Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for June 27, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Weighted ping-pong balls can fall endlessly through a granular medium (w/ video)- Subatomic quantum memory in diamond demonstrated
- Scientists focus on Salton Sea as possible earthquake risk
- Tasmanian devil's genome sequenced
- Brain rhythm associated with learning also linked to running speed, study shows
- Patterns of bacteria-virus infection networks revealed
- Fossilized pollen reveals climate history of northern Antarctica
- Study: BPA-exposed male deer mice are demasculinized and undesirable to females
- Research provides new information about malaria mosquito's circadian rhythms
- 'Sundowning,' an anxiety syndrome in elderly dementia patients explained in a new study
- New bioengineering approach: Tiny cell patterns reveal progression of development and disease
- Researchers discover ancient symbiosis between animals, bacteria
- Scientists discover dielectron charging of water nano-droplet
- Spectacular discoveries in New Guinea
- Combination of calcium, vitamin D reduces melanoma risks in some women
Space & Earth news
100 evacuated as NM fire threatens Los Alamos lab
(AP) -- Federal forest officials say a wind-driven wildfire has forced the evacuations of about 100 people in northern New Mexico and the closure of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
55 million years of climate change
State-of-the-art climate models, as used in the assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, could be giving a false sense of security in terms of upcoming abrupt change, suggests a Commentary by a University of Bristol scientist published online this week in Nature Geoscience.
NASA to host launch tweetup for Jupiter-bound mission
NM wildfire grows, shuts famed Los Alamos nuke lab
(AP) -- A fast-moving wildfire just south of northern New Mexico's Los Alamos nuclear laboratory has destroyed at least 30 structures, including some homes, and has the potential to grow much larger, fire officials said Monday.
NASA set to launch DOD rocket from Va. spaceport
(AP) -- NASA is preparing to launch a Department of Defense satellite from the Wallops Flight Facility at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia.
City dwellers produce as much CO2 as countryside people do: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most previous studies have indicated that people in cities have a smaller carbon footprint than people who live in the country. By using more complex methods of analysis than in the past, scientists at Aalto University in Finland have discovered that people's carbon emissions are practically the same in the city and in the rural areas. More than anything else, CO2 emissions that cause climate change are dependent upon how much goods and services people consume, not where they live.
First TV Image of Mars
(PhysOrg.com) -- A 'real-time data translator' machine converted a Mariner 4 digital image data into numbers printed on strips of paper.
Juno blanket check
(PhysOrg.com) -- As the Juno spacecraft is elevated by a rotation fixture, a technician at Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., examines the installation of blankets on the aft deck. The image was taken on June 16, 2011.
Disease-resistant oysters call for shift in Bay restoration strategies
Development of disease resistance among Chesapeake Bay oysters calls for a shift in oyster-restoration strategies within the Bay and its tributaries. That's according to a new study by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).
Small asteroid swings harmlessly past Earth (Update)
An asteroid the size of a tour bus has zipped harmlessly past Earth.
Scientists warn of massive ocean extinctions
When we think of mass extinctions, we think of the dinosaurs. Nothing that could happen in the modern era, right?
NASA sees Tropical Depression Meari about to cross North Vietnam
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over Tropical Depression Meari as it neared a landfall in southwestern North Korea on June 26. TRMM did not observe any heavy rainfall, but did see moderate rainfall with the system.
Landsat Satellite images reveal extent of historic North Dakota flooding
Heavy rains in Canada caused historic flooding in Minot, N.D. Landsat satellite images taken before and during the flooding reveal the water's extent.
New animation depicts next Mars rover in action
(PhysOrg.com) -- Although NASA's Mars Science Laboratory will not leave Earth until late this year nor land on Mars until August 2012, anyone can watch those dramatic events now in a new animation of the mission.
Scientists focus on Salton Sea as possible earthquake risk
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a bit of coincidental news, no sooner had earthquake scientists posted warnings about the instability of the southern part of the San Andreas Fault hidden beneath the Salton Sea, than an earthquake struck; albeit it, a rather small one, in just that part of southern California. The study, by the Scripps Institute for Oceanography, just published in Nature Geoscience, points out the alarming fact that the fault beneath the Salton Sea has a track record of producing serious earthquakes with regularity every 180 years or so, but has now gone without producing one for 325.
Fossilized pollen reveals climate history of northern Antarctica
A painstaking examination of the first direct and detailed climate record from the continental shelves surrounding Antarctica reveals that the last remnant of Antarctic vegetation existed in a tundra landscape on the continent's northern peninsula about 12 million years ago. The research, which was led by researchers at Rice University and Louisiana State University, appears online this week and will be featured on the cover of the July 12 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Technology news
How much mileage do you get from sawdust?
