Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for February 7, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Scientists develop biological computer to encrypt and decipher images- Haptic cube lets you feel tomorrow's temps
- Redder ladybirds more deadly, say scientists
- New insights into how to correct false knowledge
- A bronze matryoshka doll: The metal in the metal in the metal
- Warning! Collision imminent! The brain's quick interceptions help you navigate the world
- Security flaw exposed in home security cameras
- Physicists 'record' magnetic breakthrough
- Nanoshell whispering galleries improve thin solar panels
- Innovation promises expanded roles for microsensors
- California hits wind energy milestone: About 5 percent of power from wind
- All foamed up: Synthesis of macroporous polystyrene through polymerization of foamed emulsions
- Computer security firm Symantec extorted by hackers
- Yahoo! chairman, three directors stepping down
- Scientists use an old theory to discover new targets in the fight against breast cancer
Space & Earth news
Quantifying climate impacts: New comprehensive model comparison launched
Climate change has impacts on forests, fields, rivers -- and thereby on humans that breathe, eat and drink. To assess these impacts more accurately, a comprehensive comparison of computer-based simulations from all over the world will start this week. For the first time, sectors ranging from ecosystems to agriculture to water supplies and health will be scrutinized in a common framework.
Americans' knowledge of polar regions up, but not their concern
Americans' knowledge of facts about the polar regions of the globe has increased since 2006, but this increase in knowledge has not translated into more concern about changing polar environments, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
Airline industry split widens over EU carbon 'tax' row
A split widened within the aviation industry Tuesday over EU charges for carbon emissions, as Europe's low-cost carriers accused Chinese and US rivals of "gunboat" diplomacy against the system.
Engineering safer drinking water in Africa
In the United States and other developed countries, fluoride is often added to drinking water and toothpaste to help strengthen teeth. But too much naturally occurring fluoride can have exactly the opposite effect.
Russia sets its sights on the moon for 2020
Looks like Republican Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich might have some competition if he wants to be the first to build a base on the Moon. Last week, the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos announced plans to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade with a lunar base as its next step.
Man who warned of Challenger disaster dies at 73
The man who warned his employer of the equipment quirk that led to the deadly explosion of the space shuttle Challenger has died. Roger Boisjoly was 73.
NASA's TRMM satellite measures flooding rains from Australia monsoon
A monsoon trough continues to drench northeastern Australia and NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite measured and calculated the rainfall in the region.
NASA sees cyclone Jasmine's power and new eye
Cyclone Jasmine continues to wind between New Caledonia and Vanuatu and bring cyclone-force winds, heavy rain and very rough surf. NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead early on February 7 and noticed the strongest part of the cyclone was around the center and north and east of the center. Aqua data showed that an eye has developed.
NASA satellite sees tropical storm Cyril a strong, compact storm
Tropical Storm Cyril was known as "11P" has been strengthening since February 6, and still appears very compact on infrared NASA satellite data.
When worlds collide: Researchers harness supercomputers to understand solar storm, magnetosphere
If the sun is anything, it is reassuring. It rises, sets, and rises again, allowing us to grow crops, get tan, and power homes, just to name a few of humanity's most important life-sustaining functions. No wonder it was considered a deity by countless ancient civilizations.
Mars Express radar gives strong evidence for former Mars ocean
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA's Mars Express has returned strong evidence for an ocean once covering part of Mars. Using radar, it has detected sediments reminiscent of an ocean floor within the boundaries of previously identified, ancient shorelines on Mars.
Technology news
Coinstar's stock soars on strong 4Q for Redbox
(AP) -- Coinstar's fourth-quarter earnings soared past analyst estimates as the company's Redbox kiosks for renting DVDs picked up customers who stopped getting their discs through Netflix's rival service.
RF transmitter and receiver modules for wheelchair
Inventions can help physically-challenged people lead life with fewer difficulties. Mohd Thamrin, Rosman R. and Sarmawi D. S. of UiTM Shah Alam Malaysia studied the use of inexpensive RF transmitters and receiver modules for wireless transmission to improve the functionality and efficiency of the manual controlled wheelchair.
Univision, Disney look at English news channel
(AP) -- Univision and Disney are in talks to create a 24-hour news channel for Latinos in English, two sources close to the negotiations said Monday.
'Anfield Cat' takes Twitter by storm
A cat which took centre-stage at the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Tottenham was getting used to life as an Internet sensation Tuesday after acquiring more than 30,000 Twitter followers.
