Nerve cells come in very different shapes. Researchers at the Bernstein Center Berlin now reveal why, in insects, the cell body is usually located at the end of a separate extension. Using mathematical models, they show that this increases the strength of electrical signal transmission at no additional energetic cost. Nerve cells follow a functional design: They receive input signals over more or less ramified cell branches (dendrites), which they forward to other nerve cells along an elongated, thin cell process (axon). The cell body contains the nucleus with genetic ...

A new study has found that internet discussion forums have positive links to well-being and are even associated with increased community engagement offline, contrary to a common perception of them being outdated and prone to trolling. Research just published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior found that online forums have benefits for both individuals and wider society and are of greater importance than previously realised. Although seemingly eclipsed in the past decade by social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, forums are still regularly used ...

The U.S. Congress successfully hears the "supermajority" consensus on the reality and causes of climate change, according to scientists from Texas A&M University, Idaho State University, and University of Oklahoma. In a paper published in Climatic Change, the scientists suggest looking at business interests, partisan predispositions and political ideology for the hurdles to policy action. "Different perceptions and claims among lawmakers are a major hurdle to agreeing on action to address global warming and these were thought to simply reflect scientific uncertainty," ...

A number of research studies have shown that coffee helps to protect against breast cancer. A new study led by Lund University, has confirmed that coffee inhibits the growth of tumours and reduces the risk of recurrence in women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with the drug tamoxifen. The study, which is a follow-up of the results the researchers obtained two years ago, was carried out at Lund University and Skåne University Hospital, in collaboration with researchers in the UK. "Now, unlike in the previous study, we have combined information ...

Dietary recommendations support the consumption of dairy products as part of a healthy diet. However, after a Spanish study involving more than 4,000 people analysed the relationship between the regular intake of yogurt and health-related quality of life, it declared that there was no link with the improvement of the physical and mental parameters analysed. For years various researchers have stated the benefits of eating yogurt on a regular basis although its effectiveness has never been proven. In fact, until now, few studies have specifically examined the effect of ...

BOSTON - Boston Medical Center (BMC) pathologists have developed a set of protocols for processing and preserving forensic evidence, such as shrapnel, bullets and other projectiles, in surgical specimens (i.e. amputated limbs, injured organs, etc.) after a terrorist attack based on lessons learned from the Boston Marathon bombing. Their findings are published online in advance of print in the Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. As a result of the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, three people were killed and 264 others were injured - some suffering from injuries ...

PHILADELPHIA -- While genetics play a substantial role in development of neuroblastoma, scientists say that something else is in play that elevates the risk: stress. Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center have shown in mice genetically predisposed to develop neuroblastoma that maternal stress can push onset of the cancer. Their study will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015. "To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of the role of prenatal stress in development of neuroblastoma," says Joanna Kitlinska, ...

Research showing the adverse effects of sedentary office work has given standing desks and treadmill desks new attention. If you happen to be interested in using a treadmill desk, your greatest challenge may be convincing your boss. Fortunately, two BYU researchers have good news: People on treadmill desks perform cognitive tasks nearly as well as those at sitting desks, despite the fact that they're walking. In a study published Wednesday in PLOS One, exercise science professor James LeCheminant and neuroscientist Michael Larson report their findings after putting ...

Phytoplankton, commonly known as plant plankton that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, are potentially a key driver of Arctic warming under greenhouse warming, a study reveals. Scientists with Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M), and Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), presented on Monday, April 20, in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Online, the geophysical impact of phytoplankton that triggers positive feedbacks in the Arctic warming ...

Sex differences in some behaviors are well established, but it's unclear whether differences still occur within highly selective sub-populations, such as expert financial decision makers or elite athletes. Researchers assessed the competitiveness of over 1,100 collegiate distance runners and tested whether the already-known sex difference in competitiveness narrowed when considering the fastest runners. They found the difference between genders was just as large among the fastest as it was among the slowest runners. Whether or not sex differences disappear among selective ...

CINCINNATI - Researchers have identified a biological basis for asthmatic children who do not respond well to corticosteroid treatment - currently the most effective treatment for chronic asthma and acute asthma attack. Conducted at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the study also identifies a genetic pathway that could open the possibility of new therapies for difficult-to-treat patients. The findings are reported April 21 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, published by the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. The researchers ...

In a new study published today in the British Journal of Nutrition, a team of researchers led by the University of Surrey, has found that front of package nutrition labels can enable consumers to make healthier food choices. In recent years, a number of different front of package labels have been developed by industry and health promotion organisations. The majority of labels include values for energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat and salt, but some also include percentage Guideline Daily Amounts or traffic light colours to help consumers' understanding of the numerical ...

Preliminary findings presented at international TB vaccine conference suggest development and introduction of a "post-infection" vaccine could have a major impact in reducing TB disease in China WHO currently estimates nearly 1 million new cases of TB in China every year SHANGHAI (21 April 2015)--A major contributor to the number of tuberculosis infections and cases in China will likely be the elderly over the next few decades, requiring a refocus in efforts to control a disease affecting millions of people in the country, according to preliminary new research presented ...