As vacationers gas up to hit the road this summer, they could find themselves wondering about alternative fuels and their potential to ease the strain on pocketbooks and the environment.
Google fears web crackdown after Arab uprisings
Google chairman Eric Schmidt on Monday warned that the ongoing Arab uprisings could lead to an upsurge in internet censorship and an increased risk of arrest for colleagues working in restive nations.
Comcast has no say as Hulu considers sale
As speculation continues to swirl around Hulu, one of its corporate owners is forced to sit on the sidelines having no role in the fate of the popular online video site even though the outcome could greatly affect its own future.
Supreme Court to review warrantless GPS tracking (Update)
(AP) -- The Supreme Court will weigh in on an important privacy issue for the digital age: whether the police need a warrant before using a global positioning system device to track a suspect's movements.
Air quality sensors take a ride on Swiss city buses
Rather than installing stations on fixed towers, why not use mobile sensors spread out over the whole city to get better air quality measurements? OpenSense, a project run by four laboratories at EPFL and one at ETH Zurich, is studying the possibility of installing sensors on the roofs of buses and trams, thus taking advantage of already existing public transport and mobile phone networks. Testing is currently underway in Lausanne.
Navy, Marine Corps tests autonomous zero-power bathythermograph sensors
Developed by the Naval Research Laboratory Bioenergy and Biofabrication Section in the Chemistry Division and the Physical Acoustics Branch of the Acoustic Division, the Zero Power Ballast Control (ZPBC) is a technology that relies on microbial energy harvesting developments to enable unsupervised underwater sensing with subsequent surfacing and reporting capabilities.
China denies safety lax on high-speed rail link
A top Chinese railway official tried Monday to ease safety concerns over a major high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai, just three days ahead of the much-anticipated formal launch.
France to invest 1 bn euros in nuclear power
France will invest one billion euros ($1.4 billion) in future nuclear power development while boosting research into security, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday.
German managers 'keep phones in biscuit tins'
A German chemicals company said on Monday its managers have begun keeping their mobile phones in biscuit tins during meetings in order to guard against industrial espionage.
Google fined by Taipei over app refund
Taipei said Monday it had fined Google Tw$1,000,000 ($34,600) for refusing to grant customers a seven-day trial period when they download apps for their cell phones.
Can't ban violent video sales to kids, court says
(AP) -- States cannot ban the sale or rental of ultraviolent video games to children, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, rejecting such limits as a violation of young people's First Amendment rights and leaving it up to parents and the multibillion-dollar gaming industry to decide what kids can buy.
Pope may go online to launch Vatican news portal
(AP) -- The Vatican, whose communications problems are no secret, is taking a leap into the world of new media with the launch next week of a news information portal that Pope Benedict XVI himself may put online with a papal click.
Teenage UK hacking suspect released on bail
(AP) -- A teenager accused of attacking a string of U.K.-based websites has been released on bail.
Greener disaster alerts
New software allows wireless sensor networks to run at much lower energy, according to researchers writing in the International Journal of Sensor Networks. The technology could improve efficiency for hurricane and other natural disaster warning systems.
Intelligent construction practices developed for roads also apply to river levees
The same technologies that Iowa State University's David J. White is developing to build better roads and foundations could also be used to build better river levees.
New arrest in UK phone hacking scandal
(AP) -- Britain's Press Association news agency said Monday one of its reporters was arrested by detectives investigating a widening phone hacking scandal.
Volkswagen announces 'Temporary Auto Pilot' with advanced features
(PhysOrg.com) -- Volkswagen, as part of the European wide research project HAVEit, has announced the Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP), a set of features added to a car that aids in speed control, lane-assist and crash avoidance.
Google giving details of requests to remove content
Google on Monday began detailing the reasons behind government requests it receives to remove content from its services and whether or not it has complied.
Royal College of Art student make a 3D printer that focuses the light of the sun
(PhysOrg.com) -- 3D printing has been around for a few years. If you hooked it up to a solar panel you could make it work with the sun, but still would not be as cool as doing it the way that Markus Kayser, a MA student at the Royal College of Art, has gone about it. He has create a 3D printing machine that is able to focus the rays of the sun through a glass ball with enough intensity that it can create a beam that is able to heat silica sand to its melting point. Silica sand is often used in manufacturing process of heat resistant products for its high melting point.
