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Pesticides increase risk of developing Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that using pesticides for farming or other purposes increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease for men.

14 Jun 2006

Broca's area and the hierarchical organization of human behavior

Researchers have discovered that Broca's area in the brain - best known as the region that evolved to manage speech production - is a major "executive" center in the brain for organizing hierarchies of behaviors.

14 Jun 2006

Brain chemistry finding suggests new target for addiction treatments

Ask anyone who has been addicted to drugs and they'll tell you that the mere sight of someone using their drug of choice - or even people, places, or objects associated with drug use - can trigger an intense desire for the drug.

14 Jun 2006

Stem cell breakthrough

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the University of Calgary have found that stem cells derived from adult skin can create neural cell types that can be transplanted into and function in mouse models of disease.

14 Jun 2006

Evidence of RNA in structures essential to cell division

Evidence for the first time that centrosomes, which play a key role in cell division, may carry their own genetic machinery, answering a controversial question of long standing.

14 Jun 2006

Know your fats because now trans fats are the bad guys

A new study has found that trans fats redistribute body fat to the abdomen, creating the deadly "apple" body shape and it can happen on a calorie-controlled diet.

14 Jun 2006

Vaccine to treat Alzheimer's effective and safe

According to researchers in Japan they have developed a DNA vaccine that reduces the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice without causing side-effects.

13 Jun 2006

Coffee may help prevent cirrhosis of the liver

Researchers in the U.S. suggest that drinking coffee may help protect against alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.

12 Jun 2006

Mechanism for neurodenegerative diseases linked to transport proteins

Hampering the transport of proteins within cells may underlie several adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's, ALS and Kennedy disease. Understanding how this cell transport is blocked in these diseases may offer targets for future therapy.

9 Jun 2006

Japanese researchers using PET imaging detect the beginnings of atherosclerosis

Using positron emission tomography (PET), the medical isotope 15O-water and cold pressor tests, Japanese researchers were able to detect the beginnings of atherosclerosis - before the disease became clinically evident.

9 Jun 2006

Terminally ill cancer patients continue to receive aggressive treatment at end of life

The increasing use of chemotherapy and intensive hospital treatment for cancer patients in their last two weeks of life continued at least into the late 1990s despite the growth of the hospice movement that emphasizes comforting personal bonds and controlling pain and discomfort

9 Jun 2006

The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin protects the urinary tract against invasive bacterial infection

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have succeeded in explaining how the body protects itself against urinary tract infections; with the help of an endogenous antibiotic.

9 Jun 2006

Resolution of uncertainty in prefrontal cortex

Whether finding your way through an unfamiliar neighborhood to a friend's house or deciding on a political candidate, your brain is adept at adapting.

9 Jun 2006

Protein called Elk-1appears to play role in neurodegeneration and schizophrenia

Pprotein called Elk-1 interacts with mitochondria, the energy storehouse of a cell, suggesting that this protein - typically active in the nucleus - could play a role in cell death and mitochondria-related diseases such as neurodegeneration and schizophrenia.

9 Jun 2006