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Science News for April 10, 2009


A healthy color

Researchers at Temple University have found a simple color-changing oral strip can help detect gum disease more quickly and easily than traditional methods. The strips change color based on levels of microbial sulfur compounds in saliva, providing a comparable screening method.

Molecule prompts damaged heart cells to repair themselves after a heart attack

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found that the protein Thymosin beta-4 initiates migration of heart cells and blood vessel growth after a heart attack, encouraging new growth and repair of damaged heart cells. The molecule affects developmental gene expression as early as 24 hours after systemic injection.

SourceUT Southwestern Medical Center·JournalJournal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology·DateApr 10, 2009

Hispanics appear to face poorer quality nursing home care

A study by Brown University researchers found that nursing homes serving primarily Hispanic residents provided poorer quality care, including higher rates of bed sores. The study looked at data from California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado and found disparities in care related to racial segregation.

SourceBrown University·JournalJournal of the American Medical Directors Association·DateApr 10, 2009

Mount Sinai researchers discover novel mechanisms that might causally link type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer's disease

A recent study by Mount Sinai faculty suggests that a gene associated with type-2 diabetes decreases in Alzheimer's disease dementia cases. The research found that promoting PGC-1 content in brain cells attenuates hyperglycemic-mediated β-amyloid production, linking type-2 diabetic metabolic defects to increasing dementia.