Governor Kasich announces 10-fold boost to Ohio's broadband network
Ohio will soon see a ten-fold boost to its broadband network speeds, which will benefit research and job-creating assets statewide. Governor John R. Kasich made the announcement at his State of the State address in Steubenville today, highlighting the first ever state-led initiative that will leverage astonishing network speeds of 100 Gigabits per second (Gbps) to advance research and job growth across Ohio's medical research, higher education, manufacturing, engineering and technology networking corridors.
Disney 1Q revenue misses estimates but profits up
(AP) -- The Walt Disney Co. says net income rose 12 percent in the final quarter of 2011, as revenue inched higher amid company cost cutting.
Looking for work? There may be an app for that
(AP) -- Looking for a promising career in a lousy economy? A new study suggests you're apt to find it in apps - the services and tools built to run on smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network.
Firm claims Apple infringing trademark in China
A Taiwan-linked company which claims ownership of the iPad trademark in China has filed lawsuits and lodged complaints against Apple for infringement, according to a lawyer.
All set and ready to glow
A new technique that paves the way for manufacturing affordable LED light bulbs is to be exploited in the UK, in a deal that researchers say could have a dramatic impact on carbon emissions.
Energy mythbusting: The truth about those energy-saving tips
You've read the energy-saving tips. You've armed yourself with caulk. You're ready to do some serious damage to your gas and electric bills. Not so fast.
Facebook's financial details raise red flags for some
Facebook Inc. has opened its books to eager investors, but some don't like what they see.
U.S. to lease waters off Mid-Atlantic for wind farms
Lighting Maryland homes with power from giant turbines off Ocean City moved closer to reality Thursday, as federal officials announced they are ready to lease vast areas along the Mid-Atlantic coast for wind farms.
Fuel economy of new vehicles continues to rise: report
(PhysOrg.com) -- The average fuel economy of current model year vehicles is 14 percent higher than just four years ago, say researchers at the University of Michigan.
'App Economy' is huge US job creator: study
The explosion of software applications for smartphones, tablet computers and Facebook has created nearly 500,000 jobs in the United States since 2007, according to a study published on Tuesday.
Amazon planning first real-world shop: report
Online retail titan Amazon will open its first real-world shop in just a few months, according to a blog devoted to news about electronic readers such as the popular Kindle.
Tech-savvy Singapore sees spike in online scams
Internet scams have increased in Singapore as consumers in the tech-savvy city-state increasingly turn to online shopping, but the overall crime rate fell to a 20-year low, police said Tuesday.
New tool for analyzing solar-cell materials
To make a silicon solar cell, you start with a slice of highly purified silicon crystal, and then process it through several stages involving gradual heating and cooling. But figuring out the tradeoffs involved in selecting the purity level of the starting silicon wafer — and then exactly how much to heat it, how fast, for how long, and so on through each of several steps — has largely been a matter of trial and error, guided by intuition and experience.
California hits wind energy milestone: About 5 percent of power from wind
California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power, according to data released Tuesday by the California Wind Energy Association.
Engineers boost computer processor performance by over 20 percent
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that allows graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs) on a single chip to collaborate – boosting processor performance by an average of more than 20 percent.
Oracle rejects $272M SAP award, demands new trial
Business software maker Oracle Corp. has turned down $272 million in court-ordered damages from SAP AG in hopes of leaving a much bigger dent in its rival's pocketbook and reputation during a second trial over allegations of corporate theft.
Security flaw exposed in home security cameras
Trendnet, a maker of Web-connected home security cameras, has issued an update to fix a vulnerability that allows Internet users to spy on private video feeds.
Innovation promises expanded roles for microsensors
Researchers have learned how to improve the performance of sensors that use tiny vibrating microcantilevers to detect chemical and biological agents for applications from national security to food processing.
Computer security firm Symantec extorted by hackers
Computer security firm Symantec on Tuesday confirmed it tried to turn the tables on hackers who threatened to release stolen source code if a demand for $50,000 was not met.
Yahoo! chairman, three directors stepping down
Yahoo! chairman Roy Bostock announced Tuesday he was stepping down from the board of the struggling Internet company along with three other directors.
Haptic cube lets you feel tomorrow's temps
(PhysOrg.com) -- Will it be an invention joining a storage room of other inventions? Or kicked further up to gadget boutiques for the very rich? Or a popular gadget for many worldwide? Whatever its destiny, the device concept of a haptic weather cube has been making the rounds of tech-gadget sites. Robb Godshaw is the creator of the device, which he calls the Cryoscope. This, he says, is a haptic weather forecaster, which he demonstrates in a video.
