Ultrasound can reveal gene expression in the body Some of the most important tools in the toolbox of modern cell biologists are special chunks of DNA that act like spies, reporting on the cell's function. The markers, known as reporter genes, allow researchers to get a sense for what cells are doing by watching genetic programs embedded in their DNA turn on and off. Reporter genes work by encoding proteins that can be seen from outside the cell. One particularly popular reporter gene encodes something called the green fluorescent protein (GFP), which, true to its name, is a protein that glows bright green. So, if a researcher wants to learn more about how cells become neurons, they can insert the GFP gene alongside a neuronal gene into an embryo's DNA. When the embryo's cells turn on the neuron gene, they will also express the GFP gene, and the cells will glow green, making it easy for the researcher to see that the genetic program that encodes neuron formation ...

Is Gluten Capable of Causing Problems to Healthy People? “Gluten” is an umbrella term for a mixture of various kinds of protein found in some grains. We’ve written extensively about gluten and gluten intolerance before, because there is a lot of general interest in gluten. Although it’s harmless for most of us, gluten can cause a lot of headaches for some people — or more specifically, bellyaches. However, the term “gluten intolerance” seems to be used improperly in many instances, and the market is taking advantage of this.     ‘“Lifestylers,” “free from,” or “people who avoid gluten” are individuals who avoid gluten as a lifestyle choice. American market research found that 44% of people buy gluten-free food for reasons other than gluten sensitivity and that 65% believe that a gluten-free diet is generally healthier. This trend has driven the worldwide gluten-free industry from values of $1.7 billion in 2011 to $3.5 billion in 2016, and it is forecast to reach $...

How babies absorb calcium could be key to treating osteoporosis in seniors New research reveals the mechanism that allows breastfeeding babies to absorb large amounts of calcium and build healthy bones -- a discovery that could lead to treatment for osteoporosis and other bone diseases later in life. "We build our bone mineral density until we're early adults and then stop, so we think of osteoporosis as a disease of the elderly," said Megan Beggs, a pediatric dietitian and PhD candidate in physiology at the University of Alberta who led the study.

  Taking birth control pills as a teenager may increase risk of depression The pill is one of the great success stories of modern medicine. When it became widely available in the 1960s, it helped to revolutionize the role of women in society by giving them unprecedented control over their fertility. Today, more than 100 million women around the world take hormonal birth control pills and they are particularly popular among teenagers. The pill is, of course, a highly efficient method for preventing unintended pregnancies. Even some women who are not sexually active use it for other reasons, including to reduce menstrual pain or treat acne. However, it was originally developed as a medication for adults, and much remains unknown about the potential side effects for younger users.

Breast cancer can form 'sleeper cells' after drug treatment Breast cancer medicines may force some cancer cells into 'sleeper mode', allowing them to potentially come back to life years after initial treatment. These are the early-stage findings from scientists at Imperial College London, who studied human breast cancer cells in the laboratory. The team, who studied a group of breast cancer drugs called hormone treatments, say their research opens avenues for finding ways of keeping the cancer cells dormant for longer, or even potentially finding a way of awakening the cells so they can then be killed by the treatment. Dr Luca Magnani, lead author of the study from Imperial's Department of Surgery and Cancer said: "For a long time scientists have debated whether hormone therapies -- which are a very effective treatment and save millions of lives -- work by killing breast cancer cells or whether the drugs flip them into a dormant 'sleeper' stat...

Οι Σημαντικές Ιδιότητες του Ακατέργαστου Κακάο για την Καθημερινότητά σας Το κακάο, που προέρχεται από τον καρπό του κακαόδεντρου, θεωρείται από τις καλύτερες υπερτροφές, και όχι άδικα. Η επιστημονική του ονομασία είναι “theobroma cacao” και προέρχεται από τις ελληνικές λέξεις το “βρώμα των Θεών”. Είναι, δηλαδή, η τροφή των Θεών. Παρακάτω παρατίθενται κάποια σημαντικά χαρακτηριστικά του, ώστε να γνωρίζουμε τα πάντα σχετικά με τη μοναδική αυτή υπερτροφή: