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Insulin/IGF-like signalling, the central nervous system and aging. Biochem J. 2009 Feb 15;418(1):1-12 Authors: Broughton S, Partridge L Enormous strides in understanding aging have come from the discovery that mutations in single genes can extend healthy life-span in laboratory model organisms such as the yeast Saccharomyces, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the mouse. IIS [insulin/IGF (insulin-like growth factor)-like signalling] stands out as an important, evolutionarily conserved pathway involved in the determination of lifespan. The pathway has diverse functions in multicellular organisms, and mutations in IIS can affect growth, development, metabolic homoeostasis, fecundity and stress resistance, as well as lifespan. The p...

Evidence suggests that human male fertility is impacted by long-term exposure to marijuana. Indeed, endocannabinoids and their receptors are present in the male reproductive tract, further suggesting a functional role in fertility, but there has been no genetic test to clarify mechanisms. Now researchers have characterized the phenotype of mice genetically lacking FAAH, fatty acid amide hydrolase.

WASHINGTON: Drinking apple juice helped mice deliver above average performances in maze trials, which maintained the same level of mental fitness that was otherwise observed as these mice aged.

Vitamin D can help stave off the mental decline that can affect people in old age, a study suggests.

Studies have shown that donor DNA in blood transfusion recipients persists for a number of days, sometimes longer, but its presence is unlikely to alter genetic tests significantly. Red blood cells, the primary component in transfusions, have no nucleus and no DNA. Transfused blood does, however, host a significant amount of DNA-containing white blood cells, or leukocytes--around a billion cells per unit (roughly one pint) of blood. Even blood components that have been filtered to remove donor white cells can have millions of leukocytes per unit.Investigators have detected donor DNA after transfusion with a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that amplifies minuscule amounts of genetic material for detection and identification of specific genes. Studies using PCR to amplify male genes in female recipients of transfusions from male donors have demonstrated that donor DNA endures in recipients for up to seven days. And a study of female trauma patients receiving large transfus

The relevant statistics on bulimia nervosa, from onset ages to prevalence rates to normal length of recovery time.

The Cancer Council has welcomed a State Government move to ban Victorians under the age of 18 from using solariums.

Ebadullah, aged 26, worked in Iran illegally for four years, but was deported on 3 January.

Scientists have shown that HIV faces a genetic 'bottleneck' when the virus is transmitted heterosexually from one person to another, by way of the genital mucosa. The results, published January 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, explain why prior infection by other sexually- transmitted diseases (STDs) makes individuals more susceptible to HIV infection.

For the past few months, the Genetics and Public Policy Center has been working with reporters at the magazine New Scientist investigating 'surreptitious DNA testing' - the collection, analysis, and potential public disclosure of genetic information without a person's consent. The Center's analysis forms part of the magazine's lead story in its series,