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Is the solution to the obesity epidemic all in our heads? A study by researchers at The Rockefeller University suggests that it might be. "We have identified two new populations of cells in the brain that potently regulate appetite," says Alexander Nectow, first author of the paper, published in  Cell  on July 27. The two types of cells, located in a part of the brainstem called the dorsal raphe nucleus, are potential targets for new drugs to treat obesity by controlling the hunger signals that drive the search for and consumption of food. The new findings are the latest evidence that eating is a complex biological behavior mediated by multiple sites in the brain. They also offer a possible solution to a problem that has dogged previous efforts to address obesity at the neuronal level. In 1994, Jeffrey Friedman, Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and head of Rockefeller's Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, launched a new era in obesity research by discovering a hormone ca

Is the solution to the obesity epidemic all in our heads? A study by researchers at The Rockefeller University suggests that it might be. "We have identified two new populations of cells in the brain that potently regulate appetite," says Alexander Nectow, first author of the paper, published in  Cell  on July 27. The two types of cells, located in a part of the brainstem called the dorsal raphe nucleus, are potential targets for new drugs to treat obesity by controlling the hunger signals that drive the search for and consumption of food. The new findings are the latest evidence that eating is a complex biological behavior mediated by multiple sites in the brain. They also offer a possible solution to a problem that has dogged previous efforts to address obesity at the neuronal level. In 1994, Jeffrey Friedman, Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and head of Rockefeller's Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, launched a new era in obesity research by discovering a hormone called

Eucalyptus is a fast-growing evergreen tree. As an ingredient in many OTC products, it is used to reduce symptoms of coughs, colds, and congestion. It also features in creams and ointments aimed at relieving muscle and joint pain. The oil that comes from the eucalyptus tree is used as an antiseptic, a perfume, as an ingredient in cosmetics, as a flavoring, in dental preparations, and in industrial solvents. Chinese, Indian Ayurvedic, Greek, and other European styles of medicine have incorporated it into the treatment of a range of conditions for thousands of years. There are over 400 different species of eucalyptus. Eucalyptus globulus, also known as Blue Gum, is the main source of eucalyptus oil used globally. Leaves are steam distilled to extract the oil, which is a colorless liquid with a strong, sweet, woody scent. It contains 1,8-cineole, also known as eucalyptol. The leaves also contain flavonoids and tannins; flavonoids are plant-based antioxidants, and tannins may help to

What would a celebration be without alcohol, whether we are talking about a private or professional event? Drinking alcohol, is a well-engrained and long-standing social habit in many countries around the world, even though the fact that alcohol has an impact on one's health is largely established, especially when it comes to heavy drinking. In particular, adolescents are known to enjoy their drinking games and nights-out without worrying much about the effects alcohol can have on their health. In fact, drinking in high quantities is common during adolescence with nearly 25% of high school seniors in the US reporting that they got drunk in the last 30 days. The effects of heavy drinking among young people on the brain have been looked at closely in a mini review published in  Frontiers in Psychology  by Anita Cservenka, Assistant Professor at Oregon State University et.al. "Adolescence is a time when the brain still matures including not only biological development but al

Eating a good breakfast and letting go of your snacking habits may provide the key to leading a healthier life and preventing weight gain, a new study shows. Unhealthy weight gain is a problem that many Americans have to tackle and which state-led programs promoting wholesome dietary habits seek to prevent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36.5 percent of adults, and around 17 percent of children in the United States live with obesity. Excess weight also puts people at an increased risk of developing serious conditions or diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. Research into nutrition, healthy eating habits, and how our diet impacts our day-to-day lives is conducted on a regular basis, with new discoveries being reported all the time. For instance, an analysis recently covered by Medical News Today suggests that some biomarkers could predict the effectiveness of weight loss diets. A new study on the link betwee

Whilst yawning is often considered a result of being tired or bored, this may not always be the case. A yawn is an involuntary reflex where the mouth is opened wide, and the lungs take in a lot of air. The air is then exhaled slowly. During this time, the eardrums stretch, and the eyes may also close tight, causing them to water. No thought or action has to be taken to produce a yawn, and the process is similar for everyone. Yawning commonly occurs either before or after sleep, which is why it is usually considered a sign of being tired. Yawning also occurs frequently in people who are doing boring or tedious things. There is also a social aspect to yawning. Yawning appears to be contagious among humans and other animals, and the contagiousness of a yawn is well documented but hardly understood. Fast facts on yawning Here are some key points about yawning.     Typically, yawning is a response to fatigue or lack of stimulation.     Babies can yawn, even in the womb.     Yawning

