Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for July 11, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Categories rule: High-order brain centers pave the way for visual recognition- RNA reactor could have served as a precursor of life
- Potato genome sequenced
- A classic instinct -- salt appetite -- is linked to drug addiction
- While you're up, print me a solar cell (w/ video)
- Genome-scale study of 100 cell lines pinpoints vulnerabilities in ovarian cancer
- Before animals first walked on land, fish carried gene program for limbs
- In a major breakthrough, scientists control light propagation in photonic chips
- De novo mutations provide new genetic clues for schizophrenia
- Ocean's carbon dioxide uptake reduced by climate change
- Nanoscientists build antenna for light
- New way to produce antimatter-containing atom discovered
- Fujitsu shows off next-gen color LCD eReader
- Seeing red? Making carbon nanotubes clearer to the naked eye
- Spanish surgeons claim first double leg transplant
Space & Earth news
Underwater Antarctic volcanoes discovered in the Southern Ocean
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have discovered previously unknown volcanoes in the ocean waters around the remote South Sandwich Islands. Using ship-borne sea-floor mapping technology during research cruises onboard the RRS James Clark Ross, the scientists found 12 volcanoes beneath the sea surface – some up to 3km high. They found 5km diameter craters left by collapsing volcanoes and 7 active volcanoes visible above the sea as a chain of islands.
EARTH: Is there really a minerals crisis?
China sent the high-tech industry and markets reeling last fall when it blocked exports of raw rare earth minerals to Japan, Europe and the U.S. The sudden severing of rare earths supply was a frightening prospect as the minerals are key ingredients in a broad range of high-tech products, from smartphones to wind turbines and hybrid cars. Although the bans have since been lifted, governments around the world saw the ban as a kind of wake-up call and started looking at ways to develop their own mineral resources — for rare earths as well as basic industry metals like copper and zinc.
Mantle drilling initial feasibility study completed
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) has announced completion of a feasibility study of drilling and coring activities that would be conducted in an ultra-deepwater environment into very high temperature igneous rocks to reach the upper oceanic mantle.
Q&A: Saying goodbye to the space shuttle
With the final launch of the Atlantis, NASA retires its space shuttle program. We spoke to Professor Chris Damaren of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies about the end of an era in manned space travel.
Montana, Exxon Mobil split over river oil spill
(AP) -- Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer has decided Exxon Mobil and the state don't make good roommates after nearly a week of working together in close quarters to clean up an estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil released into the Yellowstone River.
Special wake-up for Atlantis from shuttle workers
(AP) -- Usually space shuttle astronauts are awakened in orbit by a song sent by a loved one. But not much is routine for the final space shuttle flight, not even a wake-up call.
Atlantis crew inspects 'thermal protection system'
The Atlantis crew on Saturday inspected the craft's thermal protection system, the outer barrier that protects it from the searing heat upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, NASA said.
Atlantis' 1st full day in orbit nearly perfect
(AP) -- The space shuttle Atlantis hasn't performed like a ship ready for retirement. The first full day of the final flight of the aging space shuttle fleet - the most complicated machines ever built - was practically flawless.
Australia sets carbon price to fight climate change
Australia Sunday announced plans to tax carbon pollution at Aus$23 (US$24.74) per tonne to help battle climate change, as it moves towards an emissions trading scheme similar to that of Europe.
Atlantis to dock with space station on final flight
The crew of Atlantis prepared to link up with the International Space Station Sunday as part of the final mission of the US space shuttle program.
Future of U.S. manned spaceflight looks bleak
When Atlantis takes off from Kennedy Space Center, it will be the last time NASA launches astronauts aboard a government-built spacecraft for perhaps the rest of this decade.
New EPA rule will clean the air for 240 million Americans
Pollution that blows hundreds of miles from coal-fired power plants into other states will be reduced under a final plan that the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.
Australia begins selling pollution tax
Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard began Monday the mammoth task of selling a bold new tax on carbon emissions to sceptical voters, in a battle that could make or break her fragile rule.
Astronauts get busy with space station stockpiling
(AP) -- The astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle-station complex will get cracking Monday on all their supply delivery work.
Debris threat avoided at space station: NASA
A piece of Soviet space debris is not likely to collide with the International Space Station after all, and astronauts have moved ahead with restocking the orbiting lab, NASA said Monday.
Biofilters reduce carbon footprint of old landfill sites
Researchers in the US are testing biofilter systems as a viable alternative to releasing methane from passive landfill vents into the atmosphere. The technology could reduce the overall impact of old landfills on global warming. Details are reported in the current issue of the International Journal of Environmental Engineering.
Tsunamis buried the cult site on the Peloponnese
Olympia, site of the famous Temple of Zeus and original venue of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, was presumably destroyed by repeated tsunamis that travelled considerable distances inland, and not by earthquake and river floods as has been assumed to date. Evidence in support of this new theory on the virtual disappearance of the ancient cult site on the Peloponnesian peninsula comes from Professor Dr. Andreas Vött of the Institute of Geography of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. Vött investigated the site as part of a project in which he and his team are studying the paleotsunamis that occurred along the coastlines of the eastern Mediterranean over the last 11,000 years. According to his account, the geomorphological and sedimentological findings in the area document that Olympia and its environs were destroyed by tsunami impact. The site of Olympia, rediscovered only some 250 years ago, was buried under a massive layer of sand and other deposi! ts that is up to 8 meters deep.
Satellite's final images focus on changing glaciers
Some of the last images from ESA’s ERS-2 satellite have revealed rapidly changing glacial features in Greenland. In its final days, the veteran satellite gave us frequent views of the Kangerdlugssuaq glacier and its advancing ice stream.
NASA's smartphone-powered satellite
In 1999, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor David Miller showed the movie, "Star Wars" to his students on their first day of class. Following the scene where Luke Skywalker spars with a floating droid "remote," Miller stood up and pointed: "I want you to build me some of those." So they did. With support from the Department of Defense and NASA, Miller's undergraduates built five volleyball-sized free-flying satellites called Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES); three of which have been on the International Space Station since 2006.
3552 Don Quixote... leaving our solar system?
“Tell me thy company, and I’ll tell thee what thou art…” In this case it is Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote – one of the most well-known of Near Earth Asteroids. You may know its name, but did you know it has possible cometary origin? It may very well be one of the Jupiter-Family Comets just waiting for its turn to be ejected from our own solar system.
Sun to strike NY streets in magical 'Manhattanhenge'
It is dubbed "Manhattanhenge" and happens two times a year when the Sun aligns at dusk with streets in a glowing magic trick as rays of sunlight span across New York perfectly, from west to east.
NASA adds extra day to Atlantis's final mission
Astronauts aboard the shuttle Atlantis will get one extra day in space as they restock the International Space Station with a year's worth of food and supplies, NASA said Monday.
Atlantis docks at space station for last time
The shuttle Atlantis docked at the orbiting International Space Station for one last hitch-up Sunday, on its final space voyage before the entire 30-year US shuttle program shuts down for good.
Scientists tie Colorado River flooding to San Andreas quakes
Researchers believe Colorado River damming projects that followed the creation of the Salton Sea could be one reason why Southern California is overdue for a major earthquake.
Debris may be on collision course with space lab: NASA
NASA is tracking a piece of Soviet space debris that could collide with the International Space Station, the US space agency said Sunday after the shuttle Atlantis docked on its final mission.
China's space program shoots for moon, Mars, Venus
This year, a rocket will carry a boxcar-sized module into orbit, the first building block for a Chinese space station. Around 2013, China plans to launch a lunar probe that will set a rover loose on the moon. It wants to put a man on the moon, sometime after 2020.
Building galaxies
(PhysOrg.com) -- Galaxies frequently collide with one another. Our own Milky Way galaxy, for example, and its nearest giant neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, are heading towards each other at a rate of about 120 kilometers per second; predictions claim the two will merge together in another four billion years or so.
Three active volcanoes spotted on satellite imagery from NASA
(PhysOrg.com) -- From space, NASA keeps a watchful eye on volcanic activity around the world with many satellites. NASA has just released satellite images showing activity this week from volcanoes in the countries of Eritrea, Chile and Indonesia.
Increased insecticide use in the Midwest linked to landscape change
The continued growth of cropland and loss of natural habitat have increasingly simplified agricultural landscapes in the Midwest. A Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) study concluded that this simplification is associated with increased crop pest abundance and insecticide use, consequences that could be tempered by perennial bioenergy crops.
Ocean's carbon dioxide uptake reduced by climate change
(PhysOrg.com) -- How deep is the ocean's capacity to buffer against climate change? As one of the planet's largest single carbon absorbers, the ocean takes up roughly one-third of all human carbon emissions, reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and its associated global changes.
Technology news
Expert help from a distance
When electronic devices refuse to work, you rarely find the solution in the manual. Technicians often face similar problems with industrial machines, and companies end up flying in experts from the manufacturer to get things running again. A new system aims to help manufacturers lend a hand regardless of how far away they are located.
Online consumers willing to pay premium for Net privacy, study says
Online consumers thought to be motivated primarily by savings are, in fact, often willing to pay a premium for purchases from online vendors with clear, protective privacy policies, according to a new study in the current issue of a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).
Clear Channel swipes at Pandora with iheart revamp
(AP) -- Radio station giant Clear Channel Communications Inc. is taking a swipe at online music service Pandora with a revamp of its iheartradio application that imitates Pandora's personalized listening experience but doesn't mimic the startup's need to turn a profit.
Debugger Canvas released on Devlabs
In June 2011, Microsoft released Debugger Canvas on DevLabs, the result of a year-long collaboration between Microsoft Research, the Microsoft Visual Studio product team, and Brown University. Debugger Canvas transforms how software developers use and experience their programming environments.
