05 Nov, 2014 | by Labroots
Cure for Type 1 Diabetes in Reach?Researchers seeking a cure for Type 1 diabetes may be a giant step closer to the prize. For most people with this chronic condition, the immune system goes awry, destroying insulin-producing (islet) cells in the pancreas. When a substantial number of these cells are wiped out, little or no insulin is produced. With no insulin to allow glucose into the cells, sugar accumulates in the bloodstream, jeopardizing...... Read More
17 Oct, 2014 | by Labroots
Emory Students Develop Test for Ebola VirusAccording to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1.4 million people could contract the Ebola virus by January. In West Africa alone 2,800 lives have been lost to the dreaded disease. For two students at Emory University in Atlanta, the problem was even more real. Ambulances went by their biology classroom to transport three Ebola patients for treatment at the universityâs hospital, and CDC...... Read More
15 Oct, 2014 | by Labroots
A Whale of a ComebackWith all the doom and gloom about climate change and vanishing species, itâs sometimes nice to hear about an environmental success story. Hereâs one. According to recent research from the University of Washington, the California blue whale population is back to near historic levels. Once hunted nearly to extinction, this is the only population of blue whales to have recovered. Today the population...... Read More
13 Oct, 2014 | by Labroots
Train Your Brain to Lose WeightPlease take these carrots away. I canât stop eating them! Do you think you might ever say that? Or will that statement always only apply to chips? A study published recently in Nutrition & Diabetes indicates that you might be able to train your brain to like healthy foods instead of unhealthy ones. Scientists at Tufts University and Massachusetts General Hospital studied 13 overweight adults, eight...... Read More
10 Oct, 2014 | by Labroots
Qualities That Make for Must-Watch TV May Boost Risk of Alzheimer’s in WomenFor those of you who donât subscribe to The Hollywood Reporter, Iâm going to synergize vital news you may have missed with a longitudinal study shared by a professional society of neuroscientists. First, THR. In January, the entertainment trade pub reported the Bravo cable networkâs âReal Housewivesâ franchise hit an all-time high (marking the most-watched night in the networkâs 33-year...... Read More
09 Oct, 2014 | by Labroots
Synthetic Vitamin D the Missing Link in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment?Researchers from the Salk Institute, La Jolla, Calif, have found that a manmade derivative of vitamin D caved-in the seemingly impervious wall of cells barricading pancreatic tumors, cleaving a gap in which to pump cancer-fighting drugs. The findings, from animal studies, have led to human trials. The dismal five-year survival rate for this type of cancerâlowest among all cancersâmay be linked...... Read More
25 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots
Fake Sugar Paving the Road to Diabetes?Artificial sweeteners, put forth as a panacea for weight loss and diabetes prevention, may instead spur our chances of developing glucose intolerance and metabolic disease by altering the workings of gut microbiota â the large group of bacteria in our intestines, according to an interesting and much-discussed study. The findings are published in the journal Nature. Glucose intolerance, often believed...... Read More
24 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots
Mysterious ‘Sailing Stones’ Findings Well Worth the WaitPoet and philosopher G.K. Chesterton once said: âOne sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.â And this couldnât be more true for a team of researchers led by palebiologist Richard Norris of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, who together embarked upon unveiling the mystery of Death Valleyâs âsailing stones.â Waiting for rocks to move along the...... Read More
23 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots
Is it Too Late to Change My Blood Type?To boost my health Iâve made sacrifices (adios mac and cheese, donuts, friesâ¦), only sit when I must, and slather on near-triple-digit SPFâbut now comes news thereâs an unfixable trait. Our blood type itself. It appears that people with blood type AB may have a greater chance of experiencing memory loss when they grow old than people with other blood types, according to a study published...... Read More
22 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots
Why do Older People Sleep Less?You might think that the stresses of daily life and increased physical challenges might cause older people to sleep more. But, as we know, often the opposite is true. People over 70 tend to have more trouble sleeping than they did in their youth. Now scientists at Bostonâs Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Rush University in Chicago and the University of Toronto may have spread light on why this...... Read More