between in Biological News

Forsyth scientists suggest linkages between obesity and oral bacterial infection

A scientific team from The Forsyth Institute has discovered new links between certain oral bacteria and obesity. In a recent study, the researchers demonstrated that the salivary bacterial composition of overweight women differs from non-overweight women. This preliminary work may provide clues to...

Coralline algae in the Mediterranean lost their tropical element between 5 and 7 million years ago

An international team of researchers has studied the coralline algae fossils that lived on the last coral reefs of the Mediterranean Sea between 7.24 and 5.3 million years ago. Mediterranean algae and coral reefs began to resemble present day reefs following the isolation of the Mediterranean from...

Ben-Gurion U. researchers reveal connection between cancer and human evolution

BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, July 2, 2009 Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have discovered that gene mutations that once helped humans survive may increase the possibility for diseases, including cancer. The findings were recently the cover story in the journal Genome Research . ...

Researchers observe single protein dimers wavering between two symmetrically opposed structures

LA JOLLA, CA, June 19, 2009Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute, the University of California, San Diego, and Ohio State University have used a very sensitive fluorescence technique to find that a bacterial protein thought to exist in one "natural" three-dimensional structure (shape), can...

Research explores interactions between nanomaterials, biological systems

The recent explosion in the development of nanomaterials with enhanced performance characteristics for use in commercial and medical applications has increased the likelihood of people coming into direct contact with these materials. There are currently more than 800 products on the market in...

MU study finds connection between evolution, classroom learning

COLUMBIA, Mo. Over thousands of years, humans have evolved to naturally understand things like facial expressions and social interactions. But a University of Missouri researcher has found there is an ever-widening gap between what humans can naturally learn and what they need to learn to be succ...

Study finds link between individual stress and adolescent obesity

AMES, Iowa -- Stress may indeed be a direct contributor to childhood obesity. That's according to a new Iowa State University study finding that increased levels of stress in adolescents are associated with a greater likelihood of them being overweight or obese. The study of 1,011 adolescents (...

Study reveals conflict between doctors, midwives over homebirth

CORVALLIS, Ore. Two Oregon State University researchers have uncovered a pattern of distrust and sometimes outright antagonism among physicians at hospitals and midwives who are transporting their home-birth clients to the hospital because of complications. Oregon State University assistant...

Study finds link between hot flashes and lower bone density in women

FINDINGS: UCLA researchers and colleagues analyzed data for 2,213 women between the ages of 42 and 52 who participated in the bone sub-study of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation to determine whether women with vasomotor symptoms (VMS) which include hot flashes and night sweats had l...

Analysis finds strong match between molecular, fossil data in evolutionary studies

During a seminar at another institution several years ago, University of Chicago paleontologist David Jablonski fielded a hostile question: Why bother classifying organisms according to their physical appearance, let alone analyze their evolutionary dynamics, when molecular techniques had already ...

Translating the conversation between the brain and blood vessels

BETHESDA, Md. (April 21, 2009) When Francois Abboud began his work at the University of Iowa in 1960, little was known about the constant physiological chatter between the brain and the blood vessels. His research since has helped unravel how this chatter adjusts blood pressure and blood flow to ...

Researchers discover link between schizophrenia and diabetes

AUGUSTA, Ga. People with schizophrenia are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers have found. In a study of 50 people newly-diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder with no other known risk factors, 16 percent had either diabetes or an...

Exploring the dynamic relationship between health and environment

After clearing a swath of Amazonian rainforest, local residents experience an increase in the number of mosquito bites and a spike in malaria. Veterinarians keep their cattle healthy with doses of anti-parasiticsmedication that can harm populations of local invertebrates like dung beetles. Conserv...

'It takes a genome: How a clash between our genes and modern life is making us sick'

It's not just the climate that is struggling with what humans have done to the modern world, our genes are feeling the pressure as well, according to Professor Greg Gibson's recently published book. In It Takes a Genome: How a Clash Between Our Genes and Modern Life Is Making Us Sick , Profess...

Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 -- a potential link between heart failure and diabetes

Researchers at the University of Vermont Cardiovascular Research Institute, Colchester, Vermont have found that increased expression in the heart of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) is profibrotic. The results, which appear in the March 2009 issue of Experimental Biology and Medici...

Link between unexploded munitions in oceans and cancer-causing toxins determined

Athens, Ga. During a research trip to Puerto Rico, ecologist James Porter took samples from underwater nuclear bomb target USS Killen, expecting to find evidence of radioactive matter instead he found a link to cancer. Data revealed that the closer corals and marine life were to unexploded bombs...

Researchers shed new light on connection between brain and loneliness

Social isolation affects how people behave as well as how their brains operate, a study at the University of Chicago shows. The research, presented Sunday at a symposium, "Social Emotion and the Brain," at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is the firs...

Genetic differences between yeasts greater than those between humans and chimpanzees

The mapping of the entire yeast genome in 1996 marked the beginning of a revolution in biological and medical research. The human genome was mapped in 2001, and by now the number of characterised species is approaching 1000, most of which are bacteria. The next advance is only a few years away ma...

Genetic study shows direct link between vitamin D and MS susceptibility 'gene'

Researchers have found evidence that a direct interaction between vitamin D and a common genetic variant alters the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The research, published on 6 February in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics , suggests that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and ...

Genome Medicine: Bridging the gap between research and clinical practice

Today, BioMed Central's premier open access medical journal Genome Medicine has officially launched with the publication of its January 2009 issue. Genomic medicine is at the leading edge of medical advances and is one of fastest growing areas of biomedical research. Our growing understanding...