Medicine & Health news
Potential breast cancer prevention drug found to cause significant bone loss
A drug that has been shown to prevent breast cancer in postmenopausal women at high risk of developing the disease, and is poised for widespread use, appears to significantly worsen age-related bone loss, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.
Long-term study shows epilepsy surgery improves seizure control and quality of life
While epilepsy surgery is a safe and effective intervention for seizure control, medical therapy remains the more prominent treatment option for those with epilepsy. However, a new 26-year study reveals that following epilepsy surgery, nearly half of participants were free of disabling seizures and 80% reported better quality of life than before surgery. Findings from this study—the largest long-term study to date—are now available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).
New DVT guidelines: No evidence to support 'economy class syndrome'
New evidence-based guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) address the many risk factors for developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or blood clot, as the result of long-distance travel. These risk factors include the use of oral contraceptives, sitting in a window seat, advanced age, and pregnancy. The Antithrombotic Therapy and Prevention of Thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines, published in the February issue of the journal CHEST, also suggest there is no definitive evidence to support that traveling in economy class can lead to the development of a DVT, therefore, dispelling the myth of the so-called "economy class syndrome."
Research suggests use of LE strips to diagnose PJI
Rothman Institute at Jefferson joint researchers continue to seek better ways to diagnose and subsequently treat periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in patients following total joint arthroplasty. Their latest research shows leukocyte esterase reagent (LE) strips, common in diagnosing urinary tract infections, can also have a role in rapid diagnosis of PJI.
Study identifies steep learning curve for surgeons who perform ACL reconstructions
Patients who have their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructed by surgeons who have performed less than 60 surgeries are roughly four to five times more likely to undergo a subsequent ACL reconstruction, according to a study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. The study also showed that participating in a subspecialty orthopedic fellowship-training program did not improve the learning curve of young surgeons performing ACL reconstructions. The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, held Feb 7-11.
EASL publishes first European Clinical Practice Guidelines for Wilson's disease
Geneva, Switzerland: The first European Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for the diagnosis and management of Wilson's disease are published today by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) on the EASL website -- www.easl.eu.(1) Developed to assist physicians and healthcare providers in the clinical decision making process, the guidelines describe best practice for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Wilson's disease -- a rare genetic(2) disorder that, if left untreated, is fatal.
Obama to seek more Alzheimer's research money
(AP) -- The Obama administration wants to spend just over half a billion dollars on Alzheimer's research next year, hoping to battle back against what could become the defining disease of the aging baby-boom generation.
Research finds children with social phobia are judged less attractive
(Medical Xpress) -- A recent study from the Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, has found children with social phobia are judged as less attractive and are less liked by their peers, than children without anxiety disorders.
Restricting calories early on does not help acute lung injury patients on ventilators
Acute lung injury patients on ventilators who require a feeding tube have a similar number of ventilator-free hospital days and similar mortality rates if they receive a low-calorie feeding program initially followed by a full-calorie program compared to a full-calorie program right away. These results are part of a new clinical study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.
Buying statins online could damage your health, scientists warn
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists are calling for tighter controls on websites selling statins to the public without prescription. In a paper published this week, they highlight the danger of buying statins from web sites that sell the drugs with little or no advice and which don’t list potentially dangerous side-effects.
UK researchers rank best online advice for postnatal depression
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Sussex have identified the top five internet sites offering support for women struggling with postnatal mental illness such as depression or anxiety.
One in four UK children facing multiple risks to development, study finds
(Medical Xpress) -- More than one in four UK infants is growing up in families facing multiple challenges such as parental depression and financial hardship that can have a damaging effect on children’s development, new research suggests.
Under the Microscope #6 -- Killer T-cells
In this video we see a killer T-cell of the immune system attacking a cancer cell.
New therapy combination prolongs survival in dogs with lymphoma
A new immunotherapy for companion dogs with advanced-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has been shown to improve survival while maintaining quality of life, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The study resulted from a collaboration between The University of Texas MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital in Houston and Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in College Station.
Knee replacement may lower a patient's risk for mortality and heart failure
New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) highlights the benefits of total knee replacement (TKR) in elderly patients with osteoarthritis, including a lower probability of heart failure and mortality.
Competitive soccer linked to increased injuries and menstrual dysfunction in girls
In the U.S., there are nearly three million youth soccer players, and half of them are female. New research presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that despite reporting appropriate body perception and attitudes toward eating, elite youth soccer athletes (club level or higher) face an increased risk for delayed or irregular menstruation. In addition, female soccer players are more likely to suffer a stress fracture or ligament injury. A separate study found that a consistent 15-minute warm-up substantially decreases knee injury risk.
