Futurity.org » Yale University

Tripped T-cells reject transplant organs

Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:33:48 +0000

U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Certain cells “stick their feet” in the bloodstream to trip-up and collect immune system T-cells, which can lead to transplant organ rejection.

This recent discovery challenges a long-held assumption about how biologic pathways trigger immune system rejection of donor organs—and suggests a different paradigm is needed to develop better anti-rejection therapies.

Not all congenital heart disease is inherited

Bill Hathaway-Yale — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:13:43 +0000

YALE (US) — New mutations that are absent in parents but appear in their children account for at least 10 percent of severe congenital heart disease, a new study reveals.

The analysis of all the genes of more than 1800 individuals found hundreds of mutations that can cause congenital heart disease, the most common form of birth defect that afflicts nearly 1 percent of all newborns.

Kids with autism spot motion faster

Susan Hagen-Rochester — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:12:05 +0000

U. ROCHESTER / YALE / VANDERBILT (US) — Children with autism see simple movement twice as quickly as other children their age, a new study shows.

Researchers say this hypersensitivity to motion may provide clues to a fundamental cause of the developmental disorder.

Food ads fire up the teenage brain

Jared Wadley-Michigan — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:01:42 +0000

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Watching TV commercials of people munching on French fries or cereal resonates more with teens than advertisements about cell phones or the latest car.

Regardless of their body weight, teens’ brain activity is higher during food commercials than nonfood commercials, according to new research published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

Brain scans of alcoholics show relapse risk

Bill Hathaway-Yale — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:49:30 +0000

YALE (US) — Even experienced counselors have difficultly spotting a recovering alcoholic in danger of relapse. Brain imaging might do a better job, research suggests.

Alcoholics with abnormal activity in areas of the brain that control emotions and desires are eight times more likely to relapse and drink heavily than alcoholics with more normal patterns of activity or healthy individuals, according to the study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

“These areas in the prefrontal cortex are involved in regulating emotion and in controlling responses to reward,” says Rajita Sinha, professor of psychiatry at Yale University. “They are damaged by high levels of alcohol and stress and just do not function well.”

It’s the calories, not flavor, you’re craving

Bill Hathaway-Yale — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:23:01 +0000

YALE (US) — Overeating often has little to do with how much we like a particular food. It’s the calories that keep us coming back for more, research shows.

People like food because it contains calories they need to survive. However, researchers have discovered an interesting twist to the basic biology story: Calories trigger responses in areas of the brain that control eating behavior independently of how much the subject likes the flavor.

“The implication is that calories don’t need to increase liking to influence our eating,” says Dana Small, associate professor of psychiatry, associate fellow of the Pierce Laboratory, and senior author of the study published in Current Biology.

Cells in placenta may flag autism risk

Phyllis Brown-UC Davis — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:30:29 +0000

UC DAVIS / YALE (US) — Abnormal tissue-folding found within the placenta may be an early indication of a baby’s risk for autism spectrum disorder, researchers say.

One out of 50 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the diagnosis is usually made when these children are 3 to 4 years of age or older. By then the best opportunities for intervention have been lost because the brain is most responsive to treatment in the first year of life.

A new study has found that more than 95 percent of the placentas of infants who are among those at the greatest risk of developing autism contained abnormal cells, called trophoblast inclusions, suggesting that the abnormality may hold promise as a very early marker for autism risk.

To heal heart, treat depression, too

Wilson Valentin-Columbia — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:25:14 +0000

COLUMBIA U. (US) —Treating people for depression after a heart attack could reduce the risk of death or another attack, new research shows.

Researchers completed a randomized controlled trial with 150 patients with elevated depressive symptoms two to six months after hospitalization for heart disease.

Turning into fossils distorted dino plumage

Eric Gershon-Yale — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:17:01 +0000

YALE (US) — Experiments suggest that fossil birds and dinosaurs may have had different colored feathers than scientists thought.

Geological processes can affect evidence of the original colors of fossil feathers, according to researchers, who say some previous reconstructions of fossil bird and dinosaur feather colors may be flawed.

Diapers made from CO2 coming soon?

Kevin Stacey-Brown — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:26:52 +0000

BROWN / YALE (US) — Chemists have identified a cheaper and more sustainable method for producing acrylate, a chemical used to make materials from polyester fabrics to diapers.

Chemical companies churn out billions of tons of acrylate each year, usually by heating propylene, a compound derived from crude oil.