Major new UNC-based drinking water study suggests pregnancy fears may be overstated
Fears that chemical byproducts resulting from purifying drinking water with chlorine boost the chances that pregnant women will miscarry were not supported by the results of a major new study. If such threats exist at all, which is uncertain, they likely are modest, it concludes. The national study, directed by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists, contrasts with earlier,...Gene controls whether fear is a factor
In the Nov. 18 issue of Cell, researchers report the discovery of a gene that controls the ability to react with appropriate fear to impending danger. As a result, mice lacking the gene stathmin become daredevils of a sort, the researchers report. The basic findings may have general implications for the study of anxiety disorders and potential anti-anxiety drugs, according to researchers....Activation of a protein solidifies fear memory in the brain
When activated, a specific protein in the brain enhances long-term storage of fearful memories and strengthens previously established fearful memories, Yale School of Medicine researchers report this week in Nature Neuroscience. "This report is the first to demonstrate evidence of enhancements in memory reconsolidation in the brain," said the senior author, Jane Taylor, associate professor...Where 'jumping genes' fear to tread
Scientists from the University of Queensland report in the journal Transposons, often called...Lowering the fear factor for entrepreneurs, intra-preneurs
MILWAUKEE,WI.-Beware calling the next strange idea you hear strange: the person touting it just might be the next millionaire next door. A panel of experienced entrepreneurs speaking to attendees at the first Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Conference in Milwaukee last Wednesday have dealt with looks and whispers their entire working lives, and they encouraged their brethren in the audience to...“Don’t fear long haul flights!” Vascular surgeon tells travelrs
Dr. John Scurr, a vascular surgeon at London's Middlesex Hospital, advices passengers, who fly long haul flights, that there is nothing to fear. The death of a woman on board an airliner, while she was flying a long distance flight, has sparked off this sudden debate that long flights can be fatal to many people. Dr. Scurr says this fear is unfounded and that people are just ove...Leptospirosis epidemic feared in mumbai - 12 killed
Leptospirosis, the one of the feared form of epidemic fevers, is spread by a virulent bacteria in the urine of rats and dogs. "We have 12 deaths (in the past fortnight) from leptospirosis as of Thursday evening and 45 confirmed cases in city hospitals, " Maharashtra state Health Minister Digvijay Khanvilkar told.Leptospirosis, which is a 'great mimicker' of symptoms is being misdiagnos...Farm boy's death raises human bird flu fears in Turkey
A 14-year-old Turkish boy who worked on a poultry farm and was one of six people tested for bird flu died on Sunday, and his sister was in a critical // and worsening condition, doctors said. Doctors are still waiting for test results and could not immediately confirm whether the fatality was caused by bird flu. If confirmed, it would be the first human fatality in Turkey from the viru...Fear of the dark could be more than just fear!
Researchers have found that children who complain that they are afraid of the dark, may have night blindness, a diagnosis that can be easily missed. They said that parents who do not monitor their children's night time behaviours and who do not have a family history of visual problems may miss the rare form of the disease called stationary night// blindness. A child with no visual problem...