Bad Driving : Genetic Basis
Friday, October 30, 2009

Now, bad drivers may in part have their genes to blame, suggests a new study by UC Irvine neuroscientists. People with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a driving test than people without it -- and a follow-up test a few days later yielded similar results. About 30 percent of Americans have the variant. "These people make more errors from the get-go, and they forget more of what they learned after time away," said Dr. Steven Cramer, neurology associate professor and senior author of the study published recently in the journal Cerebral Cortex. This gene variant limits the availability of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor during activity. BDNF keeps memory strong by supporting communication among brain cells and keeping them functioning optimally. When a person is engaged in a particular task, BDNF is secreted in the brain area connected with that activity to help the body respond. Previous studies have shown that in people with the variant, a smaller portion of the brain is stimulated when doing a task than in those with a normal BDNF gene. People with the variant also don't recover as well after a stroke. Given these differences, the UCI scientists wondered: Could the variant affect an activity such as driving? "We wanted to study motor behavior, something more complex than finger-tapping," said Stephanie McHughen, graduate student and lead author of the study. "Driving seemed like a good choice because it has a learning curve and it's something most people know how to do." The driving test was taken by 29 people -- 22 without the gene variant and seven with it. They were asked to drive 15 laps on a simulator that required them to learn the nuances of a track programmed to have difficult curves and turns. Researchers recorded how well they stayed on the course over time. Four days later, the test was repeated. Results showed that people with the variant did worse on both tests than the other participants, and they remembered less the second time. "Behavior derives from dozens and dozens of neurophysiologic events, so it's somewhat surprising this exercise bore fruit," Cramer said. The gene variant isn't always bad, though. Studies have found that people with it maintain their usual mental sharpness longer than those without it when neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and multiple sclerosis are present. "It's as if nature is trying to determine the best approach," Cramer said. "If you want to learn a new skill or have had a stroke and need to regenerate brain cells, there's evidence that having the variant is not good. But if you've got a disease that affects cognitive function, there's evidence it can act in your favor. The variant brings a different balance between flexibility and stability." A test to determine whether someone has the gene variant is not commercially available. Letz wait and watch, what the researchers do further in this field.

Posted bySaini at 5:16 AM 0 comments  

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Where women want to be touched
Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Itz for everyone to know, so keep on going after reading. Forget a woman's cleavage, there are more erogenous spots that you can now explore to get your lady sexcited. Read on to discover her ten most sensuous body parts waiting to be discovered. Women are sensuous creatures and they love being kissed and caressed. What guys often mistake is that they go straight for the woman's breasts or other private parts, without concentrating on her other moan zones. So, if you want to get your gal into the mood, stimulate some of her often-neglected body parts. Touch these places during foreplay and sex, or just give her some pleasure after a hard day and she'll surely reward you with brownie points in bed.
Tresses
All guys like women with gorgeous locks. But what you need to know is that women love being touched on their head. It's quite a stress reliever. Running your hands sensuously through her tresses is likely to send shivers down her spine. Massage her temples to the nape of her neck and she’ll be game to your desires.
Nape of her neck
In ancient Japan, the back of a woman’s neck was considered extremely attractive by men as it was one of the few zones that were not covered by the elaborate kimono. Today, very few men focus on the nape of the neck, but we suggest you build up the pleasure by gentle touching and kissing your lady love from her hairline down to her shoulders. It will make her reach dizzying heights of pleasure.
Collar bone
A well-defined collarbone is what men find irresistible. So, why not touch and kiss her there. Unbutton her shirt just a little and stimulate her collarbone with your touch. Create circles with your tongue and give her love bites right there, just to remind her of how much you want her.
Small of her back
Most women love it when their guy places his protective hand against the small of her back as it shows that he feels very strongly about her. So, why not incorporate this gesture into your foreplay routine, by kissing or licking down her spine to end up with a kiss on the small of her back. It will definitely get her into the mood for more!
Behind her knees
This area is a power house of sensitive nerve endings. You can gently caress the back of her knee under her skirt while the two of you are in an open public space as it is sure to get her excited by the time you reach home.
Palms of her hands
We use our hands to please our partners, but have you ever thought that you could arouse a woman by stimulating the palm of her hand? Run your finger along her palm as that will make her feel relaxed and ready for a sexy rendezvous ahead.
Her earlobes
This is one of the most erogenous moan centers of a woman's body. Touching, kissing and even gently biting her earlobes will send her into a sexual tizzy. If you are getting extra adventurous, simply nibble around the outside of the rest of her ear as well, but don't put your tongue inside her ear. That's a major turn off!
Happy feet
There's nothing more sinfully seductive than a foot massage. It will help her relax, especially if her job requires her to be on them all day. Get yourself some aromatic massage oil or lotion. Pay extra attention to the pressure points such as her toes, ankles and the sides of her feet too. Some women love enjoy having their toes sucked, but others find it repulsive, so ask your babe what she would have you do before putting them in your mouth.
Soft thighs
Touching a woman's inner thighs without touching her private parts is the most sensual tease that is sure to get her all charged up. Employ your hands and mouth to caress and kiss the insides of her thighs, remember to pull back before going all the way.
So stay in touch with special touch!!!!!

