Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for February 22, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Physicists surprised by disappearing and reappearing superconductivity in iron selenium chalcogenides- Stanford research team cracks animated NuCaptcha
- Researchers build first physical 'metatronic' circuit
- Spitzer finds solid buckyballs in space
- Flesh-eating bacteria inspire superglue
- Men might not 'become extinct' after all: Theory of the 'rotting' Y chromosome dealt a fatal blow
- What can animals' survival instincts tell us about understanding human emotion?
- Japanese researchers find norepinephrine levels may be linked to gambling addiction
- An 'off' switch for pain: Chemists build light-controlled neural inhibitor
- Research links circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death
- Analysis of mTOR shows how the protein works, how new generation of drugs may defeat it
- Superbugs from space offer new source of power
- Graphene is thinnest known anti-corrosion coating
- Mini molecules could help fight battle of aortic bulge
- Researchers discover how different nanomaterial surfaces affect proteins
Space & Earth news
A secret hidden in Australia's ocean eddies
Deep-diving ocean "gliders" have revealed the journey of Bass Strait water from the Tasman Sea to the Indian Ocean.
International radio conference approves bandwidth to track ocean currents for science and disasters
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), charged by the United Nations with coordinating global radio spectrum use, recently came to an agreement that will foster improvements in ocean radar technology, which may eventually allow near real-time detection and tracking of tsunamis and prediction of the likely paths of oil spills, ocean debris and persons lost at sea.
Scoping the cost of the world's biggest new supercomputer
The world's most powerful telescope – the new Square Kilometre Array (SKA) – is likely to need the world's biggest computer to handle the incredible amount of data it will produce − and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) is working out how to do it without breaking the bank.
Russian heat wave 'had both manmade and natural causes'
(PhysOrg.com) -- The heat wave that struck western Russia in summer 2010, causing 55,000 deaths, was caused by a combination of manmade and natural factors. However, the frequency of occurrence of such heat waves has increased by a factor of three over recent decades, new research suggests.
Caltech oceanographer tests new technology at the bottom of the Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- The field of study of Andrew Thompson, assistant professor of environmental science and engineering at Caltech, presents not only theoretical challenges but logistical ones as well. That's because he is interested in the circulation and ecology of the Southern Ocean—a cold, remote region near Antarctica—and the role it plays in global climate.
Climate change study warns against one-off experiments
(PhysOrg.com) -- Climate change research conducted by the University of Aberdeen and Marine Scotland Science highlights the risks of conducting an experiment only once.
Opportunity phones home dusty self-portraits and ground breaking science
Opportunity, the Princess of Martian Robots, phoned home dusty new self portraits – above and below – of her beautiful bod basking in the utterly frigid sunshine during her 5th winter on the Red Planet whilst overlooking a humongous crater offering bountiful science.
New study confirms low levels of fallout from Fukushima
Fallout from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power facility in Japan was measured in minimal amounts in precipitation in the United States in about 20 percent of 167 sites sampled in a nationwide study released today. The U.S. Geological Survey led the study as part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP). Levels measured were similar to measurements made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the days and weeks immediately following the March 2011 incidents, which were determined to be well below any level of public health concern.
For disaster debris arriving from Japan, radiation least of the concerns
(PhysOrg.com) -- The first anniversary is approaching of the March, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated Fukushima, Japan, and later this year debris from that event should begin to wash up on U.S. shores – and one question many have asked is whether that will pose a radiation risk.
Even in winter, life persists in Arctic Seas
Despite brutal cold and lingering darkness, life in the frigid waters off Alaska does not grind to a halt in the winter as scientists previously suspected. According to preliminary results from a National Science Foundation- (NSF) funded research cruise, microscopic creatures at the base of the Arctic food chain are not dormant as expected.
Oil sands pollution comparable to a large power plant
It takes a lot of energy to extract heavy, viscous and valuable bitumen from Canada's oil sands and refine it into crude oil. Companies mine some of the sands with multi-story excavators, separate out the bitumen, and process it further to ease the flow of the crude oil down pipelines. About 1.8 million barrels of oil per day in 2010 were produced from the bitumen of the Canadian oil sands – and the production of those fossil fuels requires the burning of fossil fuels.
Fresh scandal embroils US climate science debate
A fresh scandal over climate change has erupted in the United States after leaked documents appeared to show a right-wing funded campaign to influence how climate science is taught in schools.
Going up: Japan builder eyes space elevator
A Japanese construction firm claimed Wednesday it could execute an out-of-this-world plan to put tourists in space within 40 years by building an elevator that stretches a quarter of the way to the moon.
Research links uplifting continents to crashes in biodiversity on Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- A mysterious cycle of booms and busts in marine biodiversity over the past 500 million years could be tied to a periodic uplifting of the world’s continents, scientists report in the latest issue of The Journal of Geology.
ENASA satellite finds Earth's clouds are getting lower
(PhysOrg.com) -- Earth's clouds got a little lower -- about one percent on average -- during the first decade of this century, finds a new NASA-funded university study based on NASA satellite data. The results have potential implications for future global climate.
World's oceans get an acid bath
Among the repercussions of global climate change, the effect of ocean acidification on marine life is one of the least-understood variables.
Spitzer finds solid buckyballs in space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have, for the first time, discovered buckyballs in a solid form in space. Prior to this discovery, the microscopic carbon spheres had been found only in gas form in the cosmos.
Technology news
Advanced infrared capabilities enable today's warfighter
By carrying a more accurate rifle scope, U.S. warfighters can increase their standoff distance when engaging enemies. Increased standoff distance can help protect warfighter lives. This is especially true when an infrared scope is needed for nighttime action. Technologies exist for cooled infrared imaging at greater distances, but such imaging systems are limited by size, weight and power (SWaP) to large platforms such as tanks or helicopters.
Web security start-up receives $1.1 million
A technology start-up created by a graduate of the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering that focuses on helping web site owners prevent, detect and recover from hacker attacks has raised $1.1 million to expand operations.
Norwegian researchers succeed in creating an artificial child's voice
It is very difficult to get a PC to recognise the voice of a child. Equally problematic is using a computer to synthesise speech in a child’s voice. Norwegian researchers have found simple, effective solutions to both challenges.
Anonymous says power grid not a target
Hacker group Anonymous strongly rejected suggestions on Tuesday that followers could cause a power outage by staging a cyberattack on an electricity grid.
Alibaba.com shares surge on privatization bid
(AP) -- Shares of Alibaba.com rocketed on Wednesday after the Chinese e-commerce site said its parent company made a $2.5 billion privatization bid as part of a shift in business strategy that also includes plans to buy back a stake from Yahoo Inc.
Company sues Apple over iPad name in Shanghai
(AP) -- Apple defended its right to use the iPad trademark in China in a heated court hearing Wednesday that pitted the electronics giant against a struggling company that denies it sold the mainland China rights to the tablet's name.
Browser bypasses put Google in privacy cross hairs
Privacy advocates, lawyers and powerful rival Microsoft were piling on Google on Tuesday for sidestepping Web browsing software to tailor ads for people signed into its online services.
Megaupload's Kim Dotcom granted bail in N.Zealand
Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom was freed on bail in a surprise move, after a New Zealand judge dismissed fears the internet tycoon would flee the country to escape US online piracy charges.
Rules patchwork 'threatens cloud computing growth'
A global patchwork of conflicting laws and regulations could hobble the growth of the cloud computing market, according to a new study.
EU refers anti-online piracy pact to court
The European Commission said Wednesday it has asked the EU's highest court to rule on the legality of a controversial treaty covering copyright, counterfeiting and Internet freedom.
Implantable, wireless sensors share secrets of healing tissues
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new implantable sensor developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute can wirelessly transmit data from the site of a recent orthopedic surgery. Inexpensive to make and highly reliable, this new sensor holds the promise of more accurate, more cost-effective, and less invasive post-surgery monitoring and diagnosis.
Fiber optics in computer screens to save energy
(PhysOrg.com) -- A single fiber-optic can light up computer screens. This innovation put in place by L.E.S.S., a recently formed spin-off of EPFL, brings energy savings of 30% while boosting processors.
T-Mobile asks FCC to block Verizon-cable deal
(AP) -- T-Mobile USA, which just had its acquisition by AT&T blocked by regulators, is now urging the federal government to block another deal in the wireless world: Verizon's planned purchase spectrum from cable companies for $3.9 billion.
Interactive 3-D graphical objects as an integral part of online shops
When customers visit an online shop, they want to see all parts of a product; they want to enlarge it, or visualize adjusting single elements. Until now, web developers have been dealing with a multiplicity of different programs, in order to illustrate articles on the Internet in such a complex way. The new HTML extension XML3D, which offers the capability to describe computer scenes in spatial detail directly within the website's code, simplifies that. An online shop can be extended with XML3D in just a few clicks, as researchers of the Saarland University's Intel Visual Computing Institute demonstrate at stand F34 in hall 9 at the computer fair Cebit. The trade show takes place in Hannover from 6 to 10 March 2012.
New cyber-attack on Greek ministry after arrest
Greece's justice ministry on Wednesday sustained a cyber-attack, the second this month, after the arrest of a teenager accused of participating in the first hacking, police said.