Julian Assange back in court to fight extradition
(AP) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was due back in court Tuesday for the latest installation of his fight against extradition to Sweden, where the 40-year-old Australian is accused of rape and molestation.
Google exec chairman to testify before Congress
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has agreed to testify at a US Senate hearing into online competition in September.
LinkedIn passes Myspace in US traffic: comScore
LinkedIn leapfrogged Myspace in June to become the second-largest social network in the United States in terms of traffic behind Facebook, tracking firm comScore reported Friday.
Japan says plant clean-up will take decades
Japan's prime minister said on Saturday the decommissioning of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant would take decades, in the first government announcement of a long-term timeframe for the clean-up.
Smartphones help world's winemakers foil fraudsters
For Charles Pillitteri, the fight against fraudsters began when he discovered fake bottles of his Canadian ice wine in Taiwan in 1998.
Amazon's former Calif. affiliates brace for lost revenue
For several years now, the military museum in Old Sacramento has quietly earned a nice little income by acting as a sales rep for Amazon.com Inc.
Belgium's highways shine into space - but for how long?
When Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne feels homesick when in space, all he needs to do, provided it's night, is look down for the bright spot for even nowadays, Belgium keeps its highways switched on.
1C adds Russian intrigue to action videogames
Videogame powerhouse 1C Company is tapping into history with action titles that show who the good guys are in a battle can depend on which army is being asked.
The perfect connection between guitar and computer
Guitar virtuosos have to master all kinds of playing techniques. But how can the intricate process of playing the instrument be captured digitally? A special thin film on the tailpiece has the answer. Functioning as a sensor, it converts the tension on the string into digital control signals.
ICT and automotive: New app reduces motorway pile-ups by 40 percent
What do you do if you're driving down the motorway and 500 meters ahead of you there is an accident? Now there is an app that tells your car to stop. It does it in half the time of any of the applications, and in contrast to the systems already available on the market, not only does it act on what can be seen from your car but also on what is happening miles away.
Google to open research institute
(AP) -- Berlin's oldest university says it is partnering with Google and three German institutions to start a research institute.
Judges in US, Canada approve Nortel patents sale
(AP) -- U.S. and Canadian judges have approved a $4.5 billion cash bid from a consortium that includes smartphone makers Apple and Research In Motion for patents held by bankrupt telecom-equipment maker Nortel.
France to fund Morocco's solar energy plan
A French minister said Monday that Paris was allocating 103 million euros (146 million dollars) to help finance Morocco's solar energy plan.
Russian city carries out most cyber attacks per capita: study
The Russian city of Chelyabinsk has the greatest concentration of cybercrime on the internet. Kuala Lumpur is in second place and Buenos Aires has the dubious distinction of coming in third. This finding has emerged from research carried out at the CTIT research institute of the University of Twente (The Netherlands) in collaboration with the spin-off company Quarantainenet. The study looked into which cities carried out the most cyber attacks per million inhabitants.
More than a million Twitter 'apps' registered
Twitter on Monday announced that the number of applications registered at the popular microblogging service has topped a million.
Philly papers offer Android tablets with paid apps
The city's two major newspapers announced Monday that they will give free Android tablet computers to paid digital subscribers as part of a new venture designed to shore up readership and revenue nearly a year after the publications emerged from bankruptcy.
Verizon snaps up one-third of US iPhone market
About 32 percent of the Apple iPhone 4 handsets being used in the U.S. were running on the Verizon Wireless network as of July 1, according to a new study.
Mitsubishi announces two new versions of its i-MiEV electric vehicle
(PhysOrg.com) -- In what appears to be an increasingly crowded market, Japanese car maker Mitsubishi Motors has added two new versions of its i-MiEV model all-electric vehicle. Both are pint-sized sub-compacts, as opposed to the competition, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy volt, both of which are significantly bigger compacts. The two new versions are the M and G; the former is meant to be a lower price version, while the latter offers a longer driving range.
NTT demos 802.11ac - next generation high-speed WiFi
(PhysOrg.com) -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) has demonstrated what might be the next version of high speed WiFi. Currently named 802.11ac, (wireless transmission traditionally uses .11 as opposed to .3 for Ethernet, or cable based transmission) the new proposed standard was shown to deliver 120Mbps throughput to three receivers at the same time.
Geo-immersion makes maps come alive
When it comes to mapping the real world on computers, University of Southern California computer scientist Cyrus Shahabi takes his work to a whole new dimension.
Foreign hardware could be designed to launch cyber attacks against US companies and consumers
(PhysOrg.com) -- A security official at the Department of Homeland Security recently released a statement that confirmed the idea that some foreign-made computer components are actually being designed to make the job of launching a cyber attack against a U.S. company or consumer easier to do.