Students design cars the get 1000 MPG+
(PhysOrg.com) -- When you think about the design team for an ultra-fuel efficient vehicle, on that can get more than one thousand miles per gallon of gas; you probably picture a professional design lab outfitted with the most modern technology available and the best minds in the industry, not a group of school children.
Online TV is a format just waiting to click
Kiefer Sutherland, the star of "24," and John Hurt, the eminent British thespian, recently joined forces, playing opposite each other in "The Confession," a sort of short feature about a hit man and a priest. I say "sort of" because "The Confession" was created specifically to go online, in installments - there are 10 of them, averaging about seven minutes each; they ran from the end of March to the beginning of May on the video-streaming website Hulu. So it is a sort of television series as well, though one whose entire season lasts in the aggregate not much more than an hour.
Active self-defense strategy best deterrent against cyber-attacks
With the threats of cybercrime, cyberterrorism and cyberwarfare looming over our hyper-connected world, the best defense for the U.S. might be a good offense, says new research by a University of Illinois expert in technology and legal issues.
Medicine & Health news
ESC calls for renaming of term cardiac hypertrophy
Sophia Antipolis, France: 27 June 2011: The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Myocardial Function is calling for a redefinition of the term cardiac hypertrophy which is currently used to describe changes to the morphology (structure) of the heart. Instead the position paper, published online today in the European Journal of Heart Failure, suggests that use of the general term myocardial remodelling should be preferred.
Many advanced breast cancer patients do not receive recommended treatment
Radiation after a mastectomy for women with advanced breast cancer saves lives, but almost half of these patients do not receive it. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results indicate that treatments that have proven their life-saving potential in clinical trials may not be available to many patients.
Where there's smoke, there's ire
Speakers at an all-day conference at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) hailed a two-year-old federal law giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate cigarettes as a key opportunity to further reduce smoking’s impact on people’s health.
Addiction researcher optimistic about new, highly visual labels that show ill effects of smoking
By presenting the concrete reality of what will happen as a result of smoking, the new anti-smoking warnings that will show up on packs of cigarettes next year have a good chance of discouraging smoking, said Warren Bickel, professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Innovative duct tape strategy saves hospitals time, money; improves infection prevention
A simple roll of duct tape has proven to be an inexpensive solution to the costly and time-consuming problem of communicating with hospital patients who are isolated with dangerous infections.
First patients receive lab-grown blood vessels from donor cells
For the first time, blood vessels created in the lab from donor skin cells were successfully implanted in patients. Functioning blood vessels that aren't rejected by the immune system could be used to make durable shunts for kidney dialysis, and potentially to improve treatment for children with heart defects and adults needing coronary or other bypass graft surgery.
New study suggests potent antiplatelet drug effective with low-dose aspirin
When taken with higher doses of aspirin (more than 300 milligrams), the experimental antiplatelet drug ticagrelor was associated with worse outcomes than the standard drug, clopidogrel, but the opposite was true with lower doses of aspirin.
Diastolic dysfunction of the heart associated with increased risk of death
Individuals with diastolic dysfunction (an abnormality involving impaired relaxation of the heart's ventricle [pumping chamber] after a contraction) appear to have an increased risk of death, regardless of whether their systolic function (contraction of the heart) is normal or they have other cardiovascular impairments, according to a report in the June 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Parent-adolescent cell phone conversations reveal a lot about the relationship
The nature of cell phone communication between a parent and adolescent child can affect the quality of their relationship, and much depends on who initiates the call and the purpose and tone of the conversation, according to an illuminating study reported online in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Multidisciplinary integrated care for seniors gives better quality care
Multidisciplinary integrated care of seniors in residential care facilities resulted in better quality of care, found a Dutch study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The promise of stem cell-based gene therapy
Sophisticated genetic tools and techniques for achieving targeted gene delivery and high gene expression levels in bone marrow will drive the successful application of gene therapy to treat a broad range of diseases. Examples of these cutting-edge methods are presented in a series of five provocative articles in the latest issue of Human Gene Therapy.
Nearly half of women with advanced breast cancer in the US not receiving life-saving treatment
Forty-five percent of women with advanced breast cancer in the U.S. did not receive postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) despite the publication of evidence-based guidelines outlining PMRT as a potentially lifesaving treatment, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Advances in delivery of therapeutic genes to treat brain tumors
Novel tools and methods for delivering therapeutic genes to cells in the central nervous system hold great promise for the development of new treatments to combat incurable neurologic diseases. Five of the most exciting developments in this rapidly advancing field are presented in a series of articles in the June issue of Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
IAS urges Russian government to radically reassess counterproductive drug policies
28 June 2011. Geneva, Switzerland. As Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the Russian state Duma, calls for a "total war on drugs" to tackle Russia's growing drug problem, the International AIDS Society (IAS) urges the Russian government to radically reassess its approach to drug policy, and to accept that the war on drugs has failed dramatically from both a law enforcement and a public health perspective.
