The subtleties of taste - Massive Danish Research

Who would tell that "Girls have a better sense of taste than boys", or that "every third child of school age prefers soft drinks which are not sweet". These are just a couple of facts which a massive Danish research in schoolchildren was able to determine. This research also demonstrated that "Children and young people love fish and do not think of themselves as being fussy eaters"; "Boys have a sweeter tooth than girls. And teenagers taste differently".

Last September, 8.900 Danish students participated in one of the biggest researches ever related with taste and taste preferences in children and teenagers, conducted by Danish Science Communication and The Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at University of Copenhagen.

All the participating groups of students were sent a special kit, which included taster samples and detailed instructions. The purpose of such tests was to "quantify the ability of children and young people to discover and recognise sweet and sour tastes at varying intensities, to establish which sourness or sweetness they prefer, how many taste buds they have and, finally, the children answered a number of questions on their eating habits and fussiness over food". Surprisingly, the results are very clear and have a high quality.

Now, what new facts has this study brought us:

• Girls recognise tastes more easily and accurately than boys

They are better at recognising all concentrations of both sweet and sour tastes. The difference is not dramatic, but it is quite clear. It is also a known fact that women generally have a finer sense of taste than men. However, the experiment showed that boys and girls have largely the same number of taste buds, which means that what makes the difference is the way in which boys and girls process taste impressions.

• One third of the children would rather choose non-sweet food

The pupils were instruted to rate different variants of the same soft drink, blindfolded, and one third prefered those without sugar or very little sugar. In other words, soft drinks for children and young people do not always have to contain a lot of sugar.

• Boys are more into the extremes

Unlike girls, boys like more extreme flavours, giving top marks to the sourest samples. Furthermore, the research was also able to say that boys, and not girls, have a sweeter tooth.

• I do like fish mom!

When tasting the fish samples, 70% of the children declared they liked what they were tasting. This proves that the bulk of teenagers and children actually like fish, despite what most of us think.

• Wake up!

This study revealed that at 13-14 years teenagers become markedly more sesitive to sour tastes, hence more able to enjoy and experience the subtleties of taste.

So, wouldn't it be a nice time for the food industry to broaden their horizons concerning clhindren and teenagers food preferences?


Adapted from Genengnews website


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E. Coli can create high-energy biofuel

Since 1970s it is possible to alter cell's genome by inserting foreign DNA into a cell. This recombinant technology has been widely used in medicine. The most meaningful example is the production of insulin. This technology allows to insert the human gene for a determined protein in E. Coli (for example) and this bacteria started to produced the protein with is own machinery.

Recently, some researchers took one step further. They aim to designed one "assembly line" to produce a high-energy alcohol. This alcohol as they want to make it is not naturally synthesized and that is why this is quiet an achievment.


The process of producing a alcohol is also far more complex than producing a protein as insulin. In the cell there are several proteins involved in this process and they aim to extend it to in the end have a more energetic alcohol.


Researchers were already capable of producing alcohols containing between five and eight carbons whereas ethanol only has two. Larger molecules are more energetic which is the big goal here.

Physical catalysts can make this process too but biologically the process is more controlled and can happen at lower temperatures and pressures. Biologically, once the correct genes are designed (the difficult part) and in place in the bacterial genome it is just necessary to the feed the bacterias; they do the rest of the work. This high-energy molecule can substitute petroleum as a raw material for different industries suppressing our fuel necessities.

Brain images extracted

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor. The research results appeared in the December 11 issue of US science journal Neuron. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep.

The scientists were able to reconstruct various images viewed by a person by analyzing changes in their cerebral blood flow. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, the researchers first mapped the blood flow changes that occurred in the cerebral visual cortex as subjects viewed various images held in front of their eyes. Subjects were shown 400 random 10 x 10 pixel black-and-white images for a period of 12 seconds each. While the fMRI machine monitored the changes in brain activity, a computer crunched the data and learned to associate the various changes in brain activity with the different image designs.

Then, when the test subjects were shown a completely new set of images, such as the letters N-E-U-R-O-N, the system was able to reconstruct and display what the test subjects were viewing based solely on their brain activity.

For now, the system is only able to reproduce simple black-and-white images. But Dr. Kang Cheng, a researcher from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, suggests that improving the measurement accuracy will make it possible to reproduce images in color.

These results are a breakthrough in terms of understanding brain activity. In as little as 10 years, advances in this field of research may make it possible to read a person’s thoughts with some degree of accuracy.

