By applying electrical current to the brain, researchers reporting online on November 4 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, have shown that they could enhance a person's mathematical performance for up to 6 months without influencing their other cognitive functions. The findings may lead to treatments for the estimated 20 percent of the population with moderate to severe numerical disabilities (for example, dyscalculia) and for those who lose their skill with numbers as a result of stroke or degenerative disease, according to the researchers. "I am certainly ...

Researchers have experimentally shown that some species of reef fish will enact punishment on the parasitic saber-tooth blennies that stealthily attack them from behind and take a bite, even though their behavior offers no immediate gain. The study, published online on November 4 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, shows that punishment ultimately serves all members of the reef fish species well. In future attacks, blennies are more likely to go after "free-riding" individuals that don't take the time or expend the energy to punish their enemies, the researchers ...

The adult human skeleton undergoes constant remodeling, with new bone forming at sites that have been broken down by a precise process called resorption. During remodeling, skeletal stem cells are recruited to resorption sites and directed to differentiate into bone-forming cells. Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by weak and fragile bones, develops when there is an imbalance in the remodeling process and more bone is lost than replaced. Now, new research published by Cell Press in the November issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers a mechanism that may guide ...

Although human and chimpanzee immune systems have many identical components, this is not the case for the family of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) controlling white blood cells known as natural killer (NK) cells. Published in the open-access journal PloS Genetics on November 4, a paper by Stanford University researchers describes qualitative KIR differences, acquired after humans and chimpanzees separated 6 million years ago and mainly a consequence of innovation in the human line. These differences open up an exciting avenue for explaining the differential ...

A new study published today shows a genetic 'battle of the sexes' could be much harder to resolve and even more important to evolution than previously thought. This battle, observed across many species and known as intralocus sexual conflict, happens when the genes for a trait which is good for the breeding success of one sex are bad for the other – sparking an 'evolutionary tug-o-war' between the sexes. It has previously been thought these issues were only resolved when the trait in question evolves to become sex-specific in its development – meaning the trait only ...

ASDs include a range of neurodevelopmental conditions that are being diagnosed at an increasing rate. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that ASD currently affects 1 in 110 people. The prevalence of schizophrenia, with a diagnostic rate of 1 in 100 to 1 in 20, is similar. ASD and schizophrenia affect males more often than females, and both are thought to have a strong and overlapping genetic component. "The genetic overlap between ASD and schizophrenia, both of which have a high heritability, has been the focus of several recent studies; however, no ...

A research team led by Teh-hui Kao, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State University, in collaboration with a team lead by Professor Seiji Takayama at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, has discovered a large suite of genes in the petunia plant that acts to prevent it from breeding with itself or with its close relatives, and to promote breeding with unrelated individuals. In much the same way that human inbreeding sometimes results in genetic disease and inferior health, some inbred plants also experience decreased fitness, and ...

Tiny variants in a protein that alerts the immune system to the presence of infection may underlie the rare ability of some individuals to control HIV infection without the need for medications. In a report that will appear in Science and is receiving early online release, an international research team led by investigators from the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT and Harvard and from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard describe finding that differences in five amino acids in a protein called HLA-B are associated with whether or not HIV-infected ...

A registry of health care information on patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) could help physicians improve care for affected individuals, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest that officials could use such a registry to develop a national surveillance system to identify and track various aspects of CKD. The incidence and health care costs of CKD are growing. A national reporting system that collects health care details on dialysis patients and ...

Today, individuals with lupus nephritis benefit from better treatments than a decade ago, according to a review appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The article suggests that patients with the disease can now live full lives without suffering from many treatment-related side effects that plagued them in the past. In the future, patients will likely experience additional benefits from treatment strategies currently being explored in clinical trials. Individuals with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus ...

Lasofoxifene statistically reduced the overall risk of breast cancer, as well as ER positive invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with low bone density, according to a study published online in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Lasofoxifene is a SERM, or selective estrogen receptor modulator, that, like tamoxifen, blocks the effects of estrogen in breast tissue. Another SERM, raloxifene, has been shown to reduce breast cancer risk. In the Postmenopausal Evaluation and Risk-Reduction with Lasofoxifene (PEARL) trial, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Researchers at Harvard University say America's obesity epidemic won't plateau until at least 42 percent of adults are obese, an estimate derived by applying mathematical modeling to 40 years of Framingham Heart Study data. Their work, published this week in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, runs counter to recent assertions by some experts that the obesity rate, which has been at 34 percent for the past five years, may have peaked. An additional 34 percent of American adults are overweight but not obese, according to the federal government's ...

Chevy Chase, MD—The beneficial effects of six months of testosterone treatment on muscle mass, strength and quality of life in frail elderly men are not maintained at six months post-treatment, according to a study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Frailty is an age-related state of physical limitation caused by the loss of muscle mass and function and can lead to adverse clinical outcomes such as dependency, institutionalization and death. Testosterone levels naturally decline with aging and testosterone ...