Studies examine impact of media use among youth, recommend preventative measures
In today's society where access to media is ever present, many parents worry about what is appropriate media usage for their children and how media consumption can potentially affect them. Two new studies led by Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH and Dr. Michelle M. Garrison, PhD of Seattle Children's Research Institute, focus on different uses of media and assess how media usage can lead to depression in college students and disrupt sleep patterns in preschool aged children. The results of Dr. Christakis' study, "Problematic Internet Usage in U.S. College Students: A Pilot Study," were recently published online in BMC Medicine, while Dr. Garrison's study, "Media Use and Child Sleep: The Impact of Content, Timing, and Environment," was published online June 27 in Pediatrics.
US top court upholds $270 million award to smokers
The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal request made by American tobacco companies on Monday in a class-action lawsuit that awarded 500,000 smokers a total of $270 million in damages.
Study finds peat wildfire smoke linked to heart failure risk
An EPA study published online Monday in Environmental Health Perspectives finds that the 2008 peat bog wildfires in NC led to an increase in emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular effects.
Black members of Adventist church defy health disparities, study shows
Health disparities between black Americans and the rest of the nation have been well-documented in medical journals. But one study shows that blacks who identify as members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church actually report a better quality of life than the average American. Researchers point to certain lifestyle behaviors as a possible explanation for the difference. The research was conducted at Loma Linda University as part of the Adventist Religion and Health Study (ARHS), a study of nearly 11,000 Adventists, including more than 3,400 black Adventists.
Genetic testing for inherited cardiac conditions is 'patchy' in Europe
While genetic inheritance is known to play a role in the multifactorial development of most diseases of the heart, there are also a number of clearly diagnosed cardiac conditions which owe their development to quite specific genetic abnormalities. When these genetic disorders affect the integrity of the heart's muscle they are known as a "cardiomyopathy"; when the disorder affects the heart's "excitability", it is known as a "channelopathy".
Study finds pregnancy safe in multiple sclerosis
Canadian researchers have found that maternal multiple sclerosis (MS) is generally not associated with adverse delivery outcomes or risk to their offspring. Full findings now appear in Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association.
Philip Morris fights Australian packaging rules
(AP) -- Tobacco giant Philip Morris launched legal action on Monday against the Australian government over the country's plans to strip company logos from cigarette packages and replace them with grisly images of cancerous mouths, sickly children and bulging, blinded eyes.
U.S. comes up short on living longer
Helen DeSanctis was born in Paterson, N.J., the same year silk workers struck at more than 100 mills, Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole and William Howard Taft served as president of the United States. Her predicted life expectancy at birth: 53 years.
Integrative Way: Hope for menopausal symptoms
As many women know, the Women's Health Initiative Study from 2002 showed that estrogen was not the dream treatment for menopausal symptoms that we once thought it was; estrogen treatment after menopause, especially when combined with a progesterone (needed for women with an intact uterus), increases a woman's risk of several diseases, including breast cancer, stroke, dementia, blood clots, and possibly lung cancer.
Diabetes becomes a disease of the young
Some people say aiming to look sleek in your swimsuit or wedding duds is the biggest motivator for losing weight. But Mike Durbin's incentive for dropping pounds beats all.
Eat today, pay tomorrow:
lean women think ahead
(Medical Xpress) -- Being overweight is accompanied by changes in brain structure and behaviour. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases in Leipzig have shown that there are also differences between men and women.
Insights into infidelity: Study examines influence of sexual personality characteristics
(Medical Xpress) -- In a new study, men and women were more likely to report infidelity, or cheating -- often a marriage or relationship deal-breaker -- when they also experienced an increased sensitivity for sexual performance problems and a decreased likelihood to lose their sexual arousal in the face of risk or danger.
The Medical Minute: Heart-healthy eating over the summer
Summer is here. With it comes hotter temperatures, longer daylight, vacations, backyard grilling, and picnics. Think it’s too hard to maintain heart healthy eating habits at the neighborhood picnic? Use the 10 tips below to help you stay on track with heart-healthy eating this summer.