More than a third of US adults own smartphones: study
A Pew Research Center study released on Monday indicated that 35 percent of US adults own smartphones as the Internet is increasingly being accessed using gadgets on the go.
Medicine & Health news
Loss of motion after knee surgery may increase osteoarthritis risk, research suggests
The onset of osteoarthritis may be related to a loss of knee motion after reconstructive ACL surgery, as noted in new research presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, July 7-10, 2011. Patients who showed motion limitations after surgery were more likely to develop arthritic changes in the knee.
Arthroscopic treatment of common hip problem improves range of motion
Arthroscopic treatment of a common hip problem that leads to arthritis is successful in terms of restoring range of motion, according to results from a recent Hospital for Special Surgery study. The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, held July 7-11 in San Diego.
Study identifies patients who should not undergo surgery for a snapping hip tendon
Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a group of patients who may have increased difficulty for surgical treatment of a snapping psoas, a condition that usually develops because a teenager or young adult has a pelvis that grows faster than their psoas tendon. The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), held July 7-11 in San Diego.
Vitamin D lower in NFL football players who suffered muscled injuries, study reports
Vitamin D deficiency has been known to cause an assortment of health problems, a recent study being presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in San Diego today, suggests that lack of the vitamin might also increase the chance of muscle injuries in athletes, specifically NFL football players.
Obese patients less likely to develop and die from respiratory distress syndromes after surgery
Researchers have discovered that obese adults undergoing surgery are less frequently developing respiratory insufficiency (RI) and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and that when they do, they are less likely to have fatal outcomes. The researchers say they have several theories of how obesity protects patients from mortality associated with RI/ARDS, and pinpointing the protective mechanism could help them develop interventions to help non-obese patients avoid adverse outcomes. The finding comes from a study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.
Obese British man in court fight for surgery
A British man weighing 22 stone (139 kilograms, 306 pounds) launched a court appeal Monday against a decision to refuse him state-funded obesity surgery because he is not fat enough.
Resilience amongst the long-term ill
People who have a long term debilitating physical illness demonstrate mental resilience according to Understanding Society, the world's largest longitudinal household study. The first findings reveal that people diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, respiratory or cardiovascular disease report similar mental health scores to those without physical illness. The survey's findings suggest that those people who may not be able to function well physically because of an illness do not necessarily suffer problems with their mental health - for example with their concentration, confidence and feelings of strain.
New model for studying germ cell tumors in testes enlists embryonic stem cells
A team of researchers from Spain and Switzerland have developed a new model for studying the development of testicular germ cell tumors by transplanting embryonic stem cells into the seminiferous tubules in mouse models, resulting in the development of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) that mimic the early stages of TGCT development. The study, published in Cell Transplantation (20:5), is now freely available on-line.
Lack of sick leave creates tough choices for rural workers
Rural workers have less access to sick leave, forcing them to choose between caring for themselves or family members, and losing pay or perhaps even their jobs when faced with an illness, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
UC research points to best practices to reduce recidivism
halfway houses and community-based correctional facilities – that are most successful at reducing recidivism among offenders enjoy an impressive track record.
Do-it-yourself brain repair following stroke
Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and death in the United States. A team of researchers — led by Gregory Bix, at Texas A&M College of Medicine, College Station — has identified a way to exploit one of the brain's self-repair mechanisms to protect nerve cells and enhance brain repair in rodent models of stroke. The authors suggest that this approach could provide a nontoxic treatment for stroke.
Alcohol consumption guidelines inadequate for cancer prevention
Current alcohol consumption guidelines are inadequate for the prevention of cancer and new international guidelines are needed, states an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
PXR: A stepping stone from environmental chemical to cancer?
Several chemicals that can accumulate to high levels in our body (for example BPA and some pesticides) have been recently linked to an increased risk of cancer and/or impaired responsiveness to anticancer drugs. A team of researchers, led by Sridhar Mani, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, has now identified a potential mechanistic link between environmental exposure to these foreign chemicals (xenogens) and cancer drug therapy response and survival.
No difference in brand name and generic drugs regarding thyroid dysfunction
There is no difference between brand-name and generic drug formulations of amiodarone -- taken to control arrhythmia – in the incidence of thyroid dysfunction, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Rectal exams may benefit obese men more than normal-weight peers
An occasional nuisance men endure to check for prostate cancer, the digital rectal exam may have heightened importance for those who are obese.
Brain monitoring breakthrough to go public
Cortical Dynamics Limited (Cortical) has lodged the prospectus for its initial public offering (IPO) with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).
BRICS countries vow to help poor nations in health
(AP) -- The world's top emerging countries banded together Monday to help fight diseases in the poorest countries, pledging to explore the transfer of technologies to the developing world to enable poor nations to produce cheap and effective lifesaving medicines.
