Category Health/Medical

Photo of a tooth germ with a nylon noose (left) and the noose tightened (right). Credit: Image courtesy of RIKEN

In mice, they were able to extract teeth germs- groups of cells formed early in life that later develop into teeth, split them into 2, and then implant the teeth into the mice’s jaws, where they developed into two fully functional teeth

Teeth are a major target of regenerative medicine. ~10% of people are born with some missing teeth, and in addition, virtually all people lose some teeth to either accidents or disease as they age. Remedies such as implants and bridges are available, but they do not restore the full functionality of the teeth...

Japanese macaques are exposed to stress during rank fights. Credit: Konstanze Meindl Hightlights: A putative COMT splice mutant (HT3) was associated with increased cortisol excretion. •This haplotype was widely distributed among males. •Cortisol excretion was inversely correlated with physical aggression. •No correlation between cortisol and social rank was found.

Certain genes, such as the COMT gene, are thought to play a role in determining our stress response. Researchers have now studied this gene in macaques, a genus of Old World monkeys, and for the first time have shown that a specific variant of the gene is associated with higher excretion of the stress hormone cortisol. The gene variant may also influence social rank among the animals.

Animals that live in groups face a vari...

A new University of Iowa study in mice indicates that exercise causes muscle to release a peptide that improves energy production and endurance. Credit: Ekaterina Subbotina

The study shows that Musclin, is an “exercise factor” – a hormone-like substance made by skeletal muscle in response to exercise and released into the bloodstream. The study shows that increased levels of circulating musclin trigger a signaling cascade that improves muscle performance and promotes production of mitochondria in muscle cells.

“Exercise is an extremely powerful way to improve people’s health, but unfortunately, increasing physical activity can be really difficult in many circumstances,” says Assoc. Prof. L Zingman, MD...