Breakthrough could make 'smart drugs' effective for many cancer patients
(Medical Xpress) -- Newcastle and Harvard University reseachers have found that blocking a key component of the DNA repair process could extend the use of a new range of 'smart' cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors.
Collaborative develops drug that may help hemophilia patients
A razor nick in the shower? A fall on a slippery floor? The average person simply calls it bad karma, but for people with hemophilia such episodes can cause prolonged blood loss.
Australia: Kids' exposure to junk food ads unchanged despite regulations
(Medical Xpress) -- Children's exposure to television advertising for unhealthy fast food has remained unchanged since the introduction of industry self-regulation, according to new research from the University of Sydney.
Compression suits provide competitive advantage
To be the best, athletes are always searching for a competitive edge on and off the playing field. A new study by Professor of Kinesiology William Kraemer of the Neag School of Education shows that wearing a full-body compression suit is one way athletes can improve their performance even while they rest.
Two talks with teens leads to less marijuana use for at least a year
Marijuana is the most prevalent illicit drug used by teenagers and adults around the world. Nearly a third of high school students in the United States report smoking it, and most high schoolers say they have access to the drug.
Researchers learn how lung fibrosis begins and could be treated
An invasive cell that leads to fibrosis of the lungs may be stopped by cutting off its supply of sugar, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
Helping preterm babies get the best start
Babies born prematurely could be at greater risk of developing kidney diseases later in life according to a landmark study investigating the impacts of preterm birth on kidney development.
Soluble fiber strikes a blow to belly fat
All fat is not created equal. Unsightly as it is, subcutaneous fat, the fat right under the skin, is not as dangerous to overall health as visceral fat, the fat deep in the belly surrounding vital organs.
Alcohol drinking in the elderly: Risks and benefits
The Royal College of Psychiatrists of London has published a report related primarily to problems of unrecognized alcohol misuse among the elderly. The report provides guidelines for psychiatrists and family physicians on how to find and how to treat elderly people with misuse of alcohol and drugs. Forum members consider it very important to identify abusive drinking among the elderly and this report provides specific and very reasonable recommendations to assist practitioners in both the identification and treatment of such problems.
New discovery in battle against plague and bacterial pneumonias
Researchers from the Smiley lab at the Trudeau Institute have now identified a single component of the plague causing bacterium that can be used as a vaccine. This single "subunit" could potentially be used to create a safer form of a T cell-stimulating plague vaccine. The new data is featured in the July issue of The Journal of Immunology.
Mutated scarlet fever fuels Hong Kong outbreak
(AP) -- Ultramodern Hong Kong is tussling with a centuries-old bug long forgotten in many developed countries - an outbreak of drug-resistant scarlet fever that has killed the first children there in a decade. And with it is the rise of a mutated strain that appears to be more contagious.
E. coli death toll up to at least 47
(AP) -- The death toll in Europe's E. coli outbreak has risen by three to at least 47, German authorities said Monday, even as new infections continue to tail off.
Hong Kong scientists make vision 'breakthrough'
Scientists in Hong Kong said Monday they had made a "breakthrough" discovery in how animals see and react to changing light conditions, which could ultimately help fight a range of human diseases.
New clues to how cancer spreads
Cancer cells circulating in the blood carry newly identified proteins that could be screened to improve prognostic tests and suggest targets for therapies, report scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute.
Hearing may be end of road for breast cancer drug
(AP) -- The best-selling cancer drug in the world comes under federal scrutiny once again this week, as drugmaker Roche makes a last-ditch effort to keep Avastin approved for breast cancer, despite evidence that it is ineffective against the disease.
Death rate from heart attack higher in US territories than on mainland
There is a 17% greater risk of dying after a heart attack if you are treated in a hospital located in a U.S. territory -- i.e. the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands -- rather than in a hospital in the mainland United States, according to new findings published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
False negative tests in breast cancer may lead to wrong drug choice
A team of Yale Cancer Center researchers has confirmed that between 10-20% of breast cancers classified as Estrogen Receptor (ER) negative are really positive. Understanding when and why breast cancers may be misclassified has important implications for treatment and outcomes for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Its findings are published online in the June 28 Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Two studies point to the illusion of the artificial sweeteners
In the constant battle to lose inches or at least stay the same, we reach for the diet soda. Two studies presented June 25 and 27 at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in San Diego suggest this might be self-defeating behavior.
Flavonoids represent two-fisted assault on diabetes, nervous system disorders: study
A recent study from scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggests that a strawberry a day (or more accurately, 37 of them) could keep not just one doctor away, but an entire fleet of them, including the neurologist, the endocrinologist, and maybe even the oncologist.