Computer order entry systems reduce preventable adverse drug events
Despite a national mandate to implement electronic health records and computer order entry systems (CPOE) by 2014, only approximately 30 percent of hospitals nationwide have done so and around 40 percent of hospitals in the state of Massachusetts have made this transition. New research from Brigham and Women's Hospital examined the impact of a vendor-developed CPOE in five community hospitals in Massachusetts and found that these CPOE systems are effective at reducing drug-related injury and harm. This research is published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Komen exec quits after Planned Parenthood flap
(AP) -- An executive at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity resigned Tuesday over her support to strip Planned Parenthood of funding, but disputed that she was the driving force behind the decision that created a firestorm of criticism last week.
Cirrhosis patients losing muscle mass have a higher death rate
Medical researchers at the University of Alberta reviewed the medical records of more than 100 patients who had a liver scarring condition and discovered those who were losing muscle were more apt to die while waiting for a liver transplant. These cirrhosis patients were placed at a lower spot on the transplant list because they had a higher functioning liver and were seemingly less sick than others with the same condition, based on scoring systems physicians commonly use today.
Teenage pregnancy is not a racial issue
While researchers have long set to determine if there is a tie between race and teenage pregnancy, according to a new study, equating black teenagers with the problem of teenage pregnancy is a misrepresentation of today's reality. This new study is detailed in the article, "Black Teenage Pregnancy: A Dynamic Social Problem," published in SAGE Open.
Pa. college machine dispenses 'morning-after' pill
(AP) -- Students at a Pennsylvania university can obtain the "morning-after" pill from an unusual source - a vending machine at the campus health center.
New study shows Facebook use elevates mood
People visit social networking sites such as Facebook for many reasons, including the positive emotional experience that people enjoy and want to repeat, according to an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Modern, low-energy ammunition can cause deep tissue damage
Gunshot injuries are typically categorized as low- or high-energy based on the weapon's missile velocity and mass. Typically, low energy injuries are treated with simple wound care, with or without antibiotics, regardless of the presence of a fracture. In contrast, high energy injuries are treated more aggressively.
Risk of pulmonary embolism greatest during first week following total joint replacement
The elevated risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) – a blood clot that travels from the leg to the lungs – following total joint replacement (TJR) surgery has been well established, yet little is known about the natural course and timing of this potentially fatal condition.
Risk of death from breast cancer higher among older patients
Among postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, increasing age was associated with a higher risk of death from breast cancer, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA.
Aspirin may prevent DVT and PE in joint replacement patients
Following a total joint replacement, anticoagulation (blood thinning) drugs can prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot deep within the extremities, or a pulmonary embolism (PE), a complication that causes a blood clot to move to the lungs. However, prolonged use of these therapies may increase the risk of hemorrhage and infection.
Post surgical phone support improves outcome following knee replacement
Poor emotional health and morbid obesity are associated with less functional gain following total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. In the new study, "Can Telephone Support During Post-TKR Rehabilitation Improve Post-op Function: A Randomized Controlled Trial," presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), approximately 180 patients were categorized by gender, body mass index (BMI) and emotional health. Each patient randomly received either emotional telephone support by a trained behavioral specialist, or standard patient care. Telephone support included three phone calls before surgery, one in-person hospital visit, and eight weekly post-operative calls.
44 percent of postmenopausal women with distal radius fracture have low levels of vitamin D
Wrist fractures, also called distal radius fractures (DRF), are among the most common osteoporosis-related fractures occurring on average 15 years earlier than hip fractures. As vitamin D deficiency has recently been linked with muscle weakness, increased fall risks, and bone fractures, investigators sought to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among post menopausal women with DRF. The study, "Hypovitaminosis D in Postmenopausal Women with a Distal Radius Fracture," was presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Researchers find epidural steroid injections do not benefit spine patients
Researchers at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson examined data on patients being treated for lumbar stenosis and the degenerative spine condition spondylolisthesis and found that patients who received epidural steroid injections (ESI) had a higher rate of crossover to surgery and fared worse in physical health and bodily pain versus those who did not receive ESI, dispelling their pre-study hypothesis.
Study evaluates antibiotic option for treating bladder infection in women
Short-term use of the antibiotic cefpodoxime for the treatment of women with uncomplicated cystitis (bladder infection) did not meet criteria for noninferiority for achieving clinical cure compared with ciprofloxacin, a drug in the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics for which there have been concerns about overuse and a resulting increase in resistance rates, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA. The criteria for noninferiority was if the efficacy of cefpodoxime had been shown to be within a pre-specified margin of 10 percent of the efficacy of ciprofloxacin.