Chevy Chase, MD—Researchers may have identified a promising novel diagnostic biomarker for ectopic pregnancy, according to a study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). In the western world, deaths from ectopic pregnancy are not common but in the developing world one in ten women who are admitted with an ectopic pregnancy die. An ectopic pregnancy is an abnormal pregnancy that occurs outside the uterine cavity. Most ectopic pregnancies take place in the Fallopian tube but implantation can also occur ...

LA JOLLA, CA – November 2, 2010 – Embargoed by the journal Cell Stem Cell until November 4, noon, Eastern time – Scripps Research Institute scientists have taken a step closer to understanding the cause of Friedreich's ataxia, a debilitating neurological condition that affects tens of thousands of people worldwide, and so far has no cure. Researchers already know that the disease arises from the silencing of the gene FXN, due to an abnormally expanded stretch of DNA within the gene. The length of this "triplet repeat expansion" determines the degree of gene silencing, ...

Researchers have identified the deletion of a genomic region on chromosome 17 as a significant risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. A mutation of one of the genes in the deleted interval already is a known cause of renal cysts and diabetes syndrome (RCAD). The research, by an international collaboration of scientists led by Emory University, will be published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Lead author of the study is Daniel Moreno-De-Luca, MD, MSc, Emory postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Human Genetics. Senior authors ...

LA JOLLA, CA—A study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies revealed that stem cells can sense a decrease in available nutrients and respond by retaining only a small pool of active stem cells for tissue maintenance. When, or if, favorable conditions return, stem cell numbers multiply to accommodate increased demands on the tissue. Elucidating the mechanisms by which hormonal signaling influences stem cell behavior under normal conditions and in response to stress provides important insights into the activities of stem cells in regenerative medicine, ...

Researchers at the University of Cambridge hope to revolutionise cancer therapy after discovering one of the reasons why many previous attempts to harness the immune system to treat cancerous tumours have failed. New research, published today in the journal Science, reveals that a type of stromal cell found in many cancers which expresses fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP), plays a major role in suppressing the immune response in cancerous tumours – thereby restricting the use of vaccines and other therapies which rely on the body's immune system to work. They ...

Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, have identified a genetic variant which influences whether a person with dyslexia is more skilled with either the left or right hand. The finding identifies a novel gene for handedness and provides the first genetic evidence to support a much speculated link between handedness and a language-related disorder. The majority of people worldwide are right-handed. Since the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa, this implies that for most people the left hemisphere ...

WASHINGTON, DC: A new report from the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars explores a variety of voluntary options available for the oversight of nanotechnology products and processes. The report, Voluntary Initiatives, Regulation, and Nanotechnology Oversight: Charting a Path, by Dr. Daniel Fiorino, Director of the Center for Environmental Policy at American University, provides a historical overview of voluntary approaches to environmental protection and assesses their applicability to the emerging field of ...

Laparoscopic or 'keyhole' surgery is a safe, effective way of removing bowel tumours and should be offered to all patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer, according to researchers from the University of Leeds. Patients who have laparoscopic surgery spend less time in hospital and recover more quickly from the operation. Now long-term follow-up data has confirmed that this way of doing surgery does not make patients with colorectal cancer more vulnerable to the disease returning, as some had feared. And overall survival rates for keyhole surgery are just the ...

Synopsis: A patient with a long head biceps (LHB) tendinopathy, which is a pain and/or tearing of the tendon, may also have a shoulder problem and/or a rotator cuff tear. LHB tendinopahy can be caused by injury, trauma, overuse, inflammation or degeneration. Because of the variety of the causes and the range of possible severity, a patient needs a thorough examination, including radiographic imaging to determine the diagnosis and treatment. Traditional treatments include both surgical and nonsurgical approaches. "The surgeon's goal in treating any long head biceps tendinopathy ...

Was it the evolution of the hand, or of the brain, that enabled prehistoric toolmakers to make the leap from striking off simple flakes of rock to fashioning a sophisticated hand axe? A new study finds that the ability to plan complex tasks was key. The research, published Nov. 3 in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, is the first to use a cyber data glove to precisely measure the hand movements of stone tool making, and compare the results to brain activation. (Video: http://tinyurl.com/2w9cd4d) "Making a hand axe appears to require higher-order cognition ...

Shopping was the next most popular answer in the survey, carried out last month by researchers from Nottingham University Business School. On a scale of zero to 10, Robin scored an average of 8.2 for visitors and 8.6 for locals in terms of the importance of his links to the city — and most agreed he was a "hero". Yet tourism experts say neither Nottinghamshire nor Yorkshire, which stakes a rival claim to the legend, has made the most of Robin — despite fighting over his origins. In fact, five years ago Nottingham infamously ditched him from its branding in favour ...

According to a new study from the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), patients with acute plantar fasciitis who perform manual plantar fasciitis stretching exercises, as opposed to shockwave therapy, had superior results and higher patient satisfaction. Study details and findings: A total of 102 patients who had acute plantar fasciitis pain, were randomly assigned to two groups. Acute is defined as any patient that experiences pain for less than six weeks. 54 people performed an eight-week stretching program, while 48 people received repetitive low-energy radial ...