Alzheimer's prevention in your pantry
(Medical Xpress) -- Alzheimer's, the degenerative brain disorder that disrupts memory, thought and behavior, is devastating to both patients and loved ones. According to the Alzheimer's Association, one in eight Americans over the age of 65 suffers from the disease. Now Tel Aviv University has discovered that an everyday spice in your kitchen cupboard could hold the key to Alzheimer's prevention.
Study: Most parents unaware of teen workplace risks
Most parents are unaware of the risks their teenagers face in the workplace and could do more to help them understand and prepare for those hazards, according to a new study.
Study reveals possible brain damage in young adult binge-drinkers
It's considered a rite of passage among young people – acting out their independence through heavy, episodic drinking. But a new University of Cincinnati study, the first of its kind nationally, is showing how binge drinking among adolescents and young adults could be causing serious damage to a brain that's still under development at this age.
Drug prescriptions confuse many users
When pharmacies, doctors' offices and homes were destroyed by the tornado in Joplin, Mo., so were the medication records of many patients. Pharmacists who helped out report that many people could not recall the names of their prescription drugs or the dosages they were taking.
Too many blood transfusions? New standards urged
(AP) -- Check into the hospital and you may get a blood transfusion you didn't really need.
New airway stem cell found
Researchers at UCLA have identified a new stem cell that participates in the repair of the large airways of the lungs, which play a vital role in protecting the body from infectious agents and toxins in the environment.
Surprising drop in physicians' willingness to accept patients with insurance
As required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, millions of people will soon be added to the ranks of the insured. However, this rapid expansion of coverage is colliding with a different, potentially problematic trend that could end up hampering access to health care.
Childhood cancer survivors are at high risk for multiple tumors as they age
The largest study yet of adult childhood cancer survivors found that the first cancer is just the beginning of a lifelong battle against different forms of the disease for about 10 percent of these survivors.
States consider banning teens from tanning beds
(AP) -- If a proposed law passes, California teens under 18 will need a fake ID to "fake and bake" themselves to a golden brown.
Different subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer respond to different therapies
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers have identified six subtypes of an aggressive and difficult-to-treat form of breast cancer, called "triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)."
Diabetes vaccine stumbles at second hurdle
An experimental vaccine to prevent progression of Type 1 diabetes failed at the second step of the three-phase trial process, doctors said on Monday in a study reported online by The Lancet.
Hope for infant brain injuries like cerebral palsy as well as multiple sclerosis
(Medical Xpress) -- In a new study published in Nature Neuroscience, a team of researchers revealed the discovery of a key protein necessary for nerve repair and could lead to the development of a treatment for brain injuries due to a lack of oxygen, such a cerebral palsy, as well as multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects adults all over the world.
Microbiologists discover how cavity-causing microbes invade heart
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists have discovered the tool that bacteria normally found in our mouths use to invade heart tissue, causing a dangerous and sometimes lethal infection of the heart known as endocarditis. The work raises the possibility of creating a screening tool – perhaps a swab of the cheek, or a spit test – to gauge a dental patient’s vulnerability to the condition.
Team identifies new breast cancer tumor suppressor and how it works
Researchers have identified a protein long known to regulate gene expression as a potent suppressor of breast cancer growth. Their study, in the journal Oncogene, is the first to demonstrate how this protein, known as Runx3, accomplishes this feat.
Researchers develop new software to advance brain image research
A University of Colorado Boulder research team has developed a new software program allowing neuroscientists to produce single brain images pulled from hundreds of individual studies, trimming weeks and even months from what can be a tedious, time-consuming research process.
A little practice can change the brain in a lasting way: study
A little practice goes a long way, according to researchers at McMaster University, who have found the effects of practice on the brain have remarkable staying power.
Clinical study of epilepsy drug may have been purely promotional
Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that a clinical trial of the epilepsy drug gabapentin may have been a "seeding trial" used by a pharmaceutical company to promote the drug and increase prescriptions, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Study: BPA-exposed male deer mice are demasculinized and undesirable to females
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes "some concern" with the controversial chemical BPA, and many other countries, such as Japan and Canada, have considered BPA product bans, disagreement exists amongst scientists in this field on the effects of BPA in animals and humans. The latest research from the University of Missouri shows that BPA causes male deer mice to become demasculinized and behave more like females in their spatial navigational abilities, leading scientists to conclude that exposure to BPA during human development could be damaging to behavioral and cognitive traits that are unique to each sex and important in reproduction.
