Cardiovascular disease from atherosclerosis is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Inflammation plays a crucial role in atherosclerosis and cholesterol crystals are considered to be early triggers in the development of the disease.

An international team has now found that cyclodextrin dissolves cholesterol crystals and reduces atherosclerotic plaques. This is a promising therapeutic approach for treating atherosclerosis. Their find was published in Science Translational Medicine.

Coeliac disease is a chronic, immunological disease that is manifested as intolerance to gluten proteins present in wheat, rye and barley. This intolerance leads to an inflammatory reaction in the small intestine that hampers the absorption of nutrients. The only treatment is a strict, life-long, gluten-free diet.

Funny how the internet gives you access to information on your own stuff before you know it. The book I have written, "Anomaly!", is still in production (we have not yet even finalized the book cover), and yet you can even apparently buy a copy already, at the World Scientific site. What is funny is that I discovered the page with the book data by chance, browsing through other books to get inspiration!

The babies of obese women who develop gestational diabetes are five times as likely to be excessively large by six months of pregnancy, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. The study, which shows that excessive fetal growth begins weeks before at-risk women are screened for gestational diabetes, suggests that current screening programmes may take place too late during pregnancy to prevent lasting health impacts on the offspring.

Players are also using online betting sites to conceal their gambling from their partners, the British Sociological Association's annual conference in Birmingham was told today [Thursday, April 7. 2016].

Graeme Law, of the University of Chester, interviewed 34 current and former professional football players, including international and Premiership players as well as those in lower leagues.

Players talked about how worries caused by gambling -- usually poker games on the coach or at hotels before matches -- had impaired performances on the pitch.

Men on Tinder expect casual sex to compensate for the 'breach of trust' when their date's appearance is less attractive than her profile photograph, say sociologists at the British Sociological Association's annual conference in Birmingham.

Dr Jenny van Hooff, senior lecturer in sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University, said, "Many of our respondents felt let down on meeting a woman and on feeling a visual representation hadn't been accurate. Some of our respondents felt that this breaking of trust was a license to use their date as they saw fit, thereby speeding up intimacy and undermining it at the same time."

Type II diabetes is booming in the developed world and obviously obesity is the primary driver. A new paper contends sugar is a primary driver of that obesity, rather than consuming too many calories and not exercising, and so sugar addiction should be treated just like cigarettes.

While pharmaceutical companies will be delighted by the efforts of scholars in the pay-to-publish journal PLOS ONE to give them a brand new market, claims of sugar addiction, while a popular fad for the last few years, have not really held up. Nonetheless, neuroscience Professor Selena Bartlett from 
Queensland University of Technology

Sequencing the genomes of hundreds of strains of the wine yeast S. cerevisiae has revealed little genetic diversity and high levels of inbreeding. In many cases, yeast strains sold by different companies were almost genetically identical. The results, published in the April issue of G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, a publication of the Genetics Society of America, suggest that winemakers attempting to develop improved wine yeasts will need to look to creating hybrids with more exotic strains.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the chloride channel CFTR, which disrupts fluid transport in the lungs. CF patients have a variety of complications, including airway obstruction, infection, and pathological tissue remodeling. Alterations in airway smooth muscle have been observed in CF patients but it is not clear if these abnormalities are directly due to loss of CFTR in airway smooth muscle cells. In this issue of JCI Insight, David Stoltz of the University of Iowa and colleagues provide evidence that CTFR dysfunction directly alters the elasticity and blood supply of the airway. The authors evaluated smooth muscle function in a cohort of CF patients before and immediately after treatment with ivacaftor, which restores CFTR function in this set of patients.

While in America, Mexican-Americans tend to favor amnesty for illegal immigrants and unlimited entry, not so with Syrians in Germany. There, 80 percent of Syrian immigrants are fine with a humanitarian policy but want an admission cap. 

The survey by the University of Münster and the polling institute TNS Emnid showed 46 percent ask themselves whether there might be numerous terrorists among the newly arriving refugees.