161 Articles with the topic: Physiology
A natural reprogramming system
sea-maid submitted, created time 2 months 3 weeks (www.nature.com)
In fruit flies--and presumably other pupating insects--specialized cells revert to multipotency as the larva prepares to transform into an adult. We had thought that the differentiated larval cells simply died during this process, and many of them do, but it does seem that some can regain some pluripotency.
The way they figured this out is particularly vivid. By modifying the cells in the larvae's tracheae to glow green, researchers were able to track their destinations and daughter cells.
We already knew that some human cells were able to perform similar feats 
Madness: Price of a Big Brain?
sea-maid submitted, created time 3 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
A new study suggests that the debilitating disease schizophrenia may be a byproduct of the genetic changes that fueled the evolution of the expansive human brain. The idea, still preliminary, is that the massive energy demands of the brain may make it vulnerable to mutations in metabolism-related genes.
Time in the Sun: How Much Is Needed for Vitamin D?
lily1984 submitted, created time 4 months 3 weeks (health.usnews.com)
Coinciding with the first week of summer, a study published today underscores the importance of getting adequate amounts of sunlight for its vitamin D-boosting benefits. The research, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that those with the lowest vitamin D levels have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight-year period compared with those with the highest vitamin D levels. The researchers cite "decreased outdoor activity" as one reason that people may become deficient in vitamin D
Sexual orientation of an individual is the result of shape of brain!
ariel submitted, created time 5 months 2 days (www.healthjockey.com)
Popes and scientist can put their debate on homosexuality to rest. While priests argued that homosexuality was a matter of choice and a sin, scientists were still finding a reason behind the ‘similars attract’ phenomena in homosexuals.
Finally a simple discovery resulting from brain scan has unveiled the reason behind the same sex attraction in gays and lesbians.
It has been found that shape of the human brain is the reason behind an individual’s sexual orientation
Removal of "superfluous" retina creates (time) blind mice...
Darkfrog submitted, created time 5 months 1 week (www.nature.com)
Removing a certain type of retinal cell from lab mice doesn't make them go blind, but it does shake up their body clocks; they quickly slip into a 23.5 hour cycle--the same as unaltered mice in total darkness. They also lost their ability to regulate pupil size, but not their other visual abilities, such as judging how far to jump to make it across a gap. This suggests that these melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs) concern the detection of light, not the processing of visual information.
What I'm curious about now is whether blind humans do or do not have this problem
Acute and chronic effects of vitamin C on endothelial fibrinolytic capacity
kavin submitted, created time 5 months 3 weeks (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The authors determined the effects of acute intra-arterial vitamin C administration and chronic oral vitamin C supplementation on the capacity of the endothelium to release t-PA in overweight and obese adults. Their results indicate that the antioxidant vitamin C favorably affects the capacity of the endothelium to release t-PA in overweight/obese adults. Daily vitamin C supplementation represents an effective lifestyle intervention strategy for improving endothelial fibrinolytic regulation in this at-risk population.
LlLIM1 mediates Ca and H regulation of actin dynamics in pollen tubes
kavin submitted, created time 6 months 2 days (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The researchers explored the function of a lily (Lilium longiflorum) pollen-enriched LIM-domain-containing protein, LlLIM1, in regulating the actin dynamics in elongating pollen tube. Co-sedimentation assays revealed that the binding affinity of LlLIM1 to F-actin was simultaneously regulated both by pH and Ca(2+): LlLIM1 showed a preference for F-actin binding under low pH and low Ca(2+) concentration.
Lectins Regulate the Size of ER-Body-Type {beta}-Glucosidase Complexes in Arabidopsis Thaliana
kavin submitted, created time 6 months 1 week (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
In this paper, the results show that two types of JALs having opposite roles regulate the size of the PYK10 complex antagonistically. We define the two types of lectins as a "polymerizer-type lectin" and an "inhibitor-type lectin." Interestingly, the closest homologues of polymerizer-type lectins (JAL31 and JAL23) were inhibitor-type lectins (PBP1/JAL30 and JAL22). The pairs of polymerizer-type and inhibitor-type lectins reported here are good examples of genes that have evolved new functions after gene duplication (neofunctionalization).
Love can be seen in a different light
Sue Wu submitted, created time 6 months 2 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
For people, ultraviolet B (UVB) is an invisible, cancer-causing ray to be blocked with sunscreen and dark glasses, but for a species of jumping spider, the light sets a romantic mood.
Study finds troops shy away from mental health care
sea-maid submitted, created time 6 months 2 weeks (www.cnn.com)
A survey released Wednesday that U.S. military personnel fear that seeking help for mental health problems could harm their careers. One of people said a military culture that emphasizes toughness could hinder efforts to get troops to seek help.
Mice Sniff Out Oxygen With Their Skin
lily0558 submitted, created time 7 months 4 hours (www.cell.com)
In this paper, researchers have found that a mouse's skin can sense oxygen levels in the air and that it helps regulate the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the body. It is potential that human skin may behave the same way, which could open the door for new ways to boost blood cell levels for athletes seeking to gain an edge or patients with anemia. But they don't yet know how the skin senses the gas.It maybe because of mouse skin containing the same oxygen-sensitive potassium channels as the lung. Humans also carry the HIF-1α gene
jane2007 submitted, created time 7 months 6 days (www.nature.com)
It's interesting that hormone levels may affect success in the financial markets. The hormones testosterone and cortisol may reflect different stress triggers. The study finds a correlation between high and low testosterone levels and a higher or lower rate of success in stock trades, perhaps because of an increase or decrease in risk-taking. Female traders seem to be immune to this particular set of mood swings.
Bacteria designed to search out pesticides
jane2007 submitted, created time 7 months 1 week (www.nature.com)
Biological switch triggers E. coli to swim towards chemical pesticides. This finding could help improve efforts to clean up the environment using biological tricks.
Sue Wu submitted, created time 7 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
The size difference between towering basketball star Shaquille O'Neal and diminutive horse jockey Jorge Chavez is predominantly due to differences in their genes--but which genes has been a mystery.
Sex and Drugs and Singing Mice
Vincent submitted, created time 7 months 2 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
Mice can whistle and chirp like birds--and researchers now say their songs seem to be happy ones. New experiments associate the rodents' ultrasonic chatter with the brain's dopamine-based reward system, and investigators hope that studying the songs may eventually point toward genes behind human emotional disorders such as schizophrenia and autism.
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