The researchers suggest a future version of this technology could be applied in the fields of art and design — particularly if it becomes possible to quickly and accurately access images existing inside an artist’s head. The technology might also lead to new treatments for conditions such as psychiatric disorders involving hallucinations, by providing doctors a direct window into the mind of the patient.

This technology can also be applied to senses other than vision. In the future, it may also become possible to read feelings and complicated emotional states.

However, some scientists are skeptical. Unlike a polygraph, an fMRI uses powerful magnetic fields to detect tiny changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain that are believed to be signatures of cognitive processes. But last year was published a study in the American Journal of Law and Medicina questioning whether fMRI scans are reliable markers of veracity. It reported that fMRIs are open to broad interpretation, and, as such, could provide images that suggest but do not really confirm if someone is lying, which could subject innocent victims to aggressive interrogation tactics.

Adapted from Japanese blog Pink Tentacle

Is breast density related to cancer?

Doctors know that women with dense breasts have as much as six times the risk of breast cancer than those who have less dense breasts, but why that happens is yet to be explained.

However, a new research offers possible clues: Biopsies of healthy women showed differences in the cells of dense and non-dense tissue that may contribute to the development of tumors.

American doctors performed mammograms and biopsies on 60 women ages 45-85 with no history or symptoms cancer. The results showed that dense breast tissue was composed of 6 percent epithelial cells, which line the milk glands and ducts, compared to just 1 percent in the non-dense tissue. 64 percent of the dense tissue was made up of stroma (connective, non-functional supportive framework tissue), compared to 20 percent in the non-dense tissue. And dense tissue was comprised of 30 percent fat, versus 80 percent in non-dense tissue.


Breat tumors tend to originate in the epithelium, so having more of those cells may up a woman's risk of cancer. And areas surrounding the stroma produce growth factors that may stimulate the epithelium to turn cancerous. More expression of the aromatase enzyme, which converts the hormone androgen into estrogen, was found in the dense breast tissue. Estrogen drives most breast cancers, so drugs known as aromatase inhibitors are a common treatment choice.

If larger studies confirm their findings, doctors may be able to use density to determine how well such treatments are working.

Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer (10.4% of all cancer incidence, both sexes counted) and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. In 2005, breast cancer caused 502,000 deaths worldwide, almost 1% of all deaths.

Adapted from Scientific American Website

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Eating wheat triggers type 1 diabetes?

Patients with type 1 diabetes have been known to be more susceptible to another autoimmune disorder, the celiac disease, in which gluten in wheat, rye and barley triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine or gut. Now there’s evidence that the two diseases have a genetic link: they share at least seven chromosome regions.

The discovery, indicates that both diseases may be triggered by similar genetic and environmental mechanisms, such as certain foods, that cause patients' immune systems to become overactive and destroy healthy instead of infected tissue. Previous research has found that celiac disease is five to 10 times more common in people with type 1 diabetes than in the general population. These findings suggest common mechanisms are causing both celiac and type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in that produce the hormone insulin, which is needed to convert glucose into energy. In celiac disease, a similar attack occurs on the small intestine when sufferers eat gluten-rich grains, causing inflammation in the gut that can lead to bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, anemia, headaches, weight loss and failure to thrive in children. Whereas diabetes 1 patients must inject insulin daily to make up for their deficiency, people with celiac disease can avoid damage and symptoms by sticking to a gluten-free diet.

The finding raises the question of whether eating cereal and other gluten products might trigger type 1 diabetes by altering the function of the gut and its interaction with the pancreas. Specialists says it would be premature to assume from this study that gluten is also a diabetes trigger.

Scientists fear the newspaper headlines in the popular press will be something like:‘Eating wheat will cause type 1 diabetes’.

Adapted from Scientific American Website

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Amish gene protects their heart

Researchers investigating heart disease factors in an Amish community found some of them had a gene variant that seemed to keep down levels of triglycerides or blood fats, and may also be involved in keeping arteries clear of blockages since only those who had it were relatively free of arterial calcification.

Different people have different responses to fatty foods. Unused calories become triglycerides, which increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, and some people have much higher levels of these blood fats. Although diet is an obvious factor, some genes are also thought to play a major role. For example, when mice don't have the AP0C3 (short for Apolipoprotein C-III) gene they have low levels of triglycerides, regardless of what they eat. And coronary artery disease is thought to be related to this gene because it inhibits hydrolysis of triglycerides (their elimination).

800 healthy adult male and female members of the Old Order Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania took part in a genome-wide association study where they had short term exposures to a range of environmental factors, such as eating a high salt diet, and then underwent a range of clinical exams.

