To give is better than to receive – but volunteering can accomplish both in one fell swoop, says a Baylor College of Medicine psychiatry expert. Volunteering not only helps those in need but also returns the favor by improving the giver's psychological state, according to Dr. James Lomax, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at BCM in Houston. "Generally people feel better if they are doing something for others," said Lomax. "They feel that they are more valuable as volunteering tends to give them an increased sense of meaningfulness of life." The discovery of mirror neurons, brain cells that fire when an individual performs a task as well as when an individual watches another doing the same task, suggests that the human mind is wired to be empathetic with other people. "There is a kind of resonance that takes place with people's emotions," said Lomax, whose research interests include the relationship …

An embryonic stem cell research grant to a Baylor College of Medicine scientist aims to target nervous system cells and, ultimately, better understand human diseases. The Tilker Medical Research Foundation's $25,000 Seed Funding Award was awarded to Dr. Thomas Zwaka, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at BCM, to study nerve cell development. His hope in the short term is to isolate specific human stem cells and study their mechanisms. "We want to study differentiation from one stage of development to the next and isolate cells from each step," said Zwaka, co-founder of BCM's Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center. "We will find out a lot about the development of the nervous system, and when we learn about differentiation events, we may become more effective in purifying the cell types." Zwaka will pursue generating a stem cell line capable of producing large numbers of …

As per a new article in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GRD), more usually known as, acid reflux, is associated with obesity. Since (GRD) is strongly linked to more serious conditions, such as esophageal ulcers and cancer, weight reduction treatment may be useful in therapy and prevention of these conditions........

Cancer Research UK today put Britain on a warning that the rising tide of obesity could result in as a number of as 12,000 cases of weight related cancer diagnosed annually by 2010. The most recent figures show that in 2003 there were 24.2 million obese or overweight people in the UK. The department of health has predicted a 14 per cent increase by 2010 which means the numbers will rise to 27.6 million........

Community organizations will benefit from a joint initiative of Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital that provides grant funding for programs promoting health care in the Greater Houston area. The BCM/Methodist Community Health Fund Committee has finalized the application process for $16 million in grant funds. Funding priorities are for the medically underserved in the areas of childhood immunization, preventative care, health care access, dental service and …