Is there a relationship between sleep-wake rhythm and diabetes?

The gene mediates insulin secretion indirectly via the release of melatonin, which implicates a previously unknown relationship between the sleep-wake rhythm and the fasting glucose level. The finding could open up new possibilities of treatment which go far beyond the primarily symptomatic therap...

Biologists discover link between CGG repeats in DNA and neurological disorders

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. Researchers have long known that some repetitive DNA sequences can make human chromosomes "fragile," i.e. appearing constricted or even broken during cell divisions. Scientists at Tufts University have found that one such DNA repeat not only stalls the cell's replication...

Study helps explain connection between sleep apnea, stroke and death

BETHESDA, Md. (Jan. 6, 2009) − Obstructive sleep apnea decreases blood flow to the brain, elevates blood pressure within the brain and eventually harms the brain's ability to modulate these changes and prevent damage to itself, according to a new study published by The American Physiological...

Scientists can now differentiate between healthy cells and cancer cells

One of the current handicaps of cancer treatments is the difficulty of aiming these treatments at destroying malignant cells without killing healthy cells in the process. But a new study by McMaster University researchers has provided insight into how scientists might develop therapies and drugs t...

Pigs and dogs can bridge gap between mice and humans in developing new therapies

Human and veterinary medicine could receive a big boost through use of larger animals, especially pigs and dogs, in research, with Europe at the forefront. There is the prospect of bringing drugs to the market more quickly at less cost, as well as accelerating progress in other forms of therapy, n...

Scientists find link between inflamed gums and heart disease

The next person who reminds you to floss might be your cardiologist instead of your dentist. Scientists have known for some time that a protein associated with inflammation (called CRP) is elevated in people who are at risk for heart disease. But where's the inflammation coming from? A new researc...

U of Minnesota researcher finds link between aggression, status and sex

Have you ever wondered why it seems like the littlest things make people angry? Why a glance at the wrong person or a spilled glass of water can lead to a fist fight or worse? University of Minnesota researcher Vladas Griskevicius has three words to explain why people may be evolutionarily incline...

Adiponectin is a metabolic link between obesity and bone mineral density

Researchers at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada, have discovered that adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibil...

Tiny protein provokes healthy bonding between cells

In human relationships, a certain "spark" often governs whether we prefer one person to another, and critical first impressions can occur within seconds. A team lead by Johns Hopkins researchers has found that cell-to-cell "friendships" operate in much the same way and that dysfunctional bonding ...

Escherichia coli bacteria transferring between humans and mountain gorillas

Bwindi, Uganda November 24, 2008 A new study finds that mountain gorillas are at increased risk of acquiring gastrointestinal microbes, such as Escherichia Coli , from humans. The study, published in Conservation Biology , examines the exchange of digestive system bacteria between humans, moun...

Researchers find link between nicotine addiction and autism

COLUMBUS, Ohio Scientists have identified a relationship between two proteins in the brain that has links to both nicotine addiction and autism. The finding has led to speculation that existing drugs used to curb nicotine addiction might serve as the basis for potential therapies to alleviate the...

Balance between traditional activities, tourism key to sustaining coastal Alaska communities

When Lee Cerveny arrived in coastal southeast Alaska in 1999, she intended to interview local women about their relationship with the natural environment. She soon found, however, that women she met were more interested in talking about tourism and making sense of the changes that were taking plac...

MSU researcher studies ties between cholesterol drugs, muscle problems

EAST LANSING, Mich. A Michigan State University researcher is studying whether the most popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may cause muscle problems in users. There is accumulating evidence that the effect statins can have on skeletal muscle including muscle weakness, fatigue and det...

Interaction between gene variants may alter brain function in schizophrenia

A collaborative study led by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is giving what may be the first look at how interactions between genes underlie a key symptom of schizophrenia, impaired working memory. Functional imaging studies reveal how a combination of common variants in t...

Gender biases in leadership selection during competitions within and between groups

What makes a great leader? Traits that we look for typically include a sense of power, great negotiating skills and lots of charisma. However, a recent study suggests that it is not just an outgoing personality and great communication skills that determine who is chosen as leader of a group. Previ...

Mediator in communication between neurons and muscle cells found

A missing piece of the puzzle of how neurons and muscle cells establish lifelong communication has been found by researchers who suspect this piece may be mutated and/or attacked in muscular dystrophy. Agrin is a protein that motor neurons release to direct construction of the nerve-muscle cont...

U of MN study shows link between gene variations and cancer survival

Scientific research shows that certain genes can influence a person's likelihood to contract particular diseases, cancer for example. New research at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota demonstrates that genetic markers may also show a person's likelihood to survive the disease. ...

Link possible between pet food contamination and baby formula contamination

Reston, VA (October 28, 2008) -- A study(1) published in the November issue of a scientific journal, Toxicological Sciences, which is published by Oxford Journals on behalf of the Society of Toxicology, describes the kidney toxicity of melamine and cyanuric acid based on research that was done t...

A link between mitochondria and tumor formation in stem cells

Researchers report on a previously unknown relationship between stem cell potency and the metabolic rate of their mitochondria a cell's energy makers. Stem cells with more active mitochondria also have a greater capacity to differentiate and are more likely to form tumors. These findings, appe...

Stabilizing force for good communication between neurons and muscle cells found

You can't raise a finger without your brain directing muscle cells, and scientists have figured out another reason that usually works so well. A neuron sends a message, or neurotransmitter, to the muscle cell to tell it what to do. To get the message, the receiving cell must have a receptor. Od...