Study finds prenatal exposure to testosterone boosts smoking
.... There is no evidence that smoking increases testosterone in humans oranimals but may decrease the hormone somewhat, Udry said. Mechanisms underlyingrelationships of prenatal testosterone with mothers' and daughters' smoking areunknown. Blood samples, which came from California Kaiser Pe...Scientists identify brain chemicals involved in 'switching on' cocaine addiction
...'s effects and why long-termcocaine administration increases production of this protein. The researchers found that adding the extra delta-FosB gene caused themice to become more sensitive to the pleasurable, or rewarding, effects ofcocaine, a change that is thought to play an important role in the dev...A miserable life on overcrowded Earth in 2100
...ng to the WorldHealth Organization. Malnutrition increases the susceptibility to diseasessuch as diarrhea and malaria. -- One reason for the increase in malnutrition is that production of grains percapita has been declining since 1983. Grains provide 80 percent to 90 percentof the world's food. Each additi...Climate change and greenhouse gases: The scientific literature reviewed
...degrees Celsius). The authors predict that further increases in greenhouse gases will causechanges in the climate system. These include increases in average surfacetemperature, increases in rates of precipitation and evaporation, rising sealevel,...UK study shows breast-feeding increases babies' IQ
...er levels of cognitivedevelopment. The difference increases the longer a baby is breast-fed, and lowbirth weight babies receive the greatest benefits. "This study confirms that nutrients in breast milk and maternal bondinghave beneficial effects on IQ," Anderson said. "Infants deprived of breast milk...USGS scientists tracking environmental damage from Floyd
...will be analyzedto evaluate possible storm-related increases in nutrient and sediment loads toChesapeake Bay from increased storm runoff. Scientists, managers, and planners are concerned that the runoff from Floyd'srain may have offset recent nutrient and sediment reductions resulting fromincreased efforts by...Millennium and the Whitehead Institute identify novel protein important in fat absorption
...tional Institutes of Health. Humanobesity greatly increases the risk for the development of diabetes, heartdisease, high blood pressure and stroke. The authors of the paper are as follows: Andreas Stahl, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research David J. Hirsch, Whitehead Institute for Biom...Study confirms protein culprit in alcohol-induced liver disease
...he intestines. Studies suggest that alcohol intake increases thegut's permeability, thus releasing increased levels of endotoxin intocirculation. This, in turn, may activate Kupffer cells to release many potentcytokines, including TNF-alpha. The resultant output could lead to liver injury.The UNC study was led...Common grass infected by fungus makes life difficult for other species
...ted. "Independent evidence suggests that infection increases in mixtures of plantspecies overtime, so that sites with low infection can become highly infected," heexplained. "Seedtransmission of the fungus ensures that it is dispersed with the grass. Givenits widespreaddistribution and high infection frequency...Scientists look for signs of pollution in the superhighway in the sky
...xperiment. Increasing the amount ofnitrogen oxides increases the amount of ozone. "When we cross the jet tracks anhour after they pass by, it's easy to find their chemical trail," said Thompson. But when the scientists looked for increased levels of smog chemistry coveringthe entire flight corridor, they could...Uncovering the role of water vapor in climate change
...ravel from the satellite to an Earth-basedreceiver increases causing a delay. Water vapor delays the signal differentlythan other particles in the atmosphere and this delay can be used to measure thetotal water vapor in the atmosphere between a GPS satellite and an Earth-basedreceiver. The ability to better m...African ants' self-defense takes a heavy toll on hosts
...his selfish pruning behavior has evolvedbecause it increases the life span of C. nigriceps colonies, even though itremoves all the host tree's flowers and stops the tree from reproducing,"Stanton said. "There can be a fine line separating a mutualistic interaction from aparasitic one." The study was funded by ...FDA mandate for folic acid fortification may decrease the incidence of Down syndrome
...inadequate folate status at the time of conception increases the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida -- the leading causeof childhood paralysis. In 1998, the US-FDA mandated that 140 micrograms of folic acid be added to every 100 grams of enriched grain productssuch as pasta, breakfast cereals, an...Prescription for your heart: Relax
... of the study, "Our study shows that mental stress increases the levels of atherogeniclipoproteins and decreases the rate at which fats are cleared from the blood after a meal. The longer fats reside in the body, the greater the risk ofcardiovascular consequences."...Sea level rise behind coastal tree deaths
...ast than commonly recognized, partly because small increases insea level can affect large areas of extremely flat coastline on the west coast,and partly because development and farms impede forests from growing anew onhigher ground further inland, the researchers say. "What this does for me is bring home the ...Higher obesity rates prevail among Dutch women exposed to famine in utero
...ude that thisdifference cannot be accounted for by increases in food intake or otherlifestyle factors such as socioeconomic status, smoking or alcohol. Increasedobesity may result, rather, from altered metabolic regulation of accumulatedbody fat later in life. Exposure to famine, especially for the unborn, de...CU studies suggest exercise protects body against negative effects of stress from brain to cell
...se, and that exposure to mental or physical stress increases a person's susceptibility to illness or disease, s...ssion of cell division, decreases in cytokines and increases in the production of stress proteins. In fact, the physically active stressed rats had elevated lev......health insurance premiums,deductibles and co-pays) increases in the next few years. However, among thesurvey's findings was the belief that hospitals and insurers are unprepared forthe coming surge in consumerism. Only 25 percent of those surveyed by HealthCast2010 thought hospitals were prepared and just 14 p...... Technology and Consumerism. Because of projected increases in health spending and aging, most industrializednations are expected to see an increase in healthcare manpower. However, thetypes of healthcare workers that will increase will be deeply impacted bytechnology and the empowered consumer. The key for h......n tests designed to study the effects of long-term increases in soiltemperature, the addition of fertilizers and of tropical deforestation, theresearchers found that different soils and their associated microorganismsreacted in different ways. For example, the addition of inorganic fertilizers toforest and pas...