Georgia hospitals lag in palliative care for the seriously ill, study finds
Hospitals across the nation are increasingly implementing palliative care programs to help patients manage the physical and emotional burdens of serious illnesses, but a new University of Georgia study finds that 82 percent of the state's hospitals do not offer palliative care services.
Regional system to cool cardiac arrest patients improves outcomes
A broad, regional system to lower the temperature of resuscitated cardiac arrest patients at a centrally-located hospital improved outcomes, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Health-care practitioners' stories can aid medical device designers
Health care laws to protect patients' privacy make it nearly impossible for medical device designers to develop and test the safety and usability of medical products by observing use in an actual practitioner-patient setting. As a result, usability errors and hazards may be overlooked, with the potential for devastating consequences. In the recent issue of Ergonomics in Design, human factors/ergonomics researchers found that storytelling as a qualitative research method was a more effective—and stimulating—way for health care practitioners to provide valuable insights during the information-gathering and product development phases.
Advances in research into Alzheimer's disease
Advances in research into Alzheimer's disease: transporter proteins at the blood CSF barrier and vitamin D may help prevent amyloid β build up in the brain
Aging boomers strain cities built for the young
(AP) -- America's cities are beginning to grapple with a fact of life: People are getting old, fast, and they're doing it in communities designed for the sprightly.
Doctors' use of e-prescriptions soars
Fifteen-month-old Mendel Grossbaum squirmed in his mother's arms as Dr. Darren Saks examined his ears and throat, then concluded the checkup with a prescription for vitamins - without ever touching paper.
Nearly all patients with high-grade bladder cancer do not receive guideline-recommended care
A study at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that nearly all patients with high-grade, non-invasive bladder cancer are not receiving the guideline-recommended care that would best protect them from recurrence, a finding that researchers characterized as alarming.
Vitamin D insufficiency prevalent among psoriatic arthritis suffers
New research reports a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among patients with psoriatic arthritis. Seasonal variation in vitamin D levels was not observed in patients in southern or northern locations. The findings published today in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), also show no association between disease activity and vitamin D level.
Cholera surges in Haiti's Central Plateau
(AP) -- An old man with sunken cheeks is so dehydrated he must be carried down the dirt lane to a clinic where the air is thick with the odor of bleach. Minutes later, a worried father enters, carrying a two-year-old girl in a frilly white dress, her eyes sunken and unfocused.
Black men place family and community above their own health
(Medical Xpress) -- Black men place a higher priority on fulfilling social roles such as family provider, father, husband and community member than they do on physical activity—and their health suffers because they don't often find time for both.
Out-of-body experiences linked to neural instability and biases in body representation
Although out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are typically associated with migraine, epilepsy and psychopathology, they are quite common in healthy and psychologically normal individuals as well. However, they are poorly understood. A new study, published in the July 2011 issue of Elsevier's Cortex, has linked these experiences to neural instabilities in the brain's temporal lobes and to errors in the body's sense of itself – even in non clinical populations.
Athletes may have different reasons for marijuana use
College athletes tend to be less likely than their non-athlete peers to smoke marijuana. But when they do, they may have some different reasons for it, according to a study in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Writing DNR orders takes longer, death more likely when surrogate decision-maker involved
Indiana University and Regenstrief Institute researchers report that it takes significantly longer for orders to forgo resuscitation in the event of cardiac arrest to be written for patients who had that decision made for them by a surrogate decision-maker compared to patients who made their own decisions, even though patients with a surrogate were sicker and the resuscitation issue might arise sooner. Among patients who died, patients with a surrogate had a shorter time frame between writing the DNR order and time of death compared to patients who made their own decisions.
Neural stem progenitor cell transplantation's potential to aid spinal cord injury tested
A study published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (20:5) investigating optimal routes for transplanting neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) in animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI) has demonstrated that intralesional (IL) injection conferred benefits over intravenous injection (IV) and intrathecal (IT) injection. The study, by a team of Keio University (Japan) researchers, is now freely available on-line.
Parkinson's disease patients may benefit from virtual-reality-based therapies
In people with Parkinson's Disease (PD), the inability to make quick movements limits basic functioning in daily life. Movement can be improved by various cueing techniques, such as providing visual or auditory stimuli when movements are started. In a study scheduled for publication in the August issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, researchers report that virtual reality (VR) and physical reality exercises can be used to provide effective stimuli to increase movement speeds in PD patients.
Giant hogweed can cause burns and blindness
(PhysOrg.com) -- The U.S Department of Agriculture is warning residents in a variety of states to be on the lookout for the Heracleum Mantegazzianum, or giant hogweed. This plant in native to Central Asia but has turned up in numerous states within the U.S. and can cause burns, blisters and blindness.
New study highlights what works in osteoporosis treatment
More patients are tested and treated for osteoporosis when fracture clinics have someone dedicated to screening for the bone disease, a new study has found.
Could targeting the skin help prevent the spread of HIV?