SPIDERS microgrid project secures military installations
When the lights go out, most of us find flashlights, dig out board games and wait for the power to come back. But that’s not an option for hospitals and military installations, where lives are on the line. Power outages can have disastrous consequences for such critical organizations, and it’s especially unsettling that they rely on the nation’s aging, fragile and fossil-fuel dependent grid.
Cable cos. shut down interactive ad venture
(AP) -- The country's largest cable TV companies are shutting down the bulk of a venture that let viewers interact with TV ads, laying off 120 employees.
Company says YouPorn chat service compromised
(AP) -- Users of a chat service linked to the heavily-trafficked YouPorn website have had their personal information compromised after a third-party service provider failed to secure its data, YouPorn's owners said Wednesday.
HP says 1Q earnings down 44 pct, beats Street
(AP) -- Hewlett-Packard Co., the maker of PCs and printers, on Wednesday said its net income fell, while sales fell 7 percent in the first full quarter under new CEO Meg Whitman.
Calif. pledges better mobile privacy disclosures
(AP) -- Mobile applications seeking to collect personal information will have to forewarn users as part of an agreement reached in California.
Study confirms that road users are jamming GPS signals
The first direct evidence of GPS jammers in use on British roads will be presented today alongside predictions of a major incident involving ships in the English Channel over the next decade caused by disruption to navigation signals.
Italian engineer invents floating solar panels
Rays of the winter sun bounce off gleaming mirrors on the tiny lake of Colignola in Italy, where engineers have built a cost-effective prototype for floating, rotating solar panels.
Tiny, implantable medical device can propel itself through bloodstream
Someday, your doctor may turn to you and say, "Take two surgeons and call me in the morning." If that day arrives, you may just have Ada Poon to thank.
Microsoft hits Motorola, Google with EU complaint
Microsoft on Wednesday lodged a formal complaint with the European Union's competition regulator against Motorola Mobility and its soon-to-be owner Google, saying Motorola's aggressive enforcement of patent rights against rivals breaks competition rules.
Stanford research team cracks animated NuCaptcha
(PhysOrg.com) -- The research team from Stanford University, led by Elie Bursztein, that previously had cracked regular CAPTCHAs and then audio CAPTCHAs, now has also successfully cracked the animated version called NuCaptcha. Bursztein details how the team did it and offers suggestions on how to improve them in a post on his blog.
Medicine & Health news
Mammography-detected breast cancer in 40-49 year-olds has better prognosis
Based on a study of nearly 2,000 breast cancer patients, researchers at the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle say that, in women between the ages of 40 and 49, breast cancers detected by mammography have a better prognosis. The study appears in the March issue of Radiology.
Johnson & Johnson CEO to step down in April
(AP) -- Johnson & Johnson's longtime CEO Bill Weldon is stepping down as the health care giant's top executive after an embarrassing string of recalls of everything from Tylenol to Benadryl that has cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars and consumers' trust.
Two-thirds of Myanmar HIV patients untreated: MSF
International funding cuts threaten to deepen an HIV crisis in Myanmar, where tens of thousands of people are denied lifesaving treatment, an aid agency said Wednesday.
Study: Few immigrants go to the doctor
(Medical Xpress) -- New research from Duke University challenges a long-held assumption that immigrants are generally healthy before they move to the United States but become less so while living here.
Lassa fever kills 40 in Nigeria: official
An outbreak of Lassa fever has killed 40 people and infected dozens of others in a third of Nigeria's 36 states over the past six weeks, a senior health official said Wednesday.
New book ponders ethical issues of genetic testing
A patient who tested positive for the gene that leads to Huntington’s disease wrestled with a host of questions. Should she have children with her husband, knowing that each baby has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the mutation that causes the degenerative neurological illness? Should she have an abortion if prenatal testing showed the fetus had the mutation, or should she not have biological children at all?
NIDA creates easy-to-read website on drug abuse
A new, easy-to-read website on drug abuse designed for adults with a low reading literacy level (eighth grade or below) was launched today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The site, which provides plain language information on neuroscience, drug abuse prevention and treatment, is also a resource for adult literacy educators. It has a simple design with a large default text size, motion graphic videos and other features that make it easy to read and use.
'Mirror therapy' reduces chronic phantom pain
(Medical Xpress) -- A team of researchers led by Stefan Seidel from the University Department of Neurology at the MedUni Vienna has demonstrated that – and how – mirror therapy, as it is known, can help patients reduce the symptoms of phantom pain following limb amputations. This is achieved by stimulating a "motor network” in the brain that "substitutes for" the original motor centre.
Prediabetes may not explain diabetic polyneuropathies
In a reversal of two decades of medical reports, a Mayo Clinic study finds the frequency of nerve damage called diabetic polyneuropathy is similar in prediabetic patients and healthy people. Physicians should seek explanations other than prediabetes for patients who have painful small fiber polyneuropathy, the researchers say. The study was published in the February issue of Diabetes Care.
