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Lunatic Labs is a startup company by a mechanical engineer. While working on our own little projects Loony Labs keeps everyone current with science-related news, or just random science thoughts.
Dr. Jekyll
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- August 24, 2016
- 02:51 PM
- 49 views
How long do you want to live? Your expectations for old age matter
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Why do some people want to live a very long time, while others would prefer to die relatively young? In a latest study, a team of researchers investigated how long young and middle-aged adults in the United States say they want to live in relation to a number of personal characteristics. The results showed that more than one out of six people would prefer to die younger than age 80, before reaching average life expectancy.
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BOWEN, C., & SKIRBEKK, V. (2016) Old age expectations are related to how long people want to live. Ageing and Society, 1-26. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X16000726
- August 23, 2016
- 02:31 PM
- 60 views
Too much activity in certain areas of the brain is bad for memory and attention
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Neurons in the brain interact by sending each other chemical messages, so-called neurotransmitters. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the most common inhibitory neurotransmitter, which is important to restrain neural activity, preventing neurons from getting too trigger-happy and from firing too much or responding to irrelevant stimuli.
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McGarrity, S., Mason, R., Fone, K., Pezze, M., & Bast, T. (2016) Hippocampal Neural Disinhibition Causes Attentional and Memory Deficits. Cerebral Cortex. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw247
- August 22, 2016
- 03:00 PM
- 59 views
Stroke-like brain damage is reduced in mice injected with omega-3s
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A stroke can happen at any age, and as with anything that involves the brain, a few seconds can be life altering. Usually the rule is time lost is brain lost, but there might be some good news regarding that, researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced brain damage in a neonatal mouse model of stroke.
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Mayurasakorn, K., Niatsetskaya, Z., Sosunov, S., Williams, J., Zirpoli, H., Vlasakov, I., Deckelbaum, R., & Ten, V. (2016) DHA but Not EPA Emulsions Preserve Neurological and Mitochondrial Function after Brain Hypoxia-Ischemia in Neonatal Mice. PLOS ONE, 11(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160870
- August 21, 2016
- 02:53 PM
- 95 views
In cells, some oxidants are needed
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Within our bodies, high levels of reactive forms of oxygen can damage proteins and contribute to diabetic complications and many other diseases. But some studies are showing that these reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules sometimes can aid in maintaining health--findings now boosted by a surprising discovery by researchers.
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Hourihan, J., Moronetti Mazzeo, L., Fernández-Cárdenas, L., & Blackwell, T. (2016) Cysteine Sulfenylation Directs IRE-1 to Activate the SKN-1/Nrf2 Antioxidant Response. Molecular Cell, 63(4), 553-566. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2016.07.019
- August 20, 2016
- 05:45 PM
- 97 views
'I miss you so much': How Twitter is broadening the conversation on death and mourning
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Death and mourning were largely considered private matters in the 20th century, with the public remembrances common in previous eras replaced by intimate gatherings behind closed doors in funeral parlors and family homes. But social media is redefining how people grieve, and Twitter in particular -- with its ephemeral mix of rapid-fire broadcast and personal expression -- is widening the conversation around death and mourning.
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Nina Lyn Cesare, & Jennifer Lynn Branstad. (2016) Dying and Mourning in the Twittersphere. American Sociological Association. info:/
- August 19, 2016
- 03:34 PM
- 103 views
Cloth masks offer poor protection against air pollution
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Results of a new study by environmental health scientists suggest that inexpensive cloth masks worn by people who hope to reduce their exposure to air pollution vary widely in effectiveness and could be giving users a false sense of security, especially in highly polluted areas.
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Shakya, K., Noyes, A., Kallin, R., & Peltier, R. (2016) Evaluating the efficacy of cloth facemasks in reducing particulate matter exposure. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. DOI: 10.1038/jes.2016.42
- August 18, 2016
- 04:07 PM
- 114 views
Neural stem cells control their own fate
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
To date, it has been assumed that the differentiation of stem cells depends on the environment they are embedded in. A research group now describes for the first time a mechanism by which hippocampal neural stem cells regulate their own cell fate via the protein Drosha.