Applying a vaccine patch to the skin with thousands of tiny micro-needles could help boost the body's immune response and prevent the spread of life-threatening infections like HIV and TB, a major Cardiff University study aims to uncover.
Researchers announce discovery in fight against sepsis
New research from the Trudeau Institute may help to explain why anticoagulant therapies have largely failed to extend the lives of patients with sepsis. The study was led by Deyan Luo, a postdoctoral fellow in Stephen Smiley's laboratory. It shows that fibrin, a key product of the blood clotting process, is critical for host defense against Yersinia enterocolitica, a gram-negative bacterium that causes sepsis in humans and experimental mice. The new data will be published in the August 15 issue of The Journal of Immunology and is available now online ahead of print.
Study finds new points of attack on breast cancers not fueled by estrogen
Although it sounds like a case of gender confusion on a molecular scale, the male hormone androgen spurs the growth of some breast tumors in women. In a new study, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provide the first details of the cancer cell machinery that carries out the hormone's relentless growth orders.
Psychology study finds key early skills for later math learning
Psychologists at the University of Missouri have identified the beginning of first grade math skills that teachers and parents should target to effectively improve children's later math learning.
Epigenetic pathway and new drug show promise in reversing a hard-to-treat childhood cancer
A difficult-to-treat form of childhood leukemia relies on changes in the structure of DNA – so-called epigenetic changes – to wreak genomic havoc within white blood cells, according to one of two studies conducted by a research team at Children's Hospital Boston and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Together with collaborators from a biotechnology company, the same team also showed that a new drug that blocks these changes could deactivate cancer-promoting genes and halt the growth of this cancer.
SUMO defeats protein aggregates that typify Parkinson's disease
A small protein called SUMO might prevent the protein aggregations that typify Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study in the July 11, 2011, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology.
Drinking until you forget leads to injuries for college kids
"I don't remember how I got home from the party." This could be a text from last night to one hard-partying college student from another.
Natural pain relief from poisonous shrub
An extract of the poisonous shrub Jatropha curcas acts as a strong painkiller and may have a mode of action different from conventional analgesics, such as morphine and other pharmaceuticals. Details of tests are reported in the current issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology.
Large human study links phthalates, BPA and thyroid hormone levels
A link between chemicals called phthalates and thyroid hormone levels was confirmed by the University of Michigan in the first large-scale and nationally representative study of phthalates and BPA in relation to thyroid function in humans.
'Healthy' habits linked to childhood obesity in China
Teenaged boys from well-off Chinese families who say they are physically active and eat plenty of vegetables but few sweets are more likely to be overweight, according to a study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).
'Rule of rescue' often prevails in critical care units
High stakes life and death decisions are made every day by doctors and nurses in critical care units, but increasingly critical care clinicians are also tasked with containing costs and managing scarce resources in light of rising demands for and costs of care they provide. Physicians are often asked to consider limiting services for their patients to benefit society more broadly. Now, a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania indicates that the so-called "rule of rescue" -- whereby clinicians are prone to try to save their own patients as opposed to opening up a bed for a new patient -- often prevails even in the face of substantial social benefit in terms of cost containment and procurement of organ donations.
DSM-5 revisions for personality disorders reflect major change
The American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) propose a significant reformulation in how personality disorders are identified and assessed. The change integrates disorder types with pathological personality traits and, most importantly, levels of impairment in what is known as “personality functioning.”
New study may lead to quicker diagnosis, improved treatment for fatal lung disease
One-fifth of all patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension suffer with the fatal disease for more than two years before being correctly diagnosed and properly treated, according to a new national study led by researchers at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City.
New brain research suggests eating disorders impact brain function
Bulimia nervosa is a severe eating disorder associated with episodic binge eating followed by extreme behaviors to avoid weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or excessive exercise. It is poorly understood how brain function may be involved in bulimia.
To fight obesity, even babies should exercise
(AP) -- Preschoolers, even babies, need daily exercise, the British government says in its first-ever exercise advice for its youngest citizens.
Research suggests female minorities are more affected by racism than sexism
Studies by the University of Toronto's psychology department suggest that racism may impact some female minority groups more deeply than sexism.
New discovery throws light on blood pressure regulation
Researchers have discovered that a protein found in the walls of blood vessels plays a key role in maintaining healthy blood pressure; a discovery that could one day lead to new treatments for people with high blood pressure.
New study shows artery-opening procedure still widely used in spite of changed guidelines
Despite changes in standard treatment practice guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology several years ago, there has been no meaningful change in the nation's practice of opening completely blocked coronary arteries with balloons and stents in the days after a heart attack, according to a new study published in the July 11, 2011, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The new study concludes that cardiologists in the United States are still performing this procedure late after a heart attack.
Study links obstructive sleep apnea to blood vessel abnormalities
Obstructive sleep apnea may cause changes in blood vessel function that reduces blood supply to the heart in people who are otherwise healthy, according to new research reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Poor bone health may start early in people with multiple sclerosis
Osteoporosis and low bone density are common in people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published in the July 12, 2011, print issue of Neurology.