Delivery of child-friendly antimalarial hits the 100 million mark
One hundred million treatments of Coartem Dispersible (artemether-lumefantrine), an antimalarial developed especially for children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, have been delivered by Novartis to 39 malaria-endemic countries, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announced today.
Fake drug sales are increasing on the Internet and turning up in legitimate supply chains
Criminal gangs are increasingly using the internet to market life-threatening counterfeit medicines and some have even turned up in legitimate outlets such as pharmacies, according to a review led by Dr Graham Jackson, editor of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, and published in the March edition.
Benchmarking study prompts rethink on next cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines
Sophia Antipolis, Wednesday 22 February 2012: The next Joint European CVD Prevention Guidelines, scheduled for publication later this year at EuroPRevent 2012, will be shorter, tighter and supported by fewer references. The aim, says Professor Joep Perk, Chairperson of the Task Force of the fifth edition, is a set of guidelines whose recommendations can be readily applied and whose evidence is unequivocal. "If we had picked up where we left off with the fourth edition guidelines, we'd have ended up with a 150-page document and 2000 references," says Perk. "And with that we'd have reached a dead-end."
Researchers take a step forward in transplanting pig cells to regenerate human cartilage
Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have studied for the first time the response of human NK cells (Natural Killer) against porcine chondrocytes (cartilage cells).
Is there a general motivation center in the depths of the brain?
A French team coordinated by Mathias Pessiglione, Inserm researcher have identified the part of the brain driving motivation during actions that combine physical and mental effort: the ventral striatum. The results of their study were published in PLoS Biology on 21 February 2012.
Study looks at patients' decision-making in asymptomatic carotid stenosis
A paper from Rhode Island Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit examines whether different presentation formats, presenter characteristics, and patient characteristics affect decision-making for patients requiring treatment for asymptomatic carotid stenosis. Based on the study, the researchers concluded that how the treatment options are presented to a patient strongly impacts patients' decision-making, while the patient's age, gender, and education level may also influence the decision. The study was recently published in the journal Neurology.
Researchers evaluate teaching program for breaking bad news to patients
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and the University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine evaluated the experience of medical students who participated in videotaped sessions where they practiced conveying difficult news to "standardized patients" (SPs). The SPs role-played patients with a variety of cancers and who were receiving bad medical news.
Shifting the clinical teaching paradigm in undergraduate nursing education
To address the faculty shortage problem, schools of nursing are reexamining how they provide clinical education to undergraduate students to find ways to use faculty resources more efficiently so they can maintain student enrollment and meet the future need for nurses.
Paying research volunteers raises ethical concerns, study concludes
(Garrison, NY) Researchers almost always offer money as an incentive for healthy volunteers to enroll in research studies, but does payment amount to coercion or undue inducement to participate in research? In the first national study to examine their views on this question, the majority of institutional review board members and other research ethics professionals expressed persistent ethical concern about the effects of offering payment to research subjects. But they differed in their views of the meaning of coercion and undue influence and how to avoid these problems in concrete research situations. The study appears in IRB: Ethics & Human Research.
Migraine linked to increased risk of depression in women
New research suggests women who have migraine or have had them in the past are at an increased risk for developing depression compared to women who have never had migraine. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.
Lessons from $800-million drug flop may lead to a new genre of anti-cholesterol medicines
Mindful of lessons from a failed heart drug that cost $800 million to develop, drug companies are taking another shot at new medications that boost levels of so-called "good cholesterol," which removes cholesterol from the body. A report on how three new versions of medications in the same family as the failed torcetrapib appears in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, the newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
Unraveling why children with Down syndrome have increased leukemia risk
Children with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased risk of developing leukemia, in particular acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Through their studies in a mouse model of DS, a team of researchers led by John Crispino, at Northwestern University, Chicago, has now identified a potential explanation as to why children with DS are at increased risk of AMKL. In doing so, they have also identified a candidate therapeutic target.
High VEGF signaling score tied to lung cancer prognosis
(HealthDay) -- A high vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling score correlates with good prognosis in patients with early squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
US drafts plan to fight feared Alzheimer's disease
(AP) -- The Obama administration declared Alzheimer's "one of the most feared health conditions" on Wednesday as it issued a draft of a new national strategy to fight the ominous rise in this mind-destroying disease.
ACGME announces plan to transform graduate medical education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) today announced major changes in how the nation's medical residency programs will be accredited in the years ahead, putting in place an outcomes-based evaluation system where the doctors of tomorrow will be measured for their competency in performing the essential tasks necessary for clinical practice in the 21st century.
