Science in Personal and Social Perspectives - Personal and community health

  • Maggots, leeches, parasitic worms
    Maggots, leeches, parasitic worms

    Three gross “biotherapies” are gaining medical attention, and two already have FDA approval as “medical devices” (?) ! Leeches can suck excess blood after surgery, and maggots remove dead tissue and kill bacteria in hard-to-heal wounds. Parasitic worms might fight ulcerative colitis — a widespread bowel disease. Maybe.


    Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
  • Prayer: How does it work?
    Prayer: How does it work?

    How do victims of domestic violence benefit from prayer? A series of interviews shows a range of mechanisms: from zoning out to offering psychic protection to allowing forgiveness. A new study shows how real benefits could emerge from an appeal to an “imaginary other.”


    Thursday, December 16th, 2010
  • Cholera: Haiti’s latest scourge
    Cholera: Haiti’s latest scourge

    Cholera can kill with record speed. The bacterium is easy to control — if wastewater and drinking water are treated. Haiti — chronically corrupt, painfully poor, and wasted by the January quake, is paradise for the cholera bug. How is cholera prevented, and what are the enduring gifts of this deadly bug?


    Thursday, November 25th, 2010
  • Aging is as hard on mice as it is on people. Both these mice are the same age, but the one in front was genetically engineered to age rapidly for a study led by Prolla.
    Key to caloric restriction found!

    To stay young, science says you drastically cut calories. It works for fruitflies, rodents, monkeys, and every mammal that has been tested. A new study proves that the benefit requires the Sirt-3 gene. Could Sirt-3 be the key to an anti-aging drug treatment?


    Thursday, November 18th, 2010
  • A strike against stroke?
    A strike against stroke?

    Aware that a small amount of function often returns after a stroke, neurologists have helped neurons recover after an experimental stroke. Mice that got a candidate drug that blocks GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, recovered up to half of their motor control. In the future, can we treat strokes that cannot be prevented?


    Thursday, November 4th, 2010
  • It's uncertain what got these Germans smiling back in 1954, but they likely led a life of fluctuating happiness.
    We’re happy to report

    Heard the rumor that people are happy — or not — depending on their genes and upbringing? “My bad,” says a 24-year study from Germany, which finds the opposite. Attitudes toward money, employment and neurotic mates all play a big role resetting your “happo-stat.”


    Thursday, October 7th, 2010
  • Traumatic brain injury
    Traumatic brain injury

    Impacts and concussions can cause long-lasting, even permanent brain damage. Millions of Americans have traumatic brain injuries. Could experimental techniques help mice and people?


    Thursday, September 30th, 2010
  • Black and white image of woman in wheelchair seen from the back in a hospital hallway
    Stem cell battle resumes

    A federal court has thrown the field of embryonic stem cell research into confusion. Last week, research that destroys embryos could not get federal bucks — even if those embryos were doomed or destroyed years ago. This week, it can. How is the legal yo-yo affecting researchers — and desperate patients?


    Thursday, September 16th, 2010
  • To avoid polluted soil, many urban gardens import clean soil. Looks like Chicago's buildings are not stealing the sun from this garden!
    Farming in the city

    Urban farms are sprouting in the most unlikely places. Advocates say they help with nutrition, obesity and job training. They build community and help immigrants assimilate, cut energy usage, and cool the planet. But does the reality match the claims? Food is flowing, but what’s new with farming in the city?


    Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
  • When rice and beans are combined, they produce a complete protein. Does unconscious food choice explain the widespread dietary choice for rice and beans?
    Food choice

    Fruit flies have a signaling pathway that helps them choose protein or carbohydrate, depending on the situation. The switch, which is also implicated in aging and cancer, exists in a wide variety of animals, including you. Does a new study explain why so many cultures eat rice and beans?


    Thursday, May 13th, 2010


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