Salt diet dangers may be influenced by potassium
The debate about the dangers of eating too much salt has gained a new wrinkle: A federal study suggests that the people most at risk are those who also get too little potassium.
Team finds way to classify post-cardiac arrest patients to better predict outcomes
A new method for scoring the severity of illness for patients after cardiac arrest may help to predict their outcomes, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Most importantly, their findings, published in the early online version of Resuscitation, also show that none of the severity categories rules out the potential for a patient's recovery.
Multiple 'siblings' from every gene: Alternate gene reading leads to alternate gene products
A genome-wide survey by researchers at The Wistar Institute shows how our cells create alternate versions of mRNA transcripts by altering how they "read" DNA. Many genes are associated with multiple gene promoters, the researchers say, which is the predominant way multiple variants of a given gene, for example, can be made with the same genetic instructions.
Researchers identify key role of microRNAs in melanoma metastasis
Researchers at the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center at NYU Langone Medical Center, identified for the first time the key role specific microRNAs (miRNAs) play in melanoma metastasis to simultaneously cause cancer cells to invade and immunosuppress the human body's ability to fight abnormal cells. The new study is published in the July 11, 2011 issue of the journal Cancer Cell.
More oxygen in eyes of African-Americans may help explain glaucoma risk
Measuring oxygen during eye surgery, investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a reason that may explain why African-Americans have a higher risk of glaucoma than Caucasians.
Scientists unlock genetics of joint disorder ankylosing spondylitis
(Medical Xpress) -- A study involving over 5,000 people living with the joint disorder ankylosing spondylitis has identified a series of genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to the condition as well as providing new clues to how the condition may be treated in the future.
Genetic study sheds new light on auto-immune arthritis
The team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Queensland. Oxford, Texas and Toronto, used a technique called genome-wide association where millions of genetic markers are measured in thousands of people that have the disease and thousands of healthy individuals.
High-resolution imaging technology reveals cellular details of coronary arteries
Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed a one-micrometer-resolution version of the intravascular imaging technology optical coherence tomography (OCT) that can reveal cellular and subcellular features of coronary artery disease. In a Nature Medicine paper receiving advance online publication, the investigators describe how microOCT – which provides 10 times greater resolution than standard OCT – was able to show individual arterial and inflammatory cells, including features that may identify vulnerable plaques, within coronary artery samples.
Scientists discover first gonorrhea strain resistant to all available antibiotics
An international research team has discovered a strain of gonorrhea resistant to all currently available antibiotics. This new strain is likely to transform a common and once easily treatable infection into a global threat to public health. The details of the discovery made by Dr. Magnus Unemo, Dr. Makoto Ohnishi, and colleagues will be presented at the 19th conference of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Disease Research (ISSTDR) which runs July 10-13 in Quebec City, Canada.
The truth about cats and dogs: Pets are good for mental health of 'everyday people'
Pets can serve as important sources of social and emotional support for "everyday people," not just individuals facing significant health challenges, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Quick test can predict immune responses to flu shots
Researchers at the Emory Vaccine Center have developed a method for predicting whether someone will produce high levels of antibodies against a flu shot a few days after vaccination.
Spanish surgeons claim first double leg transplant
Spanish surgeons Monday performed the world's first double-leg transplant on a man whose legs were amputated above the knee after an accident, officials said.
Even before language, babies learn the world through sounds
It's not just the words, but the sounds of words that have meaning for us. This is true for children and adults, who can associate the strictly auditory parts of language -- vowels produced in the front or the back of the mouth, high or low pitch -- with blunt or pointy things, large or small things, fast-moving or long-staying things.
De novo mutations provide new genetic clues for schizophrenia
De novo mutations – genetic errors that are present in patients but not in their parents – are more frequent in schizophrenic patients than in normal individuals, according to an international group of scientists led by Dr. Guy A. Rouleau of the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital. The discovery, published today in Nature Genetics, may enable researchers to define how the disease results from these mutations and eventually develop new treatments for it.
A classic instinct -- salt appetite -- is linked to drug addiction
A team of Duke University Medical Center and Australian scientists has found that addictive drugs may have hijacked the same nerve cells and connections in the brain that serve a powerful, ancient instinct: the appetite for salt.
