Latest National Institute Stories

Taste stimulation and its anticipation activates muscle glucose metabolism via 'orexin' neurons in the brain and thereby reduces blood glucose level in miceJapanese research group led by Professor Yasuhiko Minokoshi and Dr. Tetsuya Shiuchi, scientists at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, NIPS, Japan, found that meals stimulated with sweet taste and motivated with its anticipation regularly activates "orexin" in the brain and it stimulates muscle glucose metabolism...

The National Institute for Computational Sciences' (NICS's) Cray XT5 supercomputer"”Kraken"”has been upgraded to become the first academic system to surpass a thousand trillion calculations a second, or one petaflop, a landmark achievement that will greatly accelerate science and place Kraken among the top five computers in the world.Managed by the University of Tennessee (UT) for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the system came online Oct. 5 with a peak performance of 1.03...

Another role of the energy sourceA Japanese research group led by Prof. Makoto Tominaga and Dr. Sravan Mandadi (National Institute for Physiological Sciences: NIPS) found that ATP plays a key role in transmitting temperature information from skin keratinocytes to afferent sensory neurons. Their findings were presented in the Pflugers Archiv European Journal of Physiology published on October 2009.Hazardous temperatures (extreme hot or cold) are known to be detected by the...

Japanese research group led by Professor Junichi Nabekura in National Institute for Physiological Sciences, NIPS, Japan, found that, after cerebral stroke in one side of the mouse brain, another side of the brain rewires its neural circuits to recuperate from damaged neural function. The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) supported this study. They report their finding in Journal of Neuroscience, on August 12, 2009.The research group investigated how neural circuits rearrange...

Japanese research group led by Prof. Makoto Tominaga and Dr. Takaaki Sokabe (National Institute for Physiological Sciences: NIPS), and Prof. Masayuki Takeda, Dr. Isao Araki and Dr. Tsutomu Mochizuki (Yamanashi Univ.), found that bladder urothelial cells have a sensor for stretch stimulation. Their finding was reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry published on Aug 7, 2009.Bladder is known to release ATP that activates micturition reflex pathway during urine storage. However, it has...

In the brain, many types of synaptic proteins are spatio-temporally regulated to maintain synaptic activity at a constant level. Here, the Japanese research group led by Professor Masaki Fukata, Drs. Yuko Fukata and Jun Noritake in National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Japan, found that two types of palmitoylating enzymes finely-tune the location and function of a major synaptic protein, PSD-95, in different ways. They also found that this mechanism contributes to keeping synaptic...

A compound in the soil of Easter Island in the South Pacific significantly extends the lifespan of older mice, researchers at the University of Texas reported on Wednesday.The molecule, known as "rapamycin" after the island's Polynesian name, Rapa Nui, is a bacterial byproduct discovered in a sample obtained from the remote Pacific archipelago during the 1970s. The researchers gave the rapamycin to mice that were the human equivalent of 60 years old, and found it expanded lifespans by 28 to...

Substantial rates of alcohol-related injuries could be curtailed by postponing the start of alcohol consumption, Reuters reported.Consultations with a fair accounting of the of U.S. adult population give support for a connection with "starting to drink at an early age and not only unintentionally injuring oneself while under the influence of alcohol, but with injuring other people", Dr. Ralph W. Hingson said.  A report in the journal Pediatrics by Hingson and Dr. Wenxing Zha,...

UK researchers say that low-dose aspirin should not routinely be used to prevent heart attacks and strokes, contrary to official guidance.Data from over 100,000 clinical trial participants was analyzed and it was found that the risk of harm largely cancelled out the benefits of taking the drug.They found that only those who have already had a heart attack or stroke should be advised to take a daily aspirin.GPs said that the Lancet study would help to clarity a "confusing" issue.The...

Experts say that parents are making children suffering from vomiting and diarrhea sicker by giving them flat coke and lemonade. According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), it was a myth that sugary drinks could help ease bouts of gastroenteritis.Instead, NICE said bad cases of stomach bugs in children under five need treatment with rehydration drinks.The NHS advisers said that quick action was needed to avoid hospital admissions. Half of all the children...