Study links endometriosis with increased risk of developing 3 specific types of ovarian cancer
Women with a history of endometriosis are significantly more likely to develop three specific types of ovarian cancer (clear cell, endometrioid, and low-grade serous), according to an article published Online First in the Lancet Oncology.
Many women having a heart attack don't have chest pain
(HealthDay) -- Two out of five women having a heart attack do not experience chest pain, according to a new study.
Classification-based therapy no better for back pain
(HealthDay) -- Treatment of patients with lower back pain (LBP) using a classification-based physical therapy approach shows no statistically significant superiority to treatment with usual physical therapy care, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in Spine.
Plastic surgery gives younger appearance to aging face
(HealthDay) -- Aesthetic facial plastic surgery results in a reduction in perceived age, with the effect more substantial for those who undergo multiple procedures, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
Prevalence of improper condom use a public health issue worldwide: researchers
Problems with the correct use of the male condom, such as not wearing a condom throughout sex or putting it on upside down, are common in the U.S. and have become a major concern of public health officials. New research shows that countries around the world are facing similar challenges.
Cognitive rehabilitation improves brain performance in patients with MS
In a new study published in the March issue of Radiology, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows that cognitive rehabilitation changes brain function and improves cognitive performance in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).
News coverage of alcohol's harm may sway support for liquor-control laws
Reading a newspaper article about the role alcohol played in an injury accident or violent crime makes people more supportive of enforcing alcohol laws, a new study suggests.
Youth football head impact study published
Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (SBES) announces the first ever publication with data on head impacts from youth football players. The paper is published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering and is available online for free download. The manuscript includes the details of over 700 head impacts measured on 7 and 8 year old youth football players.
Stem cell implants boost monkeys with Parkinson's
Monkeys suffering from Parkinson's disease show a marked improvement when human embryonic stem cells are implanted in their brains, in what a Japanese researcher said Wednesday was a world first.
Combined use of recommended heart failure therapies significantly boosts survival odds
(Medical Xpress) -- A UCLA-led study has found that a combination of several key guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure treatment resulted in an improvment of up to 90 percent in the odds of survival over two years.
Map reveals cancer hotspots
(Medical Xpress) -- A new technique is helping researchers to pinpoint genetic information that contributes to cancer development.
Children with gender identity disorder are at serious psychiatric risk
(Medical Xpress) -- The first study to characterize a cohort of U.S. children with diagnosed gender identity disorder, led by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston, documents significant mental health risks as children struggle with strong feelings of being born “in the wrong body.” Findings appear in the March 2012 Pediatrics (published online February 20).
Drug combination domino effect destroys pancreatic cancer cells
(Medical Xpress) -- Cancer Research UK scientists have revealed how a combination of two very different drugs – currently being tested in clinical trials – amplifies the destruction of pancreatic cancer cells, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, today.
Applying medical imaging expertise to battles against kidney disease, nervous system disorder
(Medical Xpress) -- Promising efforts to improve detection of early-stage kidney disease and treat children with neurofibromatosis have earned grants for Arizona State University research projects from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Primary care doctors fail to recognize anxiety disorders
(Medical Xpress) -- Primary care providers fail to recognize anxiety disorders in two-thirds of patients with symptoms, reports a new study in General Hospital Psychiatry.
Variation in brain development seen in infants with autism
Patterns of brain development in the first two years of life are distinct in children who are later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to researchers in a network funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study results show differences in brain structure at 6 months of age, the earliest such structural changes have been recorded in ASDs.
Family history -- a significant way to improve cardiovascular disease risk assessment
A new study by researchers at The University of Nottingham has proved that assessing family medical history is a significant tool in helping GPs spot patients at high risk of heart disease and its widespread use could save lives.
In food form, some probiotics have a better chance to promote health
Functional foods containing bacteria with beneficial health effects, or probiotics, have long been consumed in Northern Europe and are becoming increasingly popular elsewhere. To be of benefit, however, the bacteria have to survive in the very hostile environment of the digestive tract. A group of scientists from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås, Norway have developed a "model gastric system" for evaluating the survival of bacteria strains in the human digestive system, and determined that some bacteria strains survive better when consumed as fermented milks. Their results are published in the February issue of the Journal of Dairy Science.
World of Warcraft boosts cognitive functioning in some older adults
For some older adults, the online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) may provide more than just an opportunity for escapist adventure. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that playing WoW actually boosted cognitive functioning for older adults – particularly those adults who had scored poorly on cognitive ability tests before playing the game.
UK study provides insight into cancer progression
The University of Kentucky has announced that Dr. Daret St. Clair, the James Graham Brown Endowed Chair and professor of toxicology, has published the first comprehensive study that provides insight into the relationship between two types of suppressors in cancerous tumors. The results will enhance the understanding of transcriptional mechanisms in carcinogenesis.
