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Satellite DNA plays vital regulatory role in how organisms adapt to environmental changes

A team of geneticists led by Prof. Đurđica Ugarković of the Croatian Ruđer Bošković Institute have for the first time proved that satellite DNA plays an important regulatory role in how organisms adapt to stressful changes in their environment. These results could in the future help scientists explain how an organism successfully survives stress.

21 Sep 2015

Research findings may provide new approach to treating male infertility

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has demonstrated for the first time that hydrogen sulphide (H2S), when applied exogenously, could protect testicular germ cells, which are male reproductive cells, against heat-induced injury, which is one of the major causes of male infertility.

28 Jul 2015

Human activity has jeopardised future human health, say experts

A new report calling for immediate worldwide action to protect the natural systems that support human health has been released by The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health.

16 Jul 2015

Researchers discover that extreme exercise can lead to blood poisoning

Researchers have discovered that extreme exercise can cause intestinal bacteria to leak into the bloodstream, leading to blood poisoning.

17 Jun 2015

Study shows changes in kidney function among sugarcane workers in northwestern Nicaragua

Sugarcane workers in northwestern Nicaragua experienced a decline in kidney function during the harvest, with field workers at greatest risk, suggesting that heat stress or other occupational factors may be playing a role in the high rates of chronic kidney disease in the region, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health researchers shows.

3 Feb 2015

Genes that increase longevity may not increase healthy lifespan

A study of long-lived mutant C. elegans by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School shows that the genetically altered worms spend a greater portion of their life in a frail state and exhibit less activity as they age then typical nematodes.

22 Jan 2015

Experts launch new interdisciplinary scientific collaboration to improve health in urban areas

Aiming to empower planners and policy-makers to achieve better health for billions of people living in fast-growing urban areas, world health, environmental, behavioural and social science experts today launched a major new interdisciplinary scientific collaboration.

9 Dec 2014

Study shows amphetamines can keep exhaustion at bay in male rats

Indiana University researchers put male rats to the test to determine the role amphetamines play when used in conjunction with exercise.

29 May 2014

Researchers devise new approach to treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Brandeis University has devised a wholly new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease involving the so-called retromer protein complex. Retromer plays a vital role in neurons, steering amyloid precursor protein (APP) away from a region of the cell where APP is cleaved, creating the potentially toxic byproduct amyloid-beta, which is thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's.

21 Apr 2014

Older firefighters exposed to heat stress on job could be more resilient over time

Older firefighters who are chronically exposed to heat stress on the job could be more heat resilient over time. A recent study published in the December issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH) found that older firefighters may be able to tolerate more challenging or arduous work environments before they feel affected by the heat, compared to non-heat-exposed workers who would need to stop work prematurely.

9 Jan 2014

Researcher reveals how temperature impacts development of embryos

In nature, animals face a broad range of temperatures, and at times the heat can become taxing. When it becomes too hot to survive, some animals can simply migrate to more favorable climates, but what if you are a mere embryo confined within an egg and cannot escape the heat?

6 Jan 2014

Climate differences drive gene changes, find Virginia Bioinformatics Institute researchers

Interplay between genes and the environment has been pondered at least since the phrase "nature versus nurture" was coined in the mid-1800s.

12 Dec 2013

New paper highlights correlations between changes in natural systems and potential health outcomes

A new paper from members of the HEAL (Health & Ecosystems: Analysis of Linkages) consortium delineates a new branch of environmental health that focuses on the public health risks of human-caused changes to Earth's natural systems.

20 Nov 2013

Worsening air pollution could increase annual premature deaths in 21st century

This century, climate change is expected to induce changes in air pollution, exposure to which could increase annual premature deaths by more than 100,000 adults worldwide.

5 Sep 2013

Risk of infectious gastroenteritis and IBD relapse increases during heat wave periods

Swiss researchers report an increase risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) relapse in patients during heat wave periods. The study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology also found an increase of infectious gastroenteritis during heat waves, with the strongest impact following a 7 day lag time after the heat wave.

14 Aug 2013

New urban developments in Sydney prone to greatest temperature increases

Green spaces, trees and bodies of water are must-have design features for future development in Sydney's suburbs after researchers found that by 2050 global warming combined with Sydney's urban heat island effect could increase temperatures by up to 3.7-C.

9 Jul 2013

Regular exercise reduces development of painful diabetic neuropathy in animals

Regular exercise reduces the development of painful diabetic neuropathy in animals—apparently related to increased expression of a protective substance called "heat shock protein" 72 (Hsp72), reports an experimental study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

5 Feb 2013

New method can help identify smoke-divers in danger

Smoke-divers are exposed to high temperatures, physical exhaustion and stress, and they can easily exceed the limits of what good health can tolerate. A new method based on measurements made by a wireless sensor system lets them know when the body has had enough.

9 Nov 2012

Sickle cell trait link with sudden athlete death ‘confirmed’

Researchers say they have definitively confirmed that there is a link between the sickle cell trait and sudden cardiac death in African–American athletes.

2 Aug 2012

Safety tips to prevent heatstroke during hot weather

People across the country are experiencing sweltering weather with temperatures and the heat index reaching well into the 100-degree range. While many will take refuge in air-conditioned homes or at a local lake or pool, it's important to remember that the heat can be much more than bothersome. It can put your health at risk and even prove life threatening.

3 Jul 2012