Researchers have identified a cellular switch that triggers the production of 'good' fat cells, which pump out heat and raise the body's metabolic rate. The discovery, made in mice, might one day provide a way to treat or prevent obesity in humans.
In adult humans, nearly all fat tissue is made of white fat cells, which store excess energy for later use. But brown fat cells have a high metabolic rate and burn up the chemical fuel, rather than store it. A higher proportion of babies' fat is brown, probably as a way to keep warm. But these deposits are mostly lost after infancy.
Health & Wellness
A hospital ward has been closed after an outbreak of the Clostridium difficile superbug, it emerged yesterday.
Seven patients at the Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, tested positive for the infection. The ward where they were treated has been closed to new admissions since Friday, when the patients were first taken ill. Fife NHS Board said procedures were in place to control the spread of the infection.
In a statement, the board said: "The patients are being nursed in isolation as part of standard operational procedure and enhanced infection control measures have been put in place."
Seven patients at the Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, tested positive for the infection. The ward where they were treated has been closed to new admissions since Friday, when the patients were first taken ill. Fife NHS Board said procedures were in place to control the spread of the infection.
In a statement, the board said: "The patients are being nursed in isolation as part of standard operational procedure and enhanced infection control measures have been put in place."
The Salmonella outbreak possibly linked to a meat plant in Co Kildare has now spread to Sweden and France, bringing to five the number of European Union countries affected.
The latest figures for the outbreak of salmonella agona, released last night, show some 132 people have now been infected by the bug. Sweden has reported its first two cases, while France has confirmed one person has been infected by the relatively rare strain of the bacterium.
There has been one death linked to the salmonella outbreak. A 77-year-old British woman died from complications thought to be associated with the infection.
The latest figures for the outbreak of salmonella agona, released last night, show some 132 people have now been infected by the bug. Sweden has reported its first two cases, while France has confirmed one person has been infected by the relatively rare strain of the bacterium.
There has been one death linked to the salmonella outbreak. A 77-year-old British woman died from complications thought to be associated with the infection.
Eight people in Wales have been diagnosed with a rare form of food poisoning linked to a nationwide outbreak.
The salmonella outbreak, associated with cooked bacon from Ireland but sold in the UK, has infected 119 people, killing one person in England.
Several types of ready-to-use sandwich fillings containing cooked bacon have now been recalled.
And the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which is leading the investigation into the outbreak, has also warned that bacon pieces from a Dawn Farm Foods plant used as pizza toppings and ready meal ingredients could also be affected.
The FSAI identified Dawn Farm Foods plant number 734, in County Kildare, and some of its products as a possible source of the Salmonella Agona outbreak, which started earlier this month.
The salmonella outbreak, associated with cooked bacon from Ireland but sold in the UK, has infected 119 people, killing one person in England.
Several types of ready-to-use sandwich fillings containing cooked bacon have now been recalled.
And the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which is leading the investigation into the outbreak, has also warned that bacon pieces from a Dawn Farm Foods plant used as pizza toppings and ready meal ingredients could also be affected.
The FSAI identified Dawn Farm Foods plant number 734, in County Kildare, and some of its products as a possible source of the Salmonella Agona outbreak, which started earlier this month.
Preliminary lab results show the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease is in the hot water system at the senior housing complex in Elmira, New York where state officials say six residents were stricken and one died.
The Chemung County Health Department says the state lab test found Legionella bacteria, and as of Friday evening the use of the hot water had been suspended while the tanks were flushed and the system super heated to kill the bacteria.
The Chemung County Health Department says the state lab test found Legionella bacteria, and as of Friday evening the use of the hot water had been suspended while the tanks were flushed and the system super heated to kill the bacteria.
Do you know someone who claims to remember their first day of kindergarten? Or a trip they took as a toddler? While some people may be able to recall trivial details from the past, laboratory research shows that the human memory can be remarkably fragile and even inventive.
In fact, people can easily create false memories of their past and a new study shows that such memories can have long-term effects on our behavior.
In fact, people can easily create false memories of their past and a new study shows that such memories can have long-term effects on our behavior.
Finland is the latest of three EU countries to have a salmonella outbreak, possibly linked to a meat plant in Co Kildare.
A Europe-wide public health alert is in place after it was confirmed that at least 119 people have now been infected by the salmonella agona outbreak, which may be caused by contaminated meat products made at a Dawn Farm Foods plant in Naas, Ireland.
A Europe-wide public health alert is in place after it was confirmed that at least 119 people have now been infected by the salmonella agona outbreak, which may be caused by contaminated meat products made at a Dawn Farm Foods plant in Naas, Ireland.
|
| ©Unknown |
Nebraska Beef announced last month its decision to recall more than 5 million pounds of beef that the company produced between May 16 and June 26 after a federal investigation reached the conclusion that the products released by Nebraska Beef led to an E. coli outbreak in several states. On Friday the company decided to recall an additional 1.2 million pounds of beef that Nebraska Beef produced on June 17, June 14 and July 8. The products have been linked to illnesses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illlinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the Associated Press reported.
A California food company is recalling 153,630 pounds of frozen ground beef after an E. coli outbreak shut down a Boy Scout camp in Virginia last week and sickened at least 22 people, health officials said Thursday.
|
| ©The University of Glasgow |
Cultural differences can affect how people recognise faces, scientists have said.
Researchers uncovered differences between how Europeans and East Asians register facial appearances.
Direct or excessive eye contact is considered rude in some East Asian countries, and scientists believe this may be behind the findings.
The University of Glasgow study contradicts previous research, which considered facial recognition to be a natural mechanism among all humans and not affected by external environment.