Blacks with higher education and prior treatment less likely to seek mental health care
Young adult blacks, especially those with higher levels of education, are significantly less likely to seek mental health services than their white counterparts, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.
Study: Muscle regeneration may provide ideal environment for rhabdomyosarcoma
Inflammation, cell division and cell differentiation that occur during skeletal muscle regeneration may provide an ideal environment for the highly malignant tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma to arise. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study that examined rhabdomyosarcoma growth in mouse models of muscular dystrophy. The new models could help investigators search for factors that drive tumor growth and help test new therapies.
Broken hearts really hurt
"Broken-hearted" isn't just a metaphor -- social pain and physical pain have a lot in common, according to Naomi Eisenberger of the University of Califiornia-Los Angeles, the author of a new paper published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In the paper, she surveys recent research on the overlap between physical and social pain.
Researchers confirm WIC breastfeeding rate data
While medical professionals have long known breastfeeding positively impacts infant and maternal health, few effective tools are available to measure breastfeeding practices nationally. According to a new study, one preexisting government-funded program is a potential wealth of accurate data about the breastfeeding practices of low-income mothers. This study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Human Lactation (published by SAGE).
Exposure to micronutrients pre-pregnancy associated with gene modifications in offspring
The offspring of women who were given micronutrient supplements (minerals needed in small quantities, such as iron, iodine and vitamin A) before they became pregnant had gene modifications at birth as well as when they were tested at 9 months.
Researchers solve puzzle of proteins linked to heart failure
Sudden cardiac death is a risk for patients with heart failure because the calcium inside their heart cells is not properly controlled and this can lead to an irregular heartbeat. New findings published in PLoS ONE, which reveal mechanisms that underlie this life-threatening risk, provide new possibilities for fighting it.
Researchers reveal how cancer cells change once they spread to distant organs
Oncologists have known that in order for cancer cells to spread, they must transform themselves so they can detach from a tumor and spread to a distant organ. Now, scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have revealed critical steps in what happens next -- how these cells reverse the process, morphing back into classical cancer that can now grow into a new tumor.
Study finds new member of the breast-cancer gene network
The infamous BRCA genes do not act alone in causing cancer; there is a molecular syndicate at work preventing the way cells normally repair breaks in DNA that is at the root of breast cancer. But finding all of the BRCA molecular collaborators has been elusive.
Panel: All adults should get whooping cough shots
A federal advisory panel wants all U.S. adults to get vaccinated against whooping cough.
Skin cancer frequency in chronic leg ulcers >10 percent
(HealthDay) -- Chronic leg ulcers (CLUs) that don't heal after three months of appropriate treatment have an overall skin cancer frequency of 10.4 percent, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in the Archives of Dermatology.
Uncovered: Genetic cause of complex disease seen in Irish Traveller community
Two independent groups of researchers — one led by Adrian Clark, at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom; and the other led by Jean-Laurent Casanova, at The Rockefeller University, New York — have now identified the disease-causing gene in patients with a complex inherited syndrome most commonly observed in the Irish Traveller community.
Restoring reality: Training improves brain activation and behavior in schizophrenia
A pioneering new study finds that a specific type of computerized cognitive training can lead to significant neural and behavioral improvements in individuals with schizophrenia. The research, published by Cell Press in the February 23 issue of the journal Neuron, reveals that 16 weeks of intensive cognitive training is also associated with improved social functioning several months later and may have far-reaching implications for improving the quality of life for patients suffering from neuropsychiatric illness.
Exercise in pregnancy safe for baby, study finds
(HealthDay) -- Exercising at moderate or -- for very active women -- even high intensity during pregnancy won't hurt your baby's health, a new study finds.
Scientists discover likely new trigger for epidemic of metabolic syndrome
UC Davis scientists have uncovered a key suspect in the destructive inflammation that underlies heart disease and diabetes. The new research shows elevated levels of a receptor present on leucocytes of the innate immune response in people at risk for these chronic diseases. The receptors are the body's first line of defense against infectious invaders, and they trigger a rush of cytokines, the body's aggressive immune soldiers, into the bloodstream.
Smoking cessation drug improves walking function in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3
A nicotinic drug approved for smoking cessation significantly improved the walking ability of patients suffering from an inherited form of ataxia, reports a new clinical study led by University of South Florida researchers.
Reports identify, prioritize environmental health risks in fast-growing United Arab Emirates
By global standards, health risks caused by environmental factors are low in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), new studies by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers show.
Men's legs may be new source for hair transplants
(HealthDay) -- Doctors may have a leg up on baldness: Transplanting hair from a patient's legs to his head for what may be a more natural look.
