Massage Therapy Reduces Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-induced Muscle Damage

February 29, 2012 | by

When most of us get a massage, we leave in a trance with muscles feeling like jelly. But when Mark Tarnopolsky, Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, got a massage — as part of a therapeutic regimen for a hamstring injured while waterskiing — he left determined to figure out exactly what was happening in his muscles at the molecular level to make them feel like jelly. His results are reported in Science Translational Medicine.

Massage therapyImage credit: A luxurious massage via Shutterstock

Food Allergies: Nature or Nurture?

February 27, 2012 | by

The emerging field of epigenetics has added a new dimension to the “nature versus nurture” debate, by which researchers have historically attempted to determine whether a characteristic was influenced by genes or environment. Increasingly, it appears that environmental influences can affect gene expression, meaning that “nature” and “nurture” are inextricable from one another to an even greater extent than previously understood.

DNA structureImage credit: DNA structure via Shutterstock

Depressed? There’s an App for That

February 24, 2012 | by

Patients under treatment for depression typically see a therapist at regular intervals. Still, it’s common for psychiatric patients to have a “crisis” outside of therapy. Traditionally, family and friends have had to notice and intervene in order to get the patient the help they need. There’s always the concern, however, that a depressed individual won’t have family or friends nearby during a crisis, or that they will hide the symptoms of their depression.

Mobilyze

Obama Budget Calls for Sustained Investment in Research

February 20, 2012 | by

In his State of the Union address last month, President Barack Obama reaffirmed the prioritization of science and technology in his plans for the nation’s future. The President’s new economic plan calls for maintaining a commitment to funding research and development that can improve our quality of life.

Obama budget calls for sustained investment in research

Ultrasound Offers Painless Contraception For Men

February 16, 2012 | by

While ultrasound technology is familiar to most people as a diagnostic imaging technique — it’s what obstetricians use to monitor the health of a developing fetus, for example — the technology has been making recent headlines for an entirely different reason.

Ultrasound