News tagged with physiological functions


Fish oil may help the heart beat mental stress

Why is fish oil good for the heart? A new study suggests that this omega 3 fatty acid-rich nutrient could blunt some cardiovascular effects of mental stress.

Health created May 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Genetic variation among patients with pulmonary fibrosis associated with improved survival

Variation in the gene MUC5B among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was associated with improved survival, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with i ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Cutting back on sleep harms blood vessel function and breathing control

With work and entertainment operating around the clock in our modern society, sleep is often a casualty. A bevy of research has shown a link between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity. ...

Health created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Methods to repair kidney cells, assess kidney function on the horizon

Researchers may have found a way to block kidney-destroying inflammation and help damaged kidney cells recover.

Medical research created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Immune response linked to key enzyme

(Medical Xpress)—A previously unknown function of a family of enzymes familiar to biologists may contribute to scientists' understanding of signaling molecules involved in the body's immune response and ...

Immunology created Apr 12, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Decreased melatonin secretion associated with higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes

With previous evidence suggesting that melatonin may have a role in glucose metabolism, researchers have found an independent association between decreased secretion of melatonin and an increased risk for the development ...

Diabetes created Apr 02, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Protein-rich breakfasts prevent unhealthy snacking in the evening

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but up to 60 percent of American young people consistently skip it. Now, Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise ...

Health created Mar 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

How the body's energy molecule transmits three types of taste to the brain

Saying that the sense of taste is complicated is an understatement, that it is little understood, even more so. Exactly how cells transmit taste information to the brain for three out of the five primary ...

Medical research created Mar 06, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cell death in retina helps tune our internal clocks

(Medical Xpress)—With every sunrise and sunset, our eyes make note of the light as it waxes and wanes, a process that is critical to aligning our circadian rhythms to match the solar day so we are alert during the day and ...

Neuroscience created Mar 05, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Backs bear a heavy burden

Trudging from place to place with heavy weights on our backs is an everyday reality, from schoolchildren toting textbooks in backpacks to firefighters and soldiers carrying occupational gear. Muscle and skeletal ...

Health created Feb 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Could traditional Chinese medicine hold an answer to the obesity problem?

Obesity might be a very modern problem, but a team of scientists from Taiwan and China is turning to the age-old principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to help fight it.  Breaking research published in the Journal of ...

Medical research created Jan 31, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Women must do more to reap same positive health outcomes as men, research suggests

More than one-third of Americans are obese, and these individuals often experience accompanying health issues, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems. In response to the so-called "obesity epidemic," many medical ...

Health created Jan 23, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Loneliness, like chronic stress, taxes the immune system

New research links loneliness to a number of dysfunctional immune responses, suggesting that being lonely has the potential to harm overall health.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jan 19, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (12) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

A natural sense of rhythm: Shifting levels of molecules in the blood provide a snapshot of internal 'body-time'

Anybody who has worked the overnight shift will testify that sometimes the time displayed on the clock is not the same as the one in your head. This disconnect is not merely perception; many physiological ...

Medical research created Jan 18, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A model-free way to characterize polymodal ion channel gating

Two studies in The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) help pave the way for a "shortcut" model-free approach to studying activation of "polymodal" ion channels—channels that open in response to multip ...

Medical research created Dec 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0