Genome-scale study of 100 cell lines pinpoints vulnerabilities in ovarian cancer
Cancer is not invincible but its weaknesses can be difficult to detect. An effort known as Project Achilles — named after the Greek warrior whose one vulnerability led to his undoing — was launched to develop a systematic way of pinpointing these weak spots. In their largest and most comprehensive effort to date, researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute examined cells from over 100 tumors, including 25 ovarian cancer tumors, to unearth the genes upon which cancers depend. One of these genes, PAX8, is altered in a significant fraction of ovarian tumors — nearly one-fifth of those surveyed in the study. Their results appear online July 11 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Categories rule: High-order brain centers pave the way for visual recognition
(Medical Xpress) -- The real world is, in a word, cluttered – but thanks to evolution, we (and other mammals) have no trouble detecting objects in visually complex natural environments. Determining precisely how this occurs is a deceptively complex task, since the retinal and neural mechanisms responsible for simpler percepts – lines, edges and the like –do not account for this survival skill – in fact, they actually interfere with it. Recently, however, scientists have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to elucidate the top-down processes by which high-level cortical areas that deal not with simple percepts, but rather abstract perceptual categories, actually prepare lower-level visual brain centers to perceive detail amidst disorder.
Biology news
Is ocean garbage killing whales?
Millions of tonnes of plastic debris dumped each year in the world's oceans could pose a lethal threat to whales, according to a scientific assessment to be presented at a key international whaling forum this week.
A murder in the magpie's nest: Brutal, non-parental infanticide in the black-billed magpie
A brutal case of infanticide has been recently reported in the black-billed magpie. In a series of vivid videos, an adult perpetrator kills or drags out all six nestlings from a nest. Who could have done it, and why?
Tammar wallaby's clever immune tricks revealed
(PhysOrg.com) -- Until now, it was a mystery why many marsupials have two thymuses—key organs in the immune system—instead of the one typical of other mammals. Now postdoctoral researcher Dr. Emily Wong from the University of Sydney and her colleagues have found that the two organs are identical, which suggests why they are there.
Fish placenta is unfavourable survival strategy
Fish with a placenta struggle to adapt to rapid changes in the food supply. They probably evolved in a stable, food-rich environment. As ecosystems change under the influence of humans, they are experiencing greater difficulty in surviving than fish which lay eggs. Dutch researcher Bart Pollux has published his findings about this in the journal Functional Ecology.
Modelling the root of crop disease
For sugar beet farmers, the appearance of yellowing patches in a field of sugar beet is an alarming sight. It could signal the presence of ‘root madness’, or rhizomania, and a potential reduction in their root sugar yield by 50–60%.
Data revealing migrations of larval reef fish vital for designing networks of marine protected areas
Networks of biologically-connected marine protected areas need to be carefully planned, taking into account the open ocean migrations of marine fish larvae that take them from one home to another sometimes hundreds of kilometers away.
Malaria parasites use camouflage to trick immune defences of pregnant women
Copenhagen University Hospital and the University of Copenhagen have discovered why malaria parasites are able to hide from the immune defences of expectant mothers, allowing the parasite to attack the placenta. The discovery is an important part of the efforts researchers are making to understand this frequently fatal disease and to develop a vaccine.
California uses wasps in battle against apple moths
California agricultural officials will release hundreds of tiny, stinger-less wasps this month to combat the fruit- and leaf-eating light-brown apple moth, in a move to find alternatives to aerial pesticide spraying.
First ever photo of fish using tools
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new paper soon to be published in Coral Reefs reveals the first ever photographs of a fish, in this case the blackspot tuskfish, using tools to acquire their food.
Krill found to have hidden depths
Antarctic krill regularly feed on the seabed, scientists have found. Until now the tiny crustaceans were thought to live mainly near the ocean surface.
Why fireflies blink in synch
For decades, scientists and the public alike have wondered why some fireflies exhibit synchronous flashing, in which large groups produce rhythmic, repeated flashes in unison – sometimes lighting up a whole forest at once.
Breeding a better bee
The population of honeybees remains endangered, threatening the world's food supply, and scientists have decided that the best way to save the insects may be to breed a better bee.
Climate change study warns 1 in 10 species could face extinction by 2100
One in 10 species could face extinction by the year 2100 if current climate change impacts continue. This is the result of University of Exeter research, examining studies on the effects of recent climate change on plant and animal species and comparing this with predictions of future declines.
Research could be path to new energy sources
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers led by University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Professor Joe Chappell is making a connection from prehistoric times to the present that could result in being able to genetically create a replacement for oil and coal shale deposits. This could have fundamental implications for the future of the earth’s energy supply.
Owl study expands understanding of human stereovision
Using owls as a model, a new research study reveals the advantage of stereopsis, commonly referred to as stereovision, is its ability to discriminate between objects and background; not in perceiving absolute depth. The findings were published in a recent Journal of Vision article, Owls see in stereo much like humans do.
New research shows forest trees remember their roots
When it comes to how they respond to the environment, trees may not be that different from humans.
Potato genome sequenced
The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC), a team of scientists from institutions worldwide, including Virginia Tech, has published its findings in the Sunday July 10 online issue of the journal Nature.
Before animals first walked on land, fish carried gene program for limbs
Genetic instructions for developing limbs and digits were present in primitive fish millions of years before their descendants first crawled on to land, researchers have discovered.
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