David Saloner Elected to Elite Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has recently announced the election of David Saloner, PhD, director of the Vascular Imaging Research Center at UCSF, to its College of Fellows. David Saloner, PhD Saloner, a professor in the departments of radiology and […]

Exploring roots of hunger, eating behaviors Study demonstrates that plasticity in the brain’s wiring controls feeding behavior Images courtesy of Dong Kong/ BIDMC/ The scientists found that a 24-hour period of fasting — which causes intense hunger in the control mice — was associated with a 67 percent increase in the number of dendritic spines (pictured) […]

Tiny wonders: Small World in Motion competition winners bring microscopic activity to life … … Time lapse movie of transport of mitochondria in nerve cells of transgenic zebrafish with nerve cell membranes labeled in green and mitochondria labeled in blue.  Yesterday, Nikon Instruments announced the winners of its inaugural Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition. From […]

Dignity, Sense of Control Keys to Quality of Life for Disabled Elderly, Study Finds Most Disabled Seniors Rate Their Quality of Life “Fair to Very Good” Quality of life for disabled elderly people is most closely tied to two factors: a sense of dignity and a sense of control, according to a study by researchers […]

New social network aims to help anxiety sufferers A new social network called AnxietySocialNet aims to help people suffering from anxiety disorders address their symptoms, find information and network with others. Founded by Salomon Ptasevich, a former anxiety sufferer, the site also hopes to attract friends and family members who may be watching a loved one struggle […]

CIA Recipe: A Healthier Muffin for Your Valentine Muffin Makeovers Dispel the Low-Fat-is-Healthy Myth One of the most romantic things you can do for your loved ones on Valentine’s Day is to bring them breakfast in bed. But if you’re thinking it’s not healthy to indulge in any sweets for a Valentine’s Day meal this […]

HHS launches Strong Start initiative to increase healthy deliveries and reduce preterm births To help reduce the increasing number of preterm births in America and ensure more babies are born healthy, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced more than $40 million in grants to test ways to reverse that trend, as well as a public campaign […]

Deciding to go left or right. Researchers use device to determine that lower animals can navigate too. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer/Physics Professor Aravinthan Samuel and a team of Harvard researchers have shown that the lowly fruit fly maggot is capable of making “left- and right-steering decisions based on sensory input.” For decades, scientists have associated […]

Right time for ‘end-of-life’ talk. Study finds patients wait longer than they should. Amanda Swinhart/ Harvard Staff Photographer/ “Previous studies have shown that patients who discuss their end-of-life care preferences with a physician are more likely to choose palliative, comfort-focused care over aggressive measures, and [to] receive hospice or other care consistent with their wishes. […]

Coffee: The Good News More than half of American adults drink coffee every day. Recent scientific studies suggest moderate consumption may help reduce some disease risks. The interactive graphic below contains information about some of coffee’s possible health benefits. These studies are observational, meaning that researchers draw conclusions based on differences between the number of […]