Acne a Prevention of Cancer?

It's been reported that over 40% of young kids have acne. Acne has always been known as yucky blemishes that mess up the look of our faces. Although a recent study by Dr. Anne Eady shows that the presence of propionibacterium, a type slow-moving anaerobic bacteria, helps kick up the immune system in cells. When tested the presence of this bacteria showed signs of prevention of viruses, parasites, and certain types of infections. Currently Eady and her team are observing young children before and during puberty. She hopes that the data she gathers will help her make a predictive test for when acne occurs in young children. Her next goal will be to follow the role that the bacteria in the acne plays in the prevention of infections and viruses in children.

A Treatment for Obesity?

Did you know that one in every three American adults are obese? According to a new study by scientists in Arizona there may also be a treatment for this rapid epidemic. Scientists are studying further the relationship between weight and gut microbiota. Gut microbiota are the trillions of "friendly" bacteria, in the gastrointestinal tract, that help extract and store calories from what we eat. In many of their studies scientist have found that the bacteria found in the stool of overweight participants are far different from those found in the normal weight participants. The scientists claim that if there is a real connection between weight and gut microbiota a treatment for obesity can be formed by modifying the bacteria. If this is true then the next step for scientists is finding out how to safely modify the bacteria in human clinical trials.

Frankenstein's heart

Scientist have successfully brought back to life the heart of a rat. To do so, they harvested a heart from a dead rat and stripped it of all cells using a soap much like your shampoo. This left behind only the non-living portions of the heart. Next, they reseeded the heart with cells from a newborn rat. They attached it to an electrode to jump start it. Then it happened! The heart began to beat regularly. The scientist next attempted to bring a pig heart back to life because a pig heart is closer in stucture to a human heart. Do you think it will work?

How Big Is Your Brain? Can Its Size Protect You?

Recently, several researchers have been evaluating human brains to collect data. The researchers are trying to figure out how much your brain can protect you based on its size. Researchers first began by viewing 12 human brains at the time of death. The 12 brains belonged to people who had very good memories and thinking skills, even at the time of death. Within these viewings of the 12 brains, researchers noticed that they all contained a large amount of Alzheimer's plaques. Alzheimer's disease is a disease that you can get in your brain, it causes you to have memory loss, mood swings, impared movements, and major changes in behavior. After examination, researchers compared the 12 brains to 23 new brains that belonged to people who had Alzheimer's disease before death. While comparing the 12 brains to the 23 brains, researchers have found out that the size of the hippocampus part of the brain in all 12 of the first brains was 20% larger than the 23 brains they were using in comparison. Researchers have concluded that the larger the hippocampus part of your brain is, the better chances you have of not having memory loss. If the hippocampus part of your brain is small, you may be more likely to have memory loss.