MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'adaptations'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:40:19 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159208&cid=t_294790_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F19%2F11-tips-for-succeeding-in-college-when-you-have-adhd%2F College is a big transition for any student. But when you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there are added challenges to consider. These obstacles concern everything from studying to managing your time to spending impulsively to planning your future post-college. But by being aware of these potential problems and being proactive, students with ADHD can accomplish great things in school. Here’s how, according to Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D, a national certified counselor and licensed mental health counselor and author of Making the Grade with ADD: A Student’s Guide to Succeeding in College with Attention Deficit Disorder. 1. Apply for accommodations. Accommodations are “specific adaptations, including extended time on tests and an assigned note taker, that give yo... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159208 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:45:13 +0100 5159208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911675&cid=t_294790_129_f&fid=27216&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifewithadhd.com%2Fadhd-in-the-classroom%2Fadaptations-for-teaching-children-with-adhd.php If you are a teacher who has been challenged by the task of teaching children with ADHD, the idea itself may be overwhelming. You may have images of children bouncing off the walls in your classroom disrupting all learning. Before you enter a full blown panic, understand that there are many things you can do to encourage their learning and full participation in your class environment. Plan for Success Understand that each child with ADHD will have slightly different manifestations of the condition; one may not be able to sit still while another needs to roam. Placing the roaming child towards the back of the class so they can get up for a quick wander or getting the fidgeter an exercise ball to sit on may resolve the distraction issues presented to other students can help when teaching chi... Life With ADHD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911675 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862475&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008100.html In a sign of the times Toyota is going to bring up wagon and smaller coupe versions of the Prius and a Toyota executive expects Prius to eventually outsell the Camry (which is the best selling car in America). “We know the hybrid segment will grow faster if we add a little versatility,” Carter said. “It won’t happen in the next 12 to 24 months, but Prius will outsell Camry. It’s going to be what defines the Toyota brand in the future.” It is telling that Toyota foresees this shift. Though another Toyota executive has already made clear that Toyota expects Peak Oil by 2020. So the bigger role for the Prius seems consistent consistent with Toyota's expectation of fundamentals... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862475 Sun, 22 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4862475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828827&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008085.html A lesson: $100 per barrel oil is creates enough political pressure to open more oil fields for drilling in Alaska and offshore lower 48. The Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and Alaska's Pacific coasts are still to remain off-limits - for now. President Obama will open Alaska's national petroleum reserve to new drilling, as part of a broad plan aimed at blunting criticism that he is not doing enough to address rising energy prices. Environmentalist opposition to drilling in some areas has done us a favor by delaying the use of that oil until we really needed it. Of course, that wasn't their intent. But the practical result of their opposition to drilling was to prepare for Peak Oil. With... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828827 Mon, 16 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4828827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797766&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008065.html Sounding very much like Ken Deffeyes on Peak Oil, Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, says world oil production has already peaked. When we look at the oil markets the news is not very bright. We think that the crude oil production has already peaked in 2006. IMaybe we'll hit another production peak this year or next. All liquids production is up to about 2006 levels now. When you read about current oil production keep in mind that the term "all liquids" is often reported in the press as meaning oil production. But the "all liquids" term includes liquids condensed from natural gas, ethanol made from corn, and other liquids. The stuff that made Jed Clampett rich... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797766 Sat, 07 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4797766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775358&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008060.html Will depleting resources become an obstacle to economic growth? Jeremy Grantham, co-founder of money manager GMO with $106 billion under management, has developed an interest in resource limitations as obstacles to economic growth. It is disturbing to read that he doesn't just think Peak Oil is near. He's closer to a Peak Everything position. See his article on GMO's web site PDF), on The Oil Drum or on The Energy Bulletin (and easiest to read). The purpose of this, my second (and much longer) piece on resource limitations, is to persuade investors with an interest in the long term to change their whole frame of reference: to recognize that we now live in a different, more constrained, world in which... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775358 Mon, 02 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4775358 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696595&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008017.html Steve Kopits says oil demand from China will surpass that of the United in just 7 years. To translate that into practical matters: Your price for gasoline will be a lot higher. You need to use something else to power your car (natural gas in his view) or use gasoline far more efficiently. In evidence to the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Power's hearing, April 4th, regarding the "The American Energy Initiative", Douglas-Westwood LLP's Managing Director, .Steve Kopits, gave dire warnings about the likely development of China's future energy demand "China's oil demand will likely keep pressure on oil prices for the indefinite future," said Kopits. "China consumes 10 million barrels of oil per day (mbpd) on... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696595 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4696595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501569&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007917.html Growth in domestic oil consumption in Saudi Arabia is cutting into Saudi oil exports. This trend will continue. Higher prices enable them to export less. Saudi Arabia’s exports fell to 6.05 million barrels a day in December from 6.36 million in November even as Saudi production rose to a two-year high of 8.37 million barrels a day, JODI said. Saudi oil exports have probably already peaked. Rising domestic oil consumption eats into exports. This is known in Peak Oil circles as the Export Land Model problem. Export Land is experiencing much faster consumption growth than the rest of the world. Export Land is exporting less as a result. This trend will continue. What I expect will happen: The peak in... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501569 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4501569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4326892&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007812.html The Oil Drum has a great set of many graphs showing energy production and usage from a variety of perspectives. That page has over 100 charts and graphs and it takes quite a while to load them from a number of sites. The most sobering graph: World net oil exports peaked in 2005. A large and growing fraction of all oil extracted from the ground is used in the country of origin. So less is available to oil importing nations on international markets. Since oil demand is rising more rapidly in oil producer states than in oil importer states the fraction of extracted oil available for importers is declining. So for importers in a very real sense world oil production... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4326892 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4326892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298605&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007785.html John Hofmeister, former president of Royal Dutch Shell's US business unit, says gasoline in the United States is headed to $5 per gallon in 2 years and in 10 years shortages will become severe. But former Shell executive John Hofmeister offered a more aggressive estimate, saying Americans could be paying $5 a gallon in two years. And he predicted that sometime between 2018 and 2020, supply and demand will become so out of balance that gas stations in several regions of the country will simply start to run out. "I think it's going to be a cumulative problem that won't happen suddenly," Hofmeister, who now heads Citizens for Affordable Energy, told FoxNews.com. $5 per gallon by early 2013? That seems... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298605 Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4298605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233138&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007722.html Robert Rapier has written a review of the new book The Impending World Energy Mess by Robert L. Hirsch, Roger H. Bezdek, and Robert M. Wendling. Rapier finds their coverage of adaptations to Peak Oil most interesting. This is where my own curiosity has shifted on the Peak Oil topic. That it is happening I have no doubt. But how will people and industries and governments respond? How quickly will they respond? I felt the book became much more interesting when they started to discuss “How is the oil debacle likely to unfold?” This is where I began to find a lot of value in the book for me personally. Future scenarios were very well thought-out, and pros and cons... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233138 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4233138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190114&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007672.html In the UK the added costs of living in a rural area raises the minimum income needed to live a fairly minimal existence. The Commission for Rural Communities said someone in a remote village needed £18,600 a year to get by, compared with £14,400 for an urban dweller. It means a villager must earn about 50% above the minimum wage of £5.93 an hour to reach a minimum living standard. The report cited transport and fuel as the main extra cost burdens. Curiously, the difference in living costs for a "rural town" versus an urban area was fairly small as compared to the additional costs of villages or, even more expensive, hamlets. Anyone know what the sizes are for each... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190114 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4190114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133628&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007619.html James Schlesinger served in high positions under Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Secretary of Defense, Director of the CIA, and as the first US Energy Secretary. He's become convinced that the peak of world oil production is near: What is the evidence? First, we remain heavily dependent on super-giant and giant oilfields discovered in the 50s and 60s of the last century… I might add, of the last millennium. Only rarely in recent decades have discoveries equaled production. Mostly, it’s been one barrel discovered for every three barrels produced. Second, old super-giants like Burgan in Kuwait and [Cantarell] in Mexico have gone into decline earlier than had been anticipated… and going into decline... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133628 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4133628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040535&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007551.html Translated into the oil used to make it Americans might waste 350 million barrels of oil per year or almost 1 million barrels per day. That's almost 5% of current daily oil consumption. WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2010 — Scientists have identified a way that the United States could immediately save the energy equivalent of about 350 million barrels of oil a year — without spending a penny or putting a ding in the quality of life: Just stop wasting food. Their study, reported in ACS' semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology, found that it takes the equivalent of about 1.4 billion barrels of oil to produce, package, prepare, preserve and distribute a year's worth of food in the United States.... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040535 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4040535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4002881&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007523.html A February 2010 paper by by Joyce M. Dargay (Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds) and Dermot Gately (Dept. of Economics, NYU) makes its argument in its title: World oil demand’s shift toward faster growing and less price-responsive products and regions Two liters a day – that’s what per-capita world oil demand has been for forty years. Yet this constancy conceals dramatic changes. While per-capita demand in the OECD and the FSU have been reduced – primarily due to fuel-switching away from oil in electricity generation and space heating, and by economic collapse in the FSU – per-capita oil demand in the rest of the world has nearly tripled, to more than 1 liter/day. In addition, the rest of... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4002881 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4002881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3938313&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007473.html An internal study on the approach of Peak Oil done by the military of Germany (which was not supposed to see the light of day) shows the German military expecting drastic changes in the international order as a result of Peak Oil. The issue is so politically explosive that it's remarkable when an institution like the Bundeswehr, the German military, uses the term "peak oil" at all. But a military study currently circulating on the German blogosphere goes even further. The study is a product of the Future Analysis department of the Bundeswehr Transformation Center, a think tank tasked with fixing a direction for the German military. The team of authors, led by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Will, uses sometimes-dramatic language... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3938313 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3938313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714451&cid=t_294790_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F5-stages-of-alcoholism-2%2F The Disease of Alcoholism There are, and have been, many theories about alcoholism. The most prevailing theory, and now most commonly accepted, is called the Disease Model. Its basic tenets are that alcoholism is a disease with recognizable symptoms, causes, and methods of treatment. In addition, there are several stages of the disease which are often described as early, middle, late, treatment and relapse. While it is not essential to fully define these stages, it is useful to understand them in terms of how the disease presents itself. This series of articles describes the signs and symptoms of each stage as well as exploring treatment options. Early or Adaptive Stage Middle Stage Late Stage Treating Alcoholism Relapse to drinking 1 – The Early or Adaptive Stage of Alcoholis... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714451 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:28:00 +0100 3714451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519412&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007139.html Robert Rapier expects the BP drilling rig accident with the Deepwater Horizon rig to set back the momentum that was building for more US offshore drilling. So I believe the long term implications of this incident will be to exacerbate our slide down the backside of peak oil. Fields take a long time to develop, and fields being developed now may have been producing oil in 5 or 10 years. But I believe this window of opportunity has now closed, and it will be much more difficult to find broad support for expanded drilling. Since Obama was going to open up pretty small offshore areas off of Virginia and the Gulf of Mexico the loss isn't that great in my... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519412 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3519412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876197&cid=t_294790_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fembrace-the-short-cuts-in-a-life-of-chronic-pain%2F Yesterday, when I was running boring errands, I was overcome by the spirit of Fall. I like this time of year yet know what we’re in for. Rain, rain and some snow will come. I stopped in at my favorite little gift shop, full of country crafted items and was smacked in the face by autumnal splendor. I said to the owner, who is a great gal, “My gosh, it looks like Fall threw up in here.” Thankfully, she and her clerk laughed. They know. They did it all; breathe in the odor of cinnamon and other spices all day and are surrounded by the black trees with pumpkin ornaments, witches flying through the air and autumns burnt umber and yellow splendor. I