This Amish community is quite cut off from the outside world and members tend to marry each other, creating an interesting population for geneticists because of the relatively higher proportions of people with the same gene variants compared to the world at large, making it easier to search for particular disease genes.

About 5 per cent of the Amish had one of their inherited AP0C3 genes switched off (they were heterozygous), which meant they had only half the AP0C3 expression of most other people.

They found that compared to non-carriers, the carriers of the switched off AP0C3 variant:

• Had lower levels of triglycerides (fasting and post-prandial), higher levels of HDL cholesterol (the so-called "good" cholesterol) and lower levels of LDL cholesterol (the so-called "bad" cholesterol), and


• Were less likely to have coronary artery calcification, an early sign of blocked arteries or atherosclerosis.

The researchers said these results suggested that "lifelong deficiency" of AP0C3 had a "cardioprotective effect". However, the Amish population is unique, so the mutation they found is probably not a mutation that you're going to find in other populations.



Adapted from Medical News Today website

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Birth Control Pills Affect Women's Taste in Men

Nowadays the divorce rate is raising in every corner of the world. Recent studies have shown that birth control pills could alter which type of men women like.

Normally, women tend to prefer men with a different major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a group of genes involved in the immune system. This is probability relate with the fact that children whose parents have a different MHC have a better immune system. Women can have a clue to a man's MHC by scent.

However, when taking the pill that simulates pregnacy, women's taste is affected. Recent studies reveled that women on the pill find more atractive men with similar MHC.

So, if during a relationship women start or stop to take the pill the relationship could be in trouble. Moreover, there are studies that state that women coupled with men with similar MHC are more likely to cheat and less sexualy satisfied. To sum it up, a woman taking the pill will more likely choose a MHC-similar man. If she stop taking it, she could be less sexualy satisfied, her taste would change, and she would be more likely to cheat.

Adapted for Scientific American

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Wiping out prostate cancer

This year alone, more than 186,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and every 19 minutes a man dies from it. For some men, surgery is not the answer, but now there's a new machine that kills the cancer faster and with more accuracy than ever before.

Todd Tilton is getting a new targeted radiation treatment to kill the prostate cancer growing inside him. In 90 seconds, Tilton's entire treatment for the day will be done!

"By giving faster treatment (a more accurate treatment) based on the image guidance that we're able to do, we are able to keep the radiation away from normal tissues," Shawn Zimberg, M.D., a radiation oncologist at the Advanced Radiation Centers of New York told Ivanhoe.

Dr. Zimberg placed several gold markers inside Tilton's prostate to help guide the lasers.

"Those markers serve as a beacon for the precise, exact location of the prostate," he explained

Technicians line up the markers and turn on the radiation. The beams continually adjust to the 3-D anatomy and avoid normal tissues.

"With RapidArc, what we're able to do is treat a patient in one single rotation, as opposed to multiple beams that can also be injuring the other tissue," Dr. Zimberg said.

Radiation time is cut from up to 20 minutes to just a minute-and-a-half. Side effects are rare using this technique, but could include pain while urinating and diarrhea.

RapidArc Add: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI3U2JZ5GnY

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Triple H phenomenon - Heart Holes Healed

Medical researchers at London's Royal Brompton Hospital have developed a method of treating a common heart defect through the body's natural healing power.

Some people suffer from a valve-like hole in the heart, a condition known as patent foramen ovale (PFO). PFO is actually an opening in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart. It is usually present in the foetus inside the womb, where it is required for efficient blood and oxygen circulation before the lungs of the baby start working.

Once the baby is born, the hole closes automatically to separate the two chambers. However, in some people the hole does not close properly. Patients born with PFO continue to live with it without any symptoms. Certain people however face significantly increased risk of stroke and migraine due to this condition. (Migraine is a neurological syndrome characterized by altered bodily experiences, painful headaches, and nausea)

When pressure is created inside the chest due to any reason(for example coughing) , the flap covering the hole can open and allow blood to flow in either direction. This would mean blood can bypass the filtering system of the lungs. While it might not cause any major issues, if any debris present in the blood, such as small blood clots, travel to and lodge in the brain, they can lead to a stroke.

It is possible to surgically close the hole with a graft; however this can cause permanent damage to surrounding tissue. To overcome this problem, the team of researchers from Royal Brompton Hospital used a special patch. The patch plugs the hole on a temporary basis and allows the body sufficient time to replace it with healthy normal tissue. This usually happens within 30 days.

