It's a question surely as old as vanity itself: how can you look young forever? A forthcoming study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery offers one surprising idea: as you age, don't be afraid to put on a few pounds. Fat, it turns out, can significantly smooth out wrinkles and give you a younger-looking face.
The authors of the new study, a team led by Dr. Bahman Guyuron of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, are plastic surgeons who study faces for a living. They analyzed photographs of the faces of 186 pairs of identical twins taken at the Twins Days Festival, a sort of twins' pride event held every summer in (naturally) Twinsburg, Ohio. Because the pairs had identical genetic material, differences in how old they looked could be attributed entirely to their behavioral choices and environment. Guyuron's team had the twins fill out extensive questionnaires about their lives - everything from how many times they had married to whether they had regularly used sunscreen. Then a panel of four judges independently estimated the twins' ages by looking at photos taken in Twinsburg.
Health & Wellness
Vitamin D linked to cognitive impairment
Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, have for the first time identified a relationship between Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", and cognitive impairment in a large-scale study of older people. The importance of these findings lies in the connection between cognitive function and dementia: people who have impaired cognitive function are more likely to develop dementia. The paper will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology.
Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, have for the first time identified a relationship between Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", and cognitive impairment in a large-scale study of older people. The importance of these findings lies in the connection between cognitive function and dementia: people who have impaired cognitive function are more likely to develop dementia. The paper will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology.
Yes, genetics do play a role in triggering heart attacks, says a new study piloted by an Indian American researcher.
The study has found nine spots in human DNA which play a role in elevating risk of a heart attack among young people.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have made this revelation after studying the DNA of 26,000 people - half of whom suffered a heart attack at a young age.
The study also showed that those with more genetic variants were at higher risk of a heart attack than others.
The study has found nine spots in human DNA which play a role in elevating risk of a heart attack among young people.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have made this revelation after studying the DNA of 26,000 people - half of whom suffered a heart attack at a young age.
The study also showed that those with more genetic variants were at higher risk of a heart attack than others.
Researchers at Canada's largest children's rehabilitation hospital have developed a technique that uses infrared light brain imaging to decode preference - with the goal of ultimately opening the world of choice to children who can't speak or move.
In a study published this month in The Journal of Neural Engineering, Bloorview scientists demonstrate the ability to decode a person's preference for one of two drinks with 80 per cent accuracy by measuring the intensity of near-infrared light absorbed in brain tissue.
In a study published this month in The Journal of Neural Engineering, Bloorview scientists demonstrate the ability to decode a person's preference for one of two drinks with 80 per cent accuracy by measuring the intensity of near-infrared light absorbed in brain tissue.
Hong Kong - Scientists in Japan have identified an enzyme which appears to suppress breast cancer and they hope the finding will spur new therapies to control the second most common cancer in the world.
At issue is the enzyme CHIP, which experts say can stunt cancer growth by degrading a number of cancer-causing proteins. The enzyme occurs naturally in human breast tissue.
In an article published in Nature Cell Biology, the scientists said they injected two kinds of human breast cancer cells into mice. One set carried the CHIP enzyme and the other was without the chemical.
Tumors in the first group of mice with the CHIP enzyme were far smaller than the one without the enzyme, Junn Yanagisawa at the University of Tsukuba's Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Japan told Reuters.
At issue is the enzyme CHIP, which experts say can stunt cancer growth by degrading a number of cancer-causing proteins. The enzyme occurs naturally in human breast tissue.
In an article published in Nature Cell Biology, the scientists said they injected two kinds of human breast cancer cells into mice. One set carried the CHIP enzyme and the other was without the chemical.
Tumors in the first group of mice with the CHIP enzyme were far smaller than the one without the enzyme, Junn Yanagisawa at the University of Tsukuba's Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Japan told Reuters.
Very few people are aware of how vital magnesium is for overall health. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies, activating over 300 different biochemical reactions necessary for your body to function properly. The U.S. minimum RDA for magnesium is about 320 mg per day for women and more than 400 mg per day for men, while optimum daily amounts are closer to 500 to 700 mg per day - yet studies show that most people regularly take in about half of that and that over 8 out of 10 people do not take enough daily magnesium for even the minimum daily amounts recommended. Recent research has revealed that this lack of magnesium may put your heart - and your health - at significant risk.
