Patients Using Warfarin Have Higher Risk of Death After Trauma, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for January 18, 2011 reported on stress among persons using Warfarin.

"The prevalence of warfarin use in the United States is unknown, but the Food and Drug Administration estimates that more than 31 million prescriptions for warfarin were written in 2004," according to background information in the article. "Warfarin is a commonly used anticoagulant [prevents the formation of blood clots] for the long-term management and prevention of thromboembolic (blood clot formed in one vessel carried by the blood stream to occlude another vessel) events associated with atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm), mechanical heart valves, deep venous thrombosis (clot formed in a vein deep in the body), pulmonary embolism (clot that causes blockage of a blood vessel in the lung), the antiphospholipid syndrome (condition that increases the risk of blood clot formation) and occasionally, myocardial infarction (heart attack)."

Smoking Accounts for Up to 60 Percent of Gender Gap in Deaths Across Europe, Research Finds

ScienceDaily for January 18, 2011 reported on smoking and death.

The reasons why women have been outliving men in developed European countries since the mid to late 18th century, in some cases, have been hotly contested.

The Top 10 Life Forms Living on Lady Gaga (And You)

Scientific American for January 4, 2011 reported on the trillions of life forms inhabiting our bodies.

A new truth about Lady Gaga’s health has recently been revealed. She is covered in other life forms—“her little monsters” you might call them. Contrary to statements otherwise in the media, these life forms have nothing to do with Lady Gaga’s meat bikini. (For those who need the extra explanation, Lady Gaga is perhaps the most popular music personality in the world. A meat bikini is, well, unfortunately just what it sounds like.) Long before she strapped on her sirloin, her prevailing condition was contaminated. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the bacteria out of the girl’s large intestine. But before you get holier than thou, I should point out that the condition with which Gaga is afflicted is the human condition. We are all covered in other species, gowns of life far more outrageous than a few strips of wayward meat. Here then are the ten life forms you (and Lady Gaga) are most likely to be wearing this spring.

The Top 10 Life Forms Living on Lady Gaga (And You)

Scientific American for January 4, 2011 reported on the trillions of life forms inhabiting our bodies.

A new truth about Lady Gaga’s health has recently been revealed. She is covered in other life forms—“her little monsters” you might call them. Contrary to statements otherwise in the media, these life forms have nothing to do with Lady Gaga’s meat bikini. (For those who need the extra explanation, Lady Gaga is perhaps the most popular music personality in the world. A meat bikini is, well, unfortunately just what it sounds like.) Long before she strapped on her sirloin, her prevailing condition was contaminated. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the bacteria out of the girl’s large intestine. But before you get holier than thou, I should point out that the condition with which Gaga is afflicted is the human condition. We are all covered in other species, gowns of life far more outrageous than a few strips of wayward meat. Here then are the ten life forms you (and Lady Gaga) are most likely to be wearing this spring.

'Un-Growth Hormone' Increases Longevity, Researchers Find

ScienceDaily for December 23, 2010 reported on hormones and aging.

A compound which acts in the opposite way as growth hormone can reverse some of the signs of aging, a research team that includes a Saint Louis University physician has shown. The finding may be counter-intuitive to some older adults who take growth hormone, thinking it will help revitalize them.

Miniature Human Livers Created in the Lab

ScienceDaily for October 31, 2010 reported on a liver that was grown in a lab.

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function -- at least in a laboratory setting -- like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.

What Makes Us Age? Ticking of Cellular Clock Promotes Seismic Changes in Chromatin Landscape Associated With Aging

ScienceDaily for October 4, 2010 reported on cells and aging.

Like cats, human cells have a finite number of lives: once they divide a certain number of times (thankfully, more than nine) they change shape, slow their pace, and eventually stop dividing -- a phenomenon called "cellular senescence."

Women's Study Finds Longevity Means Getting Just Enough Sleep

ScienceDaily for October 1, 2010 reported on the amount of sleep women should get.

A new study, derived from novel sleep research conducted by University of California, San Diego researchers 14 years earlier, suggests that the secret to a long life may come with just enough sleep. Less than five hours a night is probably not enough; eight hours is probably too much.

Just Two Drinks Slow Reactions in Older People, Research Shows

ScienceDaily for September 23, 2010 reported on drinking by older persons.

She said, "The results clearly show that even with low blood alcohol concentrations, reactions to sudden gait perturbations are seriously affected. After ingestion of 2 alcoholic drinks, obstacles were hit twice as often, response times were delayed and response amplitudes were reduced. These changes were most obvious in situations with little available response time."

Mild Memory Loss Is Not a Part of Normal Aging, New Research Finds

ScienceDaily for September 15, 2010 reported on memory and aging.

Simply getting older is not the cause of mild memory lapses often called senior moments, according to a new study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. The study, published in the September 15, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that even the very early mild changes in memory that are much more common in old age than dementia are caused by the same brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

Minor Kidney Damage in People With Type 1 Diabetes Leads to Increased Mortality

ScienceDaily for August 25, 2010 reported on kidney damage and Type 1 Diabetes.

People with type 1 diabetes who have early and asymptomatic kidney damage, as indicated by small amounts of protein in the urine, are six times more likely to die compared to the general population, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Their study, being presented at the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, also found that when kidneys remained normal over time, people with type 1 diabetes had no greater risk of death than their healthy counterparts.

Eating Berries May Activate the Brain's Natural Housekeeper for Healthy Aging

ScienceDaily for August 24, 2010 reported on the eating of berries and healthy aging.

Scientists have reported the first evidence that eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may help the aging brain stay healthy in a crucial but previously unrecognized way. Their study, presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), concluded that berries, and possibly walnuts, activate the brain's natural "housekeeper" mechanism, which cleans up and recycles toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss and other mental decline.

Eating Berries May Activate the Brain's Natural Housekeeper for Healthy Aging

ScienceDaily for August 24, 2010 reported on the eating of berries and aging.

Scientists have reported the first evidence that eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may help the aging brain stay healthy in a crucial but previously unrecognized way. Their study, presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), concluded that berries, and possibly walnuts, activate the brain's natural "housekeeper" mechanism, which cleans up and recycles toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss and other mental decline.

Brain Connections Break Down as We Age, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily for August 19, 2010 reported on aging effects on the brain.

It's unavoidable: breakdowns in brain connections slow down our physical response times as we age, a new study suggests.

Childhood Abuse, Adversity May Shorten Life, Weaken Immune Response Among the Elderly

ScienceDaily for August 16, 2010 reported on child abuse and its effect in ones later life.

"What happens in childhood really matters when it comes to your immune response in the latter part of your life," explained Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University. She explained her work at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Diego.

Children of Older Women Appear Vulnerable to the Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

ScienceDaily for July 21, 2010 reported on prenatal alcohol exposure in older women.

The presence and severity of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are influenced by factors beyond alcohol consumption. A new study of one of those factors that may increase the risk of FASD -- maternal age -- has found that the impact of maternal binge drinking during pregnancy on attention was greater among children born to older drinking mothers.