaneously cut out the part of the genome that is broken in sick cells, and patch the gap that arises in the genetic information which ...

'Virtual human' shows that stiff arteries can explain the cause of high blood pressure

Virtual human shows that stiff arteries can explain the cause of high blood pressure
2014-05-27
High blood pressure is highly age-related and affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. But doctors can't fully explain the cause of 90 per cent of all cases. A computer model of a "virtual human" suggests that stiff arteries alone are enough to cause high blood pressure. "Our results suggest that arterial stiffness represents a major therapeutic target. This is contrary to existing models, which typically explain high blood pressure in terms of defective kidney function," says Klas Pettersen, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and first author ...

Why does bacon smell so good? (video)

Why does bacon smell so good? (video)
2014-05-27
WASHINGTON, May 27, 2014 — We all know bacon is delicious, but what is it about cooking bacon that makes it smell so tantalizing? In the American Chemical Society's (ACS') latest Reactions video, the team puts its nose into everyone's favorite breakfast food. We collaborated with the Compound Interest blog to break down the science of that sweet smell. The video is available at http://youtu.be/2P_0HGRWgXw Subscribe to the series at Reactions YouTube, and follow us on Twitter @ACSreactions to be the first to see our latest videos. INFORMATION: The American Chemical ...

Scientists map the worst times of day for people allergic to grass pollen

Scientists map the worst times of day for people allergic to grass pollen
2014-05-27
Atishoo! Help, there are flowering grasses around, please stay indoors – while your friends enjoy the nice summer weather! Traditionally, people allergic to grass pollen are advised to be aware of high pollen concentrations during the day, and to reduce their outdoor activities during this period. A new study led by researchers from Aarhus University shows that it is considerably more complicated to avoid grass pollen. Based on a three-year study with intensive measurements at three different locations in Aarhus, they divide the grass pollen season into three periods, ...

Sperm cells are extremely efficient at swimming against a current

2014-05-27
Like salmon traveling upstream to spawn, sperm cells are extremely efficient at swimming against the current, according to research to be published this week. The discovery, to be published in the journal eLife by researchers at MIT and Cambridge University, may help us to understand how some sperm travel such long distances, through difficult terrain, to reach and fertilize an egg. Of the hundreds of millions of sperm cells that begin the journey up the oviducts, only a few hardy travelers will ever reach their destination. Not only do the cells have to swim in the ...

Attack is not always the best defense

Attack is not always the best defense
2014-05-27
Jena (Germany) It is something like the police force of our body: the immune system. It disables intruding pathogens, it dismantles injured tissue and boosts wound healing. In this form of 'self-defense' inflammatory reactions play a decisive role. But sometimes the body's defense mechanism gets out of control and cells or tissues are affected: "Then excessive reactions can occur and illnesses along with them," Prof. Dr. Oliver Werz of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena says. He gives asthma, rheumatism, arteriosclerosis and cancer as examples: "For many of these diseases ...

The secret cargo of mosquitoes

The secret cargo of mosquitoes
2014-05-27
The parasite Dirofilaria repens is a roundworm that primarily attacks the subcutaneous tissue of dogs and causes lumps in the skin, swelling, and itching. Dogs, cats, foxes, wolves and martens can be infected in addition to dogs. "In humans, 16 cases of human dirofilariosis have been recorded since the year 2000, but the dark figure is definitely higher", says the lead author Katja Silbermayr. Humans, however, are so-called dead end hosts; the parasite does not reproduce in humans and therefore poses no major risk. Silbermayr is a veterinarian and performs research on ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Results of SWOG S1929 trial show patients with small-cell lung cancer with SLFN11 expression can benefit from PARP inhibitor added to immune checkpoint blockade

UCSF Health Cancer experts featured at premier cancer meeting

Multiple sclerosis more prevalent in Black Americans than previously thought

Sensory adapted dental rooms significantly reduce autistic children’s physiological and behavioral stress during teeth cleanings

Couples’ social networks took long-lasting hit during COVID

AI software can provide ‘roadmap’ for biological discoveries

Study helps explain what drives psoriasis severity and offers clues as to how disease may spread to other body parts

New study finds strengthening protection of existing parks is crucial for biodiversity conservation

Scientists reveal new details of cellular process which prevents spread of cancer

Development of an AI-based mass spectrometric technique capable of determining the monomeric sequence of a polymer

Non-invasive treatment of uterine fibroids research project secures grant at Baton Rouge Health-Tech Catalyst Pitch Night

nTIDE May 2023 Jobs Report:  Job numbers rebound bringing people with disabilities close to previous high in employment  

American Tinnitus Association elects Wayne State researcher as new chair

Media Alert: American College of Cardiology to host Sports Cardiology Conference

Immunotherapy for brain cancer metastases shows clinical benefit

Commentary calls for equal access to healthcare for DACA recipients and all immigrants

Taming a frenzied immune system

Veterans exposed to Agent Orange may be at increased risk of developing progressive blood cancers

Hispanic women still at higher risk for births with neural tube defects after voluntary folic acid fortification of corn masa flour

Buckle up! A new class of materials is here

Lupus Therapeutics partners to evaluate potential treatment for SLE and lupus nephritis through North American trial network

Sensory adaptations to improve physiological, behavioral distress during dental visits in autistic children

Awareness of racial, ethnic bias and potential solutions to address bias with use of health care algorithms

Reentry services may help stabilize substance use risks after mass prison release

Memory killer cells can improve survival for melanoma patients

HKUST researchers unveil long-sought noncanonical cleavage mechanism in miRNA biogenesis

Immune system discovery could benefit spinal cord injuries

UTHSC researchers’ work on human pangenome aids understanding of common chromosomal abnormality

Mysterious dashes revealed in Milky Way’s center

ASCO: Adding ribociclib to hormone therapy improves outcomes in patients with early breast cancer

[Press-News.org] Melatonin makes old bones stronger
Research on elderly rats suggests possible avenue for prevention of osteoporosis