was struck by and had to buy a small sign that read, “If The Broom Fits, Ride It.” Don’t you love it? I know there are many times in my ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876197 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:34:55 +0100 2876197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855734&cid=t_294790_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fembrace-the-short-cuts-in-a-life-of-chronic-pain%2F Yesterday, when I was running boring errands, I was overcome by the spirit of Fall. I like this time of year yet know what we’re in for. Rain, rain and some snow will come. I stopped in at my favorite little gift shop, full of country crafted items and was smacked in the face by autumnal splendor. I said to the owner, who is a great gal, “My gosh, it looks like Fall threw up in here.” Thankfully, she and her clerk laughed. They know. They did it all; breathe in the odor of cinnamon and other spices all day and are surrounded by the black trees with pumpkin ornaments, witches flying through the air and autumns burnt umber and yellow splendor. I was struck by and had to buy a small sign that read, “If The Broom Fits, Ride It.” Don’t you love it? I know there are many times in my ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855734 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:34:55 +0100 2855734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2670796&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006417.html Fatih Birol, chief economist of the OECD's International Energy Agency (IEA), has pulled in his prediction for when world oil production will peak to only 11 years from now. In... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2670796 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2670796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2621775&cid=t_294790_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006382.html Forbes writer Christopher Steiner has a new book about the approaching era of declining world oil production entitled $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2621775 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2621775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1451854&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F293059422%2F Different types of skin cancer (Photo credit: http://melanoma.blogsome.com/category/skin-image-processing) University of Minnesota researchers looking to answer the question ‘why does ultraviolet light induce skin cancer?’ believe they have found how sun-induced skin cancer starts.  They found the cancer starts in receptor molecules or molecular “hooks” on the outer surface of cells that also pull cannabinoid compounds found in marijuana out of the bloodstream. These receptor molecules are protein structures that are components of a cell’s outer membrane. They act like receiving docks and catch specific compounds from the blood and enable the cells to engulf or  interact with the compounds. The researchers found that two receptors for cannabinoids also ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1451854 Sun, 18 May 2008 21:34:01 +0100 1451854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1451855&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F293059424%2F (Photo credit: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/PhotoGallery/Primates/7.cfm ) Scientists have long wondered why early primates inhabited forest canopies, given that climbing appears to consume more energy than walking. However Duke University researchers studying primates walking on treadmills found that there was no energy consumption difference in small primates. This suggests that ancestors of humans, apes and monkeys may have taken to the trees because of their small body size to exploit a new environment giving them an evolutionary advantage compared to fellow mammals. Early primates, which would have been about the size of large rats, then underwent a number of evolutionary changes as they adapted to their new environment. These changes included nails rather than claws and graspin... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1451855 Sun, 18 May 2008 21:33:35 +0100 1451855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1389060&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F274677767%2F Charles Darwin Following my recent article about Darwin’s 150th Anniversary, the first draft of his book, “The Origin of Species” which changed the world’s attitude to evolution is available for the first time online.  Papers which led to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution were previously only available to scholars at Cambridge University’s library. This release makes his private papers, mountains of notes, experiments and research behind his world-changing publications available to the world for free. The online archive about Charles Darwin is so vast it would take someone two months to view it all if they downloaded one image per minute! Here’s the link…. http://darwin-online.org.uk/ Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com Tags: ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1389060 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:45:53 +0100 1389060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1386857&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F274273361%2F This study focused on one of eight regions of the flu genome, HA, which codes for a surface protein hemagglutinin targeted by the human immune system. The results suggest that new strains usually begin in East and Southeast Asia, where they circulate continuously. These “seed” other outbreaks by proceeding first through Oceania, then Europe and North America, and eventually South America. But the paper indicates that viruses hardly ever go back in the other direction. The second paper used comparative genomics to assess the evolutionary dynamics of H3N2 and another influenza A strain, H1N1. These researchers also suggest that influenza A strains in one region seed outbreaks in the rest of the world, following a “source-to-sink” pattern, though this research didn’y implicate ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1386857 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:27:23 +0100 1386857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1386859&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F274260212%2F  Drosophila flies I just loved this article along with accompanying videos appearing in the BBC news website. Scientists have managed to give genetically modified fruit flies a sex-change just from a pulse of light to group of 2,000 brain cells responsible for directing courtship displays. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7350403.stm Oh that it was so easy in humans! Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com Tags: , Drosophila, Genes, Genetic adaptationsShare This (Source: Genetics and Health) Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1386859 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:49:29 +0100 1386859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1274884&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F244918533%2F (Photo credit: Flu viruses among cilia - National Geographic magazine http://www.nationalgeographic.com/) US scientists have discovered a possible reason why the flu virus is seasonal and tends to infect people mostly in the winter. It has a jacket that melts in the summer causing the virus to die off, and stays hard in the winter, until it enters a host where it melts and gets to work. The discovery could lead to new ways to prevent and treat the flu. Neuroscientist Joshua Zimmerberg and colleagues, based at the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics (LCMB) in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), in Bethesda, Maryland have used Magnetic Resonance Imaging to examine the outer structure of the flu virus and other respiratory viruses.  The coats are... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1274884 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:51:27 +0100 1274884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1271848&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F244491116%2F HIV-2 Virus. Reference: http://www.csend.hu/magazin/0102/hiv2.jpg A team of researchers at the University of Alberta has discovered a gene that is able to block HIV, and in turn prevent the onset of AIDS.  Stephen Barr, a molecular virologist in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, says his team has identified a gene called TRIM22 that can block HIV infection in a cell culture by preventing the assembly of the virus. Stephen Barr (Courtesy of University of Alberta, Canada) Barr says “interestingly, when we prevent cells from turning on TRIM22, the normal interferon response (a natural defense produced by our cells to fight infection by viruses such as HIV) is useless at blocking HIV infection. This means TRIM22 is an essential part of our body’s ability to ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1271848 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:21:40 +0100 1271848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1271849&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F244491117%2F Further to my various articles on our ancestry, differences in gene expression levels between people of European versus African ancestry appear to affect how each group responds to certain drugs or fights off specific infections, report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Expression Research Laboratory at Affymetrix Inc. of Santa Clara, CA. The researchers used lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from blood from 180 healthy individuals. They studied 60 nuclear families, including mother, father and child. Thirty of the families were Caucasians from Utah and 30 were Yorubans from Ibadan, Nigeria. Mainly focusing on cancer treatments, the researcher sought to understand why different populations experienced different degrees of toxicity when taking certain drugs... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1271849 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:21:21 +0100 1271849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1252848&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F240340915%2F This study was based on the analysis of more than 500,000 SNPs and nearly 400 copy number variants — sections of DNA that are repeated or duplicated in the genome — for 485 individuals. These samples, representing individuals from 29 different populations around the world, were obtained as part of the Human Genome Diversity Project. The results suggest East Africans are the most genetically diverse, while Native American genomes exhibit the lowest genetic diversity. Middle Eastern, Asian, and European populations, on the other hand, fall somewhere in between.  By following this decline in diversity, the Michigan team was able to retrace global human migration patterns. Consistent with previous archaeological date, language studies, and smaller genetic studies of mitochondrial DNA or a... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1252848 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:59:34 +0100 1252848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1236972&cid=t_294790_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F236050921%2F   Our early human ancestors originated from a hot, humid climate where natural selection focused on dispersing heat.  As humans migrated to colder climates there would have been evolutionary pressure to adapt to their new settings by boosting the processes that produce and retain heat. Genes involved in energy metabolism are therefore likely to be central to heat and cold tolerance.  Researchers from the Dept of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, USA tested this theory by genotyping 873 tag SNPs in these ‘cold tolerance’ genes in 54 worldwide populations and found a correlation with climatic variations. Among the results were strongest signals from several SNPs, that had previously been associated with body evolution directly related to cold tolerance. One, a lept... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1236972 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:52:32 +0100 1236972