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A Food and Drug Administration advisory board voted today to say that the agency ignored critical evidence suggesting that a ...

It's no wonder many people feel achy and sore, and sometimes tired and depressed, during winter months they're often not getting enough vitamin D. The body makes vitamin D from the sun's ultraviolet rays, so it's known as the sunshine vitamin, but this source is in short supply throughout late fall and winter.

Considering how common they are, colds and flu are the subject of a great many misconceptions. Dr. Seth Feltheimer, an internist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, offers his insight and expertise on these sources of misery.

For many people, Thanksgiving is about having family near and celebrating, sometimes in excess. That's because for some holiday revelers, perhaps the amount of time spent watching football on the tube is only surpassed by a second activity: eating.

There is a cancer in the United States that isn't sneaking up on us; it's already here. Cancer of the esophagus is one of just two cancers that are increasing in this country (skin cancer is the second) and the western world. In fact, figures from the National Cancer Institute show cancer of the esophagus has gone up 400 percent since 1975.

Dr. Henry JM Barnett, London, Ontario, receives the Karolinska Stroke Award for Excellence in Stroke Research. The prize amounts to 100,000 SEK. The laureate will receive the prize from the President of Karolinska Institutet Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson during the Karolinska Stroke Update meeting in Stockholm November 17, 2008. Barnett is the first non-European to receive this prestigious award.

In the largest ever genetic study of male to female transsexuals Australian researchers have found a significant genetic link between gender identity and a gene involved in testosterone action. From an early age people develop an inner sense of being male or female - their gender identity. Transsexuals however, identify with a physical sex opposite to their perceived biological sex.

Authors: Narchi I, Vial Ch, Djelveh G The aim is to understand the effect of matrix elasticity on continuous foaming using food models based on glucose syrup. This was modified by adding polyacrylamide (PAA) with 2% whey protein isolate (WPI) or Tween 80 as foaming agents. Foaming was conducted in a stirred column. Rotation speed N and gas-to-liquid flow ratio (G/L) were varied. Overrun, average bubble size d (32), texture and stability were measured using densimetry, image analysis, and rheometry, respectively. Experimental results showed that 0.01% PAA did not modify the viscosity of 2% WPI models, but conferred low elastic behavior. PAA (0.05%) doubled matrix viscosity and drastically increased elasticity. The increase of elasticity became slower for further PAA addition. Foaming ex... MedWorm Sponsored Message: Find out how you can get your message across here by sponsoring this MedWorm news feed.

Cellulase Production Under Solid-State Fermentation by Trichoderma reesei RUT C30: Statistical Optimization of Process Parameters. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2008 Dec;151(2-3):122-31 Authors: Mekala NK, Singhania RR, Sukumaran RK, Pandey A Sugar cane bagasse was used as substrate for cellulase production using Trichoderma reesei RUT C30, and the culture parameters were optimized for enhancing cellulase yield. The culture parameters, such as incubation temperature, duration of incubation, and inducer concentration, were optimized for enhancing cellulase yield using a Box-Behnken experimental design. The optimal level of each parameter for maximum cellulase production by the fungus was determined. Predicted results showed that cellulase production was highest (25.6 FPAase units per...

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Biodegradation by Basidiomycetes Fungi, Pseudomonas Isolate, and Their Cocultures: Comparative In Vivo and In Silico Approach. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2008 Dec;151(2-3):132-42 Authors: Arun A, Raja PP, Arthi R, Ananthi M, Kumar KS, Eyini M The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) biodegradation potential of the five basidiomycetes' fungal monocultures and their cocultures was compared with that of a Pseudomonas isolate recovered from oil-spilled soil. As utilization of hydrocarbons by the microorganisms is associated with biosurfactant production, the level of biosurfactant production and its composition by the selected microorganisms was also investigated. The Pseudomonas isolate showed higher ability to degrade three of the five PAH...