How cell suicide protects plants from infection
Researchers at Yale have identified a gene that regulates the major immune response in plants, programmed cell death (PCD), according to a recent report in the journal Cell. To protect themselves from viruses, plants create a zone of dead cells around an infection site that prevents the infection from spreading. Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar, associate professor of Molecular, Cellular and Deve...Suicide risk does not increase when adults start using antidepressants, study finds
The risk of serious suicide attempts or death by suicide generally decreases in the weeks after patients start taking antidepressant medication, according to a new study led by Group Health Cooperative researchers and published in the January issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry. The study also found that the risk of suicidal behavior after starting 10 newer antidepressant medications is l...University of Minnesota researchers take new look at cellular suicide
Like a bodyguard turned traitor, a protein whose regular job is to help repair severed DNA molecules will, in some cases, join forces with another protein to do the opposite and chop the DNA to bits, according to new research at the University of Minnesota. The chopping up of a cell's DNA occurs in response to damage, for example, from ultraviolet light, and appears to be a means of killing the c...Protein averts cell suicide but might contribute to cancer
Scientists have discovered how an unusual protein helps a cell bypass damage when making new DNA, thereby averting the cell's self-destruction. The findings by researchers with Ohio State University 's C...Stress response increases suicide risk
Psychological responses to stress may cause significant problems including suicidal impulses. It is well-known that some people respond to major stressors - like war and natural calamities with a full-blown crisis known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) where there is emotional numbness, panic and anxiety. And even lesser stressful events, like having an operation, can precipitate PTSD in...Suicide risk in panic disorder
Depression is not the only factor contributing to a heightened suicide risk among those with panic disorder. Several recent studies suggest that suicide is a real risk when people suffer from panic disorder. It's been assumed that depression is the link - people with panic disorder often suffer from depression. Moreover depression is a huge risk factor in suicide. However, a new study...Acne Drug linked to suicide attempts
One year ago the FDA issued a statement about the potential for depression and suicide in teens taking the acne drug, Accutane. And now, reports say that the 15-year-old pilot who crashed his plane into a skyscraper was prescribed the drug. At this point, investigators don't know whether or not the teen, Charles J. Bishop, was actually taking Accutane at the time of his death. Blood tests should...A Blood test for suicide risk?
How do you know when someone who talks about suicide will actually go through with it? Even experts have difficulty deciding which depressed patients need protection.Now American scientists believe that// they have found a way to assess risk: a blood test that checks glands controlling the stress hormone cortisol. Overactive glands may be a corollary to the mental turmoil that leads peo...