Latest University of Alabama Stories
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Fighting obesity may not be as clear cut as eating right and exercising. A recent study conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham demonstrates that there is much more to the obesity epidemic than meets the eye.Led by biostatistics professor David B. Allison, Ph.D., the study began with the analysis of previous data about little primates called marmosets, which was collected at the Wisconsin Non-Human Primate Center. The population had gradually...
Researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Alabama have discovered one reason why sharks are such great hunters--flexible scales that allow them to change direction without having to slow down.During a presentation at the annual American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) conference in California on Tuesday, Alabama researcher Amy Lang illustrated how the scales help control water flow separation throughout a shark's body, allowing it to turn...
A quick blast of radio waves to the nerves of the kidneys can help control high blood pressure in patients who do not respond to conventional treatment, researchers reported on Wednesday.The device works by selectively severing nerves leading to the kidney that play a key role in regulating blood pressure. In the study, the radio waves effectively lowered the top blood pressure reading by an average of 32 points after just six months, versus no change in those who took the best available...
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) proves that the right kind of brain training can produce cognitive improvements that transfer to real-world skills. The study, available online and in the November 2010 issue of JAGS found that older drivers who completed 10 sessions of speed-of-processing training or reasoning training had an approximately 50 percent reduction in at-fault motor-vehicle collisions (MVC)...
The parasite that causes the most deadly strain of malaria in humans appears to have originally crossed the species barrier from gorillas, researchers reported on Wednesday.The scientists analyzed DNA from the droppings of some 3,000 gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos, and found that the strain of malaria parasite most common in humans is virtually identical to one of many strains that infect gorillas.Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues used the droppings to...
Cigarette smoke shuts off a key enzyme in airways that regulates the body's response to inflammation, according to findings from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online today at Science Express.The UAB researchers say smoke inhibits the enzyme, called Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase (LTA4H), causing it to fail in its job of shutting down white blood cells following a successful response to inflammation.The team says the research study identified a previously unknown substrate of...
A new study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) confirms the relationship between depression and abdominal obesity, which has been linked to an increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease."We found that in a sample of young adults during a 15-year period, those who started out reporting high levels of depression gained weight at a faster rate than others in the study, but starting out overweight did not lead to changes in depression," said UAB Assistant...
Finding a tick usually involves a squeamish self-examination -- carefully rubbing fingertips through the scalp, meticulously scanning the body, and groaning "eyeww" if a little bloodsucker is discovered. Now, there's a new way to find the pesky, disease-laden critters -- via satellite! University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate students Nathan Renneboog and Stephen Firsing are pioneering the new technique as part of a NASA program called DEVELOP. They've been using satellite...
NEJM authors: Physicians should consider this when tailoring treatment plans to beat strokeA published report provides the final details on how two stroke-prevention procedures are safe and equally beneficial for men and women at risk for stroke, though their effectiveness does vary by age, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health in collaboration with other North American stroke investigators.In findings reported online in the New England...
The world's scientific community may be one step closer to understanding age-related memory loss, and to developing a drug that might help boost memory. In an editorial published May 7 in Science, J. David Sweatt, Ph.D., chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Neurobiology, says that drugs known as histone deacetylase inhibitors are showing great promise in stopping memory loss "“ and even in boosting the formation of memory in animal models.Sweatt's editorial...