In the 1950s computers were giant machines that filled buildings and served a variety of arcane functions. Today they fit into our pockets or backpacks, and help us work, communicate and play. "Biotechnology today it is very similar to where computing technology used to be," said Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford. "Biological labs are housed in big buildings and the technology is hard to access," he added. "But we are changing that. We are enabling people to interact with biological materials and perform experiments the way they ...

PHILADELPHIA (April 21, 2015) - New research from the Monell Center reveals that tumor necrosis factor (TNF), an immune system regulatory protein that promotes inflammation, also helps regulate sensitivity to bitter taste. The finding may provide a mechanism to explain the taste system abnormalities and decreased food intake that can be associated with infections, autoimmune disorders, and chronic inflammatory diseases. In addition to its role in mediating inflammation, TNF has been implicated in the progression of varied diseases ranging from Alzheimer's disease ...

*World-first: MRI used to study infant pain *Finds 18 of 20 brain 'pain' regions activate in adults are active in babies *Also suggests infants are more sensitive to pain than adults *Highlights need to review pain relief for babies The brains of babies 'light up' in a very similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, a pioneering Oxford University brain scanning study has discovered. It suggests that babies experience pain much like adults. The study looked at 10 healthy infants aged between one and six days old and 10 healthy adults aged ...

In research published today in the journal Cerebral Cortex, a team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, studied not only whether volunteers could be trained to follow their heartbeat, but whether it was possible to identify from brain activity how good they were at estimating their performance. Dr Tristan Bekinschtein, a Wellcome Trust Fellow and lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, says: "'Follow your heart' has become something of a cliché, ...

Dutch doctors withhold/withdraw treatment in a substantial proportion of elderly patients, reveals research published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics. But their decisions don't seem to be driven by ageism; rather, they are more likely based on considerations of comfort and respect and the avoidance of futile treatment, conclude the researchers. In a bid to assess whether certain age groups are more likely to have treatment withheld or withdrawn, the researchers looked at a sample of deaths, stratified according to whether end of life decisions were likely or ...

UK doctors are unlikely to be able to repay their student loans over the course of their working lives, amassing debts of more than £80,000 by the time they graduate, in some cases, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. What's more, there are clear gender differences in the amount of cash required to service these debts, the analysis shows, with women paying more in interest, despite earning less than men. The researchers base their findings on the average earnings of 4286 doctors working more than 30 hours a week, who had taken part in national ...

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) could provide an alternative non-drug treatment for people who do not wish to continue long-term antidepressant treatment, suggests new research published in The Lancet. The results come from the first ever large study to compare MBCT - structured training for the mind and body which aims to change the way people think and feel about their experiences - with maintenance antidepressant medication for reducing the risk of relapse in depression. The study aimed to establish whether MBCT is superior to maintenance antidepressant ...

TORONTO, ON, April 20, 2015 -- South Asian women are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage breast cancer compared to the general population, while Chinese women are more likely to be diagnosed with early stage cancer, according to a new study by Women's College Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The findings, published today in the journal Current Oncology, confirm a strong link between ethnicity and breast cancer stage at diagnosis for Canadian women. An editorial by Dr. Aisha Lofters accompanies the paper and indicates that the ...

A new study by UC San Francisco has found that statins can help prevent disease in older adults but must be weighed against potentially serious side effects. Amid a projected cost of almost $900 billion for cardiovascular disease over the next decade in the U.S., statins are used by nearly half the elderly population in the nation. But in spite of the widespread use, there has been little systematic scrutiny of the potential risks of the drugs in older adults and whether those side effects could offset cardiovascular and other health benefits. For the statin study, ...

WASHINGTON -- Results from a second comprehensive analysis of mammography screening, this time using data from digital mammography, confirms findings from a 2009 analysis of film mammography: biennial (every two years) screening offers a favorable balance of benefits to harm for women ages 50 to 74 who have an average risk of developing breast cancer. A technical report of the analysis is posted on the US Preventive Services Task Force's website and is cited as one piece of evidence for its 2015 draft recommendations for breast cancer screening with mammography. The ...

New Haven, Conn. -- Researchers at Yale and the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System compared the number of drinks that men with HIV infection, versus those without it, needed to get a buzz. They found that HIV-infected men were more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than uninfected men. The study published April 17 in the journal AIDS and Behavior. Researchers know that HIV and alcohol can make for a dangerous mix. "Alcohol makes it more likely you're going to get HIV due to risky sexual behavior," said Dr. Amy C. Justice, professor of medicine and public health at Yale. ...

DALLAS, April 20, 2015 -- For the first time, the American Heart Association has issued recommendations for healthcare providers treating people older than 40 with congenital heart disease. "People born with congenital heart disease are living longer and fuller lives than ever before, and there are now more adults than children with congenital heart disease," said Ami Bhatt, M.D., lead author of the new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. "These patients often have a sense that their heart has been 'fixed' and they don't ...