Economic factors impact orthopaedic trauma volume
Previous studies have found that human behavior during a recession is remarkably different than that during a bullish economy. For example, people tend to spend more time focused on working and less time engaging in leisure and recreation activities, resulting in fewer motor vehicle and other accidents.
Frequent house moves during childhood ups risk of subsequent poor health
Frequent house moves during childhood seem to increase the risk of poor health in later life, suggests research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Teen school drop-outs three times as likely to be on benefits in later life
Teen school drop-outs are almost three times as likely to be on benefits in later life as their peers who complete their schooling, indicates research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Weaning on finger foods rather than spoon-fed purees may help children stay slim
Infants allowed to feed themselves with finger foods from the start of weaning (baby led weaning) are likely to eat more healthily and be an appropriate weight as they get older than infants spoon-fed purees, indicates a small study published in BMJ Open.
New findings highlight the benefit of exercise ECGs just as they are being scrapped
In the UK, the exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most common initial test for the evaluation of stable chest pain and has been used widely for almost half a century. However, recent NICE guidelines recommend that it should not be used to diagnose or exclude stable angina in patient assessments. New research published in the BMJ Open finds that the test has other uses that transcend its technical contribution to diagnosis.
Calories, not protein or carbs, are key to weight loss for people with diabetes
(Medical Xpress) -- Overweight or obese people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to reduce weight if they focus on cutting back on total calorie intake, rather than specific high protein/high carbohydrate diets according to a new study from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Winter blues see the light
(Medical Xpress) -- It happens every year — the shortened daylight hours of the winter months always seem to affect one’s mood. People of all ages can develop seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of clinical depression which occurs at a particular time of the year, usually during the fall and winter, and resolving by spring.
Research links 'brain waves' to cognition, attention and diagnosing disorders
Professor Jason Mattingley, Foundation Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at The University of Queensland, released his findings into ‘brain waves' at the Australian Neuroscience Society's (ANS) annual conference last week.
My connectome, myself
The human brain has 100 billion neurons, each of which is connected to many others. Neuroscientists believe these connections hold the key to our memories, personality and even mental disorders such as schizophrenia. By unraveling them, we may be able to learn more about how we become our unique selves, and possibly even how to alter those selves.
Nigeria lead poisoning 'worst in modern history': HRW
A lead poisoning epidemic in Nigeria's north that has killed 400 children and affected thousands is the worst in modern history, but cleanup has not even begun in many areas, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
Psychologists debate social media role in suicide interventions
In her sophomore year at Lake Forest College, Sam Sekulich had reached a breaking point. On top of the pressure she felt from classes and student clubs, she was fighting with her parents and not consistently taking medication for her bipolar disorder. Feeling anxious and overwhelmed, she went to the one place where someone is always listening: Facebook.
Diabetes linked to higher rate of birth defects
(Medical Xpress) -- Pregnant women with diabetes are almost four times more likely to have a baby with a birth defect than women without the condition and the likelihood is linked to the mother's glucose level, according to a new study.
In autism, gene findings may help explain biology, guide drug discovery
(Medical Xpress) -- Autism and related disorders that profoundly affect behavior and development are diagnosed more often today than ever before.
A spoonful of sugar or a bitter blocker?
Dr Hannah Newton, an historian of science with an interest in how previous generations coped with childhood illness, digs up some 17th century tips for making medicine taste better and finds evidence for common sense and compassion among the doctors of the day.
Why the middle finger has such a slow connection
Each part of the body has its own nerve cell area in the brain -- we therefore have a map of our bodies in our heads. The functional significance of these maps is largely unclear. What effects they can have is now shown by Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) neuroscientists through reaction time measurements combined with learning experiments and "computational modeling." They have been able to demonstrate that inhibitory influences of neighboring "finger nerve cells" affect the reaction time of a finger.
The dark path to antisocial personality disorder
With no lab tests to guide the clinician, psychiatric diagnostics is challenging and controversial. Antisocial personality disorder is defined as "a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood," according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association.
Researchers pave the way for improving treatment for Type 2 diabetes
In a study published last week in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, a team led by Dr. Vincent Poitout of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM)* has made an important step forward in understanding how insulin secretion is regulated in the body. This discovery has important implications for drugs currently in development to treat Type 2 diabetes, a disease which is diagnosed every 10 seconds somewhere throughout the world.