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Chiara Rolando,, Andrea Erni,, Alice Grison,, Robert Beattie,, Anna Engler,, Paul J. Gokhale,, Marta Milo,, Thomas Wegleiter,, Sebastian Jessberger, & Verdon Taylor. (2016) Multipotency of Adult Hippocampal NSCs In Vivo Is Restricted by Drosha/NFIB. Cell Stem Cell . info:/10.1016/j.stem.2016.07.003
- August 17, 2016
- 02:20 PM
- 112 views
Can cell phones make you feel less connected to your friends and family?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
In this digital age, with phones at our fingertips, you would think that access to constant communication would make us feel closer to one another. But a new study shows that may not be the case. In fact, cell phone use might actually lead to feeling less socially connected, depending on your gender or cell phone habits.
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Lepp, A., Li, J., & Barkley, J. (2016) College students' cell phone use and attachment to parents and peers. Computers in Human Behavior, 401-408. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.021
- August 16, 2016
- 05:01 PM
- 106 views
A dog's dilemma: Do canines prefer praise or food?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A new study suggests that given the choice, many dogs prefer praise from their owners over food. The study is one of the first to combine brain-imaging data with behavioral experiments to explore canine reward preferences.
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Cook, P., Prichard, A., Spivak, M., & Berns, G. (2016) Awake Canine fMRI Predicts Dogs’ Preference for Praise Versus Food. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw102
- August 15, 2016
- 02:44 PM
- 140 views
Prostitution has gone online -- and pimps are thriving
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
With the sale of sex shifting online, today's pimps are avoiding police detection by using underground websites, social media, mobile apps and even by hiding their ads on mainstream sites such as Craigslist and Backpage. In a first-of-its-kind study, criminologists interviewed 71 pimps in Atlanta and Chicago to determine how their marketing decisions are influenced by police enforcement of online prostitution.
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Finn, M., & Stalans, L. (2016) How Targeted Enforcement Shapes Marketing Decisions of Pimps: Evidence of Displacement and Innovation. Victims , 1-22. DOI: 10.1080/15564886.2016.1187694
- August 14, 2016
- 05:40 PM
- 127 views
Exercise can tackle symptoms of schizophrenia
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Aerobic exercise can significantly help people coping with the long-term mental health condition schizophrenia, according to a new study. Through combining data from 10 independent clinical trials with a total of 385 patients with schizophrenia, Joseph Firth found that around 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training can significant improve patients' brain functioning.
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Firth, J., Stubbs, B., Rosenbaum, S., Vancampfort, D., Malchow, B., Schuch, F., Elliott, R., Nuechterlein, K., & Yung, A. (2016) Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Functioning in People With Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbw115
- August 13, 2016
- 02:43 PM
- 150 views
Intestinal flora effects drug response
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Intestinal flora has multiple influences on human health, but researchers have revealed that it is also likely to have an effect on the body's response to drugs. Recent research suggests that changes in the intestinal flora, caused by antibacterial and antibiotic drugs or individual differences between people, may have an effect on a person's response to drugs including side effects. The research focused on the changes in proteins due to the condition of intestinal flora that affect the response to drugs in the liver and kidneys.
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Kuno, T., Hirayama-Kurogi, M., Ito, S., & Ohtsuki, S. (2016) Effect of Intestinal Flora on Protein Expression of Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes and Transporters in the Liver and Kidney of Germ-Free and Antibiotics-Treated Mice. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 13(8), 2691-2701. DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b00259
- August 12, 2016
- 03:37 PM
- 215 views
Sugar addiction: Discovery of a brain sugar switch
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Researchers have discovered that our brain actively takes sugar from the blood. Prior to this, researchers around the world had assumed that this was a purely passive process. An international team reports that transportation of sugar into the brain is regulated by so-called glial cells that react to hormones such as insulin or leptin; previously it was thought that this was only possible for neurons.
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García-Cáceres, C., Quarta, C., Varela, L., Gao, Y., Gruber, T., Legutko, B., Jastroch, M., Johansson, P., Ninkovic, J., Yi, C.... (2016) Astrocytic Insulin Signaling Couples Brain Glucose Uptake with Nutrient Availability. Cell, 166(4), 867-880. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.07.028
- August 11, 2016
- 02:04 PM
- 155 views
Targeting the gut-brain connection can impact immunity
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
There's a reason it's called a gut feeling. The brain and the gut are connected by intricate neural networks that signal hunger and satiety, love and fear, even safety and danger. These networks employ myriad chemical signals that include dopamine, a powerful neurotransmitter most famous for its role in reward and addiction.