The use of tissue grafts can cause an inflammatory reaction, which can lead to problems. Instead, this treatment does the repair job and then disappears in a natural way. The healing is very similar to how the body would heal itself normally. Dr. Michael Mullen, a consultant cardiologist, has so far used the device on 70 patients who were all deemed to be at high risk of stroke on account of their PFO. He has had success with some of his patients reporting disappearance of their migraines after the treatment.

Nearly 6 million people in the UK suffer from migraines. Paul Jansen of the Migraine Action Association feels the findings bring good tidings for migraine sufferers.

Adapted from: Ivanhoe Newswire

To watch the video:mms://rodan.implex.net/alliedvaughn/Ivanhoe/Ivanhoe20221_700.wmv

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Happiness is contagious!

The ultimate goal of our life is, and it will always be, to achieve happiness. Even the actual concept of health is changing having this in mind. A great variety of studies have shown that economical, physiological, medical and even genetic factors contribute to happiness but none of them focused on happiness itself. Well, the Framingham Heart Study did it.

A wide variety of phenomena is known to spread across social networks. In a neighborhood where all houses are yellow, if one person have his house painted differently, it will drive others to do just the same. This study applied this principle to happiness.

From 1983 to 2003 the researchers follow more than 4,000 people and conclude that happy people tend to be together and that the happiness of one individual can affect up to three degrees in the the social network. Your happiness can make your friends' friends' friends happier. This study also showed that getting thousands of friends in Hi5 doesn't bring happiness. The effect tend to dissipate with the distance and it's stronger among friends living nearby and next-door neighbors.

This findings can have repercussion in how to promote public health. A better individual treatment for those who are sick improve not only their health but also their happiness and as happiness tend to spread across social networks it would be exponentiating happiness across the network. This study provided the scientific proof that quality treatment might be best way to promote public health.

Having this in mind, with a smile from ear to ear, I wish you a happy holiday season!

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5ISDdKjG4E

Adapted from BMJ 2008;337:a2338

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Breakthrough in AIDS cure

Gene therapy is in the frontline of the cure for AIDS. Will it lead to further interesting cases like the german patient who after a bone marrow transplant was cured from AIDS?

The 42-year-old American living in Berlin is currently recovering from the leukaemia treatment, but he seems to have defeated AIDS. Normally, if the AIDS treatment stops, the viral levels increase abruptely. But, despite having interrupted the patient's AIDS treatment, because of the bone marrow transplant, they haven't detected the virus in his blood for more than 600 days.

The breakthrough appears to be that Dr. Hütter, a hematologist who isn't an AIDS specialist, deliberately replaced the patient's bone marrow cells with those from a donor who has a naturally occurring genetic mutation that renders his cells immune to almost all strains of HIV, the AIDS virus. Bone marrow is where immune-system cells are generated, so transplanting mutant bone-marrow cells would render the patient immune to HIV into perpetuity, at least in theory.

Most researchers believed some HIV still lurks in the patient but that it can't ignite a raging infection, most likely because its target cells are invulnerable mutants. The scientists agreed that the patient is "functionally cured."

The current treatment methods are merely paliative, and very expensive, mainly because they must be taken every day until the end of one's life.

In 1996, when antiretroviral drugs were proved effective, some researchers proposed that all cells harboring HIV might eventually die, leading to eradication of HIV from the body. Those hopes foundered on the discovery that HIV, which integrates itself into a patient's own DNA, hides in so-called "sanctuary cells", where it lies dormant yet remains capable of reigniting an infection.

That very year scientists found people who had inherited a mutation from their parent that made them immune to HIV. The mutation prevents the coreceptor CCR5 from appearing on the surface of cells. Since most HIV strains must bind to CCR5 to enter cells, the mutation bars the virus from entering. New AIDS drugs, don't attack HIV itself but blockCCR5.

About 1% of Europeans, and even more in northern Europe, inherit the CCR5 mutation from both parents. People of African, Asian and South American descent almost never carry it.

The transplant treatment itself, given only to late-stage cancer patients, kills up to 30% of patients. While scientists are drawing up research protocols to try this approach on other leukemia and lymphoma patients, they know it will never be widely used to treat AIDS because of the mortality risk.

Gene therapy faces daunting technical challenges currently. Most gene therapy currently works by removing cells, genetically modifying them out of the body, then transfusing them back in a complicated procedure that would prove too expensive for the developing world.

At City of Hope cancer center in Duarte, Calif., John Rossi and colleagues actually use HIV itself, genetically engineered to be harmless, to deliver to patients' white blood cells three genes: one that inactivates CCR5 and two others that disable HIV.

Are we starting a new chapter in the AIDS history? Only time will tell...

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TIXQfo7WHY

Adapted from The Wall Street Journal

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