Comparing yourself to others can have health impacts
(Medical Xpress) -- Comparing yourself to others with the same health problem can influence your physical and emotional health, according to researchers who conducted a qualitative synthesis of over 30 studies focusing on the relationship between social comparisons and health.
GlaxoSmithKline says annual profits triple to £5.26 bln
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said Tuesday that net profits more than tripled in 2011 compared with the previous year, as large efficiency savings offset falling revenues.
Padded headgear, boxing gloves may offer some protection for fighters
The use of padded headgear and gloves reduces the impact that fighters absorb from hits to the head, according to newly published research from Cleveland Clinic.
CD97 gene expression and function correlate with WT1 protein expression and glioma invasiveness
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center's VCU Massey Cancer Center and Harold F. Young Neurosurgical Center (Richmond, VA) and Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA) have discovered that suppression of Wilms tumor 1 protein (WT1) results in downregulation of CD97 gene expression in three glioblastoma cell lines and reduces the characteristic invasiveness exhibited by glial tumor cells. This finding is announced in the article, "Novel report of expression and function of CD97 in malignant gliomas: correlation with Wilms tumor 1 expression and glioma cell invasiveness," by Archana Chidambaram, Ph.D., and colleagues, published online ahead of print today in the Journal of Neurosurgery. Although further studies must be performed, the authors propose that CD97 may prove to be a new target for anti-glioma therapies.
Top off breakfast with -- chocolate cake?
When it comes to diets, cookies and cake are off the menu. Now, in a surprising discovery, researchers from Tel Aviv University have found that dessert, as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help dieters to lose more weight — and keep it off in the long run.
Vitamin D deficiency high among trauma patients
New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that 77 percent of trauma patients had deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D.
Parkinson's disease: Study of live human neurons reveals the disease's genetic origins
Parkinson's disease researchers at the University at Buffalo have discovered how mutations in the parkin gene cause the disease, which afflicts at least 500,000 Americans and for which there is no cure.
Diabetic kidney failure follows a 'ROCK'y road
A protein kinase known as ROCK1 can exacerbate an important process called fission in the mitochondria, the power plants of cells, leading to diabetic kidney disease, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online today in the journal Cell Metabolism. (ROCK1 stands for (Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1.)
Ovarian cancer risk related to inherited inflammation genes
In a study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues from 11 other institutions in the Unites States and the United Kingdom, genes that are known to be involved in inflammation were found to be related to risk of ovarian cancer.
A therapist in your pocket
Brooding in your apartment on Saturday afternoon? A new smart phone intuits when you're depressed and will nudge you to call or go out with friends.
Brain mechanisms link foods to rising obesity rates
An editorial authored by University of Cincinnati (UC) diabetes researchers to be published in the Feb. 7, 2012, issue of the journal Cell Metabolism sheds light on the biological factors contributing to rising rates of obesity and discusses strategies to reduce body weight.
Metabolic profiles essential for personalizing cancer therapy
One way to tackle a tumor is to take aim at the metabolic reactions that fuel their growth. But a report in the February Cell Metabolism shows that one metabolism-targeted cancer therapy will not fit all. That means that metabolic profiling will be essential for defining each cancer and choosing the best treatment accordingly, the researchers say.
CDC: Bread beats out chips as biggest salt source
Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food like potato chips.
Treatment for tuberculosis can be guided by patients' genetics
A gene that influences the inflammatory response to infection may also predict the effectiveness of drug treatment for a deadly form of tuberculosis.
Study: Breastfeeding can be tougher for women when pregnancy is unplanned
Women who did not plan to get pregnant are much more likely to stop breastfeeding within three months of giving birth, according to a study published in the journal Current Anthropology. The research suggests that women whose pregnancies were unplanned often experience more emotional and physical discomfort with breastfeeding compared to women who planned to get pregnant.
CDC: Fewer smokers go to the dentist
Smokers not only have more problems with their teeth than non-smokers, they also go to the dentist less often.
Rotavirus vaccine not associated with increased risk of intestinal disorder in US infants
Although some data have suggested a possible increased risk of intussusception (when a portion of the small or large intestine slides forward into itself, like a telescope) after administration of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in infants, an analysis that included almost 800,000 doses administered to U.S. infants found no increased risk of this condition following vaccination, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA.
Administration of meningococcal vaccine with other routine infant vaccines appears effective
Administration of routine infant immunizations with a vaccine for serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis, a bacterium that is a cause of serious disease such as sepsis and meningitis, was effective against meningococcal strains and produced minimal interference with the response to the routine vaccinations, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA.