High maternal sugar intake during pregnancy may increase the risk of allergy and allergic asthma in the offspring, according to an early study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) involving almost 9,000 mother-child pairs. While some research has reported an association between a high consumption of sugar-containing beverages and asthma in children, the relation between maternal sugar intake during pregnancy and allergy and asthma in the offspring has been little studied. The team, which included researchers from University of Bristol, used data from a world-leading birth cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), also known as 'Children of the 90s'. The cohort recruited mothers who were pregnant in the early 1990s and has been following up their offspring ever since. The current study, which is published in the  European Respiratory Journal , analysed associations between maternal intake of free sugars* in pregnancy and allergy

Soon-to-be mothers have heard the warning -- don't drink while pregnant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued numerous statements about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as it can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in newborns. Despite this, many women drink during pregnancy, a choice that scientists have known for years could hurt these mothers' children. Today, there is a new reason why an expectant mother should put down that glass of wine -- drinking alcohol during pregnancy will not only affect her unborn child, but may also impact brain development and lead to adverse outcomes in her future grand- and even great-grandchildren. The new study by Kelly Huffman, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, titled "Prenatal Ethanol Exposure and Neocortical Development: A Transgenerational Model of FASD," was published in the journal  Cerebral Cortex . "Traditionally, prenatal e

Vitamin D deficiency in expectant mothers during pregnancy has a negative effect on the social development and motor skills of pre-school age children, a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition  reports. Examining data gathered from over 7,000 mother-child pairs, researchers from the University of Surrey, and the University of Bristol, discovered that pregnant women who were deficient in vitamin D (less than 50 nmol per litre in blood) were more likely to have children with low scores (bottom 25 percent) in pre-school development tests for gross and fine motor development at age 2½ years than children of vitamin D sufficient mothers. Tests included assessments of their coordination, such as kicking a ball, balancing and jumping and their usage of fine muscles, including holding a pencil and building a tower with bricks. Vitamin D insufficiency in pregnancy was also found to affect a child's social development at age 3½ years. However, no associations were found between m

Daily tomato consumption appeared to cut the development of skin cancer tumors by half in a mouse study at The Ohio State University. The new study of how nutritional interventions can alter the risk for skin cancers appeared online in the journal Scientific Reports . It found that male mice fed a diet of 10 percent tomato powder daily for 35 weeks, then exposed to ultraviolet light, experienced, on average, a 50 percent decrease in skin cancer tumors compared to mice that ate no dehydrated tomato. The theory behind the relationship between tomatoes and cancer is that dietary carotenoids, the pigmenting compounds that give tomatoes their color, may protect skin against UV light damage, said Jessica Cooperstone, co-author of the study and a research scientist in the Department of Food Science and Technology in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State. There were no significant differences in tumor number for the female mice in the study. Previous r

Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, modified an experimental malaria vaccine and showed that it completely protected four of eight monkeys that received it against challenge with the virulent  Plasmodium falciparum  malaria parasite. In three of the remaining four monkeys, the vaccine delayed when parasites first appeared in the blood by more than 25 days. Malaria symptoms occur when parasites replicate inside red blood cells and cause them to burst. To enter blood cells, the parasite first secretes its own receptor protein, RON2, onto the cell's surface. Another parasite surface protein, AMA1, then binds to a specific portion of RON2, called RON2L, and the resulting complex initiates attachment to the outer membrane of the red blood cell. Several experimental malaria vaccines previously tested in people were designed to elicit antibodies against AMA1 and thus prevent parasites from ente

Associate Professor Liu Shao Quan (left) and Miss Chan Mei Zhi Alcine (right) from the Food Science and Technology Programme at NUS created a novel probiotic beer that boosts immunity and improves gut health. (National University of Singapore) Beer lovers may soon have a gut-friendly drink to raise a toast to, thanks to the creation of a novel probiotic sour beer by a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS). This new specialty beer incorporates the probiotic strain  Lactobacillus paracasei L26, which was first isolated from human intestines and has the ability to neutralise toxins and viruses, as well as regulate the immune system. The idea of producing a probiotic beer was first mooted by Miss Chan Mei Zhi Alcine, a fourth-year student from the Food Science and Technology Programme under the NUS Faculty of Science, who consumes dairy-based probiotic beverages daily. "The health benefits of probiotics are well known. While good bacteria are often pre

