Sunday, July 31, 2016

Weekend Drive-By

Sorry about the radio silence.
We are transitioning four apartments and selling our house this week.
And the temperature has been in the hundreds for two months.
Already had a spectacular tantrum, just trying to avoid respiratory failure at this point.

Here's some stuff I've been collecting

Study says one in ten Americans has buzzing in the ear or tinnitus

Most powerful obesity gene yet boosts risk by 40 per cent
To investigate how CREBRF promotes weight gain, the team genetically engineered fat cells in the lab to express the obesity-associated variant. They found that this caused the cells to store more fat and release less energy, as if they are trying to conserve as much fuel as possible.
This thriftiness is likely to be advantageous during periods of food scarcity, but lead to obesity in times of nutritional excess, says team member Stephen McGarvey at Brown University.
FDA Strengthens Warning on Powerful Antibiotics
The Food and Drug Administration strengthened the warnings about one type of antibiotic Tuesday, saying they're too strong to be used for sinus infections, bronchitis and simple urinary tract infections.
The drugs are in a class called fluoroquinolones and include levofloxacin (as known as Levaquin) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro). They can cause serious and sometimes permanent side-effects.
"While these drugs are effective in treating serious bacterial infections, an FDA safety review found that both oral and injectable fluoroquinolones are associated with disabling side effects involving tendons, muscles, joints, nerves and the central nervous system," the agency said in a statement.

Resveratrol appears to restore blood-brain barrier integrity in Alzheimer's disease
Resveratrol, given to Alzheimer's patients, appears to restore the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, reducing the ability of harmful immune molecules secreted by immune cells to infiltrate from the body into brain tissues, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center.

Ketone drink gives competitive cyclists a boost by altering their metabolism
A drink developed for soldiers to generate energy from ketones allowed highly trained cyclists to add up to 400 meters of distance to their workouts, a new study reports. The supplement, which will be commercially available within the year, works by temporarily switching the primary source of cellular energy from glucose or fat to ketones -- molecules derived from fat that are known to be elevated in people consuming a low-carb, Atkins-like diet. 

To protect yourself from malaria sleep with a chicken next to your bed
For the first time, scientists have shown that malaria-transmitting mosquitoes actively avoid feeding on certain animal species such as chickens, using their sense of smell. Odors emitted by species such as chickens could provide protection for humans at risk of mosquito-transmitted diseases
Altruism is favored by chance
Mathematicians may have found an answer to the longstanding puzzle as to why we have evolved to cooperate