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Study Shows The Negative Side To Positive Self-Statements In Self-Help Books
In times of doubt and uncertainty, many Americans turn to self-help books in search of encouragement, guidance and self-affirmation. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as "I am a lovable person" or "I will succeed," are designed to lift a person"s low self-esteem and push them into positive action. According to a recent study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, however, these statements can actually have the opposite effect.
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Cooking Carrots Whole Preserves More Anti-Cancer Properties, Study
A new study by UK scientists showed that cooking carrots whole preserves their anti-cancer properties better than cooking them sliced or
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Reading The Brain Without Poking It
Experimental devices that read brain signals have helped paralyzed people use computers and may let amputees control bionic limbs. But existing devices use tiny electrodes that poke into the brain. Now, a University of Utah study shows that brain signals controlling arm movements can be detected accurately using new microelectrodes that sit on the brain but don"t penetrate it.
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MDC Researchers Unravel Key Mechanism In Pathogenesis Of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, or bone loss, is a disease that is most common in the elderly population, affecting women more often than men. Until now, it was not clear exactly how the disease develops. Researchers of the Max DelbrÃøck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now elucidated a molecular mechanism which regulates the equilibrium between bone formation and bone resorption. Dr. Jeske J. Smink, Dr. Valérie Bégay, and Professor Achim Leutz were able to show that two different forms of a gene switch - a short isoform and a long isoform - determine this process. The MDC researchers hope these findings will lead to new therapies for this bone disease. (EMBO Journal)*. In osteoporosis, excessive bone resorption occurs. The bones lose their density and are therefore prone to breakage. Even minor falls can lead to serious bone fractures. The interplay between two cell types determines bone density: bone forming cells (osteoblasts) and bone resorbing cells (osteoclasts). The equilibrium between these two cell types is strictly regulated to prevent the formation of either too much or too little bone. LAP and LIP maintain the balance Dr. Smink, Dr. Bégay, and Professor Leutz have now elucidated a complicated mechanism which maintains the equilibrium between bone formation and bone resorption. Here, the gene switch C/EBPbeta plays a major role. It exists in different forms, differing in length and number of building blocks. LAP is the term researchers use to denote the full-length isoform of C/EBPbeta, and LIP is the term for the short isoform. LAP activates another gene switch (MafB) which suppresses the formation of bone resorbing osteoclasts. In contrast, LIP, suppresses this gene switch and thus enhances the proliferation and activity of the osteoclasts. As a result, the osteoclasts resorb more bone substance than is built by the osteoblasts. The researchers suspect that imbalance in the ratio between LAP and LIP plays a role in osteoporosis. The activity of a signaling molecule - mTOR - determines which of the two isoforms LAP and LIP is formed. The abbreviation mTOR stands for mammalian Target of Rapamycin. The drug rapamycin inhibits mTOR and thus suppresses the formation of bone resorbing osteoclasts. Unfortunately, rapamycin has severe side-effects on the immune system. "In the future, it may be possible to develop new drugs that regulate the activity of mTOR and, thus, remedy the disturbance in osteoclast function," Professor Leutz said. *Transcription factor C/EBPβ isoform ratio regulates osteoclastogenesis through MafB Jeske J. Smink1,4, Valérie Bégay1,4, Ton Schoenmaker2, Esta Sterneck3, Teun J. de Vries2, and Achim Leutz1 * Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany. * Departments of Periodontology and Oral Cell Biology, Academic Centre of Dentistry Amsterdam, Universiteit van Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. * National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, U.S.A. * these authors contributed equally to this work Barbara Bachtler Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres


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