5,993 articles from JUNE 2020

Down to the bone: Understanding how bone-dissolving cells are generated

Bone-dissolving cells called osteoclasts are derived from a type of immune cells called macrophages. They are necessary for the maintenance and renewal of bones. But the intracellular mechanisms through which macrophages convert to osteoclasts are not fully understood. Recently, scientists at the Tokyo University of Science uncovered the role of a protein called Cpeb4 in this process. Their...

EULAR advocates deployment of health care professionals -- study confirms effectiveness

Inflammatory-rheumatic disorders are a widespread ailment, affecting at least 1.5 million people in Germany alone. Because of the shortage of rheumatologists, however, only half of the patients are adequately treated (1,2). A study in Germany has shown for the first time that the care of patients with inflammatory-rheumatic diseases by 'rheumatological assistants' (RFA*) is just as effective as...

Fecal transplants show promise as treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University suggests that fecal transplants could be used as a treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The randomized controlled trial published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found that fecal transplants in patients with NAFLD result in a reduction in how easily pathogens and other unwanted molecules pass...

Female athletes at risk for nutritional deficiencies

Two decades of research among female athletes over the age of 13 years shows that a lack of nutrition knowledge about what they need to eat to stay healthy and compete may contribute to poor performance, low energy and nutrient intake, and potential health risks, according to a Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School study.

Happiness might protect you from gastrointestinal distress

Serotonin, a chemical known for its role in producing feelings of well-being and happiness in the brain, can reduce the ability of some intestinal pathogens to cause deadly infections, new research by UT Southwestern scientists suggests. The findings, publishing online today in Cell Host & Microbe, could offer a new way to fight infections for which few truly effective treatments currently exist.

Holders of negative opinions towards GM food likely to be against other novel food tech

Scientists at NTU Singapore and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health have found that people who hold negative opinions of genetically-modified (GM) food are likely to feel the same about nano-enabled food -- food with nano-additives to enhance flavor, nutrition or prolong shelf life. The 'spillover effect' they observed from GM food to nano-enabled food could possibly extend to other...

How effective are language learning apps?

Researchers from Michigan State University recently conducted a study focusing on Babbel, a popular subscription-based language learning app and e-learning platform, to see if it really worked at teaching a new language.

Human presence weakens social relationships of giraffes

Living close to human settlements disturbs the social networks of giraffes. They have weaker bonds with other giraffes and fewer interactions with other members of the species, an international study led by the University of Zurich on the social structure of over 500 female giraffes in Tanzania has shown.

Immune cell discovery could improve the fight against hepatitis B

For the first time, researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) have identified and described a new and unique subset of human cells that are involved in the immune response against hepatitis B (HBV) infection. The discovery could help develop new treatments for HBV and inform future vaccine design.

Infected insects may warn of impending citrus disease a year in advance

Despite the first appearance of citrus greening disease in Florida in 2005, the bacterium wasn't found in Texas until 2011, when scientists detected it in the psyllids. The disease was not detected in citrus years until 2012, suggesting that psyllids may actually be used for early detection of the HLB pathogen in newly invaded areas.

Invasive rushes spreading in upland farm fields

Scientists have used a series of Google Earth images to plot the spread of rushes in farm fields in the West Pennine Moor SSSI -- an area of the Lancashire uplands between Bolton, Bury and Darwen. Using more than 200 images from Google Earth taken across a 13-year period between 2005 and 2018, the researchers found that rushes have spread across the surveyed area by between 82 per cent and 174 per...

Late blight research pairs spectroscopy with classic plant pathology diagnostics

Gold and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently published research showing how they used contact spectroscopy to non-destructively sense how plant pathogens differentially damage, impair, and alter plant traits during the course of infection. This research centered on late blight of potato and tomato. The hyperspectral sensors Gold and colleagues used measure light reflectance...