Posted bySaini at 12:22 PM 0 comments  

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More on DNA Replication
Monday, October 26, 2009

Now a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has identified a key player in a molecular process essential for DNA replication within cells. The new findings highlight a protein called FLASH, already shown to play a role in initiating apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Apoptosis is a normal biochemical response that occurs when a cell is damaged beyond repair after viral infection or accumulation of mutations that could lead to uncontrolled cellular proliferation, or cancer. Apoptosis is also crucial to the developing embryo through selective cell death, which allows proper differentiation of physical structures, such as fingers and toes. According to senior study author Zbigniew Dominski, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC, the new study demonstrates that FLASH is also required for the proper synthesis of histone messenger RNA, which gives rise to histone proteins. Histones are the chief protein components of chromatin and act as a scaffold allowing packaging of DNA into a condensed form that fits inside the nucleus of a cell. As the DNA interacts with histones and with metabolic signals from within the cell, these proteins help regulate gene expression."Our study suggests for the first time that a potential link exists between the processes of histone messenger RNA formation and apoptosis," Dominski said. "FLASH is crucial for the production of histone messenger RNA, without which the cell can't make the histone proteins around which DNA is packaged."The research is described in the October 23rd issue of the journal Molecular Cell.For the study, Dominski adapted a laboratory system that reproduces in the test tube what normally occurs in the cell when FLASH participates in the biochemical cleavage event that results in mature histone messenger RNA. This enabled his team to explore what might occur when FLASH was added or removed."We could then figure out exactly what portion of FLASH would restore the protein's function in generating histone mRNAs and remarkably, only the first 100 or so amino acids are required. The remaining 2,000 amino acids of this large protein likely control other processes in the cell, including apoptosis and DNA replication" he explained.Co-author William F. Marzluff, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor of biochemistry & biophysics and executive associate dean for basic research. He noted that FLASH is the first component found in this protein complex "that integrates or initiates many cellular functions -- DNA replication, apoptosis, histone production. Having this small piece of the puzzle makes it a lot easier to identify others."Other UNC coauthors include Xiao-cui Yang, laboratory technician, and Yan Yan, undergraduate student, both of the dept of biochemistry & biophysics and the UNC Program in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and Brandon D. Burch, graduate student in the Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology.

Posted bySaini at 9:33 PM 0 comments  

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Scientists Develop Brain-To-Brain Communication
Sunday, October 18, 2009

A group of scientists at the University of Southampton have developed brain to brain communication, which makes it possible to send messages from one person to other living far apart. In this process, the signal of a person’s brain is carried over the internet to another person staying at a long distance apart. This is called brain-computer interfacing, which allows computers to analyse brain signals and send messages through an internet connection. According to the scientist, Christopher James, this is an initial step to achieve an advanced technology by which people will be able to send own thoughts, images and images directly into the minds of other people. “This could be useful for those people who are locked into their bodies, who can’t speak, can’t even blink,” James also said. As part of the experiment, two people were connected to electrodes that measure activity in specific parts of the brain. Then the first person generated a series of zeros and ones through the movement of arms. It was sent via internet after the first person’s PC converted the signals to the PC of the second person. The scientists saw flashes for one and zero. James clarified, “It’s not telepathy.” He also said, “There’s no conscious thought forming in one person’s head and another conscious thought appearing in another person’s mind.The next experiments are to get that second person to be aware of the information that is being sent to them. For that, I need to get my thinking cap on, so to speak.”

Posted bySaini at 8:57 AM 0 comments  

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Nasalsprayformemoryimprovemenmt
Sunday, October 4, 2009

Good news for procrastinating students: a nasal spray developed by a team of German scientists promises to give late night cram sessions a major boost, if a good night's sleep follows. In a research report featured as the cover story of the October 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, these scientists show that a molecule from the body's immune system administered through the nose helps the brain retain emotional and procedural memories during REM sleep."Sleep to remember, a dream or reality?" said Lisa Marshall, co-author of the study, from the Department of Neuroendocrinology at the University of Lubeck in Germany. "Here, we provide the first evidence that the immunoregulatory signal interleukin-6 plays a beneficial role in sleep-dependent formation of long-term memory in humans. "To make this discovery, Marshall and colleagues had 17 healthy young men spend two nights in the laboratory. On each night after reading either an emotional or neutral short story, they sprayed a fluid into their nostrils which contained either interleukin-6 or a placebo fluid. The subsequent sleep and brain electric activity was monitored throughout the night. The next morning subjects wrote down as many words as they could remember from each of the two stories. Those who received the dose of IL-6 could remember more words. "If a nasal spray can improve memory, perhaps we're on our way to giving some folks a whiff of common sense, such as accepting the realities of olution," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "This is exciting piece of interdisciplinary science, since IL-6 had previously been considered a by-product of inflammation, not an agent that affects cognition."

Posted bySaini at 7:55 PM 0 comments  

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