Your Thanksgiving Meal Wednesday November 27, 2013 Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net The Thanksgiving Day meal is considered by some to be as important as the holiday itself. Turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce are staples for a traditional Thanksgiving menu. Food scientists from the Institute of Food Technologists have provided some answers to common questions about the Thanksgiving meal. According to food scientist Kantha Shelke, People like pumpkin pie at room temperature, because at that temperature the filling has the perfect creamy texture and the crust is still delightfully crunchy and flaky. She also states that people get sleepy after consuming their holiday meal because of the amount of carbohydrates and fats consumed, not because of the amount of turkey they eat. Read more: Bird Is the Word (Science Daily) Comments (0) Permalink Share Artificial Skin Created From Stem Cells Friday November 22, 2013 Skin Surface Photo credit: National Cancer Institute University of Granada researchers have developed a method for growing artificial skin using umbilical cord stem cells. This artificial skin can be stored and made available for immediate use for those with burn injuries. The researchers developed a new type of biomaterial covering in order to grow the artificial skin. According to one of the authors of the study, Antonio Campos, Creating this new type of skin using stem cells, which can be stored in tissue banks, means that it can be used instantly when injuries are caused, and which would bring the application of artificial skin forward many weeks. The researchers were also able to generate oral mucosa (mucous membrane lining the inside of the mouth) from umbilical cord stem cells. Learn more about this study: Artificial Skin Created Using Stem Cells from the Umbilical Cord (Science Daily) Comments (0) Permalink Share Preventing the Spread of Cancer Thursday November 21, 2013 Breast Cancer Cell Photo credit: National Cancer Institute Researchers are gaining insight into how a particular protein is able to prevent cells from migrating unnecessarily. The protein, PRH, may be defective in cancer cells allowing them to spread to other locations. By adjusting the levels of PRH in cancer cells, researchers were able to suppress cancer cell movement in lab tests. According to co-author of the study, Dr. Kevin Gaston, It is not simply the growth of cancers but their ability to move to multiple locations in the body that makes the disease so deadly. PRH transcription factor inhibits the migration of normal and cancerous breast cells and prostate cells and this represents a novel mechanism that could be important in multiple cancers. The researchers believe that PRH studies may have implications for cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and for some leukemias. Learn more about this study: Manipulation of Protein Could Help Stop Spread of Cancer Cells (Science Daily) Comments (0) Permalink Share How Cells Heal Wounds Thursday November 14, 2013 This image depicts a small region of the zebrafish enveloping layer, the early embryonic skin made of squamous epithelial cells. Image Credit: © Heisenberg Group In order for skin cells to close a wound, the outermost layer of epithelial cells must be able to spread out. Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria have uncovered mechanisms by which epithelial cells spread out to close a wound. By studying a process in zebrafish development called epiboly, the researchers discovered how epithelial cells relieve the build-up of tension caused by their rapid growth. In epiboly, epithelial cells spread rapidly, increasing the epitheliums surface area and causing tension to arise in the cell layer. Tension in the cell layer is relieved by controlling the direction in which the cells divide through mechanical tension. During mitosis, the spindle is aligned so that the cells divide perpendicular to the long axis. This type of cell division is known as tension-oriented cell division.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 17:37:49 +0000
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