'Sundowning,' an anxiety syndrome in elderly dementia patients explained in a new study
New research provides the best evidence to date that the late-day anxiety and agitation sometimes seen in older institutionalized adults, especially those with dementia, has a biological basis in the brain.
Combination of calcium, vitamin D reduces melanoma risks in some women
A combination of calcium and vitamin D may cut the chance of melanoma in half for some women at high risk of developing this life-threatening skin cancer, according to a new study by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.
Researchers find master switch for adult epilepsy
UC Irvine and French researchers have identified a central switch responsible for the transformation of healthy brain cells into epileptic ones, opening the way to both treat and prevent temporal lobe epilepsy.
Diabetics get blood vessels made from donor cells
Three dialysis patients have received the world's first blood vessels grown in a lab from donated skin cells. It's a key step toward creating a supply of ready-to-use arteries and veins that could be used to treat diabetics, soldiers with damaged limbs, people having heart bypass surgery and others.
Neuroscientists find famous optical illusion surprisingly potent (w/ video)
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists have come up with new insight into the brain processes that cause the following optical illusion:
Brain rhythm associated with learning also linked to running speed, study shows
(Medical Xpress) -- Rhythms in the brain that are associated with learning become stronger as the body moves faster, UCLA neurophysicists report in a new study.
Biology news
Engineering blue-hued flowers
Flower color in plants is determined by pigments such as aurones, anthocyanins, and carotenoids. Research has found that the ultimate color displayed is dependent not only on the pigment present, but also on other factors, including cell shape, presence of metal ions, and pH, among others. Information about the role of pH in creating color has allowed plant geneticists to engineer new hues, adding to the beauty and diversity of ornamental plants.
Twin-head cucumber system reduces start-up costs
Greenhouse vegetable production in North America has more than doubled in the past 10 years. While heavy investments have been made in modern greenhouses, improved cultivation technologies are essential for producers to realize the high productivity potential afforded by the improved facilities.
Recommendations proposed for increasing arboreta membership, sustaining programs
Public gardens and arboreta rely on members as stable sources of funding and to fill critical volunteer needs. Maturing membership demographics coupled with flat enrollment numbers presents multiple challenges for arboreta directors and boards in attracting new members and competing for limited consumer discretionary entertainment and activity dollars. Researchers from the Department of Horticulture at Pennsylvania State University and The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College recently conducted two studies designed to better understand arboreta and community members' attitudes toward programming and memberships benefits. The study produced recommendations that the researchers hope will contribute to more sustainable institutions. Kathleen M. Kelley, James C. Sellmer, and Rebecca H. Robert reported on their research in HortTechnology.
New non-destructive method to estimate leaf area index in vegetables
The productivity and health of horticultural crops depends on the ability of the plant cover to intercept light energy. This ability is a function of the amount of leaf area, the architecture of the vegetation cover, and plants' ability to convert light energy. One estimate of a crop's ability to capture light energy is the leaf area index (LAI). Introduced in 1947, the concept of the LAI was defined as the ratio of leaf area to a given unit of land area. Today, understanding LAI is critical for successful crop management.
Lost penguin more lively, eating fish post-surgery
(AP) -- New Zealand's favorite penguin visitor is more lively and eating fish after undergoing endoscopic surgery Monday to remove some of the beach sand and twigs it swallowed, apparently mistaking it for snow.
Top medic operates on New Zealand's 'lost' penguin
One of New Zealand's top surgeons was enlisted to operate on an ailing Emperor penguin found on a beach near Wellington, some 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) from its Antarctic home.
Geneticists find joy in Spudville
David Tay heaves aside a metal door that leads into an earthquake-proof room chilled to 42 degrees. There, under the glow of blue-tinged lights, are thousands of test tubes, each with small green sprouts trapped inside.
Botswana population survey shows surprising drop in species numbers
A recently completed aerial survey of northern Botswana by Elephants Without Borders (EWB), through the support of Botswana's Dept. of Wildlife & National Parks, indicates that wildebeest, giraffes, kudu, lechwe, ostriches, roan and tsessebe antelope and warthog species are significantly challenged. Populations of these species appear to have dropped significantly over the past 15 years, specifically in Ngamiland, which encompasses the Okavango delta.
Living antibiotic effective against Salmonella
Scientists have tested a predatory bacterium – Bdellovibrio – against Salmonella in the guts of live chickens. They found that it significantly reduced the numbers of Salmonella bacteria and, importantly, showed that Bdellovibrio are safe when ingested.
