Unchecked, the natural or innate immune system can exhaust control – like a stuck accelerator on a car. Eventually, it will kill the host it should really protect. That is important because the innate immune system is associated with inflammation. In turn, unchecked inflammation is associated with cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and other chronic ailments. Continue Reading »

Research led by the University of Edinburgh suggests that plant leaves account for under one per cent of the Earth’s emissions of methane –which is considered to be about 25 times more effective than carbon dioxide at global warming.

The results contrast with a previous scientific study which had suggested that plants were responsible for producing large amounts of the greenhouse gas. Continue Reading »

Dietary changes that include probiotics and/or prebiotics (found in some foods) may help alleviate the severity of celiac disease for some patients.

“We hope the study will ultimately increase the understanding of the mechanisms of action of the intestinal microbiota in immune-mediated diseases,” said Yolanda Sanz, one of the scientists involved in the research from the National Spanish Research Council in Valencia, Spain. Continue Reading »

Controversial treatment approach can lead to a cure. Results of this study are published in the May issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology. Respiratory infections with Chlamydia pneumoniae can also trigger ReA, while associated infections in the digestive tract include Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter. ReA symptoms usually last three to twelve months, although symptoms can return or develop into a long-term disease. Continue Reading »

The compounds – fluorescent inhibitors of the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) – could have broad applications for detecting tumors earlier, monitoring a tumor’s transition from pre-malignancy to more aggressive growth, and defining tumor margins during surgical removal. Continue Reading »

Developing countries will be producing at least twice as much electronic waste (e-waste) as developed countries within the next 6-8 years, according to a new study published in ACS’ semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology. Eric Williams and colleagues cite a dramatic increase in ownership of PCs and other electronic devices in both developed and developing countries. Continue Reading »

Physicists at JILA have demonstrated a new tool with regard to controlling ultracold gas as well as ultracold chemistry: electric fields.

As described in the April 29 issue of Nature,* JILA scientists discovered that applying a small electric field spurs a dramatic increase in chemical reactions in their gas of ultracold molecules. JILA is a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Continue Reading »

A study published in the diary Science offers a long-awaited explanation for that link between HIV infection and susceptibility to life-threatening nontyphoidal strains of Salmonella. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust and GlaxoSmithKline, procedes determine targets that could be pursued for vaccine improvement. Continue Reading »

New investigation indicates that among the biggest fresh-water floods within Earth’s history happened about 17,000 years ago and inundated a large area of Alaska that’s right now occupied in part through the city of Wasilla, widely recognized because associated with the 2008 presidential campaign.

The event had been one of at least 4 “megafloods” because Glacial Lake Atna breached ice public works and released water. The actual lake protected more than 3,500 square miles in the Copper River Basin northeast of Anchorage and Wasilla. Continue Reading »

Could natural labels lead you to overeat? These types of labeling certainly appear to make individuals believe their own organic snack has a lot fewer energy compared to it will.

These bits of information had been presented at this week’s Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, Calif. These people demonstrated which people who consumed natural cookies called “organic” thought which their snack included 40% less energy than the exact same cookies that got no label, according to Jenny Wan-Chen Lee, a graduate student with the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. Continue Reading »