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Probiotics are naturally found in your body. You can also find them in some foods and supplements. It's only been since about the mid-1990s that people have wanted to know more about probiotics and their health benefits. Doctors often suggest them to help with digestive problems. And because of their newfound fame, you can find them in everything from yogurt to chocolate. How Do They Work? Researchers are trying to figure out exactly how probiotics work. Here are some of the ways they may keep you healthy:     When you lose "good" bacteria in your body (like after you take antibiotics, for example), probiotics can help replace them.

Diabetes may cause complications in the circulatory system, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Over time, the raised blood sugar levels that result from diabetes can cause a wide range of serious health issues. But what do these health issues involve, and how are the organs of the body affected? Can these effects be minimized? When people have diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use what it has effectively. As a result, the amount of sugar in the blood becomes higher than it should be. Glucose, or blood sugar, is the main power source for the human body. It comes from the food people eat. The hormone insulin helps the cells of the body convert glucose into fuel. Fortunately, taking a proactive approach to this chronic disease through medical care, lifestyle changes, and medication can help limit its effects. Effect on systems and organs The effects of diabetes can be seen on systems throughout the body, including: The circulatory system

A new study examines the association between maternal sugar intake and her offspring's chances of developing allergies and allergic asthma. New research finds links between a mother's consumption of sugars during pregnancy and the risk of her offspring developing asthma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that in the United States, 18.4 million adults currently have asthma. An additional 6.2 million U.S. children live with the condition. Previous studies have pointed to an association between a high intake of sugary soft drinks and the onset of asthma in children aged 11. Consuming soft drinks with added sugar has been shown to considerably raise the risk of childhood asthma. However, the link between maternal intake of sugar and her offspring's risk of asthma has not been sufficiently investigated. This is why a team of researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), in collaboration with scientists from the University of Bristo

Call for Nominations: Workshop on Policy and Diplomacy for Scientists: Introduction to Responsible Research Practices in Chemical and Biochemical Sciences, Trieste, Italy, 12-15 September 2017 The Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), The Netherlands, would like to invite nominations from the National Authority and Permanent Representation of Member States to the OPCW to attend this workshop. Kindly submit the nomination form to the OPCW Secretariat via email ( icb@opcw.org ).  OPCW will organise, in collaboration with the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), the second edition of a workshop on “Policy and Diplomacy for Scientists: Introduction to Responsible Research Practices in Chemical and Biochemical Sciences”. The workshop will be held at TWAS headquarters in Trieste, Italy, from 12 to 15 September 2017. The objective of the workshop is to raise awareness among young scientists on the policy and dipl

Scientists from the University of Birmingham and Norwich Research Park have discovered a link between a major mechanism of antibiotic resistance and resistance to the disinfectant triclosan which is commonly found in domestic products. Researchers made the unexpected finding that bacteria that mutated to become resistant to quinolone antibiotics also became more resistant to triclosan. The scientists showed that the quinolone-resistance mutation altered the way the bacteria package their DNA inside a cell and that these mutants had also turned on various self-defence mechanisms -- together these gave triclosan resistance. Quinolone antibiotics are an important and powerful group of human medicines, and this new discovery raises concerns that the use of triclosan can give antimicrobial resistance. The research, carried out at the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with The Quadram Institute and John Innes Centre based at Norwich

Feeding pregnant female mice a diet high in fat derived from common corn oil resulted in genetic changes that substantially increased breast cancer susceptibility in three generations of female offspring, reports a team of researchers led by scientists at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Their study, published online today in  Breast Cancer Research , suggests a research direction for examining the diet of pregnant women, says the study's senior author, Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, PhD, professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi. "It is believed that environmental and life-style factors, such as diet, plays a critical role in increasing human breast cancer risk, and so we use animal models to reveal the biological mechanisms responsible for the increase in risk in women and their female progeny," says Hilakivi-Clarke. A high-fat diet is linked to excess inflammation, and a number of epidemiological studies have made the connection between inflammation and r