How should parents talk to their kids about weight control? NPR has a great story today on a potentially thorny problem — how can parents sensitively address weight problems with their own children? The experts at the Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program, which is profiled in the story, describe the trouble and a possible solution: “A lot of […]

Aging stem cells have clinical implications, say Stanford scientists At the risk of being overly depressing, we’re all getting older. And there’s more to bemoan than just the gray hairs and wrinkles that might be popping up. Every cell in our body is aging, including the hematopoietic stem cells that generate our blood cells and immune system. […]

Aging stem cells may explain higher prevalence of leukemia, infections among elderly, study shows Human stem cells aren’t immune to the aging process, according to scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The researchers studied hematopoietic stem cells, which create the cells that comprise the blood and immune system. Understanding when and how these stem […]

Scientists identify defect in brain cell channel that may cause autism-like syndrome Neuroscientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have homed in on potential differences in autistic people’s brain cells by studying brainlike spheres grown in an elaborate process from skin cells. Ricardo Dolmetsch, PhD, associate professor of neurobiology The scientists studied cells from patients with Timothy […]

Imaging instruction Researchers produce ‘primer’ to guide the use of STORM   A comparison of high- and low-quality STORM images of microtubules (top panels) and clathrin-coated pits (lower panels). The panels at left are from a dye that produces high-quality STORM images due to a high brightness and low duty-cycle. The images at right are […]

Rebuilding the brain’s circuitry Healthy neurons can integrate into diseased areas “The next step for us is to ask parallel questions of other parts of the brain and spinal cord, those involved in ALS and with spinal cord injuries. In these cases, can we rebuild circuitry in the mammalian brain? I suspect that we can,” […]

Alleviating radiation sickness Study identifies two-drug regime that may limit radiation sickness   “There is great interest in creating systems for dealing with the short- and long-term health risks of a significant release of radiation, whether from an accident at a nuclear power plant, an act of terrorism, or even a small-scale incident in which […]

Better school lunches – in China I’m a few days late to this, but I still think it’s worth commenting on a story from Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies about the use of research by economist Scott Rozelle, PhD, to improve school lunches in China. In a series of studies conducted in 2008 and 2009, Rozelle’s research team found that […]

Canned soup linked to higher BPA levels Found in the can’s lining, BPA is associated with adverse health effects The Harvard School of Public Health researchers set out to quantify whether canned-soup consumption would increase urinary BPA concentrations relative to eating fresh soup. Fresh soup proved to be the healthier choice./Justin Ide/Harvard Staff Photographer ### […]

U.S. Surgeon General declares Thanksgiving as “Family Health History Day” Washington D.C. — United States Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin today declared Thanksgiving 2011 as the nation’s eighth annual “Family Health History Day,” when families can share information by using the My Family Health Portrait website to gather their family’s health history in one place. “An important first […]