New melanoma drug Zelboraf nearly doubles survival in majority of patients
Investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and 12 other centers in the United States and Australia have found that a new drug for patients with metastatic melanoma nearly doubled median overall survival.
Study: No significant rise in seizure risk from common kids' vaccine
(HealthDay) -- Children who receive a combination vaccine known as DTaP-IPV-Hib have no significant increased risk of febrile seizure, a convulsion triggered by a fever, during the week after vaccination, researchers in Denmark report.
FDA panel backs previously rejected obesity pill
(AP) -- A panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration overwhelmingly backed approval for a highly anticipated anti-obesity pill called Qnexa, a drug which the FDA previously rejected due to safety concerns.
Phobia's effect on perception of feared object allows fear to persist
The more afraid a person is of a spider, the bigger that individual perceives the spider to be, new research suggests.
Study: Colonoscopy cuts colon cancer death risk
(AP) -- Millions of people have endured a colonoscopy, believing the dreaded exam may help keep them from dying of colon cancer. For the first time, a major study offers clear evidence that it does.
Injectable gel could repair tissue damaged by heart attack
(Medical Xpress) -- University of California, San Diego researchers have developed a new injectable hydrogel that could be an effective and safe treatment for tissue damage caused by heart attacks.
An 'off' switch for pain: Chemists build light-controlled neural inhibitor
Pain? Just turn it off! It may sound like science fiction, but researchers based in Munich, Berkeley and Bordeaux have now succeeded in inhibiting pain-sensitive neurons on demand, in the laboratory. The crucial element in their strategy is a chemical sensor that acts as a light-sensitive switch.
Japanese researchers find norepinephrine levels may be linked to gambling addiction
(Medical Xpress) -- Because addictions cause so much havoc in the lives of millions of people, researchers the world over are constantly looking for both their causes and ways to treat them. One such addiction, to gambling, has proven to be particularly tricky. To date, not a single approved medication has been found to help people who suffer from this category of addiction. Now however, thanks to the work of a team of scientists from the Kyoto University graduate school of medicine, researchers might be getting closer. They have found, as they explain in their paper in Molecular Psychiatry, that people with lower levels of the norepinephrine transporter in their brain, tend to take losing money less hard than do other people, which could of course, lead to gambling problems.
Mini molecules could help fight battle of aortic bulge
When aortic walls buckle, the body's main blood pipe forms an ever-growing bulge. To thwart a deadly rupture, a team of Stanford University School of Medicine researchers has found two tiny molecules that may be able to orchestrate an aortic defense.
Analysis of mTOR shows how the protein works, how new generation of drugs may defeat it
Uncovering the network of genes regulated by a crucial molecule involved in cancer called mTOR, which controls protein production inside cells, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered how a protein "master regulator" goes awry, leading to metastasis, the fatal step of cancer.
Research links circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death
A fundamental discovery reported in the March 1st issue of the journal Nature, uncovers the first molecular evidence linking the body's natural circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Ventricular arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, are the most common cause of sudden cardiac death: the primary cause of death from heart disease. They occur most frequently in the morning waking hours, followed by a smaller peak in the evening hours. While scientists have observed this tendency for many years, prior to this breakthrough, the molecular basis for these daily patterns was unknown.
What can animals' survival instincts tell us about understanding human emotion?
Can animals' survival instincts shed additional light on what we know about human emotion? New York University neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux poses this question in outlining a pioneering theory, drawn from two decades of research, that could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of emotions in both humans and animals.
Biology news
Under the Microscope #10 - Mouse tail skin
The epidermis, which is the outer layer of mammalian skin, is maintained by numerous stem cell populations.
Solution proposed to suffering caused by horse nosebands
(PhysOrg.com) -- Nosebands on horse bridles are being tightened so much in some equestrian competitions that horses are suffering stress, reduced blood flow in the area and ultimately even deformed nasal bones, according to Professor Paul McGreevy from the University of Sydney.
Wild tomatoes could unlock secrets of fungus behind irish potato famine, researcher says
Wild tomatoes could help researchers design potatoes resistant to the fungus that caused the Irish potato famine and still threatens potato crops around the globe, said a Colorado State University biologist who has received a $5.8 million National Science Foundation grant for the research.
Federal agencies must protect America's Pacific Island monuments from illegal fishing
Today, Marine Conservation Institute filed a formal petition to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, asking them to prohibit commercial fishing in America's sensitive and pristine Pacific Island marine national monuments, a ban that President George W. Bush declared when he established the monuments over three years ago.
