Body Weekly - February 2012 Archives

How good cholesterol turns bad (2/29/2012)

Berkeley Lab researchers have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from "good" high density lipoproteins (HDLs) to "bad" low density lipoproteins (LDLs). These findings point the way to the design of safer, more effective next generation CETP inhibitors that could help prevent the development of heart disease. ...> Full Article

The molecular basis of touch sensation (2/28/2012)

A gene known to control lens development in mice and humans is also crucial for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory function, as neurobiologists of the Max Delbrueck Center Berlin-Buch have now discovered. They found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene. ...> Full Article

Zapping mosquito bites (2/27/2012)

NPL worked with Ecobrands Ltd. to characterize their Zap-It! product, which uses the tiny electric current generated by piezoelectric material to relieve the pain and itching caused by insect bites -- such as those from mosquitoes. ...> Full Article

Food scientists fortify goat cheese with fish oil to deliver healthy omega-3 fatty acids (2/26/2012)

Fish oil is an underused ingredient in the food industry because of its association with a strong odor and aftertaste. A new study in the February issue of the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, shows that fish oil can be added to goat cheese to deliver high levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids without compromising taste or shelf-life. ...> Full Article

Secret of sperm quality control revealed by Yale scientists (2/25/2012)

Yale researchers have discovered how the "guardian of the genome'' oversees quality control in the production of sperm -- and perhaps in many other cells as well. ...> Full Article

Cranky today? Even mild dehydration can alter our moods (2/24/2012)

Recent studies out of the University of Connecticut's Human Performance Laboratory show that even mild dehydration can cause headaches, concentration problems, and fatigue. The study affirms the importance of proper hydration at all times, not just during exercise or extreme heat. ...> Full Article

Organic foods may be an unsuspected source of dietary arsenic (2/23/2012)

Organic brown rice syrup, a sweetening alternative to the high-fructose corn syrup, may be surreptitiously introducing arsenic in health foods. ...> Full Article

Prolonged fructose intake not linked to rise in blood pressure (2/22/2012)

Eating fructose over an extended period of time does not lead to an increase in blood pressure, according to researchers at St. Michael's Hospital. ...> Full Article

Weight loss can be contagious, study suggests (2/21/2012)

Researchers from the Miriam Hospital and Brown University found that teammates in a team-based weight loss competition significantly influenced each other's weight loss, suggesting that weight loss can be contagious. ...> Full Article

Study to determine whether fish oil can help prevent psychiatric disorders (2/20/2012)

This new study is a National Institute of Mental Health-funded randomized double-blind trial that was designed to test whether Omega-3 fatty acids improve clinical symptoms, and help adolescents and young adults (ages 12 to 25) who are at elevated risk for severe psychiatric disorders function better in school, work and other social environments. ...> Full Article

Top off breakfast with -- chocolate cake? (2/19/2012)

In a study of nearly 200 clinically obese, non-diabetic adults, professor Daniela Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University found that a 600-calorie breakfast that includes dessert as well as proteins and carbohydrates can help dieters lose weight and keep it off over the long term. Her research indicates that such a morning meal staves off cravings and defuses psychological addictions to sweet foods. ...> Full Article

Why the middle finger has such a slow connection (2/18/2012)

Each part of the body has its own nerve cell area in the brain -- we therefore have a map of our bodies in our heads. The functional significance of these maps is largely unclear. What effects they can have is now shown by RUB neuroscientists through reaction time measurements combined with learning experiments and "computational modeling." They have been able to demonstrate that inhibitory influences of neighboring "finger nerve cells" affect the reaction time of a finger. ...> Full Article

The heart can make 'bad' fat burn calories (2/17/2012)

Brown fat burns calories to generate body heat in rodents and newborn humans. Researchers seeking to combat the obesity epidemic are trying to develop ways to increase the amount of brown fat an adult human has in the hope that this will make them lose weight. New research indicates that hormones produced by the heart can cause regular fat cells from mice and humans to take on characteristics of brown fat cells. ...> Full Article

Creating the perfect partial salt replacement (2/16/2012)

