Research News

High salt in soil threatens to reduce the growth and yield of crops. In a breakthrough discovery, researchers have now identified a protein family that may help plants grow under slat stress. The study was published in Cell.

Eating spicy food regularly may reduce your risk of death from cancer, heart diseases and diabetes, a new study of over 485,000 people in China has claimed. An international team led by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences examined the association between consumption of spicy foods as part of a daily diet and the total risk and causes of death. They undertook a prospective study of 487,375 participants, aged 30-79 years, from the China Kadoorie Biobank. Participants were enrolled between 2004-2008 and followed up for morbidities and mortality.

A new systematic review of animal studies testing a vaccine for tuberculosis raises questions about whether the studies provided sufficient evidence to move into trials of children.

Premature births are intimately linked with inflammation of the uterine tissue, a biological response which induces contractions and preterm labor. In their search for a mean to prevent this phenomenon and complications related to deliveries occurring before 37 weeks of gestation, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and University of Montreal discovered an agent that shows efficacy in inhibiting inflammation and preventing or delaying uterine contractions and premature delivery in murine models – without adversely affecting the fetus or the mother. This discovery is a giant step towards preventing prematurity, which is the world's leading cause of infant death and the origin of potentially severe, long-lasting physical, intellectual or psychological impairment for the 10% of infants born preterm world-wide.

US engineers has developed a new device that significantly reduces time necessary to diagnose tissue infections and at a low cost. The findings were detailed online in the journal Science Advances.

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A new study has revealed that a commonly prescribed anti-depressant, sertraline, marketed  as Zoloft, significantly increased the volume of one brain region in depressed individuals but decreased the volume of two brain areas in non-depressed individuals. The findings of the study also suggest that although it is a common practice to prescribe antidepressants for various disorders besides depression, taking these medicines for treating disorders other than depression may expose us to unknown risks. The study appeared online in Neuropharmacology.

The study findings suggest that falling leptin levels send a hunger signal to the brain's pleasure center to generate the rewarding effects of running. Leptin is a fat cell-derived hormone that signals the brain when the body has enough fuel and energy. The study appeared in Cell Metabolism.

Marijuana may be used to delay rejection of an incompatible organ where transplanted organs may not be a perfect match, says a new research. The findings suggest that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, might prove to be a useful anti-rejection therapy. The study was published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

A new study reveals Feeling sad can impair our ability to accurately identify colors on the blue-yellow axis. The new research was published in the journal Psychological Science.

Scientists have pinpointed a population of neurons in the brain that influences whether one drink leads to two and so on. The discovery could ultimately lead to a cure for alcoholism and other addictions, said researchers from the Texas A and M Health Science Center. They found that alcohol consumption alters the structure and function of neurons in the dorsomedial striatum, a part of the brain known to be important in goal-driven behaviors. The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.