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Xiou Cao, & Alejandro Aballay. (2016) Neural inhibition of dopaminergic signaling enhances immunity in a cell non-autonomous manner. Current Biology. info:/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.036
- August 10, 2016
- 01:30 PM
- 173 views
Is depression in parents, grandparents linked to grandchildren's depression?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
If you read my blog often, it's no surprise I suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety issues. Maybe it's from my military service, but maybe it's my father's, or his father's, maybe it's an insidious family legacy that was just never noticed. This is because having both parents and grandparents with major depressive disorder (MDD) was associated with higher risk of MDD for grandchildren, which could help identify those who may benefit from early intervention.
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Myrna M. Weissman, PhD, Obianuju O. Berry, MD, MPH, Virginia Warner, DrPH, Marc J. Gameroff, PhD, Jamie Skipper, MS, Ardesheer Talati, PhD, Daniel J. Pilowsky, MD, MPH, & Priya Wickramaratne, PhD. (2016) A 30-Year Study of 3 Generations at High Risk and Low Risk for Depression. JAMA Psychiatry . info:/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1586
- August 9, 2016
- 02:41 PM
- 215 views
Want a better memory? Try eating a Mediterranean diet
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
It's not a fad diet, it is an actual diet -- as in the way a person eats normally -- and it may do more than just help your waistline. The Mediterranean diet can improve your mind, as well your heart.
... Read more »
Hardman, R., Kennedy, G., Macpherson, H., Scholey, A., & Pipingas, A. (2016) Adherence to a Mediterranean-Style Diet and Effects on Cognition in Adults: A Qualitative Evaluation and Systematic Review of Longitudinal and Prospective Trials. Frontiers in Nutrition. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2016.00022
- August 8, 2016
- 01:54 PM
- 180 views
Pesticides used to help bees may actually harm them
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Pesticides beekeepers are using to improve honeybee health may actually be harming the bees by damaging the bacteria communities in their guts. The discovery is a concern because alterations can affect the gut's ability to metabolize sugars and peptides, processes that are vital for honeybee health.
... Read more »
Madhavi Kakumanu, Alison M. Reeves, Troy Anderson, Richard R. Rodrigues, & Mark A. Williams. (2016) Honey bee gut microbiome is altered by in-hive pesticide exposures. Frontiers in Microbiology. info:/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01255
- August 7, 2016
- 02:35 PM
- 221 views
Why you're stiff in the morning: Your body suppresses inflammation when you sleep at night
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Feeling stiff first thing in the morning? It's not your imagination, new research has found a protein created by the body's "biological clock" that actively represses inflammatory pathways within the affected limbs during the night. This protein, called CRYPTOCHROME, has proven anti-inflammatory effects in cultured cells and presents new opportunities for the development of drugs that may be used to treat inflammatory diseases and conditions, such as arthritis.
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Hand, L., Hopwood, T., Dickson, S., Walker, A., Loudon, A., Ray, D., Bechtold, D., & Gibbs, J. (2016) The circadian clock regulates inflammatory arthritis. The FASEB Journal. DOI: 10.1096/fj.201600353R
- August 6, 2016
- 03:24 PM
- 199 views
Microcephaly discoveries in non-Zika cases explain abnormal brain growth
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Long before Zika virus made it a household word, the birth defect called microcephaly puzzled scientists and doctors -- even as it changed the lives of the babies born with it during the pre-Zika era. But new discoveries reported by an international team of scientists may help explain what happens in the developing brains of babies still in the womb, causing them to be born with small brains and heads.
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Li, H., Bielas, S., Zaki, M., Ismail, S., Farfara, D., Um, K., Rosti, R., Scott, E., Tu, S., Chi, N.... (2016) Biallelic Mutations in Citron Kinase Link Mitotic Cytokinesis to Human Primary Microcephaly. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 99(2), 501-510. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.07.004
- August 5, 2016
- 03:10 PM
- 223 views
From Sci Fi to reality: Unlocking the secret to growing new limbs
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Many lower organisms retain the miraculous ability to regenerate form and function of almost any tissue after injury. Humans share many of our genes with these organisms, but our capacity for regeneration is limited. So scientists are studying the genetics of these organisms to find out how regenerative mechanisms might be activated in humans.
... Read more »
King, B., & Yin, V. (2016) A Conserved MicroRNA Regulatory Circuit Is Differentially Controlled during Limb/Appendage Regeneration. PLOS ONE, 11(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157106
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