In the quest to lower sodium consumption in the North American diet, a team of University of Alberta researchers recently received $340,000 to conduct sensory and taste trials of the salt flavor enhancement product it created with a new, cleaner and more efficient technology. ...> Full Article

Heart failure is associated with loss of brain cells and a decline in mental processes (2/15/2012)

Australian researchers have found evidence that heart failure is associated with a decline in people's mental processes and a loss of grey matter in the brain. These changes can make it more difficult for heart failure patients to remember and carry out instructions such as taking the correct medication at the right times. The study is published in the European Heart Journal. ...> Full Article

Potatoes lower blood pressure in people with obesity and hypertension without increasing weight (2/14/2012)

The first study to check the effects of eating potatoes on blood pressure in humans has concluded that two small helpings of purple potatoes a day decreases blood pressure by about four percent without causing weight gain. In a report in the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers say that decrease, although seemingly small, is sufficient to potentially reduce the risk of several forms of heart disease. ...> Full Article

Does online dating really work? (2/14/2012)

Whether enlisting the help of a grandmother or a friend or the magic of Cupid, singles long have understood that assistance may be required to meet someone special. Today such help is likely to come from online methods of matchmaking. But online dating, according to new Northwestern University research, depends largely on ineffective algorithms and profiles for finding potential love interests. Mobile dating, the latest iteration in digital dating, however, may hold the most promise. ...> Full Article

Twinkle, twinkle kidney stone: With a push you could be gone (2/13/2012)

What would happen if an astronaut developed kidney stones during a mission? Space researchers are developing ultrasound technology that uses enhanced imaging capabilities to detect stones and then give a "push" to help the stones pass naturally. This technology could also change the way kidney stones are treated on Earth. The researchers hope to begin clinical trials this summer. ...> Full Article

Sonicating sperm -- the future of male contraception (2/12/2012)

The ideal male contraceptive would be inexpensive, reliable, and reversible. It would need to be long acting but have few side effects. New research published in BioMed Central's open-access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology used commercially available therapeutic ultrasound equipment to reduce sperm counts of male rats to levels which would result in infertility in humans. ...> Full Article

A glass of milk a day could benefit your brain (2/11/2012)

Pouring at least one glass of milk each day could not only boost your intake of much-needed key nutrients, but it could also positively impact your brain and mental performance, according to a recent study in the International Dairy Journal. Researchers found that adults with higher intakes of milk and milk products scored significantly higher on memory and other brain function tests than those who drank little to no milk... ...> Full Article

Sexual healing? Not likely (2/10/2012)

A new study shows the production of sperm is more biologically taxing than previously thought, and expending energy on it has significant health implications. ...> Full Article

Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed (2/9/2012)

A study published this week in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. ...> Full Article

Lower levels of sunlight link to allergy and eczema (2/9/2012)

Increased exposure to sunlight may reduce the risk of both food allergies and eczema in children, according to a new scientific study published this week. ...> Full Article

Dieting with the denomination, determination (2/8/2012)

According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success. A recent article published in the Journal of Black Psychology (a journal from the Association of Black Psychologists, published by SAGE) finds that African-American women beginning a new group weight loss program are more successful if they are less experienced with weight management and if the program meets in a church. ...> Full Article

Body location plays part in scratching pleasure (2/8/2012)

New research from Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and a world-renowned itch expert, shows that how good scratching an itch feels is related to the itch's location. ...> Full Article

Study shows caffeine consumption linked to estrogen changes (2/7/2012)

Asian women who consumed an average of 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day -- the equivalent of roughly two cups of coffee -- had elevated estrogen levels when compared to women who consumed less, according to a study of reproductive age women by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. ...> Full Article

Brown fat burns calories in adult humans (2/6/2012)

Brown fat burns calories to generate body heat in rodents and newborn humans. Recently, adult humans have also been found to possess brown fat, leading to the suggestion that increasing the amount of brown fat a person has will make them slimmer. However, it has never been shown definitively that adult human brown fat burns energy. But now, researchers in Canada have provided this evidence. ...> Full Article