Justifying insurance coverage for orphan drugs
How can insurers justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient per year on "orphan drugs" – extremely expensive medications for rare conditions that are mostly chronic and life-threatening -- when this money could provide greater overall health benefit if spread out among many other patients? Those spending decisions reflect the "rule of rescue," the value that our society places on saving lives in immediate danger at any expense. But the broad application of the rule of rescue will be increasingly difficult to support as "personalized medicine" produces more drugs genetically targeted to relatively small groups of patients, concludes an article in the Hastings Center Report. For example, rather than a new blockbuster drug that treats millions with hypertension, new targeted therapies will treat only those few thousand with a particular genetic makeup.
Drinking large amounts of soft drinks associated with asthma and COPD
A new study published in the journal Respirology reveals that a high level of soft drink consumption is associated with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Mechanism of calming hyperactivity by psychostimulant drugs identified
It has long been known that psychostimulant drugs have the paradoxical effect of reducing hyperactivity. [Psychostimulant drugs include methylphenidate – known by the trade names Ritalin, Concerta, and Methylin – and methamphetamine]. Since the mid-1950s, millions of children and adults have been prescribed stimulant medications to control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But for more than seven decades, since the first experiment that gave an amphetamine drug to children diagnosed with behavioral problems, scientists have not known how stimulants work to control hyperactivity.
Researchers increase understanding of gene's potentially protective role in Parkinson's
Treatments for Parkinson's disease, estimated to affect 1 million Americans, have yet to prove effective in slowing the progression of the debilitating disease.
Mild cognitive impairment is associated with disability and neuropsychiatric symptoms
In low- and middle-income countries, mild cognitive impairment—an intermediate state between normal signs of cognitive aging, such as becoming increasingly forgetful, and dementia, which may or may not progress—is consistently associated with higher disability and with neuropsychiatric symptoms but not with most socio-demographic factors, according to a large study published in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Transmission of Clostridium difficile in hospitals may not be through contact with infected patients
Contrary to current convention by which infection with the organism Clostridium difficile is regarded as an infection that is acquired by contact with symptomatic patients known to be infected with C. difficile, these may account for only a minority of new cases of the infection. These findings are important as they indicate that C. difficile infection, which can be fatal especially in older people, may not be effectively controlled by current hospital infection strategies.
Brain cells created from patients' skin cells
(Medical Xpress) -- Cambridge scientists have, for the first time, created cerebral cortex cells – those that make up the brain’s grey matter – from a small sample of human skin. The researchers’ findings, which were funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Wellcome Trust, were published today in Nature Neuroscience.
Green tea found to reduce disability in the elderly
(Medical Xpress) -- A lot of research has been done over the past several years looking into the health benefits of green tea. As a result, scientists have found that regular consumption of the beverage leads to a reduction in several maladies often associated with aging, such as osteoporosis, stroke and cognitive impairment. But until now, according to the authors of a new study on its benefits, no such studies have been undertaken to determine if regular tea drinking provides other benefits, such as a reduction in functional disabilities. Because of this, a research project was undertaken by a team from Tokyo’s Graduate School of Medicine, and they have found that older people who drink more green tea tend to have less functional disabilities than do those who don’t. They have published their findings in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Study: Rapid bone loss as possible side effect of anti-obesity drug now in clinical trials
An endocrine hormone used in clinical trials as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drug causes significant and rapid bone loss in mice, raising concerns about its safe use, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have shown.
Warning! Collision imminent! The brain's quick interceptions help you navigate the world
Researchers at The Neuro and the University of Maryland have figured out the mathematical calculations that specific neurons employ in order to inform us of our distance from an object and the 3-D velocities of moving objects and surfaces relative to ourselves.
Scientists use an old theory to discover new targets in the fight against breast cancer
Reviving a theory first proposed in the late 1800s that the development of organs in the normal embryo and the development of cancers are related, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have studied organ development in mice to unravel how breast cancers, and perhaps other cancers, develop in people. Their findings provide new ways to predict and personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
How early breast tumors become deadly: A small group of molecules might hold the answer
Researchers have discovered a restricted pattern of molecules that differentiate early-stage breast tumors from invasive, life-threatening cancer. They also found a similar molecular signature that correlated with the aggressiveness of invasive tumors, and with the time to metastasis and overall survival.
Biology news
Australia's sheep are naturally itching for tea tree's good oil
Scientists at UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) have discovered that one of Australia's best known folk remedies might help to alleviate the sheep industry's biggest headache.
Invasive alien predator causes rapid declines of European ladybirds
A new study provides compelling evidence that the arrival of the invasive non-native harlequin ladybird to mainland Europe and subsequent spread has led to a rapid decline in historically-widespread species of ladybird in Britain, Belgium and Switzerland.