Demonstrating the importance of dynamical systems theory
Two new papers in the Journal of General Physiology demonstrate the successes of using bifurcation theory and dynamical systems approaches to solve biological puzzles.
Wildlife surviving conflict in Afghanistan
A new survey conducted by WCS scientists, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), reveals that large mammals, including Asiatic black bears, gray wolves, markhor goats, and leopard cats are surviving in parts of Afghanistan after years of conflict.
China to launch panda census
China is set to launch its once-a-decade panda census, state media reported Monday, as it tries to determine how many of the endangered animals live in the wild amid efforts to boost numbers.
Conservation dollars and sense
Shark populations over the last 50 years have decreased dramatically. From habitat degradation to overfishing and finning, human activities have affected their populations and made certain species all but disappear.
Female mate choice enhances offspring fitness in an annual herb
In many organisms females directly or indirectly select mates (or sperm) and potentially influence the fitness of their offspring. Mate choice and sexual selection in plants is more complex in some ways than in animals because plants are sessile organisms and often have to rely on external vectors, such as animals, for pollen transport. As such, there is only so much a plant can do to affect the timing of pollen arrival, or the size and diversity of deposited pollen. But can a plant control which pollen grains, of the hundreds that land on their stigmas, make it to the ovules?
Spectacular discoveries in New Guinea
A frog with fangs, a blind snake and a round-headed dolphin are among more than 1,000 new species recently found on the incredible Melanesian island of New Guinea, environment group WWF said.
Boy or girl? Understanding how red-tailed hawks migrate
(PhysOrg.com) -- As any resident of upstate New York will tell you, the red-tailed hawk is the most common hawk in North America. Often seen perched on light and telephone poles along major highways, this majestic animal is one of the most widely recognized raptor species.
Fighting back from extinction, New Zealand right whale is returning home
After being hunted to local extinction more than a century ago and unable to remember their ancestral calving grounds, the southern right whales of mainland New Zealand are coming home.
Research provides new information about malaria mosquito's circadian rhythms
A new study by a team of University of Notre Dame researchers offers a wealth of information about the rhythmic nature of gene expression in Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito species that transmits the malaria parasite from person to person. Each year, roughly 250 million people suffer from malaria and that results in one million deaths, mostly pregnant women and children under five years of age.
New bioengineering approach: Tiny cell patterns reveal progression of development and disease
Scientists have long known that, to form tissue structures and organs, stem cells migrate and differentiate in response to the other cells, matrix, and signals in their environment. But not much is known about these developmental processes nor how to distinguish between normal and pathological behaviors. A team of researchers at Columbia Engineering School has developed a new technique to evaluate human stem cells using cell micropatterning — a simple but powerful in vitro tool that will enable scientists to study the initiation of left-right asymmetry during tissue formation, to diagnose disease, and to study factors that could lead to certain birth defects.
Researchers discover ancient symbiosis between animals, bacteria
Marine shallow water sandy bottoms on the surface appear desert-like and empty, but in the interstitial space between the sand grains a diverse fauna flourishes. In addition to bacteria and protozoa numerous animal phyla have been found here, some only here. One of the strangest members of this interstitial fauna is Paracatenula, a several millimeters long, mouth and gut-less flatworm, which is found from tropical oceans to the Mediterranean. These worms are the focus of a research project led by Jorg Ott at the Department of Marine Biology of the University of Vienna with funding from the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF). The surprising results of this research have now been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Student publishes case for faster, less expensive DNA analysis
A Washington State University student's undergraduate research is challenging a widely held assumption on the best way to analyze old DNA in anthropological and forensic investigations.
Tongue makes the difference in how fish and mammals chew
Evolution has made its mark --- large and small -- in innumerable patterns of life. New research from Brown University shows chewing has evolved too.
Patterns of bacteria-virus infection networks revealed
Bacteria are common sources of infection, but these microorganisms can themselves be infected by even smaller agents: viruses. A new analysis of the interactions between bacteria and viruses has revealed patterns that could help scientists working to understand which viruses infect which bacteria in the microbial world.
Tasmanian devil's genome sequenced
A revolutionary species-preservation approach based on whole-genome analyses of two Tasmanian devils -- one that had died of a contagious cancer known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) and one healthy animal -- has been used to develop a theoretical model to predict which individuals would need to be kept in captivity to maximize chances of preserving enough genetic diversity for the species to survive. The research helps to formulate one possible plan of action to prevent the extinction of the Tasmanian devil -- a marsupial found in the wild exclusively in the Australian island-state of Tasmania. The research model also may be extended to other endangered species.
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