Eating behavior influenced by dining partners (2/6/2012)

Share a meal with someone and you are both likely to mimic each other's behavior and take bites at the same time rather than eating at your own pace. ...> Full Article

Vigorous exercise linked to gene activity in prostate (2/5/2012)

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have identified nearly 200 genes in the healthy prostate tissue of men with low-grade prostate cancer that may help explain how physical activity improves survival from the disease. ...> Full Article

Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says Stanford study of electronic medical records (2/5/2012)

Women report more-intense pain than men in virtually every disease category, according to Stanford University School of Medicine investigators who mined a huge collection of electronic medical records to establish the broad gender difference to a high level of statistical significance. ...> Full Article

Health benefits of exercise may depend on cellular degradation, UT Southwestern researchers report (2/4/2012)

The health benefits of exercise on blood sugar metabolism may come from the body's ability to devour itself, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in the journal Nature. ...> Full Article

Are diet soft drinks bad for you? (2/4/2012)

Individuals who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at increased risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death. However, in contrast, it was found that regular soft drink consumption and a more moderate intake of diet soft drinks do not appear to be linked to a higher risk of vascular events. ...> Full Article

Need an excuse to get a massage? Study shows it reduces inflammation following strenuous exercise (2/4/2012)

There's general agreement that massage feels good - now there's a scientific basis for the experience. ...> Full Article

New tool enhances view of muscles (2/3/2012)

Simon Fraser University researcher James Wakeling is adding to the arsenal of increasingly sophisticated medical imaging tools with a new signal-processing method for viewing muscle activation details never seen before. His novel method using ultrasound imaging, 3D motion-capture technology and proprietary data-processing software can scan and capture 3D maps of the muscle structure in just 90 seconds. Previous methods took 15 minutes -- far too long to ask people to hold a muscle contraction. ...> Full Article

Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells (2/3/2012)

In a recent University of Illinois study, scientists showed that human colon cancer cells die when they are exposed to the approximate number of bioactive compounds present in one cup of mate tea, which has long been consumed in South America for its medicinal properties. "The caffeine derivatives in mate tea not only induced death in human colon cancer cells, they also reduced important markers of inflammation," said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I associate professor of food chemistry and food toxicology. ...> Full Article

Shoulder pain from using your tablet? Don't use it on your lap (2/2/2012)

The sudden popularity of tablet computers such as the Apple iPad has not allowed for the development of guidelines to optimize users' comfort and well-being. In a new study published in Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, researchers report that head and neck posture during tablet computer use can be improved by placing the tablet higher to avoid low gaze angles, and through the use of a case that provides optimal viewing angles. ...> Full Article

Study tests new treatments for the winter blues (2/2/2012)

If winter's long nights and cold weather have you feeling depressed, a new research study could lift your spirits. The study aims to help adult (ages 21-64) men and women with seasonal affective disorder by comparing two new types of light technologies to determine which one works better. ...> Full Article

Enriched skimmed milk may curb frequency of gout flare-ups (2/2/2012)

A daily dose of skimmed milk, enriched with two components found in dairy products, may help to curb the frequency of painful gout flare-ups, indicates research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. ...> Full Article

Researchers quantify muscle soreness (2/2/2012)

Quantifying how sore a person is after a long workout is a challenge for doctors and researchers, but scientists from Loma Linda and Asuza Pacific Universities think they may have figured it out. Their research article describing a new technique to measure muscle soreness will be published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments. ...> Full Article

Pictures of food create feelings of hunger (2/1/2012)

External stimuli control the hormonal regulation of our eating behavior. ...> Full Article

Pycnogenol (French maritime pine bark extract) shown to improve visible signs of aging in new study (2/1/2012)

Natural supplement Pycnogenol, an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, was found to improve skin hydration and elasticity in women in a clinical trial published this month in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology. The study was conducted at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Dusseldorf, Germany and examined 20 healthy women, aged 55-68 years. Participants were given 75 mg of Pycnogenol per day, over a period of 12 weeks. ...> Full Article