Magnesium protects against heart disease and heart attacks, high blood pressure and stroke, type II diabetes and much, much more. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Contrary to popular misconceptions, it is magnesium that is actually most important in building strong bones and preventing bone loss.
Magnesium protects against heart disease and heart attacks, high blood pressure and stroke, type II diabetes and much, much more. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Contrary to popular misconceptions, it is magnesium that is actually most important in building strong bones and preventing bone loss.
Sharon Mullen wears a T-shirt that reads "1 in 150 American children" on the front.
The back of the shirt says, "If 1 in 150 American children were being kidnapped, we would have a national emergency. WE DO. It's autism." Mullen, who lives in the Carver area, wants to increase awareness about the neurological disorder that affects her 5-year-old daughter, Emily. Her T-shirt reflects the growing number of children diagnosed with autism.
The back of the shirt says, "If 1 in 150 American children were being kidnapped, we would have a national emergency. WE DO. It's autism." Mullen, who lives in the Carver area, wants to increase awareness about the neurological disorder that affects her 5-year-old daughter, Emily. Her T-shirt reflects the growing number of children diagnosed with autism.
Doctors have long noticed that depression dramatically increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and death after a heart attack, but for years they have been lacking the pieces of the puzzle that would explain why.
Now, researchers at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill., may be on the verge of filling in key pieces of that puzzle. In a study just published, the researchers find that depressed patients have higher levels of inflammatory substances in their blood. Inflammation is the process by which the body responds to infections, injuries or stress.
The increased inflammation is caused by the nervous system's reaction to the daily stress of daily life and the stress caused by illnesses such as depression, which sets off a series of physiological and biochemical changes in the body that can over time damage the cardiovascular system, the researchers find.
"It's an insidious pathological change," said Dr. Angelos Halaris, lead researcher, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences and assistant dean for translational research at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "The changes caused by the inflammation are like a slow-growing cancer that goes undetected because they cause no symptoms."
Now, researchers at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill., may be on the verge of filling in key pieces of that puzzle. In a study just published, the researchers find that depressed patients have higher levels of inflammatory substances in their blood. Inflammation is the process by which the body responds to infections, injuries or stress.
The increased inflammation is caused by the nervous system's reaction to the daily stress of daily life and the stress caused by illnesses such as depression, which sets off a series of physiological and biochemical changes in the body that can over time damage the cardiovascular system, the researchers find.
"It's an insidious pathological change," said Dr. Angelos Halaris, lead researcher, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences and assistant dean for translational research at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "The changes caused by the inflammation are like a slow-growing cancer that goes undetected because they cause no symptoms."
Children tend to eat what their parents eat, finds a new study that suggests a parental contribution to the growing obesity problem among young children and teenagers.
Researchers found adolescents are more likely to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day if their parents do. Contrarily, teens whose parents eat fast food or drink soda are more likely to do the same.
Every day, more than 2 million California adolescents (62 percent) drink soda and 1.4 million (43 percent) eat fast food, but only 38 percent eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, say the researchers at UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Researchers found adolescents are more likely to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day if their parents do. Contrarily, teens whose parents eat fast food or drink soda are more likely to do the same.
Every day, more than 2 million California adolescents (62 percent) drink soda and 1.4 million (43 percent) eat fast food, but only 38 percent eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, say the researchers at UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
© Travis Gallagher, NIST
Computer model of the defined structure for the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) found in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Computer model of the defined structure for the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) found in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The NIST/BNL team reports that it has defined - for the first time - the structure of a "metabolic switch" found inside most types of bacteria - the cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein, or CRP - in its "off" state. CRP is the "binding site" (attachment point) for cAMP, a small molecule that, once attached, serves as the signal to throw the switch. This "on" state of CRP then turns on the genes that help a microbe survive in a human host.
The researchers hope that once the switching mechanism is understood the data can be used to develop new methods for preventing tuberculosis and other pathogenic bacterial diseases.
