Outbreak of native oak borers threatens Ozark forests
...stands, may have contributed to a general state of decline that has left the oaks particularly vulnerable to red oak borers. "Right now we are in the middle of a cycle," said Guldin. "We will learn more when the adults emerge this coming summer. It is very troubling that the oaks killed by borers do not prod...Mole-rat Methuselahs push evolutionary theory of aging
...onary biologists define the term as the persistent decline in fitness components with age, due to internal physiological deterioration. In the paper, "Extraordinary life spans of naked mole-rats," Sherman and his South African colleague Jennifer U.M. Jarvis report that laboratory mole-rats have survived ne...Firefly light illuminates course of herpes infection in mice
...t decreases in bioluminescence correlated with the decline in the amount of virus present. The method works in part because bioluminescence produced by fireflies contains a significant amount of red light, which penetrates tissues more effectively than other wavelengths of light. This effect can be seen by ...Health of American Indians on decline before Columbus arrived in new world
... migration and trade, helped lead to a decline in health, Steckel said. Infections increased as people began congregating in cities, and the worldwide spread of disease had begun by the 1400s. The health index gives us one way to tra...European seal plague may threaten population survival
...ion," the authors say. "The risk of a catastrophic decline of the population is small, but other factors, like hunting, will increase that risk, as will more frequent PDV outbreaks."...Popular weed killer feminizes native leopard frogs across Midwest
...uggest that the herbicide could be a factor in the decline of frogs and other amphibians in the United States and around the world, the authors say. Atrazine has been used on crops since 1956 and currently is the most widely used herbicide in the nation. "These studies clearly indicate that atrazine is detri...Rutgers and Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers seek fountain of youth among the worms
... take place. The work raises the possibility that decline of one tissue type may drive the aging of the entire organism. Sarcopenia, Driscoll and Hall point out, is also characteristic of aging in humans and the researchers were somewhat surprised to see its effects in the worms. Their observations sugges...Novel gene mutation causes Huntington's-like symptoms, providing window into how brain cells die
...e same types of changes in emotions, thinking, and decline in motor skills as those with Huntington's Disease. Like Huntington's, HDL2 occurs in mid-adult life and leads to death in about 10 to 20 years. The type of mutation in the two genes is also similar. Both are repeat expansions, where a small segme...Study suggests coenzyme Q10 slows functional decline in Parkinsons disease
...of coenzyme Q10 (1,200 mg/day) had 44 percent less decline in mental function, motor (movement) function, and...l disorder -- that showed slightly less functional decline in groups that received 600 mg/day of coenzyme Q10. The new study also used an efficient phase II c...One in every three primates now threatened with extinction
...of the represented countries can lead to the rapid decline of any of the 195 species threatened with extinction." Habitat loss due to the clearing of tropical forests for agriculture, timber extraction and the collection of fuel wood continues to be the major factor in the declining number of primates accord...Public calls on U.S. government to protect the world's coral reefs, new poll finds
...beyond recovery and that another 60% are likely to decline significantly within the next 30 years unless conservation measures are implemented. The most important and immediate threats to coral reefs are typically associated with human activity. Which include: overfishing; fishing practices involving explo...Nutrition and exercise boost effectiveness of flu shot in older people
...ll-nourished elderly people, there is only a small decline in immune function. Therefore, nutritional intervention might improve the antibody response of older adults after influenza vaccination and thereby reduce influenza-related illnesses and deaths. Another study in the same issue of Journal of Gerontolo...Diet rich in soy protein lowers estrogens associated with breast cancer
... of isoflavonoids. However, estrone levels did not decline in a linear manner with increasing soy intake; an apparent reduction was only seen among those in the top 25 percent of soy protein consumers. The study also showed that hormone levels remained unaffected by other dietary and lifestyle choices. These......e of dietary and genetic risk factors on cognitive decline over time. Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., recently left Harvard University Medical School to join the department as executive vice chair. Drs. Griffin and most of these scientists are affiliated with the Geriatric, Research, Education, and Clinical Core of...What do you mean throw out the food guide pyramid?
...t people can consume before there is a significant decline in the intakes of essential nutrients like calcium and vitamin A," Johnson says. "We carefully looked at the data and when added sugars exceed 25 percent of energy you see a clear drop-off of vitamin and mineral intake. "People should not exceed 25 p...Endangered chimpanzees focus of urgent action
...oups to take specific steps to halt or reverse the decline in chimpanzee numbers in West Africa. "We stand to lose one of the human species closest relatives, as well as a species with one of the most fascinating and complex social systems in the Animal Kingdom," said Dr. Tetsuro Matsuzawa of Kyoto Univers...A message from nature to muskrats: 'Dont chill out'
...ys underwater. Both heart rate and Tb of muskrats decline during voluntary diving, and active rewarming via brown adipose tissue (BAT) does not appear to occur until surfacing. Given these observations, the researchers hypothesized that hypothermia in diving muskrats may enhance their dive performance by lo...... help in decreasing hypertension-induced cognitive decline by increasing dopamine D1 binding in specific rat ...ating a strategy or treatment to control cognitive decline associated with hypertension. Methodology Rats were randomly divided into two groups. One group w...Upside-down flies may offer clues to aging in humans
...rough a very predictable, but significant stage of decline that eventually will help scientists better unders...the study. "If it turns out that the cause of this decline is neurological and central in origin, rather than musculoskeletal, then perhaps insects also can se......n-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The researchers say the decline in incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma since the mid-1990s may reflect a drop in the number of individuals with AIDS and the introduction of more effective antiretroviral therapies. They note, however, that non-AIDS-associated no...