Two Stanford/Packard studies confirm pro-eating disorder websites promote dangerous behaviors among adolescents, while also finding pre-teens with eating disorders tend to lose weight more quickly. Pediatricians and parents should be vigilant about internet use and recognize early signs of weight loss in pre-teen children.
Women who are underweight before pregnancy are 72% more likely to miscarry in the first three months. However, taking vitamin supplements, eating fresh fruit and vegetables daily, or consuming chocolate can significantly reduce their risk.
Scientists have developed a technique to accurately measure and control extremely short laser pulses, allowing them to track and manipulate electrons at the atomic level. The new method enables precise reconstruction of individual femtosecond pulses, opening up new possibilities for sub-atomic research.
Researchers have identified a molecule, osteopontin, that plays a central role in relapses of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteopontin promotes the survival of T cells that carry out the damaging attack on myelin, increasing their destructive potential.
Hydrogen atoms can simultaneously bond to four or six other atoms, forming highly stable multicenter bonds that explain electronic conductivity in metal oxides. This discovery has significant implications for technological applications and could enable the use of hydrogen as a substitutional dopant in oxides.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered a 'super' form of the enzyme Akt1 that can extend the lives of dendritic cells, the master switches of the immune system. This enhances the immune response against tumors by expanding T-cells, which attack cancer cells.