Global warming could kill off snails
(PhysOrg.com) -- Climate change models must be reworked in a bid to save some of the world’s smallest and slimiest creatures from extinction, a Flinders University PhD candidate warns.
Behavior of parent organisms may influence genes passed on to next generation
Timing is everything, and if there was ever a scientist whose legacy was tarnished by bad timing, it was Jean Baptiste Lamarck. The French naturalist lived from 1744 to 1829 - and published his own evolutionary theory decades before Darwin's theory went public in 1859.
The search for life's stirrings
Scientists studying how life arose on Earth are stumped by several key steps in that eventual process, but a Harvard scientist studying the earliest cells says that seemingly intractable problems in this field have sometimes proved to have simple, even elegant solutions.
Modeling microbes to manage carbon dioxide
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the past decade, microbiologists began realizing that communities of microbes process energy and materials, which affects their environments. To understand how microbial communities function in a natural ecosystem, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists developed a novel kinetic model that represents microbial community dynamics in soil pores.
Soundscape ecologists spawn new field
Geophony. Biophony. Anthrophony. Unfamiliar words. But they shouldn't be. We're surrounded by them morning, noon and night, say ecologist Bryan Pijanowski of Purdue University and colleagues.
Scientists predict where seabirds forage
Researchers have used information about seabird colonies and food availability to create a mathematical model which predicts where they forage for food during the breeding season.
18 endangered dolphins spotted off Borneo: WWF
Conservation group WWF said it spotted 18 critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in Indonesian waters off Borneo island Tuesday and called for greater protection of the species' habitat.
Without second wave of brown fat, young mice can't live without mama
For all those who have wondered where they'd be without their mothers, a study reported in the February Cell Metabolism puts a whole new spin on the question. Mice whose mothers pass along a mutant copy of a single imprinted gene can't keep themselves warm and die soon after leaving the comfort of the nest. The findings also reveal that the babies require a second round of heat-generating brown fat to survive.
UF report: 2011 shark attacks remain steady, deaths highest since 1993
Shark attacks in the U.S. declined in 2011, but worldwide fatalities reached a two-decade high, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File report released today.
Brazil to lead world in biotech crops: association
Brazil is on course to dislodge the United States as the world's top producer of biotech crops in the coming years, a leading promoter of farm biotechnology said Tuesday.
Not the black sheep of domestic animals
Mapping the ancestry of sheep over the past 11,000 years has revealed that our woolly friends are stars among domestic animals, boasting vast genetic diversity and substantial prospects for continued breeding to further boost wool and food production for a rising world population.
Redder ladybirds more deadly, say scientists
A ladybird's colour indicates how well-fed and how toxic it is, according to an international team of scientists. Research led by the Universities of Exeter and Liverpool directly shows that differences between animals' warning signals reveal how poisonous individuals are to predators.
Our Amorphophallus is smaller: New plant species from Madagascar smells like roadkill
The famed "corpse flower" plant – known for its giant size, rotten-meat odor and phallic shape – has a new, smaller relative: A University of Utah botanist discovered a new species of Amorphophallus that is one-fourth as tall but just as stinky.
Study shows chimps able to understand needs of others
(PhysOrg.com) -- By setting up a unique experiment, a small team of researchers has found that chimpanzees are able to understand need in other chimps, despite their general disinclination to offer aid when they see it. Shinya Yamamotoa, Tatyana Humleb, and Masayuki Tanakac set up a way to test their idea that chimps are able to understand some part of what is going on in the minds of others around them, and as they describe in their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they found a way to demonstrate it.
Entire genome of extinct human decoded from fossil
(PhysOrg.com) -- In 2010, Svante Pääbo and his colleagues presented a draft version of the genome from a small fragment of a human finger bone discovered in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia. The DNA sequences showed that this individual came from a previously unknown group of extinct humans that have become known as Denisovans. Together with their sister group the Neandertals, Denisovans are the closest extinct relatives of currently living humans.
Molecular path from internal clock to cells controlling rest and activity revealed in new study
(PhysOrg.com) -- The molecular pathway that carries time-of-day signals from the body's internal clock to ultimately guide daily behavior is like a black box, says Amita Sehgal, PhD, the John Herr Musser Professor of Neuroscience and Co-Director, Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
When did the feather take flight?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some 125 million years ago--more recently than once thought possible -- the molecular structure of the modern feather began to take form, according to molecular dating research by scientists at the University of South Carolina.
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