A research challenges the theories on the global increase in jellyfish population
An international research, involving the participation of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), provides a new perspective on the jellyfish proliferation in world's oceans. This phenomenon has noticeably impacted on beaches around the world in recent years and has provoked the concerns of fishermen and bathers. However, according to the group of experts leading this new research, there are no "conclusive evidences" that point to global increase in jellyfish population.
US Forest Service research used in new, invasive-plant software
U.S. Forest Service research and funding have led to the development of a free software application that will help people identify and control destructive invasive plants in Southern forests and grasslands.
Pioneering molecular biologist Roy J. Britten dies
(AP) -- Roy J. Britten, a pioneering molecular biologist who discovered the crucial fact that humans and animals have multiple copies of some DNA segments, has died. He was 92.
Newly identified oral bacterium linked to heart disease and meningitis
A novel bacterium, thought to be a common inhabitant of the oral cavity, has the potential to cause serious disease if it enters the bloodstream, according to a study in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Its identification will allow scientists to work out how it causes disease and evaluate the risk that it poses.
Scientists describe the deepest terrestrial arthropod ever found
Scientists have recently described the deepest terrestrial animal ever found, together with 4 new species for science. These animals are springtails (Arthropoda, Insecta, Collembola), a minute primitive wingless insect with six-legs and without eyes that live in total darkness.
Penguin colony flourishing after being driven to brink of extinction
Eighty years after slipping to the brink of extinction, a colony of King Penguins at Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean has rebounded and is flourishing through conservation efforts, Australian researchers have found.
Research offers way to save endangered Florida bird, and a lesson for conservationists
A team of researchers has found a key to the habitat puzzle for improving long-term survival of the endangered Florida Scrub-Jay.
Invasive plant protects Australian lizards from invasive toad
An invasive plant may have saved an iconic Australian lizard species from death at the hands of toxic cane toads, according to research published in the March issue of The American Naturalist. It's an interesting case of one invasive species preparing local predators for the arrival of another, says Richard Shine, a biologist at the University of Sydney who led the research.
Birds sing louder amidst the noise and structures of the urban jungle
Sparrows, blackbirds and the great tit are all birds known to sing at a higher pitch (frequency) in urban environments. It was previously believed that these birds sang at higher frequencies in order to escape the lower frequencies noises of the urban environment. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Aberystwyth have discovered that besides noise, the physical structure of cities also plays a role in altering the birds' songs.
Hermetic bags save African crop, but not how experts once thought
The hermetic grain storage bags that cut off oxygen to weevils and have saved West and Central African farmers hundreds of millions of dollars by putting the brakes on the insects' rapid multiplication don't merely suffocate them as once thought, a Purdue University study shows.
Research discovers potentially deadly fungus senses body's defenses to evade them
Glen Palmer, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, was part of an international research team led by Luigina Romani, MD, at the University of Perugia, that discovered opportunistic fungi like Candida albicans can sense the immune status of host cells and adapt, evading immune system defenses. Unlike previous studies, this research investigated both sides of the infection equation as well as the interaction between the fungi and the cells they will invade. The findings are published online in Nature Communications in the most recent articles section (February 21, 2012).
To celebrate prairie landscapes, research says to take an aesthetic approach
A Kansas State University researcher and former park ranger is helping people take a new view of the prairie and see it as more than a seemingly empty landscape.
New iridescent lizard species found in Cambodia
A new species of lizard with striking iridescent rainbow skin, a long tail and very short legs has been discovered in the rainforest in northeast Cambodia, conservationists announced Wednesday.
Climate change affects bird migration timing in North America
Bird migration timing across North America has been affected by climate change, according to a study published Feb. 22 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.
Chronic stress in elephants can affect long-term behavior
Stress is known to lead to short-term escape behavior, and new research on elephants in South Africa shows that it can also cause long-term escape behavior, affecting the extent that elephants use their habitat. The work is published Feb. 22 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.
Superbugs from space offer new source of power
Bacteria normally found 30km above the earth have been identified as highly efficient generators of electricity.
New family of legless amphibians found in India
Since before the age of dinosaurs it has burrowed unbothered beneath the monsoon-soaked soils of remote northeast India - unknown to science and mistaken by villagers as a deadly, miniature snake.
Desert footprints reveal ancient origins of elephants' social lives
(PhysOrg.com) -- A cluster of ancient footprints in the Arabian desert offers the clearest evidence yet for the early origins of modern elephants’ social structure, according to a Yale-led research team.
Men might not 'become extinct' after all: Theory of the 'rotting' Y chromosome dealt a fatal blow
If you were to discover that a fundamental component of human biology has survived virtually intact for the past 25 million years, you'd be quite confident in saying that it is here to stay.
Surprising diversity at a synapse hints at complex diversity of neural circuitry
A new study reveals a dazzling degree of biological diversity in an unexpected place – a single neural connection in the body wall of flies.
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